Rhino poaching- the poacher tells all.

Information & discussion on the Rhino Poaching Pandemic
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Toko
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Re: Rhino poaching- the poacher tells all.

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http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20160310 ... ocid=fbert

The real reasons why people poach endangered species
In this film from the Earth Capture community, former poachers reveal why they did it


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Toko
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Re: Rhino poaching- the poacher tells all.

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By Kara Segedin
11 March 2016
This film contains some images that you may find disturbing
Greedy. Cruel. Heartless. This is the image many of us will have when we think about poachers.
South African filmmaker James Walsh became frustrated that only one side of the poaching story was being told.
"Conservation films tend to focus on what happens in the nature reserve, within the boundaries of a fence, and in South Africa that tends to be a very white-man-khaki-dominated narrative," he says.
He says this focus on conservation "inside the fence" ignores the realities of life for the people who live on the boundaries of South Africa’s nature reserves.
n the last 100 years, many rural communities were uprooted from their land to make way for reserves.
Today, these communities are often poor, lacking access to employment and opportunities.
"They see all this wildlife on the other side of the fence and they see it as an opportunity to either have food for themselves or have food to sell to neighboring communities," says Walsh. "It's not like rhino horn where there's a massive payoff."
Based in Cape Town, Walsh has spent the past six years creating documentary films across southern and east Africa with Sinamatella Productions.
"What I wanted to do was find a story that showcased both sides of the fence," he says.
With help from the Wildlife ACT Fund, Sinamatella created (en)snared, a short film that examines the complex relationship between rural communities, conservationists and endangered wild dogs in Somkhanda Game Reserve.
There are fewer than 7000 African wild dogs left in the world, and only about 400 in South Africa. In Somkhanda, dogs are injured by snares left by local poachers to trap antelope or wildebeest.
The film follows conservationists trying to save the endangered species on ever-reducing budgets, and teachers working in schools with hungry children, alongside the stories of former poachers.
Ex-poacher Albert Mathe says villagers like him turned to hunting, not to get rich, but to feed their families. He says they stopped poaching after some of their people were killed.
"Poaching is a thing of the past now. It's just pointless," he says.
Albert's brother Philmon lost a leg after he was shot while poaching.
"Ever since I was a child, hunting is all I've known," Philmon says. "Unemployment drove me to this."
The man who shot Mathe tuned out to be a cousin who was working as a security guard on the reserve.
Despite living in such close proximity to the parks, many of the children had very little knowledge of the animals living in the reserves. Some parents had never even seen an elephant in the wild.
This disconnect from wildlife is being addressed through education programmes in schools and by taking the children into the park for game drives.
"The kids go home and educate their parents, 'no we don't want to eat bush meat,' 'no we don't want poached animals'," says Walsh. "If we don't look after these communities, if we don't empower them, then we're going to loose this biodiversity."


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Re: Rhino poaching- the poacher tells all.

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He says this focus on conservation "inside the fence" ignores the realities of life for the people who live on the boundaries of South Africa’s nature reserves.
The people occupying themselves for conservation must look "inside the fence". The rest is for somebody else to resolve, not certainly the conservationists, they are not social workers.

In South Africa there seem to be the false idea, that whatever the argument, work, development, conservation, has to take into consideration the situation of the poor communities. That is a problem that must be resolved by the government and not to be mixed up in every initiative, private or public.


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Re: Rhino poaching- the poacher tells all.

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Will delve into this later, but the logic that poverty justifies crime is extremely dangerous and in fact, convenient. Philmon should follow democratic ways to improve his economic situation.


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Re: Rhino poaching- the poacher tells all.

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This film contains some images that you may find disturbing
Greedy. Cruel. Heartless. This is the image many of us will have when we think about poachers.

Don't know how much this fellow has witnessed the suffering of snared animals, or half-dead rhino walking around with their faces chopped off, hamstrings attemptedly cut off etc. The fact that sometimes the rhinos' are eyes gouged out for superstitious reasons if the poacher knows the animal will wake up is a good indication that the poacher knows that what he is doing is very wrong. That takes care of the cruel and heartless part, regarding any possible human interpretation. The "greedy" part is true, unfortunately, as subsistence poachers have no problem with migrating to selling meat after they have fed their starving families.


South African filmmaker James Walsh became frustrated that only one side of the poaching story was being told.

"Conservation films tend to focus on what happens in the nature reserve, within the boundaries of a fence, and in South Africa that tends to be a very white-man-khaki-dominated narrative," he says.


The white man khaki fellow has largely created the SA reserves, for precisely the reasons of sustainability and conservation, over the years. That was done however "illegally" but it was done. In many African countries, the black man has done the same thing, BTW, also for the same ultimate goal. Not rocket science, and a paternalistic and self-defeating argument, as SA government supports the reserves here for good reason.



He says this focus on conservation "inside the fence" ignores the realities of life for the people who live on the boundaries of South Africa’s nature reserves.


