The largest land mammal migration on the planet....different to what you think

[spike.t]

Can South Sudan’s great antelope migration be saved? | National Geographic https://share.google/X8iGiCHn8qO8xCY4E

 

[grand veneur]

Can South Sudan’s great antelope migration be saved?

Each year around this time, an unfathomable parade of antelope travels across South Sudan. Now, after decades of war, the grandeur of the once hidden migration is being revealed—as well as its fragility.

www.nationalgeographic.com

 

[mdwest]

This is one of those things I probably need to see for myself to believe…

Up until about 12 years ago I used to spend a lot of time in South Sudan.. 7-14 days at a time, 4x times a year, for a little more than 3 years.. roaming all over the country in support of their military.…

you couldn’t find so much as a termite mound anywhere… 50+ years of civil war and multiple famines, and they had killed and eaten everything that walked, crawled, or flew…

@steve white also spent time there and confirms… there was simply no wildlife to be found in the country..

And we’ve had another member visit 2 provinces as recently as a week ago… and he saw no wildlife to speak of…

I’d love to believe this is happening.. but to go from no game at all to the largest migration on earth in a decade… and with someone just being there and seeing nothing… makes the story a bit unbelievable to me..

 

[Hogpatrol]

FYI behind a paywall

 

[coreydb]

This is one of those things I probably need to see for myself to believe…

Up until about 12 years ago I used to spend a lot of time in South Sudan.. 7-14 days at a time, 4x times a year, for a little more than 3 years.. roaming all over the country in support of their military.…

you couldn’t find so much as a termite mound anywhere… 50+ years of civil war and multiple famines, and they had killed and eaten everything that walked, crawled, or flew…

@steve white also spent time there and confirms… there was simply no wildlife to be found in the country..

And we’ve had another member visit 2 provinces as recently as a week ago… and he saw no wildlife to speak of…

I’d love to believe this is happening.. but to go from no game at all to the largest migration on earth in a decade… and with someone just being there and seeing nothing… makes the story a bit unbelievable to me..

I agree. It takes many decades of change (political, social, economic, and conservation) for this to happen.

 

[spike.t]

FYI behind a paywall

Strange neither is for me...

 

[375Fox]

This is one of those things I probably need to see for myself to believe…

Up until about 12 years ago I used to spend a lot of time in South Sudan.. 7-14 days at a time, 4x times a year, for a little more than 3 years.. roaming all over the country in support of their military.…

you couldn’t find so much as a termite mound anywhere… 50+ years of civil war and multiple famines, and they had killed and eaten everything that walked, crawled, or flew…

@steve white also spent time there and confirms… there was simply no wildlife to be found in the country..

And we’ve had another member visit 2 provinces as recently as a week ago… and he saw no wildlife to speak of…

I’d love to believe this is happening.. but to go from no game at all to the largest migration on earth in a decade… and with someone just being there and seeing nothing… makes the story a bit unbelievable to me..

I’m not sure why you find this so unbelievable. You could go to large parts of Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique right now and think there is no game in the country. Conflict does have the side effect of keeping people out of large areas. Peace is likely a lot more dangerous to these animals numbers if it’s safe to move in and settle and go further from town for meat poaching expeditions.

 

[mdwest]

re-read the previous post..

a member was just there last week.. and saw no game...

I dont expect that he was there during the migration... but NO GAME AT ALL is a pretty strong indicator that not much has changed... (he was indeed in a rural area that I know very well)...

and.... again, I spent a lot of time in South Sudan... I 100% know and understand South Sudanese mindset when it comes to wildlife.. it is ALL food.. doesnt matter if we're talking a bird, reptile, or mammal.. doesnt matter if its delicious or disgusting... if it can be caught or killed, it will be eaten..

