Our Views On Hunting In Africa

Mirror quote: "The region is also believed to have 4,000 big game reserves catering for hunting with over 50 million acres devoted to game ranching"  Correct  More and more land has gone over to game ranching. This is due to it being used for hunting, nothing else. It has encouraged the breeding of game. There is now twice as much game in South Africa than at the turn of the century. This is all down to hunting. 

Sporting Agent supports the breeding programme for rhinos. This recently paid for two rhinos to be re-introduced into the Masai Mara Game Reserve where the rhino has a 24/7 guard. Poachers have wiped out the rhino from this area.

Sporting Agent gives financial support to The Game Conservancy Trust who held its annual game dinner at the Landmark Hotel, in London, in December. The event raised more than £20,000 for a South African charity, the WILD Foundation, of which guests heard the founder, Dr Ian Player, relate his experiences of saving white rhinos.

The book 'Hunting Africa, A Practical Guide' summarises the situation: Quote: "A little-known fact is that only 18% of South Africa's wildlife is in game reserves - 82% exist on private game ranches (read 'hunting ranches'). These have proved so successful in the past 30 years that a great many cattle farmers have converted their farms to game ranches - consequently there is far more game in South Africa today than there was 50 or even 100 years ago. Many preservationists can't see it, but hunting has done more Southern Africa's game populations than any amount of animal rights campaigning. If hunting were banned (as many animal rightists would have it) the landowners would be forced to reintroduce cattle, sheep and goats, and wipe out the game which competes for grazing.

Another little-known fact is that the official wildlife conservation bodies in Southern Africa depend on the proceeds of sport hunting for much of their funding. Most provincial game reserves set aside areas where the majority of species, including white rhino, can be hunted by foreign and local sportsmen. White rhino are also kept and hunted on private game ranches, but these rhino are mostly bought from conservation bodies such as Kwazulu-Natal Nature Conservation. Hunting pays for conservation.

Foreign hunters visiting Southern Africa spend vastly bigger sums of money than any other tourists. In South Africa alone foreign hunters spend nearly R200 million a year (local hunters spend about the same). And this is just in hunting and trophy fees - many foreign hunters bring their families and tour the country afterwards, spending more money. In addition, other related industries benefit (63% of foreign hunters have their taxidermy done in SA). Hunting provides jobs.

The misinformed often accuse hunters of endangering the survival of wildlife. It is a fact, however, that no animal in Africa has ever become extinct, or is presently on the endangered species list, as the result of sport hunting. Early settler-farmers, who shot out game to make way for domestic livestock and crops, were the first culprits, followed by commercial hunters who hunted in order to sell tusks, hides, horns and meat. The sport hunter is the last person who wants to see the game wiped out. That is why most sport hunters are among the most conservation-minded people in the world.

It is poachers who pose the threat to endangered species, not sport hunters, and a ban on hunting would not reduce poaching. In 1980, Zambia banned elephant hunting - in the ten years that followed, they lost 90% of their elephant population to poachers. Kenya banned all hunting, but this had no effect on poaching. Poachers are criminals, by definition, do not heed laws.

"Contrary to popular belief, the sport hunter is a person who loves and respects the wild animals he hunts." Gregor Woods, Hunting Editor, Man Magnum.

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