Botswana, Bow Hunting & Best We Focus on the Youth
In the past month, I visited Debbie Peake in Maun, Botswana. She runs Mochaba, a taxidermist that is the main exporter of all elephant and game trophies. This lady has been, and is, instrumental in leading the charge to keep elephant hunting alive. A fountain of knowledge. And the fact that their President is also behind the industry is just fantastic, and let’s hope he wins the upcoming election.
What’s happening in Botswana with elephants wandering in and around human settlements causing havoc, is just hard to believe. Their impact, literally a mile or two from the city, is something to see. I did just this. With too many elephants and things being so dry, plus there being a water treatment works on the outskirts of Maun, the elephants are drawn to the water. It’s little wonder there are consequences. Debbie happens to be paying for the medical care of an employee’s brother who was recently gored and is in hospital, awaiting treatment. Honestly, it’s like another world.
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Apparently, there is nowhere to bow hunt in the USA from May till August, yet there are thousands of bowhunters that could afford to come to Africa but are unaware of how accessible Africa is. Recently, two 30-year-olds came to experience Africa for the first time. Talking with them after the hunt, I found they were simply blown away. The variety, value for money and adventure, walk-and-stalking 15 yards (13m) up to a kudu - they were hooked. It is just fantastic to see such enthusiasm and potential. So much for younger folk not coming to Africa. Let’s hope these two ignite a summer fire in the bow hunting community back home.
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Some hunters’ stories are featured this month and I really enjoy being able to share content from the actual hunters themselves. If any of you feel the urge to, or could possibly send, an account of a past safari – we’d love to share it and, where possible, promote the outfitter concerned. Talking of outfitters - Two people I know were hit hard, narrowly escaping with their lives. One chap in Zim was hurt by a leopard and one in SA by a buffalo. It needs reminding just how dangerous when wounded, the Big Five can be. I am not sure how many injuries or narrow escapes there are in a year on this continent, but it would make for an interesting read to know about them.
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And then, out of the blue, we had an unusual enquiry. A booking for 18 people. Our instinct was that this was a scam. It wasn’t. Sixteen college students and two lecturers, from a Georgia college were heading to the Eastern Cape, to learn about wildlife management issues. Doing a snap call around the fire, most of these youngsters had over a thousand or more Instagram followers.
THIS IS WHAT AFRICA NEEDS: Youngsters. Future leaders experiencing and learning firsthand. It’s this community on whom we can pin our hopes for the future wellbeing of this continent’s wildlife.
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What a month. And now we approach the halfway mark of the year. Things should really get busy on the African soil – even though Cameroon’s season is coming to an end, Tanzania is soon to be ‘full on.’ We’ll keep sharing the results. I hope you are enjoying the monthly photo bombardment from our African Dawn Members - ‘Photos, Fresh from the Veld.’ If you love what this letter is about – please forward to someone you think could enjoy it.
Have a wonderful June.
Regards,
Richard