You also clearly have no understanding of South Sudan or its "conflict" or South Sudans culture..

the "conflict" spanned 50+ years and was spread across the entire country and was a series of conflicts each with different motivations, focuses, and methods applied.. no square inch of the country, whether rural or urban was left untouched.. In addition to its 5 decade long fight with Sudan, there were (and still happen) tribal conflicts of significant scale.. every single province saw brutal fighting for more than 50 years.. and some of the provinces still have occasional skirmishes.. If it matters at all.. I was on the ground in South Sudan when the most recent civil war broke out... it wasnt limited to Juba.. the fighting happend as far east as the ethiopian border, ran the entire width of the country to just a few miles from the Central African Republic border... and all the way north to the Sudan border.. the only part of the country that was for the most part left untouched was the far south.. although there were fights in the cities of Bor, Torit, and Juba in the south..

There are CURRENTLY armed conflicts between tribes on Jonglei state, Upper Nile state, and Lakes state.. the fight in Jonglei has been particularly fierce as govt forces are attempting to run down rebel forces.. fighting intensified a lot during December 2025.. Jonglei is in the east.. borders Ethiopia, and is set just north of Uganda and a sliver of Kenya.. and is right in the path of where the National Geographic migration is supposedly coming out of (following the white nile valley, etc)..

For what its worth, I dont think you have any understanding of "conflict has a side effect of keeping people out of large areas" or "peace is likely more dangerous"... I get the impression you read that somewhere and either misinterpreted what was being said, or you simply got ahold of some outrageously biased and incorrect information... How many conflict zones have you lived and worked in for prolonged periods of time and had the ability to personally observe the impact on wildlife? Ive worked in roughly a dozen conflict zones spanning 4 continents for 30+ years.. its what I do for a living...

my personal, first hand experience is...you are dead wrong and probably need to find some better source material..

Ill go a step further and provide the source material for you.. SEVERAL studies show that armed conflict specifically in Africa is one of, if not the top predictor of large animal population declines..

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7498602/?utm_source=copilot.com

https://research.princeton.edu/news/ecological-costs-war-conflict-consistent-killer-african-megafauna-study-finds?utm_source=copilot.com

https://www.zmescience.com/science/...uses-wildlife-decline/?utm_source=copilot.com

Here is one specific to South Sudan that seem to fly in the face of National Geographic..

https://www.cambridge.org/core/jour...4003020A315146880CD8E7?utm_source=copilot.com

This is a particularly pertinant citation from one of the above scholarly articles:

Wildlife: the overlooked casualties of war​

Joshua Daskin and Robert Pringle, both conservation ecologists at Princeton, studied the effect of armed conflict on 253 populations of large herbivores in protected areas across Africa. Though ecological data from armed conflicts is scarce, the researchers were able to analyze data collected between 1946 and 2010. Conflict was extensive during this period, occurring in 71% of protected areas. In fact, between 1950 and 2000, more than 80% of wars overlapped with biodiversity hotspots, which overwhelmingly occurred in in Africa and Asia, a previous study found.

Then in South Sudan youre also dealing with a population where culturally the only "manly" work is to be a soldier.. they literally scoff at the thought of being a "farmer".. crops are for women to deal with.. they dont want to be mechanics.. or plumbers, or carpenters.. which means there are relatively no farms.. one of the countries primary problems is feeding itself.. they kill everything they see.. and they import most of the grain and vegetables they need...

So... while National Geographic tells a good story.. and I certainly hope it is true... PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS, and the personal observations of 2 other AH members that have also been physically in the country... along with 30 years of experience living and working in conflict zones.. combined with numerous ecological studies would demonstrate it is unlikely... which causes skepticism..

 

[375Fox]

re-read the previous post..

a member was just there last week.. and saw no game...

I dont expect that he was there during the migration... but NO GAME AT ALL is a pretty strong indicator that not much has changed... (he was indeed in a rural area that I know very well)...

and.... again, I spent a lot of time in South Sudan... I 100% know and understand South Sudanese mindset when it comes to wildlife.. it is ALL food.. doesnt matter if we're talking a bird, reptile, or mammal.. doesnt matter if its delicious or disgusting... if it can be caught or killed, it will be eaten..

