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NitroXAdministrator
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Eco-tourism vs Hunting tourism
      #34209 - 02/07/05 04:43 PM

Wounded jumbo sparks fury
29/06/2005 22:46 - (SA)

Elise Tempelhoff

Vanderbijlpark - Landowners of nature reserves adjoining the Kruger National Park are furious after an American big-game hunter wounded an elephant, which probably crossed over from a herd in the national park, but killed it only 24 hours later.

The wounded elephant was shot dead at Klipheuwel, one of the farms in Balule Nature Reserve.

Sybrand van der Spuy, a landowner in Balule, said on Wednesday that this kind of occurrence "sullies the name of conservation areas" in South Africa.

"This is unacceptable and proof that the authorities have completely lost control of this kind of practice in buffer zones."

Bert Howard, a nature conservation officer of the Limpopo department of economic development, the environment and tourism, confirmed that a permit to shoot the elephant had been issued to the hunter.

Two other permits to shoot elephant in the area, which were about to be issued, had been withdrawn after this incident, because of the claims of negligence.

Wounded animal fled

The elephant, which was part of a herd of about 70 animals, was shot last Thursday about 16:00 at a waterhole in the nature reserve.

The American, who was accompanied by a professional South African hunter, wounded the elephant, but did not bother to follow it and the elephant fled.

The next day, Friday, the American hunter apparently hired a helicopter to look for the elephant. The animal was traced on Friday about 15:30 and shot dead.

Hennie de Beer, a landowner in the Timbavati Nature Reserve, said incidents like these were completely destroying eco-tourism in South Africa.

He said the wounded elephant had been a potential danger to tourists in the nature reserves.

Call for a moratorium

Some of the owners said they had video recordings taken a few months ago in the Klaserie area, of an elephant which had been shot 21 times before it died.

De Beer said it was high time the government intervened and placed a moratorium on all hunting in the buffer zones until the panel appointed by Environment Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk in April to investigate hunting in South Africa, had completed its work.

"The government will probably intervene only after an elephant or a buffalo tramples and kills an overseas tourist," he said.

http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_1729387,00.html

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NitroXAdministrator
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Re: Eco-tourism vs Hunting tourism [Re: NitroX]
      #34211 - 02/07/05 05:03 PM

And ...

Stop SA elephant tours - demand
22/06/2005 19:43 - (SA)

Johannesburg - The International Fund for Animal Welfare (Ifaw) has called for South Africa's growing elephant-back safari and tourism industry to be stopped immediately.

Jason Bell-Leask, Ifaw's director in Southern Africa, said: "It needs to be stopped, and it needs to be stopped now."

His call came in the wake of the trampling to death of a man by a bull elephant at Knysna on Tuesday morning as he took the jumbo, 72-year-old Harry, for a walk.

Christina Pretorius of Ifaw said the tragedy had raised alarm bells about the burgeoning elephant-back safari and tourism industry.

"Ifaw and its partner organisation, the Ethical Conservation Network (ECN), have expressed dismay at the tragedy.

"However, they warn that as elephant tourism becomes more extensive, the chance of more people being injured and possibly killed by the pachyderms becomes more likely."

Others have been injured

Bell-Leask said: "This is the first time someone has been killed by a so-called tame, trained elephant in South Africa.

"But, elephants in the tourism industry are known to have injured several guests and handlers in recent years."

He said the tragedy at the park between Knysna and Plettenberg Bay, which left the victim's wife and three children without a husband and father, should sound a warning bell about the dangers of this kind of tourism.

Bell-Leask said Ifaw and ECN recently launched their "Born to be Wild!" campaign to oppose the removal of elephants from the wild for commercial purposes.

"Elephants are rapidly becoming conservation's latest commodity with increasing numbers of animals being taken from the wild for lives in captivity, including the elephant-back safari and tourism industry, he said.

No laws governing training

"Training methods are entirely unregulated and therefore open to widespread abuse.

"No laws exist in South Africa to govern methods used in training elephants for safari tourism - trainers and handlers themselves do not require any formal training or education, and the industry is generating an increasing demand for elephants."

According to Ifaw, South Africa's elephant-back safari and tourism industry began with a single operator four years ago.

It has since grown to include nine operators, with at least 72 elephants being used in four of the country's nine provinces, said Ifaw.





--------------------
John aka NitroX

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475Guy
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Re: Eco-tourism vs Hunting tourism *DELETED* [Re: NitroX]
      #34227 - 02/07/05 10:29 PM

Post deleted by 475Guy

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them in the Halls of Valhalla,
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shakari
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Re: Eco-tourism vs Hunting tourism [Re: 475Guy]
      #34228 - 02/07/05 10:51 PM

I think you're probably jumping the gun a little here. You have to understand that the PH is bound by the Game Ordinance of the province which will say he has to track the wounded animal as far as possible but he's not allowed by law to go onto land owned by a third part without permission.

