Hello Bosman,
I take note of your 6 point rant at me relative to your ' immediate capital outlay and management input' on your new concession thus far, and I'm certainly not trying to have an online fight with you, what you have done is a start point, albeit very small facing the severity/enormity of the situation, and I certainly hope the pliers, batteries and fixing of flat tyres, will lead towards saving what little is left wildlife wise in Gokwe South. However unless you immediately employ a team of at least 45 uniformed, armed, highly mobile, motivated, disciplined, and well led anti-poaching game scouts, it'll just remain like trying to fill up a bath with water after forgetting to put the plug in.
As for intimating that I'm just sitting back saying you guys aren't concerned about the conservation of Gokwe South, you keep missing the point. This issue is about an area that right now as things stand is not viable for SUSTAINABLE YIELD buffalo hunting, it has been milked, and as it currently stands it should be closed totally to hunting, with an active anti-poaching program coupled to an aggressive and energetic education program aimed at the local community. Who through no fault of their own have been driven to poverty through a corrupt regime, and who unfortunately will through the need to stave off starvation continue to poach. From an ethical sport hunter's point of view it would be far more refreshing to hear that in tandem with employing a game scout force you were buying large numbers of captured buffalo for an energetic gene pool reintroduction - but we know that won't happen.
Why don't you identify the Zimbabwe operator who you say is hunting in the park (I assume you mean Chirisa Safari Area)? And who isn't giving any support, HHK Safaris who have the Chirisa concession has always played an active role to help with Park management needs - perhaps attend a ZPHGA meeting and put your complaint directly to them - their PHs will soon put you right.
Bringing Zimbabwean PH/Safari Operator names into the equation and bad-mouthing them is grossly unethical and ill-informed, and won't help matters, I don't know Dudley Rogers personally but he's been in the business for a long time - and he lost a model game ranch at West Nicholson plus every single wild living animal on it to land invaders/poachers durng the early 2000s. His entire life's work, put yourself in his boots for a minute or two - shut your eyes and maybe try to imagine that happening in Limpopo - it might humble you - and it isn't impossible, one day if Julius Malema gets his way it probably will happen, Mugabe is after all his mentor. Having said that, I accept that if a PH has been criticised by client's in Hunt Reports there must have been a reason - however, to have stayed in safari for close to 30 years he must have also been doing something right.
As for bringing race into the debate, what absolute drivel, being a white South Africa with a name like yours you're the last person qualified to play the race card. And as for querying whether it is because he is a Zimbabwean and not black, you're damn right he is a Zimbabwean, and just like me a white and extremely proud one, but we have a right together with a moral obligation to be concerned for the future of OUR NATION's wildlife when we see some of the non-Zimbabwe residents who form hunting pacts/partnerships with dubious politically connected indigenous individuals who care nothing for the future of our nation's wildlife.
They only think about the US dollars they can milk from the system through using those very political connections. And as for the future of Zimbabwe's wildlife, they have absolutely no interest in the ethos of it being "us, the now generation", who are the custodians of these valuable and beautiful natural resources, holding them in trust for those future generations who come after us to also enjoy.
Regards your other point, although it has nothing to do with a Forum of this nature, I'm also quite sure, and despite what you claim, that no Zimbabwean who lives in South Africa is ungrateful for the shelter given them by SA - but I do know when Mugabe's gone a lot of Zimbabwean's black & white will be going home very happy people.
Despite my knowing who your front man is, I will not use his name on this forum, although if I ever read you bad-mouthing unethically on this forum again those many ethical, respected Zimbabwean's black and white in the country's safari and related wildlife agencies, and by doing so placing their well being at risk in a grossly dysfunctional country, I will put his name out and let the readership Google it.
In closure and for the sake of the wildlife, I certainly hope you can make Gokwe South work, but I also dearly hope a few remaining soft-boss buffalo don't have to give their lives to make that happen.
If you'd linked up with one of a number of reputable Zimbabwe Safari operators and said "Hey can I book my client's through you for my Zimbabwe hunting needs?" I can assure you we wouldn't be wasting time debating this scenario, because no matter who/has or gets Gokwe South or North, my views won't change, they need to be rested from hunting, before there is little left aside from yellow-billed hornbills, vultures and baboons, and I know there are many sport hunters out there who will probably agree.