You also clearly have no understanding of South Sudan or its "conflict" or South Sudans culture..

the "conflict" spanned 50+ years and was spread across the entire country and was a series of conflicts each with different motivations, focuses, and methods applied.. no square inch of the country, whether rural or urban was left untouched.. In addition to its 5 decade long fight with Sudan, there were (and still happen) tribal conflicts of significant scale.. every single province saw brutal fighting for more than 50 years.. and some of the provinces still have occasional skirmishes.. If it matters at all.. I was on the ground in South Sudan when the most recent civil war broke out... it wasnt limited to Juba.. the fighting happend as far east as the ethiopian border, ran the entire width of the country to just a few miles from the Central African Republic border... and all the way north to the Sudan border.. the only part of the country that was for the most part left untouched was the far south.. although there were fights in the cities of Bor, Torit, and Juba in the south..

There are CURRENTLY armed conflicts between tribes on Jonglei state, Upper Nile state, and Lakes state.. the fight in Jonglei has been particularly fierce as govt forces are attempting to run down rebel forces.. fighting intensified a lot during December 2025.. Jonglei is in the east.. borders Ethiopia, and is set just north of Uganda and a sliver of Kenya.. and is right in the path of where the National Geographic migration is supposedly coming out of (following the white nile valley, etc)..

For what its worth, I dont think you have any understanding of "conflict has a side effect of keeping people out of large areas" or "peace is likely more dangerous"... I get the impression you read that somewhere and either misinterpreted what was being said, or you simply got ahold of some outrageously biased and incorrect information... How many conflict zones have you lived and worked in for prolonged periods of time and had the ability to personally observe the impact on wildlife? Ive worked in roughly a dozen conflict zones spanning 4 continents for 30+ years.. my personal, first hand experience is... its what I do for a living...

you are dead wrong and probably need to find some better source material..

Ill go a step further and provide the source material for you.. SEVERAL studies show that armed conflict specifically in Africa is one of, if not the top predictor of large animal population declines..

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7498602/?utm_source=copilot.com

https://research.princeton.edu/news/ecological-costs-war-conflict-consistent-killer-african-megafauna-study-finds?utm_source=copilot.com

https://www.zmescience.com/science/...uses-wildlife-decline/?utm_source=copilot.com

Here is one specific to South Sudan that seem to fly in the face of National Geographic..

https://www.cambridge.org/core/jour...4003020A315146880CD8E7?utm_source=copilot.com

Then in South Sudan youre also dealing with a population where culturally the only "manly" work is to be a soldier.. they literally scoff at the thought of being a "farmer".. crops are for women to deal with.. they dont want to be mechanics.. or plumbers, or carpenters.. which means there are relatively no farms.. one of the countries primary problems is feeding itself.. they kill everything they see.. and they import most of the grain and vegetables they need...

So... while National Geographic tells a good story.. and I certainly hope it is true... PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS, and the personal observations of 2 other AH members that have also been physically in the country... along with 30 years of experience living and working in conflict zones.. combined with numerous ecological studies would demonstrate it is unlikely... which causes skepticism..

I’m certain that member was near towns and people his entire trip. I’m also sure your work has centered where there were people as well or you’d have no reason to be there. Wars do empty out larger areas in Africa and stop development for better or worse (nearly always worse). You are choosing to say this can’t be possible and ignore the evidence provided.
You chose to ignore my last post on this several weeks ago when this was brought up. I just finished hunting Uganda. Karamoja was a raiding culture until a short time ago. The majority of people were disarmed and the army aggressively pursues raiding now. The people are becoming farmers fast. What was once wilderness is now an increasing number of small plots of land. The reserve I hunted was once protected by isolation because most people stayed in their towns each night. Now it’s protected by a lot of funding as farmers move towards the borders.

