Summary5 min read

The Origins Foundation Podcast

Episode: Short Truths 24 || What Can You Hunt In South Africa?
Date: October 9, 2025
Host: The Origins Foundation

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the regulatory and conservation landscape of hunting in South Africa, focusing on the complexities behind the legal status and conservation value of hunting charismatic species such as elephants, leopards, and black rhinos. The speaker unpacks why quota systems are pivotal, how recent court cases have impacted hunting permissions, and the direct ties between hunting, private land conservation, and wildlife value. The tone is practical and fact-driven, aiming to equip listeners with concise, data-backed talking points for conversations about hunting and conservation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Current Legal Status of Hunting in South Africa

[01:44] Elephants, leopards, and black rhinos are currently not available for export hunting due to lack of issued quotas.
No quota has been issued for these species since 2018, except briefly in 2021.
Only South African locals can hunt elephants and only in certain provinces (recently updated to allow some international hunters in places like Limpopo and Mpumalanga).

2. Court Challenges and Quota Stalemate

[02:31] 2021 quota issuance was challenged by Humane Society International, citing inadequate public comment periods and procedural concerns.
The court case dragged on, and by 2023, the judge dismissed it as moot (since it regarded quotas from 2021).
As of September 2025, no new quotas due to another ongoing court case (WRSA versus the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment - DFFE), leaving the system in limbo.

Quote:
"So since 2021, nobody has been able to hunt elephants, rhino and leopard and export any of them. You can't hunt black rhino, you can't hunt leopard at all."
— Speaker [04:22]

3. Importance of Quota Systems

[04:56] Quotas assign value to hunted species, incentivizing their conservation on private lands.
Without quotas, landowners have no financial incentive to maintain populations of damaging or dangerous game, like elephants (who cause property destruction) or leopards (who prey on livestock).
Hunting quotas are presented as a tool to balance conservation funding, human-wildlife conflicts, and wildlife value.

Quote:
"The quota system gives value to animals... If you do not add value to those species, for instance, elephants, why would people want to keep elephants on their property?"
— Speaker [05:15]

4. Population Status and Scientific Data

[05:54] Elephants: South Africa has a robust population (~44,000), more than ever before, justifying a sustainable hunting quota.
Leopards: Harder to survey, but both anecdotal and some camera trap evidence suggest strong populations—even in areas where they were not previously seen. Ongoing studies by Safari Club International Foundation aim to clarify the numbers.
Black Rhinos: Populations thrive where secure and valued, particularly on private land, due to the substantial financial investment in anti-poaching and management.

Quote:
"South Africa has more elephants today than it has ever had..."
— Speaker [06:00]

5. Conservation Economics and Social Impact

[07:18] The speaker argues that a functional quota system could raise the hunting/guiding sector's economic contribution from 4 million rand to about 20 billion rand—a fivefold increase.
The added value translates directly to habitat restoration, infrastructure, community projects, and conservation security.
Without hunting quotas, wildlife loses monetary value, making them liabilities rather than assets to private landowners.

Quote:
"That money will go back into infrastructure, community investments, habitat restoration, wildlife conservation..."
— Speaker [07:48]

6. Private Land Model and Value of Wildlife

In South Africa, animals on privately owned, adequately fenced land legally belong to the landowner.
Ownership creates a system where wildlife is as valuable as the market provisions: for hunting, photographic tourism, meat, or breeding.
The risks and costs (crop damage, livestock losses, poaching) require incentives—quotas provide these incentives.

Quote:
"One thing you've got to remember, the South African system is a private wildlife, private land model of a wildlife conservation system..."
— Speaker [08:24]

7. Reframing Anti-Quota Arguments

The episode repeatedly challenges anti-quota logic, noting that diminishing populations or negative conservation impact are not supported by data in the case of elephants, leopards, or black rhinos.
The argument is that issuing quotas would enhance the value—and thus the protection—of these animals.

