Hi
I'm a Public school teacher, and, I have so far, used Tom Lowe's lions vs. hyenas, and the cat video to great effect, with my ghetto San Francisco kids.

Anyone have suggestions that would help low income kids appreciate animals?

I'm not trying to imply that killing animals is bad, but, that their survival is critical to Africa, etc. for example the lion, cheetah, elephant, rhino, cape buffalo, etc. ???

Thanks

GS

quote:

Originally posted by GS:
but, that their survival is critical to Africa, etc. for example the lion, cheetah, elephant, rhino, cape buffalo, etc. ???

Are any of the named animals actually endangered? Other than in "wildlife documentaries"?


There was an excellent series from South Africa a few years ago, but I forget the name. It went through the wildlife of Africa, the problems of wildlife in Africa, conflicting issues, and solutions, including utilisation and hunting to provide value.

I tried to buy several sets of the videos to donate to libraries and schools but the communications were difficult and disjointed and it fell through.

I still would like copies of that series.

You might want to teach the kids about how the animals with the greatest value as trophies have the largest and healthiest population levels in those countries where they are hunted legally.

Then show them how the biggest danger to wildlife is loss of habitat from a burgeoning human population that uses more and more land, less and less efficiently. The large cattle herds in east Africa that are kept mainly as a sign of wealth and not used much at all to provide meat or hides to a protien poor continent.

Another huge threat to populations of the glamorous mega fauna of Africa is poaching. Poaching is incredibly wastefull - chop out the tusks and leave the meat for the scavengers. Poaching flourishes wherever there is not an active, legal, sport hunting operaton present.

Give the poofters over at SCI a call down in Tucson. Explain how you want to educate your kids about the truth of the ecology of the glamorous cats, pachyderms and ungulates. They will load you up with talking points, Power Point presentations, and DVDs

A great movie would be "In The Blood". The protagonist is a young kid (obviously well connected) who traced some of Teddy Roosevelt's safari footsteps. He also got to use Teddy's actual side by side rifle (IIRC; correct me if I'm wrong).

Another good area to explore would be how Kenya's wildlife populations have plummeted since hunting was outlawed in, I believe 1976 or 1977.

Hey Nitro,
If you locate that series, I would be willing to split the cost. We could burn an extra set of discs or tapes.

Also, would you mind if I had a couple Nitro-X t-shirts printed up? PM me your size and I'll send one down.

Ask Ganyana about this topic as well. He likes to teach, and knows the ecology and population dynamics much better than those poofter academic types that hang out in the forest or savanha while mooching grant money from back home. Then they come up with some inane but politically correct drivel that gets reviewed in the "ain't it aweful" section of the New York Times book review.

LD

quote:

Originally posted by NitroX:

There was an excellent series from South Africa a few years ago, but I forget the name. It went through the wildlife of Africa, the problems of wildlife in Africa, conflicting issues, and solutions, including utilisation and hunting to provide value.

I tried to buy several sets of the videos to donate to libraries and schools but the communications were difficult and disjointed and it fell through.

I still would like copies of that series.

You may be referring to "The African Game". I tried to get a copy as well. It's supposed to be terrific. They used to have a website by I couldn't find it. I did find a page that gives an account of the producers being sued over it by "Justice for Animals ...". http://www.nab.org.za/bccsa/templates/judgement_template_58.asp

They lost the suit (never showed up, even).

If anyone knows where I might get a copy, please let me know.
S.

quote:

Originally posted by Seq:
"The African Game"

That's the one. Or maybe "The Wildlife Game".

I've used the following information so far:

Black and white rhinos are ONLY around thanks to hunting, IIRC. Alf had 22-23, last time I remember, and, isn't the average going rate around 75,000 a rhino? Game ranches being responsible for their survival.

Also, the kids are fascinated with Cheetahs. Apparently problems in South Africa, but in mid-africa, so plentiful they are shot as pests. Saeed is a great source for information about cheetahs, and I've used his pictures, and experiences. Also how hard they are to hunt, from some of the people here.

Discussed poaching, and, 'legalized poaching', such as Mugabe and his thugs.

Over population will always be game animals biggest threat. I really don't like us giving foreign aid to Africa, in anyway shape or form. As we have done here, we will increase population to a point it shouldn't be, and stop disease, virus, etc. from keeping any semblance of natural balance. Almost everytime, our aid is pocketed by some corrupt dictator, or president, and benefits only a few, if any.

I wasn't aware of cattle as status symbols, but, it figures.

Thanks for the suggestions, and information.

Ganyana is a fantastic source, and I've used his information for rifles, etc.
Great guy to have around, as is everyone here.


GS

PS: NitroX: Haven't all the big five been in danger, at one time or another? Wasn't there some virus that killed nearly all the cape buffalo around the turn of the century? Hasn't the elephant population been reduced tremendously, and isn't there a threat of feline aides to lions? Leopards? Cheetahs with little genetic variation?

If there is one thing we have learned, it's that man is very good at killing large numbers of elephants, such as for hides, horns, ivory, etc. I suspect in many corrupt areas, any source of income is welcome, so poaching becomes the norm. It would be nice to see a dollar break down of how much people spend into Africa, how many animals are killed by hunters, and, how many by poachers, etc.

Can't get through to SCI in Tucson, or many other chapters...weird...

quote:

Originally posted by GS:
PS: NitroX: Haven't all the big five been in danger, at one time or another? Wasn't there some virus that killed nearly all the cape buffalo around the turn of the century? Hasn't the elephant population been reduced tremendously, and isn't there a threat of feline aides to lions? Leopards? Cheetahs with little genetic variation?

If there is one thing we have learned, it's that man is very good at killing large numbers of elephants, such as for hides, horns, ivory, etc. I suspect in many corrupt areas, any source of income is welcome, so poaching becomes the norm. It would be nice to see a dollar break down of how much people spend into Africa, how many animals are killed by hunters, and, how many by poachers, etc.

Don't fall into the trap of believing everuthing is endangered, just becasue EVERY wildlife documentary tries to indoctrinate you that this is so.

Don't fall into the same trap and brainwash your students the same way.

Why do the wildlife docos and the wildlife researchers do this? Self interest. Another way to leach and suck $$$ out of the gullible so they can pranch around in the bush doing what they like to do.

Elephants? How can they be endangered when there are still hundreds of thousands of them especially in Botswana, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, plus South Africa, Mozambique and Zambia. Let alone other countries.

White Rhino? Endangered, historical.

Black Rhino? The first legal trophy hunts have or are about to be sold.

Cheetah? Still shot as pests on cattle ranches.

Leopard? Not endangered.

Lion? Still being hunted responsibly.

Cape Buffalo? Untold herds of thousands of beasts in many countries. Not endangered.



Don't be yet another "plastic monkey in a concrete jungle"

(Maybe the last line is a bit harsh but this is a hunting forum where hopefully the false greenie BS can be given a rest. Hell bells the same idiot greenies tell you Yanks kangaroos are endangered, yet we had 63 million of them a couple of years back. More than any time in history, including before white man arrived.)

GS,
This is your big opportunity in life. If you get up in front of your students and teach the simple truths you will catch a lot of flak from those over you in your school district. If you don't teach the simple truths then you will be contributing to and participating in the antithesis of truth. Choices in life don't usually come into focus so starkly and clearly.

WHATEVER. Read my post again, and give me a well thought out, intelligent reply, and I might listen...

I expect this kind of garbage from superliberals, in San Francisco, not from the people here.
You got some dog you want to beat, take it out and beat it. I'm not here for that.

GS