Sayed,
I grew up in Africa and watched the meat market shift from
bushmeat to beef, and then the renewed interest in less expensive
bushmeat for the working poor. I have also used photography to
document poachers at work inside national parks--yes, I accompanied
the "poachers" to document their illegal activities from their
perspective. Almost all "poachers" are poor peasants with barefoot
children and wives and parents and grandparents who cannot afford
very basic medications. Almost all "poachers" would much prefer to
have a "real job" and be able to make at least U.S. $30 a month.
Almost all "poachers" have very little other income opportunities
available to them. Before you promote a "kill the poor peasant
father who has very VERY few other choices" perhaps you should "fix
the country" and offer that poor man you're about to kill another way
to make a living ! Sorry, I watched Cameroon's wildlife decimated by
people eating it--but I never ever ever considered killing a human
to "save" an animal. My childhood siblings and best friends are
eeking out an existence as best they can in Africa today--they don't
need any foreigners shooting them for trying to survive. Save the
people and you might save the wildlife--try to save the animals
without respecting or understanding the people and you will loose it
all. Look at Haiti and Madagascar if you want examples of human
societies in ultimate despair--AFTER the wildlife was destroyed. Oil
money is committing genocide in Sudan and refugees and soldiers are
wiping out all wildlife on the previously "virgin" Chad/Sudan/CAR
border. Stop the Oil greed & give normal lives to the humans & you
might save the animals. Enter an oil, diamonds, or coltan (remember
your cell phone and your x-box use coltan from Zaire) war zone to
shoot the "poachers" and you compound ALL misery and will not save
the animals--or the people. I do not do not do not ever support
ANY "kill humans to save animals" philosophies. Save the people and
you might save the wildlife. The children of Africa including the
children of "poachers" will inherit all of Africa. My photos are
posted at www.halnoss.com and I have spent time with "poachers" and
with their families and have photographed their children before they
died for lack of medication. I also know game guards, game guards
turned poachers, soldiers, and normal everyday-people wishing they
had bullets to hunt so as to feed their families. Foreigners will
not save Africa's wildlife, African's will save Africa's wildlife.
But first, Africans need to save themselves (despite oil, diamonds,
gold, and coltan) --and then, once they can all survive, Africa's
humans will do what they can to save their wildlife. Do not ever
ever ever exchange a human life for a wild animal life. Instead,
save the human and then help the human save the animal.
Best wishes to you in Africa, and may Africa never let you forget
what you do there.
Sincerely,
Hal Noss
Photographer

--- In africanwildlife@yahoogroups.com, "Syed. S. Ahmed"
<akif1999@y...> wrote:
> I am working these days to impose shoot to kill order for poachers
at
> Garamba National Park in Democratic Republic of Congo.May God will
> help me in my work&the Congolese government will impose this order.