National Park ranger named Brian Jones. He interviews every new volunteer the morning of the first day they are there. Part of it is to check out the volunteers, I think, but the biggest part is to convey to them Brian's message about wildlife in Africa.I found it to be quite a mixed message. He began by railing against the "bunny huggers" who are opposed to shooting excess elephants in South Africa and who dictate South African game management from overseas by threatening boycotts and other economic sanctions, while not having a clue as to what elephant over-population means to the African environment.
I had already heard the praises of big game hunters sung. Apparently they are seen as bringing huge revenues into the area while culling superfluous animals--a perfect win-win situation. They say.
I pointed out to Brian that I was a bunny-hugger from way back, and he laughed and said, "Well, so are we all." I liked him better after that! And I could NEVER doubt that Brian sincerely loved the animals at Moholoholo. One thing I especially admired was that ALL animals were welcomed and nurtured there. It didn't matter whether they were common everyday canaries or a rare black rhino or million-Rand sables--they were all treated with scrupulous care. And I mean scrupulous. I have never seen such attention given to sanitation and proper feeding and care. It bordered on fanatical.
Brian is convinced that soon there will be no wildlife at all in Africa, that the overpowering human presence is quickly destroying any vestiges of "wild-ness" from even this most wild of locations. He refers even to the huge and hugely-respected Kruger National Park as a "zoo," meaning that is so controlled and managed that it is misleading to even think of the animals there as "wild."
I understand that most conservationists in Africa believe that "nature should take its course," and that Brian's policy of intervention for the benefit of individual animals is unwise and sentimental. I'm pretty sure Brian would say there is no nature to take its course, that man has interfered with nature to its detriment to such an extent that it is necessary for man to interfere with nature even more for its benefit. And I for one agree with him wholeheartedly about that, having seen that theory played out to a much more advanced state here in Wisconsin.
When I got home, I found that Brian has a world-wide reputation and has been featured in the National Geographic television series and in such reputable publications as the Christian Science Monitor. He has also received recognition from some very interesting sources. Check this stuff out!
http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Wildlife/2008/0806/meet-south-africa-s-dr-dolittle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cD3TZD9H8Pk
so thankful for people like you and Brian
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