It’s very unusual for me to produce two Newsletters so close to one another but one of my closest friends unexpectedly contracting inoperable, fourth stage, lung cancer has prompted me
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A belated Happy New Year to all of you. I hope you have enjoyed a peaceful, restful and memorable festive season with family and friends. I know I have. I
I don’t think I have ever been this saddened and disheartened about hunting and conservation in South Africa. Last week someone WhatsApped me from Israel and asked, “Did you see
It is almost two years to the day that I hunted my last animal, a Lord Derby’s eland in Cameroon. Along with me admitting that, in my 70th year, this
The question is a perplexing one. Why, if hunters and animal rightists are both passionate about wildlife and wildlife habitat, are they seemingly always at loggerheads? This question, of course,
The answer to this question is a resounding and unequivocal, YES. At the risk of boring the reader with facts and figures as opposed to emotion and innuendo, let me
Referenced Articles: Kruger Lions: Who really cares about conservation? by Peter Flack Kruger Lions: Hunting for Skye and the truth By Smaragda Louw and Michele Pickover At the risk of
Sir, I refer to the recent articles by Messrs Vegter and Pinnock on the conservation of rhinoceroses and elephants. Referenced Articles: Don Pinnock: Calling out Ivo Vegter’s fractious fulminations Ivo
Last weekend, at a family wedding in Montagu, I was accosted by a proud father who told me his son had been chosen to give the class address at his
A few weeks ago I read a column in the Daily Maverick – an eNewspaper with a significant circulation in South Africa – written by an ardent animal rightist, Ian
In response to a recent media article published by the Daily Maverick (“Outrage after Kruger lion baited and shot by trophy hunter in neighbouring reserve”, by Don Pinnock, 11 June
Kruger National Park is home to a growing population of 1 800 lions amongst a large array of other wildlife according to parks spokes people. In an article published last
As published in the Daily Maverick In an article by Mr. Ian Michler in Daily Maverick last month entitled, “Like the fossil fuel industry, trophy hunting is unsustainable”, the only
As published in the Daily Maverick I carefully read Mr. Michler’s Opinionista piece entitled, “Like the fossil fuel industry, trophy hunting is unsustainable”. Like almost all his writings on this
We received a response from Peter Gouws to our recent post – Custodians of Professional Hunting and Conservation. See his comment and my reply below. FROM PETER GOUWS I had
Since my last giant eland hunt in Cameroon last year, a number of you have asked me what I am doing with my time now that I have stopped hunting
I want to write about the new organisation, Custodians of Professional Hunting and Conservation (CPHC) (which has effectively replaced PHASA, the Professional Hunting Association of South Africa), for those who
“Human subtlety … will never devise an invention more beautiful, more simple, or more direct than does Nature, because in her inventions nothing is lacking, and nothing is superfluous” –
I celebrated my 69th birthday recently and have been touched by how many people remembered and called and emailed to wish me. Wonderful to be remembered, especially at an age
Since my expulsion as a 30 year member and 20 year trustee of WWF Southern Africa for the crime of being a hunter, the controversy surrounding this matter will not
Did you know that the reason you hunted was solely to boast about it – ‘signalling’ is the word used in the above article – the size of the animals
I received the South African 2015 hunting statistics this week and was delighted to see that, after five years of steady decline – we reached our peak number of overseas
I received a copy of the WWF South Africa Constitution three days ago. I was in for an unpleasant surprise. Clause 8.2 states as follows: ‘The Board may at any
In the last month I have become the poster child for Survival International in what appears to be a nasty internecine fight between them and WWF. I had never heard
English Translation: “Unbelievable! One dog gives birth to 11 subspecies in one day.” In recent days, two surveys have been brought to my attention which make sweeping and major statements
To be honest, there is so much twaddle written on this subject by so many people that should and often do know better that I normally ignore most of it
Last night my attention was drawn to a speech by Namibia’s Minister of the Environment and Tourism at the NAPHA AGM last week and I thought it so important that
Three weeks ago I received an invitation from the Department of Environmental Affairs to present a paper to the SECOND NATIONAL DIALOGUE WORKSHOP ON THE INTENSIVE AND SELECTIVE BREEDING OF
I have never received a greater response than I did to my blog, “Amateur Hunting Bodies Have Failed Their Members” both in number and the emphatic views expressed, only a
