21/01/2022
DEAR PRIME MINISTER BORIS JOHNSON.
17/01/2022
Dear Prime Minister.
A letter from an African.
I am Hamish Skead I currently live in Estcourt, Kwazulu Natal, South Africa. This is a rural farming area in South Africa. My family has resided here for over 115 years and I consider myself a true African. My ancestors came here many moons ago from your neighbouring Scotland. I still have my sword and kilt.
I have recently read and learnt of your proposed ban on legally hunted trophy animals coming into England. I feel it my duty to inform you of the situation on the ground in Africa and the far reaching impact your decision will have on the ecosystems we strive to protect and keep intact for all our children’s children to enjoy. My family have been managing habitat for generations and I believe we are experienced enough to share our valuable point of view as we are involved in different forms of agriculture and agricultural commerce. Some of these are:
• UCattle Ranching.
• Game Ranching.
• Hunting Safari Operators.
• Butchery Ownership. .
• Conservation
We own extensive tracks of land in Kwazulu Natal. This is not a well-known province and definitely not the first province that jumps to mind when the discussion of conservation, game farming and the hunting industry comes up. My family has always been in agriculture and our predominate form of agriculture has been beef farming. I studied Nature Conservation at university and not being a farmer at heart I decided to go into conservation and reserve management. I worked at the world acclaimed Kruger National Park and soon realised I could not work for our government as the structure was to uniform and rigid for me. I believe I could make a bigger contribution to conservation on our home farms. My belief was that I would have greater impact in marginal areas were conservation was not being practised. We had the land and I needed to add value to the existing businesses and protect the habitat we already had.
When I chose to come home and develop the conservation success of our properties. Conservation on private, free ranging properties was largely not recognized as a form of conservation. However, I believe that these are some of the most important areas to conserve and believe their contribution to conservation in its entirety will be massive.
Some land facts:
Total land area of South Africa 123 281 000 Hectares.
Protected land (National Parks) in South Africa accounts for some 11 280 684 hectares.
Privately owned land 94 000 000 hectares.
Tribal land 18 000 000 hectares.
As one can see the extent of privately owned land is huge. If we could get good conservation practise onto a fraction of this, it would equal all or surpass all land under National Parks. This was then my focus how could I create an environment that could pave the way for habitat protection and good conservation of all species.
We all understand basic economics and understand that every activity we do needs funding of some sort. Whether it be a big business or a non-profit. They all incur costs, need to have a management structure and all cost money to be successful. I would like to take this opportunity to show you how we have created a business to pay for conservation to protect habitat for all of our benefit. As without suitable habitat we will all be history.
This business is called hunting and it is the vital building block in conservation on private land.
One must clearly understand the difference between legal hunting which is very well regulated and controlled by local department of environmental affairs, private land owners and hunting organizations and POACHING. Poaching is the illegal and indiscriminate hunting, fishing, capture or removal of any species of fauna or flora. Some of our biggest poaching problems have nothing to do with mammal species. These are however seldom heard about and one is only drawn into the whirl wind of our large mammals being poached. Have you heard about Cycad or Brown Headed Parrot poaching recently?
I have always had a passion and skill for hunting. I started teaching myself about mammals, birds, insects, reptiles and amphibians at a very young age. I received my first bird identification book when I was eight. This led to my career choice in conservation. I started guiding local hunting clients when I was fourteen years old in 1992. Thus from a young age I had a clear understanding of hunting and a hunter’s contribution to conservation.
Let me explain how we structured the conservation success of our areas.
On returning home we had naturally occurring game on the property. Species such as Cape Eland,
Blesbuck, Cape Bushbuck, Common Reedbuck, Mountain Reedbuck, Grey Rhebuck, Oribi, Grey Duiker, Steenbuck and Bushpig resided on the property. I knew the only tool I had to generate income to look after the existing ecosystem and expand it was hunting. I began doing day hunts for select old animals that were of no use to the breeding groups any longer. Old males were ideal for trophy hunters and older females for local meat hunters. Thus we began, and soon generated enough money to build a small lodge, so now the hunters could stay over and spend money on other items such as accommodation, catering and beverages to mention a few. Soon that was generating enough money to introduce more and varied species of mammals. Giraffe, Kudu, Red Hartebeest, Impala, Zebra and warthog were introduced, purchased from other game farmers who now had excess animals and needed to reduce their numbers on their properties. Our protected National Parks would also have Game Auctions. My first animals were bought from Ezemvelo, Kwazulu Natal Wildlife, our provincial government conservation body. They too had seen the importance of wildlife residing on private land. This also gave them a new revenue stream and assisted with covering expenses.
