
Leading elephant conservationist shot dead in Tanzania - adamnemecek
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/aug/17/leading-elephant-conservationist-ivory-shot-dead-in-tanzania
======
adamnemecek
You guys should consider donating to anti poaching foundation
[https://www.iapf.org](https://www.iapf.org) that does a great job fighting
these poachers. There's also David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust which takes care
of elephant and rhino orphans
[https://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org](https://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org).
Most of them are orphaned due to poaching

~~~
moredhel
Daphne Sheldrik do really good work. They also it effort into training people
I rather than importing them.

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kazinator
Oops! The poachers basically opened the season on themselves.

After this, no radical conservationist on the planet is going to have any
lingering shred of remorse in going after their lives.

~~~
savanaly
Hopefully they still will. An eye for an eye leaves everyone blind.

The sweet spot for deterrence comes in the form of punishment that is swift
and certain, not necessarily dire.

~~~
ericfrenkiel
I'm sorry, no. I must respectfully disagree here - death to poachers is fair
when we're talking about the extinction of species, and certainly of some of
the most majestic creatures on our planet. We have 7+ billion humans and fewer
than 500 thousand elephants in Africa and fewer than 30,000 rhinos left. They
are more valuable than gold - literally priceless. Everything and anything
must be done to protect and ensure the survival of the species.

~~~
lomnakkus
> Everything and anything must be done to protect and ensure the survival of
> the species.

That's _your_ value judgement. Others may have a different judgement. How do
you decide who's right?

(Just for clarification: I think poachers are the scum of the earth, but
there's a long way from that to what you're proposing, AFAIUI.)

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computerex
This is incredibly sad news. My thoughts are with his family. What a sad world
we live in sometimes.

~~~
DarkTree
I agree. But man, what an incredible world we live in that we have people
literally willing to put their life on the line for causes like this.

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tryingagainbro
sad but the reality is that if you're going to cost organized criminal groups
millions of dollars...you risk your life. Just business, and life is pretty
cheap in some parts of the world.

~~~
alexandercrohde
I agree with the sentiment that there are systemic problems. But I disagree
with tone of resignation.

~~~
moredhel
I feel like growing up in that environment breeds résignation around the
frankly pretty common deaths that crop up.

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melling
i recently went on my first safari in Sabi Sands in South Africa. It was an
incredible experience. I intend to see more of Africa. Hopefully, enough
tourism to Africa will encourage more protection of the animals. Riding around
in an open jeep taking pictures like these is a unique experience:

[https://www.instagram.com/p/BVrIQXLF1uF/?taken-
by=mmellinger...](https://www.instagram.com/p/BVrIQXLF1uF/?taken-
by=mmellinger66)

[https://www.instagram.com/p/BVtxGoVlh6E/?taken-
by=mmellinger...](https://www.instagram.com/p/BVtxGoVlh6E/?taken-
by=mmellinger66)

[https://www.instagram.com/p/BVty4K8FjBG/?taken-
by=mmellinger...](https://www.instagram.com/p/BVty4K8FjBG/?taken-
by=mmellinger66)

[https://www.instagram.com/p/BVtyQxHFYCa/?taken-
by=mmellinger...](https://www.instagram.com/p/BVtyQxHFYCa/?taken-
by=mmellinger66)

~~~
ptaipale
Safaris are a great experience, but if everyone starts doing them, there are
certainly some ecological problems. It needs to remain the fun for the few
rich and privileged.

~~~
nferracin
From my experience visiting Kruger earlier this year, the overcrowding problem
is fixed by simply closing the gate after a certain quota is reached. I was
there during a local holiday and they closed the gate at around 11am as enough
people entered already by that time.

I'm not sure if I'm confusing what you mean with 'Safari' with something else,
but entering the park and driving around to spot and see wildlife, is not that
expensive. Entrance to Kruger is under 5euros for South Africans for instance,
definitely not for the rich and privileged only.

~~~
ptaipale
You are right of course, a safari is not that expensive once you have traveled
to the place. I myself was 3 weeks ago on a one-day trip from Johannesburg to
Pilanesberg. The cost was USD 250 for a trip for two people, with pick-up from
hotel, transport, entrance to park, game rides, lunch and drop back to hotel.
Anyone who can afford to travel to Johannesburg from Europe, Asia or America
can afford that.

The ride around the park is not that bad for nature (it's on roads built
around the area, no-go outside vehicles) but if the number of visitors
increases a lot, I can see the pressure definitely is a problem (more and more
people want to come, so maybe the gate needs to be open for a few more people?
And so on.)

I saw many of the impressive big animals there, elephants, giraffes, zebras,
GNUs, etc, and to top it all, a leopard waited behind a bend on the road, and
walked right next to our jeep so that we could just observe it. It was not
bothered by our jeep at all. Even cell phone camera pictures are very good.

It was great to see it. But somehow I felt not comfortable about it. Why's
that great animal not afraid of people that drive this ugly jeep right next to
her hunting grounds?

~~~
nferracin
In 5 days I found only one leopard, and it was fairly distant, I'm glad you
could see one up close!

I understand the pressure factor you mention, but at the same time I don't
think that making it an exclusive expensive experience only for a few is
really a solution (as parent was hinting to). One possible solution that comes
to mind is Machu Picchu: you want to go there? You need to buy a ticket months
in advance.

About your last comment, on why are animals not afraid of us: I've been
talking with a Park Guard, and he mentioned that people in cars are not seen
as humans but as a big harmless object moving. When in a car we are just like
other animals. Once you are out of the car the scenario completely changes as
you are identified as human and animals either move away or charge you. It
kind of all made sense once I took a walking tour in the park, and I could
clearly see that animals were moving away as we were approaching, keeping a
very large distance between them and us. Not sure what's the percentage of
truth in this but it makes quite some sense.

~~~
ptaipale
Yes, that "they think cars are just big harmless animals" is of course what
everyone says. But still I somehow felt it wasn't right.

