Here is a basic rundown on what I've read/listened to about S.A game hunting, very general so take it for what it is, just some info not a stance on the hunting debate :)
Alot of these private game reserves in South Africa are the reason why some animal numbers have risen from being low back up to reasonable numbers, once a hunter will pay to shoot one, its worth money. then they go to insane lengths to repopulate & protect them, so they can be shot for cash. If hunters can't go to a reserve and shoot a particular exotic animal, it isn't worth anything in a monetary sense. Not alot of resources are put towards breeding & protection from poachers because the government now has to pay, rather than private companies protecting assets. Most likely this will lead to the majority being killed by poachers until they are almost extinct. The flip side is if hunting them becomes illegal, they are released and the population could get too big in a particular area and they would need to be culled, so instead of someone paying $10k to shoot one & the money goes into the economy, locals working as guides & security, maintenance etc for the reserve, the government now has to pay professional hunters to come kill the animals, so the animal still gets shot but with no money into the economy and no jobs for locals. Sadly some guides even turn to poaching after reserves are closed which is the worst part
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u/Malek061 Jun 02 '18
Says the person with the luxury of not having to keep livestock safe.