Comments on: 37 Thomson Gazelles killed by poachers

By: Martin

Martin — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 18:04:23 +0000

Thanks so very much for taking your time to create this very useful and informative site. I have learned a lot from your site. Thanks!!

By: kimojino

kimojino — Tue, 13 May 2008 07:18:38 +0000

Thanks Vincent for such a long story about life in the wildest parts of Africa.Just imagine loosing these areas to human destruction like any other areas which were very important wildlife habitats but now no more. We need a more strong political and social will to bring about a cohesive human and wildlife existence.
At the present, the whole issue is left squarely to Wildlife Managers, who are actually servants to the higher authorities.We are just implementing or executing rules and orders, but are not capeable of creating new ideas to put all the communities on board, as far as benefits allocation are concern.

By: Vincent

Vincent — Wed, 07 May 2008 10:30:19 +0000

Most of the local people living in the vicinity of Game Reserves and National Parks in Africa (let’s speak here about Africa only) are poor people, trying to make their living everyday in a country that is, and for many reasons, unable to guarantee them some decent life conditions so they make it as they think they can, and poaching, even illegal and risky, remains as an opportunity to get both money and food. Those people like millions and millions of people in Africa are just stuck in poverty the same way the previous generations have been before them and for decades. They also know they have been given, like their children one life to live, not two, just one and quite shortened due to conditions. So when someone is barely able to feed his whole family just because he cannot afford to buy some food (and shall we not even mention him sending his children to school), how could we possibly blame him ?
To me, we are now facing days that bring the high drama to the very hotspot between human needs and Wildlife to coexist, to the very hotspot probably more than ever before. While our “rich countries” and individuals claim for making more money by all means, while political troubles can lead people from the same country to suddenly kill each other, while every government is now individually racing for getting the biggest piece of the cake before thinking about saving the cake, while most of the African countries are stuck in corruption and poverty and while … and while and while and while … BE IT KNOWN that for 25,- euros, you can enjoy here in Paris, France, a 20mn resting time so that you can kill a little stress in a very quiet single room, surrounded with soft music, before returning to your office.
Almost 1,00 euro for a sixty seconds peace of mind … Then how could we blame those people ? I do not know my fellows and friends … I do not know.
I have been travelling in Africa for almost a decade now because I have always and deeply felt that I wanted to and needed to go. My first contact with Wildlife years ago has definitely
revealed a strong link, a kind of need to go there and see and understand its rules. Every time
I have been there, it was like meeting some “peoples”, people of the Lions, of the Elephants, of the Wildebeest …
Then and like many, I took the “bug”, the one that makes Wildlife deeply live in your heart. Africa, the place where all things may have started …
For us not any single gazelle, not any hippo nor any lion and whatever creature should be poached nor killed but for them and regarding to their situation, it is just free meat.
When I was in the Great Serengeti in February, the car met a whole pride of lions in the Moru Kopjes area, a whole and strong pride that was resting in the green grass, starring at some zebras and gazelles grazing far away. While the cubs were playing with sub adults, one cub was grooming with his mother with much tenderness, a couple of silver-backed jackals was chasing some vultures away from an old carcass and white headed buffalo weavers were obviously having some words in a thick bush. A magic moment like all of us here probably had the privilege to enjoy.
Then I could not help myself but think about the way this little male lion would be able to survive human oppression and expansion and become once a powerful and magnificent creature, heading his way everyday for hours to check out the boundaries of his territory, and at sunset, stop for a while, giving an amber look at his own kingdom before returning to the pride.
I will carry on making donations as long as I am able to. We have to carry on making donations my friends, because we have been there, we have seen it and if our donations allow
those brave and so devoted rangers to guarantee the protection of this little lion cub until he becomes a powerful male reigning over his kingdom, then maybe, maybe our children will once be able to experience this Wildlife Eternity.

Vincent

By: kimojino

kimojino — Tue, 06 May 2008 12:12:23 +0000

Thanks everyone for your comments. I wish to answer some of the questions asked.

Sauwah- you may mean the government send in more personnels to boost our strength? The Masai Mara triangle is managed by the County council of Trans-Mara who delegated the job to Mara Conservancy. We have enough strength at the moment to carry out the work but we are appealing for funds to finance the operations, which I think the government may not be in a position to provide.

Most of the meat from the 37 gazelles was taken to the police as exhibits to strengthen the case against the poachers. The remaining was destroyed by burning. Since dogs were used to maul down the gazelles, they may be carriers of the rabies virus, and can easily transmit the disease to our canids and felids.

For the interest of all, many of these poachers come from across the border into the Mara Triangle just to poach wildlife, and due to being in a different country we can do very little to try and change their lifestyles. It should be understood that many communities have destroyed most of the wildlife habitats in most parts of East Africa to get enough land for growing crops. Most of the land was forests and wetlands, which were very important in enhancing rainfall circles and river sources. Now there is not enough rainfall to sustain crops, and they are again encroaching conservation areas in the name of poverty. This is something which must be given a priority by all those in leadership, not Rangers alone.

For the communities like the Maasai, they should also come in terms pertaining the conservation of wildlife and cattle rearing. They are now able to earn much money from tourists coming to see these wild animals. So to maximize these earnings, they must give animals a priority in their lives and give security and land.

By: Susanna

Susanna — Sun, 04 May 2008 12:18:02 +0000

Thanks Gson, for addressing some issues that have made me feel a bit uneasy about this blog. Some time ago I even read a comment about poachers saying, “there’re other ways to make a living”. Really? What are those?
How can poor people living close to wildlife be treated with respect as mayor stakeholders when it’s so clear that people with money and generosity always prioritise wildlife? I’d be ashamed of preaching “being good to animals” to people who endure such serious wildlife problems for so little in return when in my country there’s very little wildlife left and a bear that comes too close to where people are living always gets shot. The problems in the Mara seem unsolvable. I suppose the only thing I can do is to make a donation, which is a problem for someone as stingy as I. I’ve made a couple of really small ones and the donation functions here on Wildlifedirect stress me out as I have to keep an almost zero-spending lifestyle to afford my extremely expensive Kenya addiction. My priorities are me, myself, wildlife and maybe some other people if they are Kenyan. I could say that my spending as a tourist benefit both two- and four-legged Kenyans, but I know that the best thing I could do is to stay at home and send the money. Especially as the problems with global warming will probably soon make the ones we are discussing here seem quite tiny. That’s another aspect: let the one with the smallest ecological footprint throw the first stone!