Hunting concessions spell doom for Tanzania

Dear Mr. Editor,

From The Arusha Times
January 16-22, 2010

Tanzania is now the greatest wildlife country in the world as well as its safari capital at Arusha. It has overtaken Kenya two decades ago. The government should learn from the greed which pervaded our neighbour and how they destroyed the goose that laid golden eggs!

Tanzania is flooded with foreign professional hunters, mainly wazungu from South Africa and Rhodesia where they were chucked out. We even have American professional hunters operating out of Arusha, while our own Tanzanians-graduates from the College of African Wildlife Management are rotting for lack of meaningful employment in the tourism industry. We also have an influx of wazungu mostly British from Kenya who have sought greener pastures to exploit here in Tanzania as professional hunters!

These people exploit a fragile hunting industry by over-hunting and influencing those in key positions to provide them concessions. The hunting methods are disgusting and cowardly to say the least, it is nothing but the wanton slaughter of our wildlife.

The wealthy oil- rich Arabs, Europeans and Americans are charged from U.S. $2500 to $4000 per day for a twenty-one day safari. They use the most unethical methods to hunt by chasing especially dangerous game such as Cape buffalo, elephants, lions and even the harmless antelopes as eland and wildebeest in Land Cruisers, spotter planes and even amphibious crafts in order to gain easy access to these hapless animals!

To licence these hunters and to allow them free reign is a recipe for doom. These so-called hunting companies should be closed before this heritage of ours is wiped out. Only local citizenry should be allowed to conduct hunting safaris and they should be monitored carefully. The concept of hunting concessions spells doom for Tanzania. Vast tracts of the Selous, Masailand, Rungwa, Katavi, Malagarasy, Usangu, in fact all of the country has been parceled out to the hunters.

Those who want to invest in Tanzania's wildlife potential should be allowed to establish game ranching for a select species of animals, such as eland, zebra, ostrich, impala and gazelles. This is the only proven method where money is generated for the profit of a country and nation.

Check the accounts of these professional hunters who hunt from July to December each year and you will be staggered by the huge profits they make in a ruthlessmanner, while our own people are paid a pittance working as mere trackers, cooks, skinners and waiters for them.

It is time these profiteers were expelled for good.

Cahil Marduff

Sure. Boot out the foreign safari companies and allocate all of the concessions to the locals. Wildlife will thrive, just like it does in Kenya!

This person does not seem to realize that us "Wazungu" Professional Hunters are responsible for promoting and bringing the vast majority of American & European clients and their hard earned $$ Dollars & Euros into Tanzania!

To say all white PHs hunt unethically? What rubbish! Is this person really suggesting that non-white Tanzanian PHs never hunt unethically? What nonsense!

Game Ranching in Tanzania??
This mentality is the real "Recipe for Doom"!

someone unwrap him from his tree he is hugging and point out a few facts for him. OR is he just anti white hunter!!!

Probably just anti-hunting period.

Let see it takes 10 tourists to equal the dollars into the economy of 1 hunter, and those tourists often think nothing of throwing down their candy wrappers and water bottles where ever they finish with them. Yea, they need to ban trophy hunting by rich Arabs, Europeans, and Americans. When the animals are decimated by poaching they will swear it was because they waited too long to ban hunting. What morons!!!

Might be a relative of Dr. Denise Leith

I think the sad part is that Mr. Marduff probably believes that what he wrote is true and I'd bet many rank and file Tanzanians see it his way.

He probably has not a clue what actually goes into running a safari business. He's angry because he sees what appears to him as lots of money going out of Tanzania that could be his.

In reality if the Tanzanians really wanted to run the safari business and had the tools to do it right they would be running it.

I think the bottom line is that most Tanzanians don't want anything to do with the safari business but would like to capture more of the revenue from it.

Mark

the one complaint I have heard from locals in Africa is that Hunters dont spend enough time in the city's/town's. so a lot of the locals feel there left out/not gaining anything from the Safari business. They really do appricate the sportmen who come and support the business's

quote:

Originally posted by Kathi:
Only local citizenry should be allowed to conduct hunting safaris and they should be monitored carefully.

