Did I say sinister motive earlier? Well, if donor agencies
and animal rights groups effectively take away the Africans’
ability to manage their own resources by substituting
handouts there will be no free trade and no development. If
you look at that in the context of Africa’s wealth, you may
well find your sinister motive.
In Burton and Speke’s day it was beads and mirrors, and
in Hillary and Chelsea’s day it’s soccer balls and t-shirts, but
the natives aren’t so easily fobbed off in the 21st Century.
So they will derive some benefit from their wildlife, whether
it be in the short term until everything is gone, or through a
long term sustainable use model which is the only solution
that will guarantee the survival of Africa’s natural history
heritage.
I figure I’m preaching to the converted here, but perhaps
the outfitters and hunters and game ranchers just might take
this as a warning order to shake off some of their apathy and
pay a little more attention to what Ron Thomson has been
saying for so long. Otherwise they have only themselves to
blame when the wildlife and consequently their industry is
no more.
I J Larivers
On Target
Dear Editor
Please advise your subscribers that there is a reamer for the
calibre .458 African available in Zimbabwe for anyone who
would like to convert to this very versatile cartridge. It was
designed to be able to upgrade the Short Action rifles that are
not able to be converted to the popular .458 Lott. It is based
on the .404 Jeffery cartridge case and is a fairly simple process
involving rechambering the rifle and then forming the new case
from .404 Brass. Dies are also available to do the reloading.
All the customer would need to supply would be the rifle,
.404 Brass, and suitable powder, primers and projectiles. It is
very versatile and can be loaded using any of the following
Somchem Powders, S321, S335, S341 and S355. The cartridge
case actually has a slightly higher capacity than the Lott and
easily achieves equivalent ballistics with lower pressures! If
anyone interested could e mail me on worsley.ken@gmail.
com, or contact Gary Howard-Beard
on [email protected].
Ken Worsley
Zimbabwe
Many thanks for that Ken, and
there is also a write-up of this truly
excellent cartridge in this issue of
African Hunter. - Editor.
Dear Editor
The number of elephants poisoned by cyanide in Hwange
National Park continues to rise daily. Around 100 carcasses
have now been found. At the time of writing, three of the nine
arrested poachers have been sentenced. Robert Maphosa
(42) has been sentenced to fifteen years in prison with labour.
Thabani Zondo (24) and Deanie Tsuma were also sentenced
to fifteen years and were also asked to pay US$600 000 to
National Parks by December this year.
The National Parks and Wildlife Authority believe these
sentences will be a deterrent to would be poachers.
The most frightening part of this is that although all the water
holes have not yet been tested for cyanide, we do know that
at least two are contaminated. This means that any animal that
drinks from these water holes will die and any carnivores that
feed on the carcasses will also die. We are expecting the death
toll to keep rising and we will keep everyone informed as we
receive the information.
Johnny Rodrigues
Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force
Dear Editor
A Zimbabwean game ranger, Maxwell Bowa, shot and killed
suspected poacher Lenna Nkosana and according to the rumour
mill supporting an online petition for his reprieve, it was in the
line of duty, and apparently in self-defence. Now, following
his conviction for murder, he has been sentenced to hang.
Elephant poaching is chronic in Zimbabwe, and the rhino
population may already be doomed. How is it then that a senior
ranger from the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management
Authority currently engaged in a losing battle against poachers
has been sentenced to be hanged? Are there perhaps more
sinister motives involved?
John Smith
South Africa
The facts of the case are as follows:
1. The deceased was a member of a poaching and trafficking
cartel which operated between the small town of Norton
outside Harare and the Gokwe area.
2. Acting on information, National Parks and the police
put together a properly sanctioned combined operation
to raid a known safe house used by the poachers, which
was also their staging post for forays into the park.
3. When the Parks and police details arrived at the house,
at 01.00 in the morning, numerous accused were still
partying, amid a plethora of unlicensed firearms. When
the poachers were called upon to surrender, they bolted
from the house, at least one brandishing an axe.
4. Maxwell Bowa fired ten rounds, two of which struck and
killed Lenna Nkosana.
5. The possession of an unlicensed firearm in Zimbabwe
carries a mandatory custodial sentence of more than six
months and as such is a Schedule One offence. Lethal
force may be used to apprehend someone in respect of
a Schedule One offence, irrespective of anything else.
6. Because of the local towns peoples’ reaction, the National
Parks and police unit had to withdraw and return the next
day, by which time the exhibits - such as the firearms - had
disappeared ??????????????????????????????????????(?$?????????????????????????????????????????????)????????????????????????????????????????????()???????????????????????????)A?????$$()??????!???Y???????9????((0