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In one such area my friend Darrell runs a privately owned estate. The elephant and a large amount of the game in the adjacent national park have been almost wiped out by poachers. Much of that game have fled to his property, seeking sanctuary. He’s fighting a lonely and dangerous battle to respond adequately. With few photographic tourists willing to visit him, his only means of breaking even is by running some carefully controlled hunting safaris that provide the money to soldier on. When the foreign hunters go, so will he, closely followed by the animals he risks his life to defend.

For those who actually want to do something other than make noise, there is no shortage of challenges. Chinese-sponsored gangs, well armed with heavy rifles and automatic weapons, are presently killing elephant at an unprecedented rate. Recently, elephant-rich areas of Tanzania, Mozambique, and Zambia have been all but wiped out. The demand for lion and leopard bones from the Far East is at an all-time high, putting a premium on big cats. Meat hunters are wiping out the antelope and buffalo herds throughout Africa. For many of these animals the safari hunters were their only hope.

So my question to all the loudmouths out there screaming for the worst kind of vengeance on the aforementioned “€œculprits”€ is, what happens when that arduous mission is accomplished? Once they are safely in hell, can we expect you or your nominees to continue the fight to save what is left from the poaching scourge presently bedeviling this continent? They say actions speak louder than words, so let’s see some real action! And if you can”€™t put up, then shut up!