Monday, February 7, 2011

Saving Wild Animals

Learning a lot about saving wild animals in South Africa. There are visionary people who have a passion for these animals and have bought large sections (hectares) of land. To make the land tracks enormous, 4, 5, or 6 land owners will remove the internal fences and cooperate on creating riding or jeep safaris for tourism/conservation. At first, it appeared a little odd that the wild animals were being "contained" and manipulated by humans, but at the end of the day, it is the way of conservation. The fences not only protect the animals, but they protect the vegetation and surrounding landscape. Unfortunately, the fences don't completely keep out the poachers. Another interesting aspect is the genetic management of these large natural environments. They are starting to track breeding history, so there is appropriate outbreeding with other areas. Also, these environments manage a healthier number of animals so they can live without stripping the surrounding areas. The animals that appear to need numbers management are humans!!!

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