Quote:
"None of these species would be detrimentally affected if you issued a quota. In fact, the opposite would happen."
— Speaker [08:13]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

[04:22] "So since 2021, nobody has been able to hunt elephants, rhino and leopard and export any of them. You can't hunt black rhino, you can't hunt leopard at all."
[05:15] "The quota system gives value to animals... If you do not add value to those species, for instance, elephants, why would people want to keep elephants on their property?"
[06:00] "South Africa has more elephants today than it has ever had..."
[07:48] "That money will go back into infrastructure, community investments, habitat restoration, wildlife conservation..."
[08:13] "None of these species would be detrimentally affected if you issued a quota. In fact, the opposite would happen."
[08:24] "One thing you've got to remember, the South African system is a private wildlife, private land model of a wildlife conservation system..."

Timestamps for Key Segments

[01:44] — Current legal status of hunting elephants, leopards, and black rhinos in South Africa
[02:31] — 2021 quota issuance, court challenges, and implications for hunters
[04:56] — Economic rationale behind quotas; why it matters for private landowners
[05:54] — Review of population data for elephants, leopards, and black rhinos
[07:18] — Projected economic and conservation impact of functional quota systems
[08:24] — Explanation of South Africa’s unique private land wildlife model

Conclusion & Takeaway

This episode makes a clear, data-driven advocacy for the utility and necessity of hunting quotas in South Africa—not as a means of exploitation, but as a proven mechanism for adding value, funding conservation, and managing human-wildlife conflict. The facts presented, and the speaker’s systematic dismantling of anti-quota positions, equip the listener with a nuanced understanding of why legal, regulated hunting can and does play a pivotal role in South African wildlife conservation.

