Alldays Driven Hunt

[Richprins]

At last, a sensible summation, from the professionals!

[Flutterby]

Driven Hunt Alldays South Africa:
Update 11/9/15 : A total of 20 animals killed yesterday bringing the total for 2 days to 40 animals killed.
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Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation arrived at the sleepy little town of Alldays this morning at 2am, to monitor and report back on the Driven Hunt taking place on the Farm Braam. In the dark night the sky was velvety black and full of stars. It was unthinkable that such a beautiful place would be the backdrop for the killing of precious wildlife.

A driven hunt is almost unheard of by the public in South Africa. It is a highly controversial and unethical hunting method in which a line of people walk across the veld, chasing the animals towards a line of hunters sitting on raised wooden platforms. The animals have very limited opportunities for escape. Once they reach a specific area, the hunters would take aim and fire at them, with each hunter killing around two animals per day.

On the road to the farm we were met by a Senior DEA (Department of Environmental Affairs) Official, Mr. Dirk Boshoff, sent there by the Director General of the DEA to oversee the proceedings. It was clear that there were mixed feelings about this hunt, and that the Department felt enough public pressure to react in a positive way by sending out additional observers.

Mr. Boshoff was allowed into the Ammondale Lodge, where the hunters are staying, and was later joined by other officials from the Limpopo DEA, as well as Isabel Wentzel and another Inspector from the NSPCA. These people were all allowed on the hunt, and could form an exact opinion as to what was happening. The NSPCA had obtained a warrant to attend the hunt, but they are still powerless to stop it, because of a kind of legal no-man’s land with regards to these kinds of hunts.

The farm was a hive of activity, with the setting up of the day’s hunt starting around 07h00. Staff were transported about, and we got to see the sniffer dog, who is responsible for tracking a wounded animal in need of being put down.

At around 07h30, the vehicles with the hunters appeared and crossed the road from Ammondale Lodge into the killing fields. There were 13 hunters, and approximately 10 PH’s (Professional Hunters), with one Hunt Master. The hunters are a mix of Belgian, Dutch and Danish nationals, and this is their blood-sport of choice.
They are a closely knit group of friends and colleagues who do not allow strangers in, and this hunt was organized specifically for them. It is the first time that a driven hunt has taken place on this farm.

Elsewhere in South Africa it is secretly a regular occurrence, with hunters like these coming into South Africa on an annual basis, to specifically satisfy this kind of bloodlust.

The mistake made by the Organizers of this hunt, was to place the wooden platforms in an area visible from the road. Some people who passed started asking questions, and the issue exploded in the media.

The hunters were laughing and joking, with only two of them having the decency to cover their faces in shame when they passed.

The Chasers are local people employed for the duration of the hunt, to scare the animals towards the hunters. They also covered their faces as they were transported past. We counted fourteen of them. With ten metres between each person in the chasing line, this meant that 160m were covered with a human ‘chain’ of chasers, sending the animals straight into the shooters’ path.

With an initial volley of shots fired, but barely audible, a few hours later, there really was no way to know what was happening on the killing fields, as they were too far away. The farm is massive, and this explains how 600 of these platforms could have been built.
Two vehicles came back, with something covered in tarps on the back. It looked like large antelopes.

Yesterday, it was reported that 18 animals were killed, with one having been wounded, tracked and euthanized. A neighbour informed us that that it had actually been twenty animals yesterday. Today, at the time of writing, three animals had been killed, two Waterbuck and one impala. One Waterbuck was grazed by a bullet, but not seriously injured. Update: the hunt stopped at 8pm, with a total of 20 animals shot for the day.

At lunchtime the hunters came back to the lodge for a break, and clouds were gathering, so hunting was seemingly ceased for the day. This time they seemed to be properly chastised, with most of them hiding their faces from our cameras. They continued to hunt, returning at 8pm.

Isabel Wentzel from the NSPCA who monitored the hunt today, said that there really was no massacre, that the hunt was strictly controlled and well organized. She admitted that there is no legal precedent to refer to in this case, and that the method of this type of hunt is not ethical. The NSPCA said that the shots were clean kills, and there were no animal cruelty involved.

Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation maintains that just because it is not illegal, it does not mean that it is ethical or morally justified. This is nothing but a canned hunt, in that the centre animals have no means of escape, and are being driven into the face of death, where they would not have been normally. If the organizers had nothing to hide, they would have invited press to attend, and the NSPCA would not have needed a warrant to obtain entry.

The fact is that currently this type of killing is not illegal in South Africa. Until legislation can be introduced, this will happen again and again.

Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation would like to thank everyone who made it possible for us to attend and report back on this issue. Public awareness is key in stopping such atrocities devastating our wildlife. Please share and make people aware.

