http://www.survivalinternational.org/news/11487


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Billionaire's elephant-hunting safaris implicated in "Pygmy” abuses

2 November 2016



Survival International has learned that an elephant-hunting safari operation jointly owned by a French billionaire has been implicated in human rights abuses against local Baka “Pygmies” and their neighbors, including illegal evictions and torture.

The operation is based in two “protected areas” in Cameroon, leased by Benjamin de Rothschild. It offers tourists the chance to pay €55,000 to shoot a forest elephant.

Baka were evicted from their ancestral land to create the trophy hunting operation, contrary to international law. It is patrolled by soldiers, police and armed guards, and Baka have now been told they will be shot on sight if they cross it to hunt to feed their families, gather plants, or visit religious sites.

The Baka report that three of their forest camps have been burnt by wildlife guards and safari camp employees in the last year alone. Baka men hunting for food in this forest have been beaten by local police, soldiers and wildlife guards.

One Baka man told Survival: ”They told me to carry my father on my back. I started walking, [the guard] beat me, he beat my father. For three hours, every time I cried out they would beat me, until I fainted and fell to the ground with my father."

Another Baka man said: “When the trophy-hunting company finds us here they burn the camps. They beat us, they search for us, they set their dogs on you, their guns on you.”

A third Baka said: “The trophy-hunting company said that if they see anyone [in the forest] bullets will fly. Now those who have family there have gone to get them out. How will we live now?”

Survival contacted Mr. de Rothschild informing him of reports of serious human rights abuses having been committed to maintain the trophy-hunting operation, but has received no reply.


The Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) is very active in Cameroon, and the trophy-hunting “protected areas” form part of one of their key “conservation landscapes.” WWF has yet to comment on the allegations, or say whether it proposes to take any action.

One booking operator told Survival that: “All our luxurious fully equipped forest camps are solid construction, air conditioned with private chalets with full bathrooms and dressing parlors. Delicious multi-course cuisine is served with top shelf European wines and beverages… Our newest forest camp has a large screened in swimming pool.”



Across the region, Baka “Pygmies” and their neighbors are being evicted from their ancestral homelands and face arrest and beatings, torture and even death while big game trophy-hunting is encouraged. WWF trustee Peter Flack has also hunted elephants in the region.

Survival’s Director Stephen Corry said: “Across Africa, rich trophy hunters are welcomed into the same areas where tribal hunters are illegally evicted from their ancestral homelands and brutalized for hunting to feed their families. This has to stop. Conservation in the Congo Basin is land theft, a continuation of colonialism. It leads to widespread and horrific human rights violations, including extrajudicial killing. Why are so few people speaking out? Survival is leading the fight against these abuses. Conservationists must respect human rights like everyone else is supposed to.”

Note: "Pygmy” is an umbrella term commonly used to refer to the hunter-gatherer peoples of the Congo Basin and elsewhere in Central Africa. The word is considered pejorative and avoided by some tribespeople, but used by others as a convenient and easily recognized way of describing themselves.

Rothschild is Guerini's backer, right?

Having just been in the rainforest, it seems to me that the biggest enemy of the local Baka are the local Baka. The amount of alcohol they consumed was staggering, literally. Terrible alcoholics, that would drink anything they could get their hands on. Small packets of gin and vodka from Nigeria littered the main roads. Every village we drove through had several men and women stumbling in the roads or lying beside them, passed out. It was pretty sad.

quote:

Originally posted by safari-lawyer:
Rothschild is Guerini's backer, right?

Yes and purchased Felix Barrado's area next door as well.

quote:

Originally posted by safari-lawyer:
Rothschild is Guerini's backer, right?

Having just been in the rainforest, it seems to me that the biggest enemy of the local Baka are the local Baka. The amount of alcohol they consumed was staggering, literally. Terrible alcoholics, that would drink anything they could get their hands on. Small packets of gin and vodka from Nigeria littered the main roads. Every village we drove through had several men and women stumbling in the roads or lying beside them, passed out. It was pretty sad.

Exactly and their second vice is poaching.

In many areas of the world, the worst offenders of sound conservation practices are the indigenous people. This is true of the Baka. From Duikers to Forest elephant, it is all yama to them and they kill anything they come across without regard to international, CITES nor national regulations, policies and laws. They have absolutely no concept of species preservation nor quotas. And they illegally hunt for and sell ivory.

The hunting areas in question are granted by Cameroon and the outfitters are regulated by law and quotas apply to all hunters. As an example, very few forest Elephant permits are issued annually, yet the Baka will use old muskets or poisoned arrows to shoot any elephant they find. This results in many elephants wounded and lost.

Like most things in Africa, there is no simple solution to the issues Survival would have their uneducated contributors support.

I will be hunting the area in question with Faro-Lobeke in 7 months. I will be employing local peoples and complying with all CITES, US and Cameroon laws.

Just like Indians here
Most of reservations are pretty picked over besides all the litter

Why doesn't the media just call them poachers?

quote:

Originally posted by Thierry Labat:
Why doesn't the media just call them poachers?

You honestly expect the media to say anything truthful??

That would be racist
They are after all locals
They can do anything and nobody will lift finger except outfitters and those will get crucified

Actually, I have reached a point that when anything is mentioned of "human rights abuses" I KNOW for certain the writer has agenda.

Corruption probably couldn't point to the area on a map. Typical first world interference in what it doesn't understand. For a few donations of course.