Aren't "poachers" and "villagers" generally the same folks? People already knew about the critters -- just not white folks.
Which isn't to say they and the rest of the nonhuman great apes won't be gone within a few decades...
Well PD, it's possible the locals see them more as legends, hard to say. I define poacher as anyone who illegally takes game, out of season, using improper methods, or a protected species.
Ever state in the U.S. has a myriad of hunting laws designed to protect and maintain populations of game while providing a rich hunting experience for those willing. Who pays for enforcement? The hunters themselves.
long as it's not huskerrilla
can anyone say bigFoot discovery pending
I mean, in the bushmeat trade, without access to the animals (via logging roads, generally), the only people killing the animals are those with immediate access to them.
Well, I hope these animals can be protected. My favorites at the zoo have always been the gorillas. Kinda sad that they're in the zoo, but they are fascinating to watch.
Ack - a lot of the poaching is not for bushmeat - it is for "trophies" for rich bastards - and illegal taking of babies for private "zoos" for rich bastards. And "bushmeat" as well, of course.
If only we could secure a low impact tourism that would give the local folk a livelihood!!!!
dlowan wrote:If only we could secure a low impact tourism that would give the local folk a livelihood!!!!
Where it's been done, this seems to require a stable and supportive government -- definitely not the situation in the Congo.
And get a hurry up folks. You can get a license to
shoot a black rhino!!!
Hurry, hurry - these ungrateful creatures plan to be extinct soon!! Roll up, before they're all gone!
Extinction is the ultimate thrill for the jaded sportsman
.....................................f*ckwits..............................................
Actually, that doesn't sound like an extinction program, that sounds like a proper wildlife management program - true conservation in action. Let's hope they can administer it properly and use the funds generated to help the species and deter the poachers.
wow, deb, it's not such a small world after all.
They appear to be a rare form of Sch????????? Chimps because genetic testing proves this.
Mentioned in new scientist.
If it looks like a gorilla (size) and acts like a gorilla (nesting etc) it probably is a gorilla. The only distinctive features mentioned in the article are its isolation from other gorilla populations and its diet. The first may be a recent phonomania due to increased human population and settlement in central Africa. The second, diet,may simply illustrate how little we know about gorillas, despite all the recent hoopla (Diane Fossy etc). Just as Bonobo's were found to be a subspecies of chimp, this may prove to something similar.
...and what happens if the natives kidnap the prettiest member of the research party, tie her to a tree and start chanting, 'Kong! Kong! KONG!!"?
