Zambia lifts ban on safari hunting

THE Zambian government has lifted a two-year ban on safari hunting concessions that was imposed after widespread corruption in the hunting industry. Tourism minister Patrick Kalifungwa offically announced the unbanning on Tuesday and urged future hunting concessionaires to have zero tolerance for corruption. "I want to bring integrity and transparency to the industry, which was eroded tremendously over the years with allegations of corrupt practices," Kalifungwa said. He added that a great deal of revenue had been lost during the ban, but that local communities living in hunting blocks would soon be earning almost 50% of safari fees paid by the hunters to the Zambian government. (African Eye News Service)