Conservation groups say eBay should ban trophy hunt sales

by Elinor Mills
May 1, 2009
http://news.cnet.com

Conservation groups want eBay to ban auctions where people pay thousands of dollars to trophy hunters to kill leopards, lions, bears and other predators.

Conservation groups praised eBay for banning the sale of ivory products in December but on Friday they criticized the online auction site for allowing the sale of trophy hunts of lions, leopards, bears, wolves and other animals.

Raincoast Conservation and Big Wildlife urged eBay in February to stop posting guided hunts of large predators on the auction site, arguing that trophy hunting of carnivores puts the species at risk. Under guided hunts, hunters typically seek thousands of dollars up front to pay for a hunting trip and then get the remainder of the fee after the animal has been killed.

On Friday, the groups said they received word from Tod Cohen, eBay vice president and deputy general counsel, that the company would not halt trophy hunt sales because such hunting is legal.
“Just because something is legal doesn’t mean it is ethical,” Chris Genovali, executive director of the British Columbia-based Raincoast Conservation.

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