I wasn't there and don't know the whole story but my guess is that after the client wounded the animal they tracked it until it crossed onto the neighbours land at which point they abandoned the hunt and returned to base to ask the neighbour's permission for them to cross onto his land and continue the pursuit. (probably the next morning) To assist in this the client arranged for a chopper to help in locating the Elephant. Once located and permission obtained the hunting party crossed onto the new land and finished the job.

I personally don't like hunting DG in SA because of the game fence issue and other issues, but in this case I think you'll find both client & PH behaved in a perfectly legal & ethical manner.

--------------------
Steve "Shakari" Robinson
Kuduland Safaris (Africa) Ltd
info@kuduland.com
www.kuduland.com



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475Guy
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Re: Eco-tourism vs Hunting tourism [Re: shakari]
      #34229 - 02/07/05 11:00 PM

OK, that's a plausible answer. I'll delete my reply.

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them in the Halls of Valhalla,
Where the brave may live forever.

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NitroXAdministrator
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Re: Eco-tourism vs Hunting tourism [Re: 475Guy]
      #34231 - 02/07/05 11:47 PM

I only put the article up out of interest for members.

To me it appears to be a beat-up.

In reply to:

Hennie de Beer, a landowner in the Timbavati Nature Reserve, said incidents like these were completely destroying eco-tourism in South Africa.



See my other post on "green hunting". Maybe there are competing commercial interests?


In reply to:

De Beer said it was high time the government intervened and placed a moratorium on all hunting in the buffer zones .... to investigate hunting in South Africa, had completed its work.



Well that would make the anti-hunters happy wouldn't it?!


--------------------
John aka NitroX

...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"

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mikeh416Rigby
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Re: Eco-tourism vs Hunting tourism [Re: NitroX]
      #34236 - 03/07/05 12:31 AM

It really frosts my butt to see how different organizations and the press has bastardized the term "conservation". To them it means save, don't use, don't shoot, let it alone. That's pure B.S.! Conservation means to use wisely. These clowns just don't get it.

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shakari
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Re: Eco-tourism vs Hunting tourism [Re: mikeh416Rigby]
      #34238 - 03/07/05 01:08 AM

I think the article was written with an anti - hunting slant which comes as no suprise and I also think that as John says, Mr De Beer is probably unhappy with his neighbour but at the end of the day it all comes down to a matter of ethics and every hunter must set his own standards on this. To me hunting DG behind fences isn't really right but that's just my opinion and shouldn't be enforced on others.

Without meaning to pontificate and then immediatly doing so!:-

The problem is that some hunters are a little gullible and it might not have even occurred to this hunter that he wasn't hunting a truly wild Elephant........so then I guess one must question the ethical integrity of whoever sold him the hunt.

The problem is that if we don't police ourselves as hunters then sooner or later someone else will do the policing for us - and then we all lose out.

The arguments about hunting ethics are endless and the conclusions uncountable........... So as I said I guess we all have to set our own standards..

--------------------
Steve "Shakari" Robinson
Kuduland Safaris (Africa) Ltd
info@kuduland.com
www.kuduland.com



Edited by shakari (03/07/05 01:38 AM)

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mikeh416Rigby
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Re: Eco-tourism vs Hunting tourism [Re: shakari]
      #34240 - 03/07/05 02:22 AM

Steve, I'm in agreement with you for the most part. But, would you agree that in some of the parks, private and national, that there are times when game, both DG like elephant, as well as plains game become too numberous and certain numbers need to be taken out. Of course, I realize that this isn't a true hunt by any stretch of the imagination, but if a property owner needs to have an elephant or two removed, I have no problem with this. Money is made from this that furthers other conservation and environmental programs in the area.

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shakari
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Re: Eco-tourism vs Hunting tourism [Re: mikeh416Rigby]
      #34243 - 03/07/05 02:54 AM

Mike,

Yes, I'd agree with you completely and in some African parks (that have far lower tourist pressure)I wouldn't have a problem with them being ethically hunted even within the park boundaries (if it were legal) - in fact, I prefer that option to translocating them to other areas within RSA and hunting them there. - BUT I personally believe that the RSA game parks are so incredibly full of tourists and the game becomes just so habituated to vehicles & people (IMO) it's simply wrong to hunt them. I personally believe thay should instead be culled by professional cullers. - there's simply no way these animals can be considered anything like truly wild.