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Transcript8 lines

[00:00]
A
Hey guys, this is Melissa Baughman. Are you ready to stop spooking deer before it's even time to hunt them? Then you need the new Flex S Dark cellular trail camera from spypoint with a no glow flash option, long lasting solar power, and a ton of settings that can be changed anytime through the SpyPoint app. There are no more excuses for letting your deer get wise before the season even starts, so check it out for yourself and see why the spypoint Flex S Dark is the unstoppable and undetectable scouting tool you need for your next hunt.
[00:37]
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[01:09]
C
Have you always wanted to learn something more about a hunting related topic? Or always wanted to say something to someone on social media that called out something related to hunting? Or even how to address a statement made by colleagues around hunting? You want to be confident in your response, but you're just not equipped with enough knowledge, facts or questions to sound intelligent. In the next five minutes I'll give you what you need. Short, sharp information, dense and to the point.
[01:45]
D
Here we go. Foreign so in South Africa right now you can hunt. You cannot hunt elephants, leopards or black rhinos and get them exported out of South Africa. For those three CITES animals you need export quota and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment. Dffe. I'm going to use DFFE a lot is the government agency that issues quota. Well there has been no quota issued for elephant, leopard and Black Rhino since 2018. 2021 or what happened in 2021? 2021 the quota was issued. There was a quota for elephants, leopard and black rhino. Well the government DFFE got taken to court by Humane Society International. They got taken to court if I remember correctly, for not following protocols, not having a large enough comment period, yada yada, all the stuff that you typically would put in place to stymie something that you're not in favor of. Okay, obviously quota for charismatic megafauna like elephants, leopards and black rhino. A humane society is not in favor of. And so the courts had to make a decision whether or not the FFV had followed the right protocols. Well it drag out. Well this was for quota for 2021. Well the court case, drug out. It's 2022, and I believe in 2023, the judge looked at it and goes, I'm throwing this case out because this is a case for determining whether the quota in 2021 was appropriate. It's 2023. Out it went. So since 2021, nobody has been able to hunt elephants, rhino and leopard and export any of them. You can't hunt black rhino, you can't hunt leopard at all. In South Africa, only local South African hunters can hunt an elephant. And only up until the last six months, Limpopo and Mpumalanga have allowed international hunters to come hunt elephants. So what's the big deal about not having a quota? Well, we thought we were going to get a quota. So Fast forward to October 2024. The FFV puts a quota on the street for 2020 25, anticipating the whole court stymying scenario again. And they went through the public comment period, they went through a period of time in which they had to evaluate all the public comments. And we expected a quota to be released in early 2025. Well, here we sit, September 2025, and there has been no quota issued. And now the minister, Dion George, has just released a statement that because WRSA has taken them to court for non issuance of quota, that he's not going to issue a qu. The court case has figured itself out. So now we're back in the scenario we were in 2021 in which that a court case has now stymied the issuance of a quota. Why is this quota so important? I think that's a really good question to answer. Why is this quota important for elephants, leopards and black rhino? And simply it comes down to adding value to those species. If you do not add value to those species, for instance, elephants, why would people want to keep elephants on their property? Beyond the ecotourism, photographic tourism element of it currently in South Africa, you cannot give an elephant away for free. You can't. There's nobody wanting elephants. Everybody's actually looking to get rid of elephants. And so there was a mechanism by which you could manage elephants, that you could reduce their population, that you could create an extra value. Why would you not do it? That's where the quota comes in. The South African hunters for elephants are paying probably a quarter of the price. That's why a quota system is so important. The quota system gives value to animals. So let's finish the elephant argument. Is there enough science, is there enough data to show that there is sustainable number of elephants to allow a Quota to be created. Yes. South Africa has more elephants today than it has ever had. We're at like 44,000 elephants. Plenty of elephants to issue a quota on and lots of them in private hands. Leopards. Do we have science on leopards? Actually, we don't have great science on leopards. Safari Club International foundation is doing a survey on leopards in South Africa to give us some data. But there's also a lot of anecdotal evidence to say that. Are there lots of leopards present? Yes. Are there leopards present in areas that they've never seen leopards before in the past? Yes. Are there trail camera pictures on small acreages that have identified multiple leopards showing how dense of a population there is? The answer is yes. And so instead of just letting leopards be a byproduct from a depredation perspective on sheep, on cattle, whatever they are, why not put a value on those leopards? Currently, farmers do not see leopards as a valuable product. They see them as a nuisance. Why not put a value on leopards, reduce the number of illeg takes associated with leopards and depredation and increase the value of leopards by issuing a quota, then black rhinos. We have plenty of data to show that black rhinos are doing very well in private hands. They're only doing very well because of the money being invested in the security of those rhinos. By giving them value, $300,000 value, you can aid in rhino conservation moving forward. It's a very simple concept. Issue quota, add value to wildlife, issue no quota, that wildlife has no value any longer. You have phenomenal private operators, private landowners. You have private landowners, private operators and outfitters that hunt areas that have elephant, that have rhino the desperate for help. If you gave them help through a quota, they would be looking after your wildlife even more. Isn't that what you want? A quota is going to add value to the wildlife of South Africa. A quota is going to enhance the economic GDP of South Africa from, from approximately 4 million rand a year right now to, I think, based on my calculations, about 20 billion rand. So five fold. That money will go back into infrastructure, community investments, habitat restoration, wildlife conservation, security and risk management of species like rhinos to improve their conservation. How is that a bad thing? If the atsi's of the world are whispering in your ear, Minister, that you shouldn't issue a quota? Have you asked the very simple question why? Why should you issue a quota of zero? Is it because elephants are doing badly from a population perspective? No. Is it because there Are too few leopards in the landscape of South Africa? The answer is no. Is it because Southern Black rhino are doing terribly because of hunting? The answer is no. None of these species would be detrimentally affected if you issued a quota. In fact, the opposite would happen. Elephants, leopards and black rhino would be significantly more valued if you issued a quota. It's as simple as that. One thing you've got to remember, the South African system is a private wildlife, private land model of a wildlife conservation system. That is, if you have a certificate of adequate enclosure, the animals within that enclosure, within that fence belong to you. And so how do you put value on those animals that somebody privately owns? You have somebody interested in valuing that animal? I, I value it to photograph it, I value it to eat it, I value it to hunt it. Those are values for wildlife. I value it because it'll breed and create more wildlife that I can then sell. That is why a quota is so important. A quota is important for the private landowner to see more value in these specific species, all of which have risk and liability associated with holding them on your property. Elephant from a destruction perspective. Human wildlife conflict perspective. Leopard from a depredation perspective. Rhino from a poaching risk, security, liability perspective.
[09:29]
C
Well, that's it for today. Appreciate you listening as always.
[09:34]
D
Leave a review, share it with your.
[09:35]
C
Friends and most importantly, do what's right to convey the truth around hunting, Bow.
[09:43]
E
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