South African wildlife protected by landowners, not the government
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — (Editor's Note: Outdoor Contributor Richard Simms recently returned from South Africa. Simms has a degree in wildlife management and is a former Tennessee wildlife law enforcement officer. He says one of the most enlightening aspects of his visit to South Africa was learning how it is landowners, not the government, that primarily own, control and manage wildlife in that country.)
It was a 3-hour drive from the Johannesburg airport to Hippo Lakes Luxury Safari Lodge - plenty of time to watch the urban South African landscape slowly turn more rural as our shuttle van made its way north, ultimately ending up on a long dirt road winding its way into the bush.
It was fascinating scenery -- unusual trees, flowers and other fauna all along the way -- but all along the road I was struck by one thing. Mile after mile after mile of road was lined with huge fences at least 7-feet high, some ten feet. Many carried ceramic insulators indicating they were electrified and some were even topped by razor wire. The fences went on and on and on.
At the entrance to Hippo Lakes we were greeted by a guard who had to roll open a massive gate to allow us entrance.
With eyes wide open I realized, maybe this Photo Safari experience wasn't going to be quite like the documentaries I'd seen on NatGeo, with scenes depicting hundreds of miles of a vast Africa landscape untarnished by fences or any other human inhabitance. That is not South Africa.
I learned that at least 90 percent of South Africa hunts are behind a high-fence. But it is NOT the "high fence scenario" we hear about in America, where maybe a land owner has fenced 50 or 100 acres.
Hippo Lakes photo safaris trek across their 5,000 acres of property, soon to be expanded to 7,500 acres, all surrounded by high fence -- and that is small by South African standards. One preserve we visited had nearly 100,000 acres under fence. Even the Kruger National Park, an area about the same size as the state of New Jersey, is high fenced.
WHY THE FENCES?
There is a long history of fences in South Africa.
In America, wild animals cannot be "owned" by anyone. Under the South African model, however, private landowners do own the wildlife on their land. They can profit from its presence through the sale of hunting opportunities, photo safaris, meat production, skins, and other products.
Unlike the United States, in South Africa every impala, every cape buffalo, every lion, every rhino and every elephant on an individual's land is considered their property. It is a foreign concept for most Americans, but in South Africa it is a way of life.
Hence the high fences are primarily there to allow each landowner to keep their wild animals on their land and allowing them to use and manage the wildlife as they see fit. There are laws which govern them somewhat, but overall, wildlife management practices are in the hands of landowners, not government biologists.
A LOCAL PERSPECTIVE
One of the first people we met at Hippo Lakes was Shaun Van Niekerk, the Head Ranger and jack-of-all-trades on the property. The former professional rugby player, construction foreman, golf pro, farm manager and now safari ranger was clearly no nonsense. On our safari excursions, he was never far from a gun.
Van Niekerk told me that in South Africa, "Wildlife on your property is equivalent to money in your wallet. That's true."
He says the value of wildlife can range anywhere from $500 for a common antelope species like an impala or it can go up to one cape buffalo that sold a few years ago for the equivalent of $9.2 million U.S. dollars.
Many businesses there are dedicated specifically to the capture and transport of African game animals from one preserve to another after being bought or sold. Given that the wildlife is equivalent to money in the bank, landowners take proper management of the resource very seriously.
Van Niekerk knows much about wildlife management and the environment. He admits that the high fences create wildlife management challenges, particularly among species prone to migrating long distances to find the best feeding conditions year-round.
He says he sees damage done to the environment by wildlife overpopulation and he isn't 100 percent sold on the idea of high fencing, but said, "I'm about 75 percent pro-fences. It helps us better understand conservation."
He says it also helps immensely in controlling another widespread problem in Africa: poaching.
"Poaching in Africa is a big problem. With the fences we can better stop the poaching," he said. "In Kenya, for example, they do not have control over the poaching because it is vast land. How do you control poaching if you don't have enough people to cover every inch of the property?"
PRIVATE POLICING
One day, we visited the the Welgevonden Game Reserve, a preserve known for it's population of rhinoceroses. The preserve has about 90,000 acres under fence. That is equivalent to having a single fence around the entire city of Chattanooga.
As we took a lunch break near a small lake -- no fences in sight, by the way -- we watched rhinos, hippos, kudus, wildebeests, and spring boks visiting the lake and roaming the plains in our vicinity. I asked our guide, Joe, about poaching, especially knowing the huge international demand for rhino horns.
He just smiled a little, nodded toward a distant ridge and said, "I'm sure there are a pair of security men up there watching us right now."
On our way back out we saw at least two security vehicles patrolling.
"They're here 24-7, 365 days a year," said Joe.
Another preserve (55,000 acres) we visited apparently wasn't quite so well policed. Our guide said, "Take all the photos you want and share them wherever you want, except for any rhinos we see. We ask that you keep any photos of rhinos only for yourself and don't share them."
Their concern, of course, was that poachers wise enough to lift meta data from photos would know exactly where to go and find said rhino.
JUST A SNAPSHOT
Of course we just saw a very tiny sliver of Africa. Although it still exists, apparently the degree of fencing is not as high in other African countries such as Kenya and Botswana.
But when you visit South Africa, know that to access virtually every safari -- hunting or photo -- you will drive through a high gate to get where you're going, and don't be surprised if you see a fence in the distance.
At one point one of our guides, Mary Jane, stopped for us to photograph a passing giraffe. When I didn't raise my camera she asked why. I pointed at the fence between us and the majestic animal and said with a smile, "I didn't come to Africa to take a picture that looks like it could be in a zoo."
From that point on if we ever spotted an animal near a fence she turned and said, "Sorry Richard."
WHAT ABOUT HUNTING?
Photo safaris are one thing, but what about hunting safaris behind a high fence?
Just like beauty is in the eye of the beholder, high-fence hunting is probably in the eye of the beholder as well.
Hunting a trophy animal enclosed in 50 acres, an area I can easily walk through and around in a few hours, is one thing. But consider Hippo Lakes, a 5,000 acre property -- the equivalent of nearly eight square miles. And again, that property is relatively small compared to other areas.
In my mind, an animal that has eight square miles of swampy valleys, huge savannahs and high mountains to roam in has more than a sporting chance.
That's just me, but apparently plenty of people agree. According to research by "Global Economy and Conservation," trophy hunters spend $250 million (U.S.) every year in South Africa, and the secondary impact of that spending adds up to $341 million. Trophy hunting supports more than 17,000 jobs in South Africa.
Note that is just hunting. It does not include the photo safaris like we were on.
THE CLIENTELE
Van Niekerk estimates that 95 percent of Hippo Lake's clientele comes from the United States. The company is American-owned and he says for five years they have frequently partnered with non-profits, such as the Ducks Unlimited conservation organization where we purchased our photo safari package at auction.
Van Niekerk says it is a win-win. He believes South Africa needs American investors to help preserve their wildlife and wild spaces for future generations. Clients may buy the trip in America, but they also spend money in South Africa, and it helps both.
He admits, of course, it helps him too. He smiles a little when he adds that, after a long list of previous jobs, "This is probably the dream job. I feel like I'm on vacation every day of my life."