In Response to blog post: Amateur hunting bodies have failed their members Dear Peter, Do you feel like Casandra from the Greek myths? I know I do. Read your blog
For 25 years my job was to help save failing organisations. A key part of the rehabilitation process was to ensure they had properly funded, professionally managed public relations strategic
Here are some negative comments I have received recently via Facebook and email: Date: 30 July 2015 From: Shauna Carroll Email: slc2106@gmail.com Comment: You are everything that is wrong with
I received the Press Release set out below directly from PHASA on Friday last week: PHASA President Calls for a Review of Lion Hunting Pretoria, 24 July 2015 – Hermann
14/07/0215 | The following article was sent to me by the CEO of SA Hunters and Game Conservation Association, Fred Campher, for comment: NEWS24 | R440m spent but rhinos still
The article below, written by Mr Barry York, an intensive breeder of golden wildebeest, was sent to me for reply by Andre Degeorges, an American who has worked extensively in
In the March/April issue of African Outfitter (AO), arguably the best hunting magazine currently published in Africa, the half page advert set out below by Take Aim Safaris (TAS) was
The headline article in the business section of yesterday’s main South African Afrikaans Sunday newspaper, Rapport (3 May 2015), was entitled Doodskoot vir jag? Kunsmatige teel van wild “skaad SA
Canned Killings and other Unnatural Behaviour in the Game Ranching Industry II In January this year, the Boone & Crockett Club, the foremost hunting association in North America, came out
See Peter Flack’s response below. Kicker: It is unfair to target game farming as an “economic bubble”. This industry creates jobs and makes a very healthy contribution to the economy.
I attended the Cape Town premiere of the 90 minute documentary, “Rhino in Crisis – Blueprint for Survival” produced by the Conservation Imperative, a group of conservationists primarily from KwaZulu-Natal.
By: Paul Stones, a member of the SAMPEO Group, South Africa’s most professional and experienced outfitters. Websites: South African Outfitters | Paul Stones Safaris Africa How many times has it
What do Pyramid Schemes and the latest trend of intensively breeding and manipulating new colour variants and other unnatural freakish animals have in common with one another? Pyramid Schemes are
Why do I and my amateur and professional hunting friends detest the increasing number of incidents involving the killing of canned or put-and-take animals? Why do we also dislike so
On 17 March I was called by Stafford Thomas, a feature writer at the Financial Mail, South Africa’s foremost weekly business magazine, to discuss the issue of canned lion killings
In January this year I was contacted by Robyn Maclarty, a feature writer from Fairlady magazine, one of, if not the, most popular and well established woman’s magazines in South
Over a dozen years ago, I attended the SCI Convention at which Zambian officials were also present promoting hunting in their country, when, without sufficient notice to or consultation with
By Gerhard Damm And Peter Flack More than a decade ago, representatives and leadership of organized professional hunting in South Africa condemned the practice of shooting canned lions in the
Watch interview below: Beneath is set out the lengthy question and answer session filmed in South Africa for the above TV program, of which less than 30 seconds was actually
If you had told me when I was growing up that, one day, I would be asked to make the keynote address at the annual dinner of the South African
Question: I noticed on Iziko Museums’ facebook page a few people were protesting against an apparent exhibition of your hunting trophies. So I googled your name and discovered that you’re
By Stafford Thomas, Financial Mail, 16 August 2013 SA’S wildlife industry is seeing a boom in prices paid for superior breeding animals — but it is a boom subject to deeply divided
Cape Times – 9 July 2013 I read the articles by Melanie Gosling and Tony Weaver on the legalisation of rhinoceros horn trade in the Cape Times on Friday 5
A debate entitled, The Elephant in the Room: The ethics of collecting natural history specimens and their role in today’s society, was hosted by the Iziko South African Museum in
Question: I respect your charter in favour of respectful hunting but can you explain to me why why I find it disgusting to see all these dead animals, notably the
I received an unpleasant surprise concerning some of the responses to the donation of the some 300 mounted animals from my museum on our old game ranch to the Iziko
In May last year I was asked to organise a meeting of the major South African hunting bodies to discuss public relations and how necessary I believe it is for
About a dozen years ago, Colin Bell, the then CEO of Wilderness Safaris, an exclusive, luxury photographic safari business catering to the very wealthy, told me and the other guests
English Translation Package for you! Wonder what it can be? A mounted rain forest elephant being delivered yesterday at the Iziko South African Museum in Cape Town. It is one
