For Immediate Release
Media Contact:
SCI-Calgary
Phone: 403-651-9497
Email address: info
sci-calgary.org
Alberta judge rules hunting is ‘a legitimate commercial enterprise’; grants injunction against derogatory statements by activists
CALGARY, 24 JANUARY 2017 - SCI-Calgary is celebrating a judge’s decision to require anti-hunting activists to remove derogatory statements about hunters and hunting from their social media pages and messaging.
The hunting advocacy organization had sought an injunction against Michael Donovan and his ‘Ban African Trophy Hunting’ (BATH) organization following their attempts to prevent hunters from congregating at African Events trade shows in Toronto, Saskatoon and Calgary in 2016.
It is believed Donovan planned similar protests for this years events.
The bizarre and highly inflammatory statements by Donovan include comparisons to the ‘extermination of jews’ and hunting in Africa, moral comparisons between what the judge deemed to be a legitimate commercial business and Donovan views as akin to slavery. Donovan also claimed that the only countries where hunting occurs in Africa are those where authorities are ‘paid off’ by lawful hunters.
Michael Donovan has organized protests against hunting events in a clear effort to draw down interest in the lawful activity and presumably to support his own ‘photo safari’.
“We were highly offended that Michael Donovan has sought to use defamatory comments about legitimate commercial enterprises by invoking the horrors of slavery and the holocaust in what we believe is simply an effort by him to shore up customers for his own African focused outfitting business.” Said David Little, President of SCI-Calgary. “The court affirmed you do not have the right to make such derogatory comments about legitimate activities like hunting, simply because it suits your interest to do so.” Little added.
SCI-Calgary is pleased with the judge’s ruling and hopes it will pressure anti-hunting activists to actually make fact based arguments to support their opinion, instead of degrading the memories of holocaust victims and those who were forced into slavery in decades and centuries past.
“It is clear to me that Donovan’s brand of activism is led by his desire to grow his own competing business, despite photo safari businesses doing precious little to support meaningful conservation in Africa. Here is some free advice for Mr. Donovan that I’ve picked up in business: calling people you want to be your customers ‘wealthy individuals with a sickness’ isn’t nearly as good as demonstrating value and having a positive impact on animal conservation in Africa -- something hunters and outfitters do everyday.” Little added.
A copy of the ruling is available to media upon request.