 

[375Fox]

I 100% know and understand South Sudanese mindset when it comes to wildlife.. it is ALL food.. doesnt matter if we're talking a bird, reptile, or mammal.. doesnt matter if its delicious or disgusting... if it can be caught or killed, it will be eaten..

You also clearly have no understanding of South Sudan or its "conflict" or South Sudans culture..

the "conflict" spanned 50+ years and was spread across the entire country and was a series of conflicts each with different motivations, focuses, and methods applied.. no square inch of the country, whether rural or urban was left untouched.. In addition to its 5 decade long fight with Sudan, there were (and still happen) tribal conflicts of significant scale.. every single province saw brutal fighting for more than 50 years.. and some of the provinces still have occasional skirmishes.. If it matters at all.. I was on the ground in South Sudan when the most recent civil war broke out... it wasnt limited to Juba.. the fighting happend as far east as the ethiopian border, ran the entire width of the country to just a few miles from the Central African Republic border... and all the way north to the Sudan border.. the only part of the country that was for the most part left untouched was the far south.. although there were fights in the cities of Bor, Torit, and Juba in the south..

There are CURRENTLY armed conflicts between tribes on Jonglei state, Upper Nile state, and Lakes state.. the fight in Jonglei has been particularly fierce as govt forces are attempting to run down rebel forces.. fighting intensified a lot during December 2025.. Jonglei is in the east.. borders Ethiopia, and is set just north of Uganda and a sliver of Kenya.. and is right in the path of where the National Geographic migration is supposedly coming out of (following the white nile valley, etc)..

For what its worth, I dont think you have any understanding of "conflict has a side effect of keeping people out of large areas" or "peace is likely more dangerous"... I get the impression you read that somewhere and either misinterpreted what was being said, or you simply got ahold of some outrageously biased and incorrect information... How many conflict zones have you lived and worked in for prolonged periods of time and had the ability to personally observe the impact on wildlife? Ive worked in roughly a dozen conflict zones spanning 4 continents for 30+ years.. its what I do for a living...

my personal, first hand experience is...you are dead wrong and probably need to find some better source material..

Ill go a step further and provide the source material for you.. SEVERAL studies show that armed conflict specifically in Africa is one of, if not the top predictor of large animal population declines..

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7498602/?utm_source=copilot.com

https://research.princeton.edu/news/ecological-costs-war-conflict-consistent-killer-african-megafauna-study-finds?utm_source=copilot.com

https://www.zmescience.com/science/...uses-wildlife-decline/?utm_source=copilot.com

Here is one specific to South Sudan that seem to fly in the face of National Geographic..

https://www.cambridge.org/core/jour...4003020A315146880CD8E7?utm_source=copilot.com

This is a particularly pertinant citation from one of the above scholarly articles:

Wildlife: the overlooked casualties of war​

Joshua Daskin and Robert Pringle, both conservation ecologists at Princeton, studied the effect of armed conflict on 253 populations of large herbivores in protected areas across Africa. Though ecological data from armed conflicts is scarce, the researchers were able to analyze data collected between 1946 and 2010. Conflict was extensive during this period, occurring in 71% of protected areas. In fact, between 1950 and 2000, more than 80% of wars overlapped with biodiversity hotspots, which overwhelmingly occurred in in Africa and Asia, a previous study found.

Note that none of those are chump sources.. Princeton, Cambridge, the National Library of Medicine, and ZME Science..

Then in South Sudan youre also dealing with a population where culturally the only "manly" work is to be a soldier.. they literally scoff at the thought of being a "farmer".. crops are for women to deal with.. they dont want to be mechanics.. or plumbers, or carpenters.. which means there are relatively no farms.. one of the countries primary problems is feeding itself.. they kill everything they see.. and they import most of the grain and vegetables they need...

So... while National Geographic tells a good story.. and I certainly hope it is true... PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS, and the personal observations of 2 other AH members that have also been physically in the country... along with 30 years of experience living and working in conflict zones.. combined with numerous ecological studies would demonstrate it is unlikely... which causes skepticism..

