Protecting its status as the country with the second-highest biodiversity in the world, the Constitutional Court of Colombia has banned recreational hunting, to the delight of animal advocates around the world.
Lawyer Laura Santacoloma — an animal advocate — filed the lawsuit, which argued that sport hunting was unconstitutional because it conflicted with Colombian laws regarding protection and care of the natural environment.
The Colombian Federation of Shooting and Recreational Hunting (FEDTIRO) were defendants in the case. Understandably, they strongly opposed the ban, claiming that trophy hunting is both a principle of freedom under the constitution and an educational pursuit.
However, Magistrate Antonio J José Lizarazo disagreed, ruling in favor of the plaintiffs to ban trophy hunting in the nation.
“It is not constitutionally allowable to kill or mistreat animals for the sole purpose of recreation,” said Lizarazo. “Animals are not things, they are beings with feelings.”
The ban will come into effect in around one year’s time, although sports fishing will still be permissible.
Colombia’s ecosystems are incredibly rich. They have the most orchid and bird species on the planet, and the second highest number of plants, amphibians, butterflies and freshwater fish.
However, as with all wild places, these ecosystems are under threat due to deforestation, mining, and habitat loss.
Colombia is the second Latin American country to ban hunting animals for sport, following in the footsteps of Costa Rica, which stopped this cruel practice in 2012.
These two nations acknowledge that the incredible biodiversity contained within their borders needs to be protected. Instead of selling hunting trips for ruthless trophy hunting tourists, they will promote the incredible natural beauty of the environment and the animals that call it home.
CONGRATULATIONS COLUMBIA, YOU ARE THE BEST!!!!!!👍👍👍👍👍👏👏👏👏👏👏🎩🎩🎩🎩🎩🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
STOP KILLING ANIMALS !!!!!
It is sickening to see animals gunned down to boost man’s ego.It’s also sickening to see the hunters gloating about what they have done. Why not donate the money to wildlife protection and take photographs of the be animals? Surely that would make a person feel better than killing something.
AGAIN, SOME JERK WITH A SELF-IMAGE PROBLEM THAT THINKS KILLING AN ANIMAL WHO HAS NO DEFENSE AGAINST HIS HIGH-POWERED RIFLE, IS CALLED SPORT!!!! MEET THE ANIMAL ON HIS OWN LEVEL, AND SEE WHO WINS!!!!
Congratulations Columbia!!!!👏👏👏👏👏 ONE BIG STEP TO HUMANITY!!!!
PLEASE – NO MORE TROPHY HUNTING
looks like a bear
looks like a bear
The U.S. should learn from Columbia. Hunting (killing) for fun is barbaric, brutal and just plain evil.
But, unfortunately, those hunters enjoy being evil. They kill just for the thrill of killing, and they have
the audacity of bragging about the fact that they go to church on Sunday. They take the lives of all
those beautiful and endangered and innocent lives and then brag about it. They must prove that
they have the money to do it. They should kill each other instead.
What the heck is that animal in the photo of this post?
HOORAY for the Colomobian Ruling. No trophy hunting….hopefully, other countries will see that they have been upstaged by a small but ethical nation-state, which understands the importance of biodiversity and is prepared to act upon its beliefs. Great news.
This is good news, thank you!
Well done Columbia.
Préservons la vie
Dancing with sheer joy with this news and thank you so much Columbia!
Thank You Colombia !
A delightful news!
well, my oh my, who would think a wild country like Columbia would be civilized enough or interested in animals enough to BAN SPORT HUNTING!!! GOD BLESS THEM FOR DOING SO!!!!
People.need.to.stop.being.crueil.to.they.animal.people.ilke.that.need.to.go.to.jail.for.lifer
very nice comment hilda. i liked the part when you asked to ban all hunting. a thumbs up from me
Thank you Magistrate Antonio J
LIzarazo for banning trophy hunting. All animals are precious sentinel beings and must be protected. The world must end all hunting of animals. ASAP.
dam a year is way too long for this ban to take affect. ban it now
Fantastic! Bravo Columbia! Ban all trophy hunting everywhere! Let these killers shoot at each other or hey, sign up for some miltary action. Plenty of killing there. Oh, BTW, they shoot back, unlike the defenseless animals you cowards shoot.
es una muy buena noticia que en mi país por fín prohíban la caza y asi tenemos que seguir cuidando la naturaleza es un orgullo y seguiremos pendientes
So proud of Columbia. Hope all the countries will follow this amazing example. 👍😻
Glad that progress is being made.
The U.S. should also ban it. Also, the whole world should ban it.
Well done Columbia and Costa Rica. Such a shame that the U.S. doesn’t see fit to do the same.
Good for you Columbia. You are sensitive to this issue of these poor vulnerable animals. You will have good karma. God bless you.
I am so happy this has been won there much to do to get it banned world wide
Sounds like heaven on Earth. Me suena que el paraíso sí ha llegado a unos rincones de la Tierra. Gracias, Colombia, por seguir a Costa Rica en mostrarnos que no es necesario matar, sino gozar.
Bravo Colombia.
YES!!!👍🏻
félicitations car les animaux sont des etres sensibles et magnifiques , quel que soit leur race .
Merci pour eux , j’espère que d,autres villes et pays vont suivre votre bel exemple .
Mme Rémy Nadia
Prayers ARE being answered! Thank you God and thank you to all who work tirelessly to protect the animals!!
The U.S. should also ban the ‘sport’.
Well done Columbia!
The U. S. should also ban the ‘sport’.
Well done, Columbia!