Safari Club International
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| Motto | First for Hunters |
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| Formation | 1973 |
| Headquarters | Tucson, Arizona |
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Membership
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50,000 |
| Website | www |
Safari Club International (SCI) is an international organization composed of hunters dedicated to protecting the freedom to hunt and promoting wildlife conservation. SCI has more than 50,000 members and 180 local chapters. SCI members agree to abide by the organizations code of ethics which includes making a positive contribution to wildlife and ecosystems, complying with game laws and assisting game and fish officers.
Safari Club International Foundation, the 501(c)(3) branch of SCI, funds and manages worldwide programs dedicated to wildlife conservation, outdoor education and humanitarian services. The organization has taken a stance against poaching.
Safari Club International was founded by C.J. McElroy and fellow hunters in 1972. Early chapters were founded in Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Arizona and Mississippi. McElroy was an accomplished hunter, hunting on 6 continents and in nearly 50 countries with over 200 record book specimens. SCI's organizational structure is composed of the President, Vice President, and regional directors at large, all elected to their posts from within the membership. Presidents are elected to a term of 1 year, Vice Presidents to a term of 2 years.
The organization's headquarters is in Tucson, Arizona. Safari Club International holds an annual convention in conjunction with their Ultimate Hunters' Market exhibition.
SCI conservation and education programs are conducted by Safari Club International Foundation, a non-profit organization "dedicated to wildlife conservation, outdoor education and humanitarian services." Although this foundation was set up by SCI and shares board members with SCI, it is a separate legal entity.
Sportsmen Against Hunger began in 1989, and through the network of SCI chapters, provides food banks with meat from harvested animals. In 2006, over 250,000 pounds of wild game were donated to charitable relief organizations. The Sensory Safari program allows sight-impaired individuals to get a “visual” perspective of what animals are like by feeling mounts, skins, skulls, horns, and antlers. The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) asked SCIF to host a Sensory Safari at its annual convention. In 1997, the NFB signed a memorandum of understanding with SCI to host Sensory Safaris at all future NFB national and state conventions. Hunters who participate in the SafariCare program take bags filled by SCI chapter with medical, school, and relief supplies to clinics and schools to remote regions of the developing world. The SafariWish program is part of the SafariCare program, designed to give children with life-threatening illnesses a chance to go hunting. The Disabled Hunter program, through SCI chapters, provides sponsorship for hunting trips for disabled sportsmen.
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