It always strikes me of the incongruity of grouping Conservation and Hunting together but of course they are related !
Having handled so many books on the lives of the great African hunters it comes as no surprise to me that so many of them eventually became game wardens and contributed so much to the preservation of animal life in Southern and Eastern Africa.They were very brave men and lived an often arduous life facing great dangers,.They did not have , in the earlier days, the high powered weapons equipped with telescopic sights and shooting from special vehicles but were generally on foot or at best on horseback armed with the rifles of the times !
I love the story of Harry Wolhuter the hunter who became the first game ranger in the original Kruger Park who was patrolling on horseback and was attacked by two full grown lions,knocked of his horse by the lioness and then trapped face down by the lion who began to maul him.He managed to reach back for his hunting knife and stab the lion twice, killing it ! Amazing but true.Don't believe me ? read his book, if you can find it ' Memoirs of a Game Ranger ' or read Piet Meiring's 'Kruger Park Saga. '
We are fortunate that we have our wonderful game reserves and owe so much to' Oom Paul' who battled for many years to get the priciple of conservation accepted and to all the hunters and game rangers who have made this a reality.
There is so much to learn and read about this subject. Long may we appreciate and protect it !
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