tashak

If you want to be truly disgusted with these cat-hunters...

(Warning...it's important to know the facts about hunting...because many people in the conservation world who have bought into the "hunting as part of conservation" argument don't know the truth about what goes on. But I don't want to offend anyone who doesn't have the stomach for the ugly truth. If that's you, please stop reading now.)

There is nothing "sporting" about what big cat hunters do. It involves no personal bravery. These private reserves 9which ostensibly "protect their lion populations so they have a stable population to hunt" have actually so depleted the population that they must attract lions from true parks and true conservation/ non-hunting areas. They do this by (1) putting out bait (eg a dead buffalo) and (2) playing recordings of things like buffalo distress call, which attract lions and leopards to cross over into their "private reserves" where they are hunted. Disgusting.

Also-- cheetah hunting is the most despicable. Cheetah cannot be attracted easily this way...and they run so fast they are hard to actually hunt. so a hunting safari has little chance of giving a client a kill unless they capture the cheetah in advance (using a baited cage). They they bring the hunter in to shoot the cheetah in the cage! If the hunter is so squeamish that they refuse to shoot a caged cheetah (and some hunters don't know in advance this is what they are buying!) they will drug the caged cheetah, then open the cage. The cat cannot run...so the hunter gets the time to get off a good shot.

Really brave and sporting, isn't it?

This info came from a guide who confessed that in his very young days, he took a job in the hunting industry... and got out as soon as he saw what was really happening. He is now 100% opposed to hunting as a means of conserving this wildlife, and working for a company which actively support good conservation.

LizFrazier

This bears out what I said about the hunting areas being directly along side the game areas. Twice I have ventured into their areas because the driver accidently went too far on the road. This is the same area where the younger breeding male was killed leaving only an old male too old to do much as the only male for the pride which by now has surely died out. And for what? A 5 minute staged picture and a shot of adrenalin for the hunter?
I heard about one area where they were re-introducing rhinos into the wild at great expense as you can imagine. The first two rhinos were introduced and within a week both had been killed. At the time I thought it was by poachers, but since it was Southern Africa, maybe even Botswana, I'm sure it was by legal hunting. Now this is one area where the hunting license costs less than the cost of re-introducing the rhinos back to the wild.
I guess if the government doesn't care, how can anyone make a difference?

bigcountry

i doubt it was botswana. they have very strict anti poaching/hunting of rhinos. talking to the people at mombo, they stated that the penalty was 25 yrs in prison and if you are caught in the actually act, u can be shot on site, no questions asked. in fact they did tell me that 2 rhinos had been poached up near the caprivi strip but the killers were found and are now in jail. i know they allow hunting in general in botswana but definitely not of rhino.

Doxygal

I am a grad screenwriting studen in California and am writing my thesis screenplay about poaching in africa. I would be very grateful if anyone knowledgeable on the actual atrocities committed could comment on my research. Is it true that the poachers can shoot the animals in front of the wardens if they are on lands where hunting is permitted? Is it also true that the animal preservationists are vastly outnumbered by the poachers? I have done a lot of research but it's all second hand. Thank you.

Doxygal

I am also horrified by my terrible spelling and grammar in the last posting. I'm trying to hurry off the computer, sorry.

Clematis

doxygal, you'll have more luck if you write what you know. But if you want to continue, you'll need to do better research than what you read on this board. This is not for thesis screenplays, this is dialog between travelers and you're doing yourself a disservice if you base your thesis on this.

tashak

Doxygal,
For the record, "poachers" refers to illegal hunting. And what is legal and illegal varies by country. For example, it is illegal to hunt elephant in Zambia, anywhere. So everyone killing elephants (other than a game warden killing a "problem" elephant) is a poacher. Hunting in the national parks there are prohibited, but allowed in certain private areas that have hunting rights. A license is required to hunt as well. So a person who shoots a lion is a national park is a poacher, while one who has a license and does it in a legally designated hunting area is a hunter. I imagine that the rules about whether or not a game warden must be present vary by country. However in most cases, only a "professional hunter" (who is a local with the proper licenses) must accompany and be with the hunting tourist.

I think it would be difficult to find someone in the US who could help you with your project-- the people with the inside knowledge about this are in Africa. And in truth, the hunting industry keeps there methods quite close to the vest, so you have to find someone who has been a hunter, or is very friendly with hunters to get the scoop on what goes on...

Doxygal

Thank you Tashak for the information. Actually, Hollywood feature films are not about exact details ? they are entertainment vehicles, not documentaries. American audiences will not sit still for painstaking details, but the writer needs to do the research so as not to commit grievous errors in logic. Actually, the old adage, write what you know doesn?t always pay off. Most hunters can?t write a screenplay and the science fiction genre would not exist if we didn?t explore space with out minds. A script is structure, first and foremost. That being, I have had little success in talking to anyone, as you know, with actual first hand knowledge of this subject matter. Most people are ignorant of the hunting that still goes on. Thank you for the details.

Clematis

Every internet board has to deal with students coming on trying to get quick answers and it really isn't the best place for it, either for us for you. It is off-topic.

I know the Hollywood studio system well so I find preaching from a student amusing.