I need some info on population levels of Black Wildebeests. How they were saved from extinction and the extent of there territory now. Particularily how hunting farms have contributed to the population growth.

Try a google search.

My understanding is that today's fairly healthy population is almost entirely a result of game farming for the purpose of sport shooting.

By the way, I think they have a much more impressive set of horns than the Blue, although they are said to be a little smaller in body.

This is roughly the scenario. They total population dwindled to about 20 head on a private piece of property in the Orange Free State - about 50 or 60 years back. Since then, the "game farm" industry in Southern Africa has brought them back and they are now found throughout RSA and Namibia. Why the genetics aren't totally messed up is beyond me.

Russ,

Does game farm = hunting farm?

Thanks,

John

Yes. For the most part, at least. There are relatively few game farms that are primarily established for purposes other than hunting. Sometimes there will be hunting but not a certain species ... at least for a while. White Rhino or Sable for example...the surplus are sold at auction. But in the long run, wild game has a rather low value as meat or photographic subjects...hunting is where the money is and the propagation of game species is a business now.

One good reason to support canned hunting

I may be wrong but I believe that low figure was later than that, more like pre-WW1, but I stand corrected.

JohnHunt, why don't you just contact the mammal research unit at the university of Pretoria? They, along with many other such institutions, would be able to give you accurate info as someone has no-doubt done the research and others used those facts repeatedly....Also the Game Ranching guys at North West Uni, and relevant Nat Con bodies in Free State, KZN or the eastern cape...

I did my part; I shot one and paid for it.

quote:

Originally posted by analog_peninsula:
I did my part; I shot one and paid for it.

Now that’s what I call real cowboy common sense! [This form of common sense is very much the same as Boere common sense!] Talk is cheap, but money buys the whiskey!

IIRC Russ has the basics correct, but I'll see what I can dig up. I feel duty bound as PH living in and operating in the western Free State and home to large numbers of black wildebeest to find out and know the relevant facts about the re-establishment of a viable national herd accurately. Then I'll share what I've found.

In good hunting.

Andrew McLaren

That would be great. Please make sure to annotate it so we can use it when working over the anti's.

Here is a start:

http://www.iucnredlist.org/

Thanks,
John

I chose not to shoot one on my safari, but they have to go down as the dumbest animal we saw. We did two stalks on them only to have the herd run figure eights around this big clearing and then stop suddenly, all broadside from biggest to smallest.

Stupidest thing I've ever seen. I am not surprised they were nearly extinct.

An interesting twist to the notion of them being saved by the hunting industry is that they are now once potentially threatened.
Not in practicality, but since they have been put on the TOPS regulation (Threatened or Protected Species), there is so much red-tape involved in exporting or hunting a trophy, that their value has decreased and many ranchers have gotten rid of whole herds.
There is talk of them being removed from TOPS for this reason and they should not have been there in the first place.