AFRICA: Hunting a different game

To Leslie Hilton and Diane DePriest:

Were the pictures of Blake Fisher with his kills in Africa in poor taste? I may say so. Were they disconcerting? To some. However, L. Hilton suffers from a lack of knowledge concerning hunting in Africa.

The hunting culture there is different than here. Still, hunters pay exorbitant fees for licenses to hunt and pay huge “trophy” fees for any animal they kill, as well as huge fees to the professional hunter who keeps them safe and following the rules. Like here, these fees are used to protect the animal population and habitat in Africa. They also go to programs to prevent poaching, a much bigger threat than licensed hunters. They also follow humane practices in hunting … one-shot kills preferred.

The meat from these kills goes either into the camp pot to eat or is divided between trackers, bearers, skinners and others from the area. This meat is then returned to the villages and towns in the area as a protein supplement to their diet. The hunters don’t take any meat “home,” nor are they allowed to take home certain hides, ivory, etc. It all goes to the natives in the area.

And not to be too crude here but what part of a baby baboon do you take home and eat? The natives eat just about all of it.

STAN FAVINI

Hayden