Hi, My name is Carolyn, my dad uses this forum as Steven30127.

I am in seventh grade and my science teacher gave us an assignment that asks me to write a report on an endangered species of Africa. Since I am also a hunter, I was thinking of explaining how sport hunting can help manage wildlife populations and prevent an animal from becoming extinct. My dad suggested that I compare the plight of the elephant in Botswana compared to Kenya. i am open to other ideas. My dad suggested I post here and see what you all suggest.

Thank you for reading and I appreciate your help.

Carolyn, welcome to the forum. I don't know if the Elephant would be a great subject, since it's far from endangered. I can't think of a better species to profile, off the top of my head. In fact, I'm not sure if any of the popular "hunted" animals are endangered, which might be a good point to make in your paper.

If you do choose Elephants, you could show the stark difference in the populations between Kenya and Tanzania.

These two countries border each other. Kenya closed hunting in the 1970s, and have seen their elephant populations decimated by poachers. Tanzania has a vibrant hunting culture, and equally vibrant Elephant populations, and these correlations are not an accident.

I'm sure you'll get much better advice than mine...best of luck.

An African animal that facinates me and apppears to be endanagered is an "okapi".

I like the Bontebok, and that is I believe endangered but can still be hunted and specimens imported into the US with the proper CITES permits. I don't have much information on them, but I do have a fair amount of pictures if you are interested.

Good Luck,

John

Hi Carolyn,

I'll also welcome you to the forum....

Might I suggest you make the White Rhino & black Rhino the subject of your assignment. Both have been very close to extinction and both have been saved, largely due to the various Parks Boards identifying particular males that were too old to breed and were killing other of their species etc and allowing those particular males to be hunted. The money from these hunts was largely used for scientific research into the problems the species faced as a whole and financing appropriate breeding projects etc.

If you'd like to send me an e-mail I'll be happy to put you in touch with one or two people who were involved in the projects and do anything else I can to help.....my e-mail address is on my profile.

I think your elephant idea is perfect. Elephants are great examples of how hunting can protect animals. You will find a lot of information about populations in various countries. I would suggest starting your search by identifying populations current VS 50 or 100 years ago. Once you have this info then list countries that allow elephant hunting. What you will find is that only countries that allow hunting have increasing populations. Countries like Kenya which no longer allow hunting will show populations being reduced. I look forward to your report once it is complete.

R

I agree that the elephant would be a great idea. Especially since the general public believes that it is endangered.

Elephant would be good, and if you are willing to make the comparison, the example of Kenya vs. Tanzania or the Southern African countries is related to more than just hunting.
If hunting is not the onlt determining variable, albeit one of them.
Management style, funding and anti-poaching budgets as well as their willingness to trade ivory has had an effect on their populations.

Population densities, area suitable for elephant relative to nation size and a host of other factors play a role. Hunting does influence their conservation in many areas, not so much in others.

Good luck with the project...
You could do this to keep it simple and managebale with out overload...analyse the term 'endangered' in terms of geographically bound populations. For example, as Shakari mentioned above, white and black rhino. Is it fair to say the white rhino is 'endangered' for example? In RSA they are not, what about DRC, they are? Black Rhino. Low numbers but not considered endangered in some of their range as their geogrpahic specific populations have faired well and increased.
What does 'endangered' mean? Does it mean only a few? What if those few are no longer declining? Does it mean a population rapidly declining unless the factors causing decline are retarded or stopped.?

I hope this is not too complicated and clear. Have fun with it!

Carolyn,

You may find this of interest.

-Bob F.

------------------------

Paper for Presentation at A Symposium
UN and Regional Small Arms Regulation:
Issues Concerning Civilian Firearms Ownership
in Search of Common Ground
Sponsored by the World Forum On The Future of Sports Shooting Activities
May 2, 2003 The Tower of London

Peaceful Arms: Hunting and Sport Shooting as Culture and Heritage
by James A. Swan, Ph.D.

Execrpt:

"Hunting, especially big game hunting, is also a major force in encouraging conservation and promoting economic self-sufficiency in native cultures. In Africa, in l979 the wild elephant herd was 1.3 million. By 1989, it was sliced in half to 600,000, largely due to uncontrolled poaching. To curb the decline, importation of ivory was banned, and some countries forbade sport hunting for elephants. In places where hunting has been banned, elephant populations have plummeted even more. Kenya banned elephant hunting in 1977. Poachers subsequently butchered the herds, as supervision of the animals also declined with the loss of revenue from hunting. In less than two decades, Kenya's elephant herd went from 150,000 to less than 6,000."

"Botswana, in contrast, permitted big game hunting, and in the same period of time, their elephant herd has quadrupled. The key here is that hunters pump considerable money into the local economy, which increases the value of the animals to local natives, provides jobs and fresh meat for many, and supports wildlife research and law enforcement. It is estimated that hunters spend $35 million to $65 million dollars a year on African elephant hunting safaris. The white rhino in South Africa has similarly increased in numbers, thanks to hunters' dollars."

"In 1980, Zimbabwe had 40,000 elephants. Today, after 22 years of carefully regulated hunting, they have 88,000 pachyderms. According to Ed Adobe, Chairman of the Zimbabwe Wildlife Advisory Council, eco-tourists may outnumber the hunters, but the hunters outspend them, $15 million to $10 million. When eco-tourists come in, they whisk around in a jeep for a couple days, wine and dine, and leave. Hunters stay longer, pay trophy fees and guides, and the meat from animals killed goes to local villages, along with skins and bones that can be used for clothing and arts and crafts."

