I've spent quite a bit of time in Zimbabwe, based in Vic Falls. I worked as a river guide on the Zambezi through the Batoka Gorge. The company I worked for also ran hunting operations.Several of my very close colleagues were either licensed professional hunters or apprentices. They worked the river during the off season.
I believe I got a pretty good first hand look at the broader professional hunting scene during my time there. Based on that experience, I would say don't jump to conclusions about African hunting unless you have significant experience with it. Just like in North America, there are all types of different operations, hunts and of course hunters. It is diverse.
Imagine if some one formed their opinion about hunting in North America based on high fence operations in Texas, or based on watching all the phony, hunting programs on the Outdoor channel. Is that how you would want to be represented as an American hunter? I sure wouldn't. Trust me there are plenty of legitimate, challenging, sporting and ethical hunting operations in Zimbabwe.
One thing that impressed me most about outfitting there, was how rigorous the process was to become a licensed professional hunter. Not only do they have to complete a very lengthy apprenticeship, but they also had to take fairly rigorous oral and written examines. Not everyone passes. Professional hunters there are actually highly skilled naturalist. Every one of them I ever met was deeply committed to conservation of game species and wild lands. In my view, they were held to a much higher standard than what we hold outfitters (or hunters for that matter) to in North America.
That being said, I don't think it is necessarily my place to apply my own cultural norms and values to what can and can't be hunted in Zimbabwe or in the rest of Africa. Its a local decision. But, bear in mind, if it weren't for legal rhino hunting in South Africa, rhino would most definitely already be extinct. There is fairly strong evidence to suggest that the ban on ivory has also lead to increased demand for black market ivory and has increased poaching. Hunters have a critically important role to play in Africa in terms of conservation, just as they do here in North America.
I've read a few of the news accounts, and they all seem pretty obviously biased. It reminds me of tte reactions of the animal rights nut cases when wolves that wander out of Yellowstone get killed. They exaggerate, spin the story as if it were some type of illegal act of poaching, trying to malign all hunters in general. At the end of the day, the people that scream loudest about these incidents are really opposed to all forms of hunting. It is very important not to lose that perspective.