This is extremely presumptuous. Neighbours receive great benefits from reserves, and are perfectly aware of that. The "realities" of life regarding said cannot be conveniently linked to reserves in any manner or form. These realities are linked to a multitude of extraneous factors, unfortunately often linked to the changing outlooks and simple economic and political concepts of the neighbours themselves.

https://www.africawild-forum.com/viewtopic.php?f=79&t=6688




In the last 100 years, many rural communities were uprooted from their land to make way for reserves.
Today, these communities are often poor, lacking access to employment and opportunities.


Once again, it was wrong, these uprootments, but it is highly speculative to suggest that the situation of the rural communities would have been substantially better after 20 yeas of democracy now? Who knows, but there are thousands of communities which are poor around SA, and Africa. Some reserves have been re-opened to farming activity, with no long-term benefit to communities at all.



"They see all this wildlife on the other side of the fence and they see it as an opportunity to either have food for themselves or have food to sell to neighboring communities," says Walsh. "It's not like rhino horn where there's a massive payoff."


As said, where does greed stop? Selling the meat means starting a business, utilising a sustainable resource. If the people were displaced, then the land should be returned, and by this definition, all animals slaughtered to make profit? If that is right, so be it. But it doesn't happen. Stealing is stealing, and unfortunately one can not draw a simple distinction regarding rhino poaching. By this logic, a community member could justifiably kill rhino to feed families. No difference.


Based in Cape Town, Walsh has spent the past six years creating documentary films across southern and east Africa with Sinamatella Productions.
"What I wanted to do was find a story that showcased both sides of the fence," he says.
With help from the Wildlife ACT Fund, Sinamatella created (en)snared, a short film that examines the complex relationship between rural communities, conservationists and endangered wild dogs in Somkhanda Game Reserve.

Somkhanda is a community conservation project, well supported and relatively successful. So doesn't make sense.


Ex-poacher Albert Mathe says villagers like him turned to hunting, not to get rich, but to feed their families. He says they stopped poaching after some of their people were killed.
"Poaching is a thing of the past now. It's just pointless," he says.
Albert's brother Philmon lost a leg after he was shot while poaching.
"Ever since I was a child, hunting is all I've known," Philmon says. "Unemployment drove me to this."

Well, Philmon...you made the choice to steal, nothing forced you. Unemployment is not the fault of reserves, rather quite the opposite. If someone comes and steals your cow because they are unemployed, would that make it OK? There are millions of unemployed in SA alone, and a small percentage resort to crime. And unemployment is not a SA problem alone, BTW. Also has little to do with land being taken away.


The man who shot Mathe tuned out to be a cousin who was working as a security guard on the reserve.

Hence the unemployment ironically resolved for that fellow by the reserve.


Despite living in such close proximity to the parks, many of the children had very little knowledge of the animals living in the reserves. Some parents had never even seen an elephant in the wild.
This disconnect from wildlife is being addressed through education programmes in schools and by taking the children into the park for game drives.
"The kids go home and educate their parents, 'no we don't want to eat bush meat,' 'no we don't want poached animals'," says Walsh. "If we don't look after these communities, if we don't empower them, then we're going to loose this biodiversity."

Some parents at privileged schools here have never seen a wild elephant either, they don't care. And if children have to educate adults, we are in a worse state than any amount of pandering or hand-wringing will ever solve. Our biodiversity is at the mercy of greedy rich of all races, in the larger scheme of things, IMO.

Mr Walsh, the following is where the real problem lies in that municipality and most around our country, just a sample:



Provincial IFP Secretary Velenkosini Hlabisa says the MEC needs to act and rescue the municipality. Hlabisa says divisions among ANC councillors have made it impossible for the Council to sit and take decisions to assist communities.

"To rescue the people of uMkhanyakude who needs service delivery from that district municipality which is literally dysfunctional now, it has taken too long for critical issues to be decided upon by the Council and the ruling party is refusing to take the responsibility by simple running away from seating into Council meetings that will take the decisions we see that the people of uMkhanyakude are being compromised by the division of the ruling party."

Hlabisa says the ANC-led district municipality is currently facing a R95 million deficit as a result of mismanagement of funds.


"Any government that is running well should not get into such a deficit unless money is misappropriated and no systems are followed accordingly to account on the public fund. A lot of money is coming to uMkhanyakude but the mismanagement is a worst factor in terms of the resources and money that we have as uMkhanyakude to develop our community."

The ANC in the province was not available for comment.



http://www.sabc.co.za/news/a/d47b948048 ... state:-IFP

https://www.google.co.za/?gfe_rd=cr&ei= ... corruption




I would suggest you refer Philmon and the community to their leaders, who actually do have money for them.


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Re: Rhino poaching- the poacher tells all.

Post by ExFmem »

Excellent retort, RP. Thanks for using your valuable time analyzing and responding with another side of the story. \O


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