"The program that oversees hunting in Zimbabwe is called CAMPFIRE (Communal Areas Management Programmed for Indigenous Resources). (37) Under CAMPFIRE, people living on impoverished communal lands, which represent 42% of the country, claim the right of proprietorship, including wildlife. CAMPFIRE offers people an alternative to destructive uses of the land by making wildlife a valuable resource. Wildlife, in fact, is the most economically and ecologically-sound land use in much of Zimbabwe."

"Since its official inception in 1989, more than a quarter of a million people have been involved in managing wildlife through CAMPFIRE. It has been so successful that South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, Mozambique and Botswana are now developing programs similar to Zimbabwe, sometimes using relocated Zimbabwe animals."

The entire article is here:
http://www.jamesswan.com/Paper%20for%20Presentation%20at%20A%20Symposium.htm


Taming Animal Rights Activists

U.S. animal rights activists are on a crusade, not only to hinder medical research by denying scientists the right to use animals in research, but also to eliminate the killing of wildlife in Africa.

Having endangered scientific research programs here, they are out to deny a source of livelihood to many poor African villagers.

* Twenty-nine of the world's 36 poorest countries are African -- with an estimated 150 million to 325 million Africans earning less than $1 a day.

* Yet in Zimbabwe, revenues from a sport hunting program has built several health clinics in rural villages and generated millions of dollars split among communities.

* In one village, each of the approximately 120 households earned $450 by selling their legal hunting rights to a safari operator, whose clients paid him for the privilege of hunting elephants nearby.

Statistics from Kenya point out just how deadly elephants can be.

* At least 358 Kenyans have died as a result of elephant-human clashes since 1990.

* In some districts elephants reportedly kill more people who are protecting their own crops than poachers kill elephants.

* Experts say that if landowners can't make money from wildlife, they will wipe it out.

Kenya did what animal rights activists proposed: they banned all hunting in 1977. But Zimbabwe granted proprietorship over wildlife to landowners in 1982 and allows hunting.

The result?

* Between 1970 and 1989, Kenya's elephant population plunged from 167,000 to 16,000.

* But in Zimbabwe, the population increased from less than 40,000 to more than 50,000 since 1982.

Source: Ike C. Sugg (Competitive Enterprise Institute), "Selling Hunting Rights Saves Animals," Wall Street Journal, July 24, 1996.
from: http://www.ncpa.org/pd/pdenv41.html

What about doing it on the Scimitar Horned Oryx or Addax. They are endangered in their native land of Africa, but thrive in Texas thanks to hunting.

Dear Kick:

I've got a 15 year-old daughter who loves to go hunting and shooting with her dad. It is my most fun time afield!

Here is a post in which I tried to explain about the "value" of hunting animals who were raiding corps.

I hope you can use something from it:

Elephant Hunt

Kick,

One more for the elephant project it is shinning example of how sport hunting promotes conservation.

The rhino thing would be good too.
-----------------------------------------------

Judge regarding your post:

quote:

Here is a post in which I tried to explain about the "value" of hunting animals who were raiding corps.

Judge,
I am sorry to hear about the eles raiding your beloved Corps. Please send my regards to all the traumatized men. Also please allow me to offer my services in the elimination of any and all eles on any marine bases anywhere in the free world.

Regretfully

Greg

The truth is it's all about the MONEY to use to protect the land from developement and beasts from poachers.

I am told there are 600,000 or more free roaming ellie in Africa, that is due to the money sport hunting generates.

Said money in huge portions is used to protect those ellies habitat and they themselves from poachers the "real poison" of all game.

Hunters saved the Rhino, white and black, and if given the chance we will save the beloved Bengal and Siberian TIGER too.

Thank you all for your help. I apreciate it very much! I have so many more choices to chose from and I'm still not sure what I a going to write about. Thank you all again!

Carolyn

I took everyone's information and i looked up some of the animals introduced to me, but they weren't endngered. After that i just looked up endangered species of Africa, and I decide to write about the lion. Does anyone have suggestions? Thank you all again for all your help!

Dear Carolyn,

If the elephant isn't endangered, then you will find the lion is not either. I would suggest that you look at cheetah which is classified as endangered.

The issues with lion have a great deal to do with a better understanding of their life cycle. As a result, the nature of lion hunting has changed profoundedly (see some of the discussion on the site via search).

Good luck on your paper. Kudude

Elephant make a good example for other American kids in this instance since EVERYTHING they have ever learned about elephants on TV has told them elephants are on the verge of extinction! They are not of course and it is because of SPORT HUNTING that they are not! It will also be important for you to make a clear distinction between SPORT HUNTING and POACHING, which is not "hunting" in the sense we refer to but national geographic fails to make the distinction on TV. This last item will be important no matter what specie you select.

GOOD WORK GIRL!!!!

I think you could use both the elephant and rino as perfect examples in the same report. The elephant as a example of how the general public here is not told the facts and the rino as a showcase for the true conservation efforts made by hunters. Good luck, and thanks we need more more kids like you.

Hi Carolyn,

I suggest you take the rhino topic. Both species (black & white) have been saved by efforts funded largely by hunter related revenue.

Best of luck with you project.