Wildlife Management in Africa
In the past three decades, many of Africa's wild animals have suffered a massive decline in population due to poaching. Africa is the world's second largest continent and home to thousands of species of animals. Unlike in North America, most of these animals roam completely free in an almost totally undeveloped environment. In attempt to save these animals from possible extinction, anti-poaching laws have been enacted by governments throughout Africa, as well as an international ban on ivory trade. Anti-poaching regulations have in turn stemmed the formation of programs and policies for the management of Africa's wildlife.Poaching, the illegal killing of protected animals, occurs in Africa for a variety of reasons. The most profitable reason is the ivory trade. Hundreds of elephants and Rhinos are slaughtered every year for their ivory tusks, which claim a sizeable profit on the black market. Many hunters also poach for the sport of it, the thrill of the hunt. Many of the country's native peoples, however, poach animals as a means to stay alive. Because the wildlife of Africa roams so free, many people and crops are damaged and destroyed every year and natives poach
Dunn, Kate. "Animals Caught in Middle of Zimbabwe's Land Reform. Poaching by Squatters in White-Owned Nature reserves Worries Conservationists." Christian Science Monitor. Boston. Nov 28, 2000. Many rural communities depend on farming as livelihood. Only 5 percent of the land in Africa is considered suitable for intensive agriculture, which therefore makes farming difficult (Child, 1997). Wild animals, especially elephants, make it even more difficult to eek out a living on the African landscape because they like to eat the crops, devastating the farmer's income. In order to avoid or reduce damage from elephants, farmers have tried various strategies to deter them. Especially during the harvest season, farmers expend a great deal of labor attempting to guard their fields from elephants. Different methods, such as lighting fires, beating drums, and even firing guns into the air are tried. However, farmers explain that elephants, with their great intelligence, quickly learn that they will not be harmed by these methods and often return to eat the crops (Butler, Mar1995; 40). More modern methods, such as electric fencing and trip alarms have also been tested. Despite the high cost of these deterrents, elephants have learned to foil them as well. Another method that has been used with some success in Zimbabwe is the firing of tear gas canisters filled with chili pepper (Butler, Mar1995; 40). So far, no method has been able to completely deter the elephant aside from killing it. It should be noted that elephants do not destroy crops solely by eating them, but can also cause considerable damage by trampling crops while in transit. Safari hunting, which is extremely controversial among conservation groups, can generate impressive sums of money. Hunting quotas are set based on annual wildlife surveys and all foreign sport hunters must be accompanied by a professional hunter, licensed by the government. A single hunter can spend up to $40,000, half of which goes to local communities (Butler, march95; 41). Many (foreign) conservation agencies argue that safari hunting should not be allowed. To argue this, the Zambezi valley in Zimbabwe can sustainably support 22,000 elephants that have a growth rate of 4 to 5 percent. The valley is also home to eight communal districts that have a combined hunting quota of 58 elephants, five percent of the annual growth rate (Dunn, 2000). It is common practice to cull animal populations when they exceed a sustainable number. Therefore, allowing trophy hunting is in a sense culling, but at the same time allowing local communities to benefit from the revenue generated by the presence of safari hunters. Hunters not only must pay for any animal they may shoot, but for food, lodging, and any additional souvenirs they may buy. Many poachers are driven to do so because of poverty. Often times, their only source of income is farming or ranching on mediocre lands. These lands are only "productive" when the wea
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Approximate Word count = 2002
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)
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