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Safaris under fire
Africa wildlife disappearing rapidly – conservation without cash is just conversation
A major shift in how tours involving wild animals are operated is essential, or endangered species in Africa will be completely wiped out, claimed safari specialist Colin Bell
This was his message in two heated assemblies at World Travel Market where a need for a new approach to safari tourism was called for.
Bell claimed that 35,000 elephants had been poached simply for the cash value of their tusks and that much of the money was funding terrorist organizations.
A founder of Wilderness Safaris and Great Plains, Bell said the numbers of the big cats – lion, tiger, leopard and cheetah amongst many more wild animals will continue to decline if tourism doesn’t reform.
He laid into petting lion cubs simply monetized and emasculated these beautiful wild animals) and mass tourism and vaunted the opportunities provided by sensitive tourism and the conservancy model of co-operating and co-management with local communities.
"We are at the tipping point; if we don’t bring communities into tourism we’ll have lost and our grandchildren won’t see these animals."
Bell concluded that funding is needed for programmes to educate and invoke communities, adding "conservation without cash is conversation."
Valere Tjolle
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