Someone else's comment on yesterday's post.

I posted a link to yesterday's post on another website and a kind reader took the time to comment. I'll share it here. You know who you are and thank you.





You've got the basic economics of it, though the herbivores are just as important, and regarded with equal animosity, by the locals. They eat crops and the farmers need land and wild plants. One of the reasons the giraffe herds are shrinking is that the people cut Acacia trees for firewood. It's illegal to do it. The law is not enforced. Micro loans are one of the ways they've managed to maintain an environment that's acceptable to the animals. 

For those who don't know what micro loans are about, they're small loans, less than $100.00, that the locals use to maintain their lifestyles, start small businesses, eetc. Years ago, do-gooders got the idea that if we threw money at Africa, everything would be wonderful. They sent trucks and tractors and harvesters and all the modern farming machinery that a wealthy dumbass could imagine. Financing was arranged and the farmers promptly defaulted. It was the same as buying a $200,000.00 Bentley to deliver pizza. You can't justify the investment by the output of the farms. 

It can cost $10,000.00 just for the tag to hunt the large African species. One argument I had with liberals was about the economic benefits derived from the hunters. The liberals said that the natives would never see a penny from the hunting license revenue. That's true. Government officials will steal it. 

The hunters will also hire porters and guides from the area. These people get paid by the hunting party. They keep the money. It maintains the local economy, partly protecting the herds because the people who live there all year earn cash from the hunters. No animals means no hunters means no money. I don't know enough about the effects of eco-tourism to make an informed decision about it. Since it appeals to liberals, my opinion is that they're a bunch of condescending assholes who tell the locals what to do. Practicality is lost on the modern liberal. It's more "enlightening" to gawk at an impoverished village like it's part of an art gallery. 

Then there's the meat. A Cape Buffalo can reach 2,000 pounds. They're not well liked because they kill 200 people every year. The locals will use every bit of that animal for food, tools, clothing, and shelter, and you can't take it home.


He also sent me a link explaining the micro loans he mentioned. You might find it interesting. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueAFVVKvS9g

I am not in a spot right now where I can stream a video very well so I can't comment on it.


I will add something to the above comment regarding hunting in Africa. There are a number of species that some African nations forbid the hunting of in their respective countries.

The reason for this is that the herds have likely been thinned out too much by poachers. They are making efforts to permit the herds to grow back so as to bring in the revenue that accompanies legalized hunting of these animals.

Why?

Simple. Because hunters bring in money.




To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY