Wildlife news and conservation stories are hot in the press at the moment. With the recent exposure of a Rhino poaching syndicate; the talk of Elephant hunting in East Africa; the sad poisoning of the Hoaruseb pride of Lions in Namibia; the burning of illegal Ivory by Kenya’s President with a street value of $100 million; the “Serengeti Highway” debate, approved, not approved, good for some, not good for others; Botswana’s stance to ban all hunting; Gorillas being butchered – wild life concerns are endless and all demand immediate attention. Sometimes I feel the earth is saying “enough” when we consider all the natural disasters that have occurred in the last decade. What is our wild life saying?
Even today I read an article that the Masai Mara – one of the most famous National Parks in the world – has lost more than two thirds of its wildlife over the last three decades – that is all in my life time! Are we able to do something?
It can be tough to be forward thinking. To wonder what it would be like not have wildlife reserves. To think about our kids and grandkids and what they might not see. There are so few fighting for the rights of our animals and protecting them. The odds against these individuals and organizations are huge….yet they are passionate and committed!
The big threats out there are drought, population pressure, tourism overdevelopment and political mismanagement. These are all huge topics. Africa is a continent that has been torn by war, natural disasters like flooding, famine, drought, minimal education and in many cases, wildlife that knows no borders and boundaries.
I don’t really know what the answers are. I guess, the more we talk about things and the more we expose – made easier these days by the internet – the more people will join together in preserving our wildlife. We have to keep remembering that every little bit counts, it doesn’t matter how insignificant we think it might be. We have some of the most awesome wildlife attractions in the world and there are positive results that do keep shining through as the war on Rhino poaching shows: decreased from 40 Rhinos poached in March 2011 to only 2 poached in June! So please lets all make an effort!