To give you an idea of what these animals cost here is approximate current introduction values:
Species Rand Value per animal GBP Value (R20 exchange rate)
Cape Buffalo 35000-00 1750-00
Giraffe 12000-00 600-00
Kudu 6500-00 325-00
Blesbuck 2500-00 125-00
Impala 2000-00 100-00
Common Reedbuck 5000-00 250-00
Zebra 6000-00 300-00
Warthog 2500-00 125-00
Within a few years we had built up a new business that could run parallel to the beef farming core business and they ran in symbiosis. Both businesses complimented each other and the biggest winner was the habitat and all its smaller inhabitants. We have noticed over the twenty-five years of running these businesses the following:
• Increased species diversity and basal cover of grass species.
• Increased species diversity and cover of tree species.
• Increased mammal, bird, reptile and amphibian species diversity and populations. 1. Brown Hyena, Nyala, Aardwolf, Serval, Cape Clawless Otter, Striped Weasel have all been schene and breed on the property.
2. Martial Eagle, Fish Eagle, Marabou Stork, European Roller, Lilac Breasted Roller, Olive Bushshrike, Wattled Lapwing, Goliath Heron are all new arrivals to mention a few. Endangered Wattled, Blue, Crowned Crane numbers all increased significantly.
3. Nile Crocodile, African Rock Python have been noted as new arrivals to our properties.
4. The volume and species diversity of frogs has increased dramatically.
5. Insect population have increased.
One must always remember the ecosystem is a very complex structure of relationships. All of which start beneath the soil. The bed rock determines what soil will be above it, the soil will dictate what can grow on its surface, what grasses and trees grow on the surface dictate what insects, mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles can live in this environment. So everything is interconnected and cannot survive without good habitat. We have also seen in our travels what happens when you remove one of these building blocks. As they are all connected one cannot survive without the other. By removing one you jeopardize the whole system.
We recently had to go assist with two Lions that had broken out of a protected area and landed up in a tribal area east of Vryheid town. This area had been poached extensively and in our few days working on the Lions we found the area to be totally sterile of wildlife. In one whole day we only saw eight birds. This is unheard of in South Africa, but this is a prime example of the ecological collapse when a species is removed in its entirety. All that remained was domestic stock. No wonder the Lions were a problem and feeding on Cattle, Goats, Horses and Donkeys. These tribal areas are extensive and make one even more aware of the conservation success on privately owned land. It also makes one see the value of conservation on these areas. If I walk around my lodge I will see at least twenty bird species.
We have grown our farming business and duplicate the successful symbiosis and own in excess of 8000 hectares all of which enjoys protection and management from our hunting business. Let me explain the nuts and bolts of the industry:
The hunting operation consists of the following:
The Business is called Lowlands Hunting Safaris.
One needs to understand what the following titles mean before continuing.
An outfitter is the person who is the organizer of the hunt. He or she is the person who markets and facilitates the hunt, from the booking to the laundry service, catering, transport and support staff. He is responsible for the client’s logistics.
The professional hunter is the man that looks after the client in the bush. So makes sure the client does not get eaten by a lion. He is responsible for the clients ethical behaviour and selection of which animals to hunt.
The client is someone who pays an outfitter and PH for their service to go on a hunting safari.
The trackers are staff members who are employed to assist the professional hunters in the field. They are able to follow tracks and are skilled skinners and able to work meat.
Game Capture Operator are professional crews who specialize in capturing game animals alive.
Taxidermist is an operator who treats and cures animal skins, horns and bones to make life like replicas of the animals hunted. Other items can also be made from the skin and animal parts.
Abattoir and Butchery is where animals are slaughtered and the meat is prepared for human consumption.
The hunting industry is a huge industry in this country and has massive benefits to all involved. There are currently about 10000 private game farms in South Africa these totalling over 20 million Hectares with an annual turnover of over R20 billion Rands (GBP 1 Billion POUNDS) per annum. This is a major contributor to our economy and especially to rural areas. About 65000 people are permanently employed in this sector and supplemented by temporary staff of up to 140 000 people. Game farming includes both consumptive and non-consumptive uses of wildlife. One of the major roll players here is hunting, it is the single highest generator of income on private land. Thus one of the corner stones of this major industry.
So with this understood, let me explain how my small hunting business works and exactly where the money and benefit go. We need to understand how the industry works at ground level.
In order to accommodate a hunter, you need the following in place before you even walk into the field or market a hunt.