This is the same mindset for wildlife anywhere in Africa. It’s food. It’s not unique to South Sudan. That’s why wildlife only occurs in protected areas. It’s also why I’m assuming African Parks is trying to get involved now before those areas are lost.

 

[mdwest]

I’m certain that member was near towns and people his entire trip. I’m also sure your work has centered where there were people as well or you’d have no reason to be there. Wars do empty out larger areas in Africa and stop development for better or worse (usually worse). You are choosing to say this can’t be possible and ignore the evidence provided.
You chose to ignore my last post on this several weeks ago when this was brought up. I just finished hunting Uganda. Karamoja was a raiding culture until a short time ago. The majority of people were disarmed and the army aggressively pursues raiding now. The people are becoming farmers fast. What was once wilderness is now an increasing number of small plots of land. The reserve I hunted was once protected by isolation because most people stayed in their towns each night. Now it’s protected by a lot of funding as farmers move towards the borders.

I am certain you know how to read... so why casually overlook statements of fact when they have been made? (references have been made in both this thread and the other)

I spent time ALL OVER THE COUNTRY OF SOUTH SUDAN...

My team was embedded with the South Sudan military.. we did everything from help them with administrative tasks at Bilpam (their version of the pentagon).. to going out to farms in extremely rural areas to assist with them trying to recapture an agriculture capability.. to doing flyovers in their MI8 helos of the border regions.. etc etc.. there is little landscape in South Sudan that I havent personally seen..

No one said anything about impossibilities.. what was said is I find it doubtful.. I also have not ignored the "evidence" (a NatGeo video).. I have gone so far as to say I hope its true..

Whats clear is you havent looked past a NatGeo video or bothered to actually try to educate yourself on South Sudan.. .

I chose to ignore your previous post a few weeks ago.. because it was clearly full of ignorance...

I also have spent a ton of time in Uganda... for what its worth at one point I had more than 5500 Ugandan employees.. I know Ugandan people and culture fairly well also.. I maintain contact with several of the more senior Ugandans that worked for me and have had those relationships for more than 20 years..

Heres what I can tell you... your experience in Uganda has exactly ZERO to do with South Sudan.. completely different worlds.. they may share a border.. but once you get more than about 30 miles on either side of the border thats where 90% of the similarities end.. totally different people.. totally different cultures.. totally different mindset about game animals..

The guys mentioned in this article... 5500 of them worked directly for the business unit that I managed during that time period.. which meant I spent a crap load of time floating into Kampala, Entebee, and then out to the bush where these guys got recruited from..

https://www.dandc.eu/en/article/man...nelius is one of thousands,I was at the front.

And the same South Sudan team I managed also had operations in Entebee.. so I ended up spending a good bit of time in Uganda during that time period as well (although admittedly during that stint it was almost all time spent in an office)..

If you think Uganda parallels South Sudan.. I suppose you think Chihuahua Mexico is the same thing as living in Texas? They share a border afterall...

 

[mdwest]

This is the same mindset for wildlife anywhere in Africa. It’s food. It’s not unique to South Sudan. That’s why wildlife only occurs in protected areas. It’s also why I’m assuming African Parks is trying to get involved now before those areas are lost.

so if wildlife only occurs in protected areas.. how about you try to actually read one of the linked articles above and see what it says about conflits in Africa and protected areas..

And no.. its not the same mindset everywhere... you'd think if you are as extensively traveled as you claim to be that you would understand that..

 

[375Fox]

I am certain you know how to read... so why casually overlook statements of fact when they have been made? (references have been made in both this thread and the other)

I spent time ALL OVER THE COUNTRY OF SOUTH SUDAN...

My team was embedded with the South Sudan military.. we did everything from help them with administrative tasks at Bilpam (their version of the pentagon).. to going out to farms in extremely rural areas to assist with them trying to recapture an agriculture capability.. to doing flyovers in their MI8 helos of the border regions.. etc etc.. there is little landscape in South Sudan that I havent personally seen..

