African Wildlife & Environment Issue 76 FINAL

GOOD READS

African Frustration Koro, Emmanuel (2020). Western

Amazing places Bristow, David (2019). Of Hominins, Hunter-Gatherers and Heroes. Searching for 20 Amazing Places in South Africa . J acana Media, Auckland Park, South Africa. Soft cover, 15x24 cm, 247pp, illustrated with B&W photographs. ISBN 978-1- 4314-290-9. R267 David Bristow knows how to write a good yarn, and I found this book to be wonderfully

Celebration of African Poverty. Animal rights versus Human rights. Published by Emmanuel Koro, PO Box 14374, Northmead Square, Benoni, South Africa. Soft cover, 15x21 cm, 133 pp. ISBN 978- 0-6208-652-4. Order from the author at westernceleb2020@gmail.com or call +27 71 176 9265. US$10. In 1993 Emmanuel Koro did a 21 km run to raise money for elephant conservation in Zimbabwe. His venerable and respected aunt asked if he was crazy to do such a thing. He explained that apart from raising tourism revenue, elephants also bring sport-hunting earnings and their ivory and hides can also be traded to generate funds for elephant conservation and rural development. Just one elephant hunt can raise enough money to build a clinic in a rural area. His aunt was amazed to learn that elephants can benefit people both ecologically and socio-economically, while revenue from hunting can protect elephants from uncontrolled poaching. Alas, this alluring picture has been despoiled by the western animal-rights movement that has managed to promote the implementation of international bans on trade in elephant products, andhaswaged a relentless campaign to stop trophyhuntingandcontrol of elephant numbers through sustained harvesting. This is one of the most frustrating realities of Africa today. The continent is resource-rich, but poor. Africans are prevented from utilising their resources because of bans and constraints imposed by international agencies, like the IUCN and CITES, which were originally set up to conserve biodiversity and to oversee the orderly international trade in plants and animal species. In this hard-hitting little book, the author vents his frustration about this intolerable situation: "The Western animal rights groups present themselves as progressive people while in reality they are seemingly ruthless, and violateAfrican people's rights to benefit from their wildlife. They do so through their continued use of funds that they raise, to sponsor the ban on international trade in wildlife products, including rhino horn and ivory. "TheWestern animal rights groups fundraising industry is, in my opinion, a ticking time-bomb for the survival of African wildlife, including rhinos and elephants. It is also a ticking time bomb for the wellbeing of African people, who continue to die needlessly of poverty-related diseases and from starvation, despite being wildlife-rich." This book, written by an African, echoes the long-held sentiments of realistic conservationists who have argued that unlesswildlife is of full financial value to thosewho live alongside wild animals in Africa, this extremely valuable resourcewill simply be replaced by 'the cowand the plough'. The animal rights movement will be responsible for this tragedy, by unilaterally removing the right of Africans to trade and benefit financially from their natural resources. This is an important book, with an important message for everyone who cares about wildlife, wild places and human dignity in the developing world.

informative and entertaining. The intertwining of historical facts, natural history and a regular dash of humour, bring the 20 Amazing Places to life in a unique way. I have been to a number of the places he describes, yet found that I never knew a fraction of the interesting stuff about them. Indeed, I wished that I could have read Bristow's book before going there - it would have given me many insights that would have made the visits more rewarding. The book is also an extremely useful indicator of interesting places to visit for anyone planning a trip around South Africa. Apart from being a good writer, David Bristow is also environmentally literate, with a postgraduate degree in environmental science from the University of Cape Town. Thus, in his chapter on the Kruger National Park, he raises the issue of elephant management with commendable candour. Their numbers have grown beyond the carrying capacity of the park, and the damage they are causing to habitats is threatening other elements of the biodiversity the Kruger Park is charged with conserving. He writes: "No one wants to see the Kruger's sylvan reduced to a treeless wasteland as has happened across much of northern Botswana. Then again no one wants to see the elephants being 'taken off' in the name of conservation. And yet it makes sense to sacrifice some of the resources you have, and share the spoils with your neighbours, in order to turn the tide of the battle. "You wouldn't want to be one of the people who has to make these decisions, but someone has to. It's like when your arm has been trapped in a rock in a lonely canyon for 127 hours, and your life force is ebbing away. You have a pocketknife and the clock is ticking. "With the combined forces of land claims, poaching and radical politics gathering around the perimeter of the park, it takes a bold decision to cut off your arm in order to save yourself – or not to." DavidBristowalso takes us to theWestCoast Fossil Park, Mapungubwe, Hogsback, Lambazi Bay, Port Grosvenor, NieuBethesda, Cape Point, the Johannesburg 'war museum' and others – they each get a new treatment in a journey through our 'world in one country'. A great book, highly recommended.

7 | African Wildlife & Environment | Issue 76 (2020)