A Hunting Outfitter, in this case myself Hamish. I am the Outfitter of the operation. This means the buck stops with me. I am the CEO. I am the one who is responsible for all marketing, facilities, logistics, concessions, client’s supervision, staff, catering absolutely everything that is needed to get and look after a client hunting with our business. (1 Person employed)
A professional Hunter, this is the man who looks after the client in the field and makes sure he is safe and has a good ethical experience. He is responsible for the daily transportation and physical hunting the clients does daily. He has to be extremely responsible and be accountable to the outfitter at all times. The professional hunters will use a tracker to assist him in this task. The trackers are also responsible for the vehicle and hunting equipment. He is also often responsible for field dressing of the animals hunted and preparing the trophies. (7 people employed, freelance positions)
Lodge and lodge staff, this is imperative and in our province when applying for your outfitters licence your lodge facilities are inspected and graded to an acceptable level to accommodate guest safely. The country is always on show and it is the responsibility of all of us to maintain a high standard. Here managers, chefs, cleaners, bar tenders and waiters are employed. (8 people employed)
Anti-Poaching and law enforcement. This is one of the most critical aspects of the operation. As we live in the most populated province in the country. Law enforcement is without a doubt the most important aspect and one of the highest costs factors of the business. Poaching of wild animals is at record highs and this is not a problem that is going away soon. Youth unemployment is sky rocketing and with less opportunity for young people they turn to other means to get protein. It is a massive problem in South Africa. To be clear poaching is the ILLEGAL hunting or removal of mammals, amphibians, reptiles, birds, fish and plants. It is not just Rhino and Elephants! (4 GUARDS EMPLOYED)
General labourers, are needed for day to day reserve management. Road, fence, vehicle and general farm maintenance are and ongoing concern and necessity. (3 people employed)
Abattoir Staff are used to prepare meat for processing or sale. They are vital to the business. The trackers can also be involved in the abattoir. No part of animal is wasted and even the head and internal organs are utilized and processed for human consumption. These are often rural abattoirs and provide protein to rural populations. (2 people employed)
Mechanics are out sourced. In the more remote concessions a mechanic is imperative. Our Mechanics have a staff compliment of 5 people.
Taxidermist is a vital link between the outfitter and the client. He is responsible for the care and construction of the hunting trophies that would be exported back to the client’s home. This is a stand-alone business. We use Spirit of Africa Taxidermy and they have a staff compliment of 20 people.
Butchery is responsible for the processing of meat received from the abattoir. They will also purchase excess meat that is taken off the farm. Culling is often a necessary tool where predators are not present. Often this meat is distributed to local communities if it is hunted on community land, a vital incentive for local communities to get involved in hunting and conserve their own animal populations. The butchery has a staff compliment of 15 people.
Grocery and supply stores provide daily necessities for the daily functioning of the business. From food and beverages to sanitations and stationery. The hunting business consumes a lot of daily necessities and supports the small town of Estcourt economy. Number of staff benefiting is unknown but significant in a small rural town.
This one can say is the hunting industry supply chain.
TOTAL DIRECT EMPLOYMENT : 27 Staff
INDIRECT EMPLOYEMNT : 35 Staff
Below is a cash flow pyramid explaining how when one animal is hunted how the revenue filtrates down to the man on the street.
In a rural area one can see the vital importance of this employment. Over 60 families are generating an income from this business and it associated enterprises. Added to this is the incentive of taking regular meat (protein) and rations home. A lot of hunting outfitters are involved with various community development projects and these are to be encouraged and supported.
So let’s look at the cash flow. How do we pay for this? How do we generate the income? We do not receive any support or grants from government, conservation organizations or anti-hunting organizations. We have to be self-sufficient.
The following is in order from most important to least important. Judged by the amount of income generated by each activity. One needs to understand this clearly as with the ecology if you with draw one item you place a lot of pressure on the other factors and that can lead to their individual and combined collapse:
1. Trophy Hunting.
2. Local Meat Hunters.
3. Live Game Sales.
4. Accommodation.
5. Catering and Beverages.
6. Meat sales.
7. Photographic Safaris.
8. Fishing Safaris.
9. Curios and Sundries (Shirts, Hats etc).
This is a comparison of money generated by the different groups that can be quantified:
Species Trophy Value Average (GBP) Local Hunter Value Live Game Value Meat Value
Cape Buffalo 7000-00 6250-00 1750-00 300-00
Giraffe 1700-00 1250-00 300-00 420-00
Kudu 1450-00 725-00 225-00 195-00
Blesbuck 225-00 125-00 50-00 40-00
Impala 235-00 125-00 50-00 35-00
Common Reedbuck 680-00 420-00 125-00 40-00
Zebra 520-00 325-00 150-00 60-00
Warthog 250-00 120-00 50-00 35-00
It easy to see how vitally important trophy hunting is to creating the animals value. Now for a comparison a domestic animal in this area will receive the following:
Species Live Value Meat Value (Average weight and grade dependant)
Beef 1250-00 600-00
Sheep 125-00 90-00
Pork 100-00 75-00
What we have to realize and accept is that if wildlife cannot compete for its place on private land it will lose to its domestic counterpart as the level of management and risk is far less with domestic stock. Your input costs are a fraction of that of wildlife. We have seen what is necessary and involved in running a hunting operation and the level of cost involved. Simple extensive agriculture such as beef farming is far less skilled labour intensive. In order to compete trophy hunting is imperative. If you remove that building block in a matter of months’ game farms and game ranching will collapse. There simply is no suitable alternative, photographic safaris are simply not a viable option on these areas of private land where there are mixed forms of agriculture. Without trophy hunting the habitat protection and ecosystems will follow.
So Prime Minster Johnson I ask you to reconsider your idea of banning trophy import into your country and encourage you to come and see what the REAL IMPACT will be on African wildlife, ecosystem and families. To you sitting in a country with relatively little or no natural heritage and a massive population I ask you to come down to grass level. See through the dust cloud kicked up by the emotional and uninformed. Get past the keyboard warrior on social media and come and look for yourself with an open mind and you will see the simple truth. Come sit under a Baobab Tree, watch the sunset and talk to the local African and hear his story before you take a simple decision in your country that may have far reaching catastrophic implications for rural people and wildlife in Africa. Don’t pull out the building block that holds the whole pyramid in place.
Here are some more facts and figures in closing:
To give you some idea of what these animals that are hunted generate here are some figures supplied by the professional hunter’s association of south Africa: 2017 season.
Cape Buffalo 1007 hunted 14 000 000 USD turnover
Cape Eland 1002 hunted 3.300 000 USD turnover
Common Reedbuck 260 hunted 350 000 USD turnover
Blesbuck 3422 hunted 2 000 000 USD turnover
Grey Duiker 814 hunted 350 000 USD turnover
One can clearly see the contribution these animals are making to our economy particularly in the rural areas.
It is undeniable fact that the largest populations of megafauna live and are successful in countries
where they are hunted. To you who are outside of the hunting world this may seem counterintuitive. However, by hunting these animal’s large tracts of land and habitat are protected. Anti-poaching and reserve management comes at massive expense. Hunting is low impact and high r***e generator and can run alongside other forms of agriculture. It is also a major employer of rural people.
Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia and my South Africa have the most successful hunting conservation strategies and are home to the highest percentages of these large animals:
Elephant 81.6%
Black Rhino 85.2%
White Rhino 96.7%
Giraffe 70.1%
Leopard 89.2%
Facts submitted by Safari Club International.
In closing I believe we live in difficult and confusing times filled with opinion and information. This however also comes with risk of misinformation being accepted as truth. The truth is this. Kenya banned hunting in 1977 and have since lost 75 percent of their wildlife. There greatest asset now reduced to a few game reserves and almost no conservation on private land. Namibia however did the opposite at the same stage they embraced hunting conservation and the sustainable use program and their numbers have done the opposite. They are building a new international airport just for safari hunters and tourists, there game numbers are heading to well over 3 Million head and a lot of this is found on private land. An incredible success story. This is what hunting conservation can do and this is why the only way Africa will survive for all to enjoy in the future is to give our wildlife value and let it contribute to the economy and at the end of the day the man on the street.
The trophy a hunter takes home should not be frowned upon and ridiculed it is a symbol of his contribution to the success story that is conservation hunting. So please before you sign that document open your mind, open your eyes, be willing to engage with all role players and most of all come see for yourself what is at stake. You have the power to set a president and not fold to the pressure of the animal rights activists who profit from the suffering of Africans. Come to Africa and learn what works for Africans and most of all help us protect habitat. Give us the one tool that will secure our industry and protect fauna and flora all over Africa. Every single organism will thank you from a Chameleon to an Elephant they all need habitat to survive and flourish.
I thank you for your time and hope this somehow reaches your desk.
Many thanks from an African Hunter and Conservationist.
Most Respectfully
Hamish Skead
Lowlands Hunting Safaris
South Africa
The beauty and spirit of AFRICA. It runs in our veins!