This is the most ludicrous bit....

Monitored carefully? Who is going to moniotr them carefully? Their relatives in the Government who give them the concessions? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha....What a flipping sick joke

there is no cure for stupid

"Wazungu" PH's usually have a team that is his driever and tracker that in alot of cases he pays out of his own pocket, he has his hunting car and all the kit he needs to guide and hunt with... PLUS... he pays plent for his work permit, tala , visa, gun permits, etc. and also if he does not have enough days HE cant make a living either... also ETHICS... please... if it werent for the hunting $ being brought in the wildlife would have been finished long ago... As to some local Tanz.PH's they might have graduated from the wildlife college but I have seen more than my share of Game Scouts and local PH's leave when there are mad beasts about... A can of worms to be sure...

We have one Tanzanian (non-wazungu) PH working for us. He is a darn good PH but can not afford traveling to Reno & other U.S. shows. I not only go to Reno to help sell hunts, but also help HIM get a few of the safaris as well.

Most non-white TZ PHs are in the same boat. Most can not afford to travel abroad and promote the safari industry.

We have about 35 staff members employed (not counting PHs). They are all quite happy to have a decent job in the bush (surprisingly I meet (black) photo safari drivers, hotel workers and bartenders every year who fairly beg me for a job in my hunting camps). Now If my "Mzungu" boss was forced out of business...so would they.

Yes, Kenya did indeed kill the Goose that laid the Golden Egg......SAFARI HUNTING!!

Damn, I was thinking about sneaking an Apache helicopter past this clown. Too late, he's on to me.

quote:

the one complaint I have heard from locals in Africa is that Hunters dont spend enough time in the city's/town's. so a lot of the locals feel there left out/not gaining anything from the Safari business.

After spending a little too much time in Dar Es Salaam and having the hotel catch fire, my room broken into, and camera, binos, sattelite phone, etc. stolen, why on earth would I want to spend any time in any town in Africa? I'm planning another hunt for buffalo and plains game, and I'll be damned if another minute is spent in poplulated areas than is absolutely necessary.

This seems to be a very strange post unless there are TWO Mr. Cahil Marduffs in East Africa.

I did a Google of his name and found some far more profound and intersting letters & articles. Clearly he/they have a concern for nature & conservation, although perhaps not pro-hunting this article suggests he/they are not so ANTI either:

Article by Cahil Marduf

It is in German and I used the Translate function which gave a poor but reasonably understandable version. Perhaps one of our German friends could do a proper translation?

I think we need to dig deeper before we pronounce him quite in the class of Denise Leith..

That he has a chip on his shoulder about something and may require re-conditioning I do not deny!

Being German, basically relates to his dislike of the "white tribe" that has colonised East Africa. This would stem from the fact the Germans were booted out as colonial "masters"of Tanganyika by his nemesis - The Brits !!

Just a case of sour grapes for a left wing, liberal, anti-hunter, anti white, poor excuse for a human being ! Nothing to get hot under the collar about. His own insecurities will be his own undoing.

***hole.

He obviously doesn't know shit about the African hunting industry in general or the game laws of his own country in particular..... and to suggest the wazungu are killing the goose that lays the golden egg suggests he also knows bugger all about the history of his own country and it's hunting.

There are a few non-wazungu PHs who are very good good at their job but precious few. The rest are a nucking fightmare!

This guy has no idea what he is talking about, and has other agendas on his mind. Im a white tanzanian PH and there are quite a few of us in Tanzania.As a Tanzanian, the country does not have enough qualified Tanzania PHs to meet the demand of this industry. Clients will be killed or hurt if one was to be guided by a PH that was brought from mweka. I saw thier training programe and its pathetic. This guy isnt even a hunter when a man starts talking about "HARMLESS ANTELOPES" as he he quoted something doesnt make sense.