No one said anything about impossibilities.. what was said is I find it doubtful.. I also have not ignored the "evidence" (a NatGeo video).. I have gone so far as to say I hope its true..

Whats clear is you havent looked past a NatGeo video or bothered to actually try to educate yourself on South Sudan.. .

I chose to ignore your previous post a few weeks ago.. because it was clearly full of ignorance...

I also have spent a ton of time in Uganda... for what its worth at one point I had more than 5500 Ugandan employees.. I know Ugandan people and culture fairly well also.. I maintain contact with several of the more senior Ugandans that worked for me and have had those relationships for more than 20 years..

Heres what I can tell you... your experience in Uganda has exactly ZERO to do with South Sudan.. completely different worlds.. they may share a border.. but once you get more than about 30 miles on either side of the border thats where 90% of the similarities end.. totally different people.. totally different cultures.. totally different mindset about game animals..

If you think Uganda parallels South Sudan.. I suppose you think Chihuahua Mexico is the same thing as living in Texas? They share a border afterall...

There is a lot more information than a National Geographic video if you care to look. Every area that I’ve seen decline is from movement into previously unoccupied areas. I see no reason why this would be different. You’re choosing not to believe this exists. I’m trying to understand what’s allowed it to occur.

 

[375Fox]

And no.. its not the same mindset everywhere... you'd think if you are as extensively traveled as you claim to be that you would understand that..

It is. With very few exceptions.

 

[mdwest]

There is a lot more information than a National Geographic video if you care to look. Every area that I’ve seen decline is from movement into previously unoccupied areas. I see no reason why this would be different. You’re choosing not to believe this exists. I’m trying to understand what’s allowed it to occur.

again.. who said it doesnt exist? what was said is it is doubtful...

and you clearly havent bothered to read the linked studies published by Princeton, Cambridge, etc.. that would tell you all the reasons it would be doubtful..

you also appear to think that traveling to places other than South Sudan makes you informed on how South Sudan works, has worked, and will work in the future.. thats frankly laughable..

youre continuing to speak from a position of absolte ignorance.. you havent been there.. and havent even bothered to read the studies put in front of you..

 

[mdwest]

It is. With very few exceptions.

care to cite your sources?

or is this like your experience in Uganda that makes you certain that South Sudan is the same?

Lets start with one very obvious example..

In Uganda, even in the rural areas, there is high regard for chimps and apes.. every Ugandan I ever worked with held chimps in high regard... they are not seen as food...

have there been exceptions? sure... a starving man will likely eat anything.. there are plenty of examples of cannibalism even in developed cultures when people are truly starving..

but even in Ugandas worst times, chimps have pretty much been safe.. they do occasionally get caught in snares meant for other animals.. and there are cases where they are hunted for bushmeat.. but CULTURALLY there are taboos among most Ugandan tribes that prevent them from eating chimps..

Absolutely not true in South Sudan.. where they USED TO HAVE large populations of chimpanzees.. and now only get very rare sightings of them along the DRC and CAR borders.. they were all eaten...

Contrast that with in Uganda different tribes have completely different attitudes about monkeys..

Some tribes are ok with eating monkeys and you'll find vervets, red tail, and colobus monkeys hunted for bushmeat.. while other tribes see that as verboten behavior...

and again.. good luck finding a vervet in South Sudan.. there are some along the southern borders and a few in the far east.. but the numbers are tiny.. and they are pretty much universally seen as food..

 

[375Fox]

care to cite your sources?

or is this like your experience in Uganda that makes you certain that South Sudan is the same?

Lets start with one very obvious example..

In Uganda, even in the rural areas, there is high regard for chimps and apes.. every Ugandan I ever worked with held chimps in high regard... they are not seen as food...

have there been exceptions? sure... a starving man will likely eat anything.. there are plenty of examples of cannibalism even in developed cultures when people are truly starving..

but even in Ugandas worst times, chimps have pretty much been safe.. they do occasionally get caught in snares meant for other animals.. and there are cases where they are hunted for bushmeat.. but CULTURALLY there are taboos among most Ugandan tribes that prevent them from eating chimps..

