Big Game Hunting

 

On February 13, 2013 Dan Donarski provided a very interesting presentation covering big game hunting for the Lake Superior Elders.  He started the presentation with telling us that hunting season lasted from July to December; however, his big game hunting company did not stay that long because it was raining too much.  They usually left by November.  The first discussion involved hunting elephants.  It was explained that elephants are nuisances. Elephants eat 200 lbs. of food and drink 180 gallons of water a day.  In Tanzania the elephants are destroying the land.  Their hunting group only shoots lone bulls, not herd ones when a question was brought up about how elephants mourn the loss of their elephant peers.

When an elephant is shot, which has to happen directly in the elephants head to reduce suffering and guarantee killing the elephant, a call goes in by short wave radio to the ranger station.  The group guards the elephant until people from a village come to strip it clean.  Nothing is wasted.  Leftovers are also given to the orphanages and prisons. An elephant can provide meat for an entire village. The hunting group pays the government for hunting licenses; however, the licenses are granted under a PAC agreement, Problem Animal Control.  Due to the U.S. Agriculture law, the group cannot bring parts of the elephant back to the U.S. except for the tusks which have to be stamped by the African government before they can leave the country. Some of the game can be sent if it is dipped and shipped in insecticide.  Game to be mounted can be brought to the U.S. if they are prepared properly.

Hunting lions is permitted in Tanzania.  The hunting group looks for lions whose noses are jet black which means they are four to six years old. The young lion’s nose is pink.  The group only hunts and kills the older lions who have strayed from the pack. It takes a pretty big gun and a lot of courage to kill a lion.  Their hunting group is permitted to hunt 6 lions per year. Believe it or not hippos kill more people more than lions do.  You can tell when an alligator killed a person because you can see no parts left from the human.  With hippos there are pieces left. 

The buffalo in Africa are the cheapest to hunt and the African government grants a lot of permits because they are so plentiful.  There are herds of 5,000 or more of the Cape Buffalo. When the hunter is hunting a buffalo they can be 50 yards from the buffalo; however, you can only be 25 yards from an elephant when you shoot the elephant.  You must be assured that you are going to hit the elephant in the right place otherwise the elephant can charge and cause a lot of damage.  Hunters have to prove that they have shooting abilities before they can go hunting. The people who live in Africa are not permitted to hunt game which I thought was amazing.  The government doesn’t want the villagers to be self-sufficient.  They want them to be reliant on hand outs to survive.

The cost of going on a hunting trip through Dan’s company to hunt in South Africa is approximately $9000 which includes air fare. This is for ten days in South Africa with two days of travel which includes hot and cold water, 3 fresh meals and shoots of 3-5 times. People also tag along to take pictures which costs $125 per day.  For hunters it is $450 for one client with one guidance and $350 for two customers with one guide.  Some of the royal party from Dubai pay for a hunting trip annually and he takes his own entourage from the United Arab Emirates.  Last year he spent approximately $150,000.  Their hunting group makes approximately 10% in profits from each customer. Customers are already booking for 2014. 

The camp in Tanzania includes tents that have thatch roofs to protect those inside from the rain. These tents are placed on large cement platforms and include showers, beds, etc.  These camps must be taken down and rebuilt each year to prevent poachers from using the camps in the off season.

The African police visit the camps to inspect the camps at least 3 times per year. The police check guns to see how many times they were fired and what type of ammunition you are using.  Laws are strict in Africa.  For example, if you lose a gun you can spend up to 20 years in jail. 

Mr. Donarski explained that the coolest animal to hunt is the leopard.  The leopard plays mind games and is the smartest animal he knows.  They know where you are and avoid those areas.  He managed to shoot a leopard after approximately 24 days. It has been known that eating part of the animal you killed is like eating part of its soul.  When he ate part of the leopard he killed he felt that he ate part of its soul and it made him feel powerful. 

The most dangerous areas to be in Africa are located in the northwest corner.  Victoria Falls for example is comprised of a lot of armed guards fighting over what appears to consist of religious undertones. Communism and the domino effect based on the Islamic faith.  There was a discussion about Christians being in the bush hiding until the time is right. Due to the corruption of some of the governmental officials, there are locations in Africa that are not safe to visit. Sounds like Mexico. 

Big game hunting excursions sound interesting and somewhat dangerous.  Snakes were mentioned, and Mr. Donarski only saw a few.  The animals who were planted where God intended are doing well.  Where humans planted them, these animals are not doing as well.  Activities, such as dam building by the U.S. and China, has also had a negative effect on the animals.  Otherwise, animals are plentiful and it is helpful to the inhabitants of Africa, especially the poor villagers that these hunts occur.