"Wild animals or exotics as they call them are farmed for business purposes, so ecosystems are not considered (I.e. conservation). Exotic ranchers will only "stock" their property with animals they can sell for hiring purposes, they have no interest in persevering or conserving wildlife in their natural habitat. So in short.... Hunters focus on quantity and not on quality. They are not concerned about conserving ecosystems only using animals for sport and business purposes. Whereas those of us who care about animals wish to preserve them in their natural environment albeit less of them."
What you you (nicely) say????
Here was the original blog that was posted. I know this stuff gets beats to death here. I was reading another thread about a 'canned' lion hunt here the other day. Anyone have any other good past threads on this they can link this thread with?
There are also a number of species that would not be available in South Africa that are readily available due to the "game farm" system.
If you don't care to hunt "high fence", I can understand that. The point is that the game prospers because it is a "cash cow".
Without sport hunting there would be less game.
There are a couple of concepts that your friend and most of the anti-hunters fail to recognize in the big picture. The main one being that the most successful method of conservation is the practice of well managed, sustainable hunting. Without it, there would be far less habitat, flora and fauna throughout the planet... Not just in Africa....
While it may be true that the vast majority of animals raised in the RSA for example, are ultimately for the purpose of commercial hunting be it for sport, meat or both. It's also just as true that many of these game ranches and reserves offer photo/ecotourism as well. Yet, the bottom line is that without the demand and value of the animals for hunting, there would be none left. Ecotourist dollars unfortunately only generate about 10% of the dollars compared to that of the hunting industry. The co-benefits that are generated from hunting dollars reach much deeper into the local communities... The natural habitat your friend is concerned about would be turned into cattle ranches, crop farms or become poached out barren land in no time. Is this the alternative she would prefer? These scenarios are not guesses. They are proven outcomes that have been demonstrated time and again with Kenya being the most recent example of a country which has decimated it's wild game population when it closed sport hunting. Unfortunately there are many other countries in line to follow...
I would encourage your friend to research some of the best examples of conservation through sustainable hunting in Africa such as the Niassa Reserve in Mozambique or the Bubye Valley Conservancy in Zimbabwe. These are perfect examples of what can be expected when sound, scientific management of the resources are applied. The game popoulations in these areas are at an all-time high. DG species are flourishing. The entire ecosystem including the people and villages that inhabit the areas are reaping the rewards.
The main thing the antis need to realize is that human encroachment and habitat destruction are the two main factors that will destroy an ecosysytem.....The idea they have of conservation by isolation simply does not work. Just as true is the concept of conservation by ending hunting. All they are stopping are the legal hunting practices which are ironically counterproductive to their cause. The plight of the Indian Tiger is a good example of that failure. Unfortunately, they also cannot or will not differentiate between illegal poaching and hunting and the reponsible, sustainable practices that we as hunters, the true conservationists advocate.
I would also encourage your friend to research real conservation organizations like SCI, RMEF, NWTF, & Ducks Unlimited, just to name a few...Have her find out how much land, habitat, and species these organizations have saved versus these terrorist organizations like GreenPeace and PETA. Caution her because the truth will hurt...
The die hard antis are usually a lost cause, but I have found that informing the vast majority of the indifferent is usually suprisingly successful once they learn how legal, managed hunting actually preserves game and habitat. Good luck!
If the landowner cannot make the return on investment he makes off of game farming he will need to do something else with the land.
Certainly, native animals thrive better on a game farm than they do at a housing development or a shopping mall.
Native animals will generally thrive better on a game farm than land that is farmed or grazed by cattle or other livestock.
I have no idea if she understands the value of hunting ecosystems, etc. I am guessing she does not. Without sport hunting, lions would have been gone long ago.
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