Absolutely not true in South Sudan.. where they USED TO HAVE large populations of chimpanzees.. and now only get very rare sightings of them along the DRC and CAR borders.. they were all eaten...

Would you like to cite yours? The articles you posted are about Mozambique and Angola and Ugandans working in Iraq.

I’ve had an opportunity to hunt a lot of areas in a lot of countries. Poaching is a problem in all of them. That is common knowledge. At least I thought until now? Muslims that won’t eat certain foods are still very willing to poach for bushmeat market still. Massai that don’t eat game have no problems with outsiders coming in and poaching as long as no effect on their cattle. The only areas I’ve seen protected are by isolation, funding getting put in, or in very few cases the tribes tolerate the game either for cultural reasons or they are financially well off.

My example of karamoja in eastern Uganda was to show people with no farming culture could change relatively quickly with peace and some recent external pressures from outside that region. I’d think that would be a fair comparison to someone with some thinking ability especially with the close proximity of the two regions. If peace and a stable government were to occur in South Sudan things would change. For better or worse for wildlife to be determined. I’m glad African parks is getting involved now.

 

[Scott CWO]

 

[mdwest]

Would you like to cite yours? The articles you posted are about Mozambique and Angola and Ugandans working in Iraq.

there was one article posted about Ugandans working in Iraq... that was to validate that I, a guy that is well known and established to have worked for years in Iraq overseeing the country security program for one of the largest security providers in the theater at the time, did indeed have 5500+ Ugandans working for me...

knowing that.. its pretty easy to conclude that I likely made numerous trips to Uganda during that time period.. probably know more than a handful of Ugandans.. have experienced their culture, understand their tribal structures, etc..etc..

the other articles that you continue to avoid reading are from Cambridge University, Princeton University, the National Library of Medicine and ZME Science...

The other obvious difference between your and my posiiton is I have actually spent a lot of time in South Sudan.. and it would appear you have never been there.. I have literally sat in President Salva Kiir's office as well as General John Kong Nyoun (Minister of Defense at the time) office.. have an ID card that identifies me as an officer in the SPLA.. and had numerous South Sudanese that worked for me both directly and indirectly at times.. Hell.. my dissertation for my MS in Strategic Management was tied to how US Govt contract firms interface with South Sudan government and private enterprise in a CSR environment.. It involved interviewing more than a hundred South Sudanese people ranging from recipeients of Corporate Social Responsiblity programs (very poor, etc) to people running large scale CSR programs (still poor, but more senior people)..

Chances are I know a little bit about the place.. where youre working off of nothing more than supposition....

 

[mdwest]

I’ve had an opportunity to hunt a lot of areas in a lot of countries. Poaching is a problem in all of them. That is common knowledge. At least I thought until now? Muslims that won’t eat certain foods are still very willing to poach for bushmeat market still. Massai that don’t eat game have no problems with outsiders coming in and poaching as long as no effect on their cattle. The only areas I’ve seen protected are by isolation, funding getting put in, or in very few cases the tribes tolerate the game either for cultural reasons or they are financially well off.

In what context do you think that matters or has any relevance to this discussion?

Poaching is a problem in Texas too.. so what?

Your last sentance is the most telling.. the only areas YOUVE SEEN protected are by isolation, funding, and traide tolorating game..

So.. youre in a country for a limited period of time in the capacity as a hunter.. and you think that makes you informed and an expert.. but cant be bothered to read research conducted by a Princeton PhD that has literally dedicated his entire life to studying wildlife in Africa?

You think yourself an expert in this subject area, but Robert Pringles study isnt of any value to you?

A link to his research is above.. you can also click on his name in the prior post and it will take you to the Pringle Lab at Princeton that he oversees..