If you would like to assist Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation, please read more here: wildheartwildlifefoundation.org/index.php/how-can-you-help

[Flutterby]

Limpopo hunting farm did nothing wrong - Environment Dept

2015-09-08 20:15
Adam Wakefield

Johannesburg - The hunting farm outside Alldays at the centre of a social media outcry is doing everything by the book, the Limpopo environment department said, following a visit to the farm.

"Our inspection tells us that the game farm is a legal entity and it is land that has been given back to the community," spokesperson Simon Matume told News24. Matume said he spent about seven hours at the farm on Tuesday.

"Part of their income generation comes from hunting, and as you would know, hunting is legal in South Africa.

"In our terms, it is governed by the Limpopo Environmental Management Act and we authorise hunting as an economic activity and we issue licences for potential hunters, including international investors."

The National Council of Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) said despite a public outcry, 18 animals were killed at the farm on Monday.

"It is with sadness that we have to report that the hunt has continued despite the phenomenal public outcry opposing this. We can confirm that 18 animals were killed [on Monday], including gemsbuck, eland, wildebeest, warthog, Impala and duiker. We mourn their lives," the NSPCA said on its Facebook page.

Earlier on Monday, the NSPCA obtained a warrant to inspect the farm it believed was hosting a 2km-long game shoot from platforms.

It had launched a Facebook campaign on Friday urging people to contact the department to stop the hunt it believed was going to be a "massacre" of animals in the area.

"On Monday the 7th September hundreds of wild animals will be killed in a mass slaughter as part of a driven hunt in Limpopo on three game farms just outside of Alldays," the post read.

"A variety of wild animals, including antelope, baboon and warthog, will be chased down a specially cleared 2km stretch of land into a wall of gunfire."

The post explained driven hunting was not illegal, but was "unethical and inhumane as a clean shot and certain death cannot be guaranteed".

Matume said the department had had inspectors at the farm since Friday and, while he was present, they saw international tourists, some of whom were hunters.

"We went and found out about the purported massacre claims and we found all the laws are being observed," he said.

"Even our Green Scorpions, the environmental inspectors, are on site and the numbers claimed yesterday, in the hundreds, is actually not more than 25."

On Tuesday, the department had checked after lunch how many animals had been killed, with four being counted.

"The licence conditions indicate which animals may be hunted for sport. The participants are complying with that," he said.

"I even visited the abattoir. There are few carcasses there because the hunters only take the head and the remainder of the carcasses are taken to the local community," Matume said.

"The meat is benefiting the local community. That is what we found there."

The department will issue a formal statement on the matter soon.

[Lisbeth]

The last but one post is more along my way of thinking

Being legal does not mean that it is right!

[Richprins]

Why is it not right, in principle? It is not unusual or deemed unethical by the hunting fraternity at all, and happens around the world!

In fact we have been hunting in similar fashion for 30 000 years or so!

In this case the organisers seem to be slightly overdoing it in industrial terms, with beaters going too fast, but the same animal/hunter ratio seems to be occurring as per a normal hunt, with only one wounding, astounding amongst 16 odd hunters...

[Lisbeth]

Times have changed for the last 30 000 years

[harrys]

RP what is hunting.....My definition is look for the animal, find it and then shoot it, that's how it is supposed to be, not stand on a thing and wait for the defenseless animal too come to you . To kill animals for fun is pathetic and sick

Bookworm did the PH course and shot her first Impala so they could have meat for the wild life centre , that is why you hunt for the meat and to feed people, I don't have a problem with people who hunt for food and if it's necessary, I have a problem with these so called hunters who kill for fun and because they can....that's blerry sick and pathetic

I've said my say and that's only my opinion on this subject

[RogerFraser]

NSPCA Update:
NSPCA - National Council of SPCA's added 4 new photos.
UPDATE ON ALLDAYS HUNT
Half of our team was obstructed by the farm manager today. They were denied access to the farm, this is in breach of our warrant. Due to this we obtained SAPS assistance with enforcing the warrant at the farm. When we arrived back at the farm with the saps the beaters were sent home and the hunt cancelled for the day because the hunt organisers did not want us filming the hunt. The hunt will continue tomorrow and we will enforce the warrant and film the hunt.

[Lisbeth]

Harry has expressed what is also my thought (I would not even kill an impala, if I was not close to dying from hunger, but that at least belongs to your culture)

[Richprins]

Harry!

I have no interest in hunting, myself, shot a few birds with a pellet gun in my youth, but outgrew that? And nothing since.

The point is, for those that need this "fix", so be it...how can one criticise someone else's lifestyle if it is not illegal?

And the glaring thing is the financial benefit to communities. That is a simple truth.

I'm satisfied animals are not suffering, and die quickly...sort of like a pro abbattoir? Where does one draw the line?

Why should the hunters who have come so many km now be "chastised"?

Confirmed AGAIN today this is nothing extraordinary, other than the scale.