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We are currently attending the Human Wildlife Conflict Conference held by MET in Windhoek with a representation of various stakeholders and conservancies. The official report submitted to parliament shows staggering losses of human live, livestock and crop plantations, a situation exacerbated by the severe drought that we as Namibians have suffered and, in some cases, are still suffering from.
These losses, along with a perceived disinterest by authorities has, in many cases, led to some levels of resentment towards the wildlife causing these losses.
Quite often, especially on commercial land, those suffering these losses follow the principle of "shoot, shovel and shut up" when taking care of the problem. This, in turn, leads to a situation whereby there is a severe lack of information and statistics which could be used to justify changes to hunting legislation in our negotiations with MET, especially concerning predators. The Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU) members are experiencing the same shortcomings as NAPHA members when it comes to clear data on livestock and game losses, as well as damage to property caused by human-wildlife conflict.
In addition to this, our frustration and anger at the species causing damage to our livestock/wildlife/property is often abused by our adversaries to sling mud in our direction in order to further their cause and to further line their pockets with donations from the emotionally charged, yet misinformed public.
As a result of this, we at NAPHA, through our specialized leopard committee and with the assistance of LCMAN (Large Carnivore Management) and the NAU, plan to commence collecting data regarding sightings, spoor, camera photos, etc. of predators, as well as losses and damages incurred by the predators and others.
Due to this, we are requesting two things from our members; namely, when killing any predator or problem animal, please do so without allowing your anger and frustration to gain the upper hand as this will certainly be picked up on and be exploited. Secondly, we are asking ALL OUR MEMBERS to start keeping records (photos, numbers, losses incurred, etc) of predators or problem animals in the areas where you operate. Our leopard specialist committee will follow up on this with our members, and we request your full support and assistance on this.
It is up to us to correlate this information and to be in a position to provide MET with real facts so that well researched suggestions can be submitted for consideration.
Source: Namibia Professional Hunting Association (NAPHA)
These losses, along with a perceived disinterest by authorities has, in many cases, led to some levels of resentment towards the wildlife causing these losses.
Quite often, especially on commercial land, those suffering these losses follow the principle of "shoot, shovel and shut up" when taking care of the problem. This, in turn, leads to a situation whereby there is a severe lack of information and statistics which could be used to justify changes to hunting legislation in our negotiations with MET, especially concerning predators. The Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU) members are experiencing the same shortcomings as NAPHA members when it comes to clear data on livestock and game losses, as well as damage to property caused by human-wildlife conflict.
In addition to this, our frustration and anger at the species causing damage to our livestock/wildlife/property is often abused by our adversaries to sling mud in our direction in order to further their cause and to further line their pockets with donations from the emotionally charged, yet misinformed public.
As a result of this, we at NAPHA, through our specialized leopard committee and with the assistance of LCMAN (Large Carnivore Management) and the NAU, plan to commence collecting data regarding sightings, spoor, camera photos, etc. of predators, as well as losses and damages incurred by the predators and others.
Due to this, we are requesting two things from our members; namely, when killing any predator or problem animal, please do so without allowing your anger and frustration to gain the upper hand as this will certainly be picked up on and be exploited. Secondly, we are asking ALL OUR MEMBERS to start keeping records (photos, numbers, losses incurred, etc) of predators or problem animals in the areas where you operate. Our leopard specialist committee will follow up on this with our members, and we request your full support and assistance on this.
It is up to us to correlate this information and to be in a position to provide MET with real facts so that well researched suggestions can be submitted for consideration.
Source: Namibia Professional Hunting Association (NAPHA)
