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The Wild Life
Observations and Reflections
on Africa's Wildlife
IV - The People
Curiously, or maybe not so curiously, many of those who say they
are the most concerned about Africa’s wildlife refuse to accept (or even acknowledge) this. There seem to be two distinct
points of view; that of the environmental community – based upon their own, partly contrived vision of the natural world,
and that of those who live in the natural world. The environmental community generally rejects all forms of hunting other
than “Subsistence hunting by indigenous peoples”. This perspective, constantly reinforced by the Western media,
is slow to change. Ironically, subsistence hunting, along with habitat loss, is the greatest threat to the survival of wildlife.
The indigenous peoples in question are (in Africa), black farmers, who augment their diet with bushmeat, and also
kill wild animals to sell in the marketplace. Mostly, though, rural Africans compete with wildlife for their own crops, and
not infrequently, their own lives. Elephant and hippo destroy their fields, antelope feed on their gardens, leopard and lion
kill their cattle, and the crocs take their share at the rivers edge. The goal (spoken or not) is the virtual extermination
of wildlife from the neighborhood, and whether a species is threatened, endangered or plentiful elsewhere does not enter into
the equation.
When the same people establish a hunting concession, trophy hunters pay them for the opportunity
to hunt the same wildlife, and the payment to the community is often its largest source of income – more than they have
ever earned (or been given) before; enough to build a school, or buy expensive farm equipment or, possibly most important
in the future of equitable land distribution and ownership, more land.
This approach, befitting communal, tribal
lands, while different from that of private property owners, nevertheless has the same logic and philosophy; that the wildlife
is part and parcel of their lives - and an important resource. After the hunt the villagers are given much (or all) of the
meat anyway - in addition to the hunting fees.
When the villagers learn this, they are immediately transformed
from poachers into conservationists. They begin to take part in the protection and preservation of existing wildlife, and
see value in the reintroduction of species previously hunted out (bought from ranches like Gras). They also become more financially
independent, depending less on demeaning handouts from NGO’s and Government Organizations.
Most importantly,
they can continue to live as they always have, close to nature, with a high degree of cultural integrity. They can preserve
their ancient traditions, and pass on their way of life to their children, and their children’s children. In addition,
their knowledge of the wildlife, the local plants and herbs and their medicinal uses and other properties is not lost.
These are very real things of immeasurable importance. And if Black and White still lead mostly separate lives after
the hunt has ended, they generally respect and rely upon each others abilities while the hunt is on. All work together to
a common purpose. The individual skills of very different people are hand-woven into the fabric of the hunt. Ancient bush-crafts,
time-honored traditions and modern technology combine to create a kind of camaraderie that can only exist in real-life situations.
A clean kill brings a smile to the face of the guide, hunter, tracker, skinner and landowner. Everyone has made
a contribution; everyone shares in the success, and the gulf between race and culture that is still so wide in so much of
Africa has narrowed for a few hours. During the hunt, all men are cut from the same cloth, doing what men have always done.
Different cultures add texture to an ageless event.
The trophy hunter is the catalyst. He represents - to the
extent that he is able, civilization at its purest - where human instinct is refined through tradition into ceremony. He is
at once primal, traditional, modern and forward-thinking. _________________________________________________________________ Next Page: The Talk _________________________________________________________________
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