Food for thought:



�Some forty years ago, when I was living in Kenya, I met the storied �white hunter� Philip Percival, who in the reckless heyday of his youth had galloped after African lions on horseback with President Theodore Roosevelt. At the end of our talk, I admitted how deeply I envied him and his friend Teddy for having experienced the unspoiled Africa of that day.



�We didn�t think of Africa as unspoiled!� the old man retorted. �We envied Livingstone and Stanley for their Africa.�



Without a doubt, the fabled Dark Continent continues to transform itself at a faster pace and more adversely than any other region on earth. We need no reminder of the fact that wild game has suffered a holocaust from commercial poaching and habitat destruction, nor do we need to be reminded that countries recently accessible to sportsmen have lapsed into savage disorder. But let us take heart from the enduring truth encapsulated in Percival�s reply: that those who go on safari in the future will envy us for �the good old days� we presently enjoy and that the time to hunt in Africa is always now.�



--James Mellon, Introduction, African Hunter II, August, 2003



Excellent book, by the way. The full equal, and superior in many ways, to Mellon's magnum opus.

True words too. Did anyone see the Nova special on PBS last night about human population growth concerning the Indian subcontinent and our beloved Africa?

Even with HIV/AIDS in Africa they will still overcome this terrible disease due to sheer reproductive numbers. The average female, denied birth control, produces 6 children each. It was mentioned even if some of these places went to a two child maximum the world would double to 12 billion people in 50 years. It took 200 years to get to the 6 billion people on this planet NOW.

I cannot fathom the appearance of Africa in 50 years.

Ann, I came away from watching that show with the painful feeling that in fifty years, there will be no wild Africa remaining. If one wishes to hunt Africa, one should do it NOW!!!

You got that right. Horribly sad for not just Africa, but the whole world.