Save the hunting industry from itself

Amani Mchungaji · 2016-06-16T13:12:26+00:00

The burning of a stockpile of ivory in Kenya recently was a wasteful and ridiculous act arranged by a self-righteous attention seeking conservationist and politicians. The result is the opposite of the stated aim. This huge 150 million dollar publicity stunt will pushes up the value of, and desire for, ivory increasing the demand. Ivory and rhino horn are ornamental and beautiful. There are no synthetic alternatives. The demand for the commodity will always be there. Appealing to peoples emotions and banning the trade in these commodities forces the business underground. The way to reduce the slaughter of elephants and rhino for their ivory and horn is to concentrate on increasing the risk of the illegal trade and to promote and tax the legal trade. The legal trade does not have to rely on the slaughter of the animal. Ivory could be harvested without destroying the elephant as can rhino horn. Even if the animal is killed, but this is done legally, and as humanly as possible, the rest of the animal can by used and not left to rot in the bush as it is by wary poachers. Every part of these animals has a market. Society has let our emotions get the better of us to the detriment of the very animals, and their environment that we wish to help and protect. Conservation organisation are the worst offenders as they p on horrific imagery and emotional blackmail to promote their cause and to con the public out of their hard earned funds, and then squander those very funds on promoting their cause further, often doing little or nothing practical and effective in the process. The developed nations are totally blinded by the emotive appeals. The result is that high-minded fools think wilderness can be preserved next to communities that are struggling to subsist Effective law enforcement is the tool, paid for by the revenue generated by the consumptive and non consumptive use of wildlife and wilderness areas. Tanzania has an amazing track record on setting aside huge areas for the conservation of wildlife, and biodiversity. These areas cannot all be sustained and paid for by non-consumptive tourism alone. Where they can be they should be, however some areas lend themselves well to consumptive tourism, by which I mean trophy hunting, timber, bee keeping legal game meat trade and other commercial use. These areas tend to be less hospitable due to climate and tsetse fly. The Tanzanian government must however ensure that the consumptive use is sustainable and ethical. The hunting business has earned itself a bad reputation due to unethical practices. Hunters chasing down animals using vehicles (diesel stalking as it is called in the industry) cannot be tolerated. Baiting water sources during the dry skin is simply unfair and scares other users away when there is often no water for miles around. Ethical hunting, done on foot, where the hunter relies on skill and bush craft is very challenging and a noble pursuit. The quarry has a fighting chance of escape, and often doesn’t know what hit it, and dies quickly and often quite painlessly. As patience and caution are called for the shooter normally has time to place the shot carefully and accurately. This is a far fairer and a more ethical clean kill of a beautiful beast in its natural environment, compared to the hideous life and death of domestic stock, even when raised “free range” let alone in a barn, hatchery or feedlot, and then forced into an slaughterhouse. I hope and earnestly pray that practical common sense will prevail. Above all I hope the authorities will clean up the hunting business in Tanzania, and clear out the unethical hunters so that this once noble tradition can again proudly boast of its prowess and professional hunters are no longer automatically assumed to be fraudulent slaughterers and swindlers. There was a time when an east African professional hunter was admired for bravery, ethics and skill. In Tanzania the authorities can save the profession, and in so doing save wildlife, and ensure thousands of square kilometre of some of the most precious wilderness left on this planet goes some way towards justifying its own existence, and benefiting the surrounding communities directly. Seriously, if the powers that are responsible enforce the laws, rules and regulations that govern ethical hunting, and punish those that break the law. If they weed out corrupt game scouts and ban bad professional hunters. If they remove the blocks and licences issued to companies that allow unethical hunters to operate in their concessions, hunting or consumptive use is a practical and effective conservation tool.

Thread starter Amani Mchungaji
Start date Jun 16, 2016

Amani Mchungaji

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Save the hunting industry from itself

Amani Mchungaji

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