Over the years I've done a great deal of walking in some of the private reserves adjoining the KNP and believe me when I say that most of the Elephants there (esp the Bulls) can almost be slapped on the ass with a cricket bat before they show any signs of alarm. - Although I wouldn't recommend it to others, I've often walked up to (less than 10 yards) Bulls that I know and just set my camera up and taken pictures - and been ignored. I've found the best method is just to keep talking quietly and move slowly. All the time they know where you are and don't see you as a threat they don't mind your presence. I have one friend who has got even closer - But as I said: I DON'T RECOMMEND IT TO ANYONE ELSE! - or at least not unless they have a good deal of experience of Elephant behaviour and body language. - Having a large calibre rifle to hand also builds confidence!

Compare that for example to an Elephant Bull in Selous or Mozambique which are a real challenge to get close to.

Animal behaviour in the KNP and surrounding areas is vastly different to animal behaviour in any of the True Wilderness Areas I've been fortunate enough to visit.

All of the above relates to how I feel about Elephants ONLY - the other species in my eyes at least are less clear cut.

But all that is just one man's opinion and we must all decide for ourselves where we draw the line.

--------------------
Steve "Shakari" Robinson
Kuduland Safaris (Africa) Ltd
info@kuduland.com
www.kuduland.com



Edited by shakari (03/07/05 03:07 AM)

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mikeh416Rigby
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Re: Eco-tourism vs Hunting tourism [Re: shakari]
      #34248 - 03/07/05 05:54 AM

I know what you mean about the Elephants becoming acclimated to the vehicles in the parks. I once watched a 80# + bull feeding withing 50 yards of us for over an hour. On the other hand, on a photo excursion in KNP, on two consecutive days, we had our truck chased off by younger bulls. Both of these bulls came at us from a long distance (over 150 yards), and they were mad. Now I should also mention that they were both in musth, and my P.H. friend who was with me felt that they both probably had a loosing tussle with older bulls, and were run off by them, and so they were looking for something to vent their anger and frustration on.

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shakari
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Re: Eco-tourism vs Hunting tourism [Re: mikeh416Rigby]
      #34249 - 03/07/05 06:09 AM

Musth affects them in so many different ways. You'll get one that behaves iself even when in full musth and then another that is an absolute sod - but I've personally found it good advice to always remember that any Elephant can change it's mind very quickly. For example it can start what begins as a mock charge and they change their mind half way and it suddenly becomes a real one. Adolescent bulls seem to be especially unpredictable - bit like humans really!!!

Cows are even worse and I NEVER take chances with them.....

All that said, most people only ever make one mistake with Elephants. After that you're dead. - A good friend of mine died that way just last year - and she'd forgotten more about Elephant behaviour than I've ever learnt.......but in fairness she got a little too casual and I'm sure that if she were here now, she'd be the first to agree it was a case of death by stupidity.....

--------------------
Steve "Shakari" Robinson
Kuduland Safaris (Africa) Ltd
info@kuduland.com
www.kuduland.com



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rgp
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Re: Eco-tourism vs Hunting tourism [Re: shakari]
      #34250 - 03/07/05 06:29 AM

In reply to:

"Elephants are rapidly becoming conservation's latest commodity with increasing numbers of animals being taken from the wild for lives in captivity, including the elephant-back safari and tourism industry, he said.



If some people are selling elephant rides in parks and game preserves, how does the "trained elephant" behave when coming close to wild elephants? Does the trained elephant's behavior change at that point?

I know zilch about elephants but it seems that an elephant ride on an elephant not welcome in a herd could quickly get pretty dangerous.

Richard.

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shakari
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Re: Eco-tourism vs Hunting tourism [Re: rgp]
      #34252 - 03/07/05 06:58 AM

Sometimes the wild ones just ignore the tame ones, sometimes they're aggressive and although I've no personal experience I'm told the odd bull in musth may get a bit amorous! - There's a guy called Randall Jay Moore who has a camp in the Okavango Delta in Botswana called Abu's Camp. Abu's dead now but was a real Elephant movie star and amongtst his many appearances was in White Hunter Black Heart.

Anyway, Randall Jay Moore wrote a fabulous but obscenely expensive book called "Elephants for Africa" and it's well worth reading - esp if you don't have to buy it yourself! He talks extensively about his Elephant back safaris in it and the photographs will take your breath away.

More affordable but also excellent & very informative reading are the following:

Silent Thunder by Katy Payne
When Elephants weep by Jeffrey Masson
Africa's Elephants by Martin Meredith
Coming of Age with Elephants by Joyce Poole
Mahohoba by Ron Thompson
Wildlife Wars by Richard Leakey

They all have different points of view, some you might not agree with, but there's something to learn from all of them.

I personally believe that Elephants are in a class and catagory of their own and I think it's such a shame that so many hunters simply have no idea about their social structures etc before they hunt them. If they had a deeper knowledge of the species they would enjoy and appreciate the hunt so much more...........

--------------------
Steve "Shakari" Robinson
Kuduland Safaris (Africa) Ltd
info@kuduland.com
www.kuduland.com



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