From the Editor
T
he editorial in my latest edition of South Africa’s
outstanding shooting and outdoor magazine
Magnum dealt with South African media giant
Media 24's acquisition of the publication. I have every
edition of Magnum that ever came out, and they have
always produced a first-rate journal that catered to the
wants of the readers. With Magnum’s entry into the larger,
mainstream corporate world, some of the old guard editorial
staff have moved on and some - including former owner
Ron Anger and Gregor Woods (if you haven’t read Rifles
for Africa, do so immediately) - have elected to stay. Ron’s
editorial was largely concerned with assuring his loyal
following of readers that Magnum would still be “their”
magazine.
This has come at almost the same time as a barrage
of uncomplimentary comments posted on Accurate
Reloading’s website directed at Safari Club International’s
Safari Magazine. It would seem that the CW, at least
amongst those who have voiced their opinions, is that they
are not getting what they want. Of course, high-quality
glossy magazine that it is, Safari Magazine is really the
SCI newsletter, which is a different animal to a commercial
magazine. For some atrocity I surely committed in a past
life, I have been tasked to write my gun club’s newsletter for
over twenty years. A lot of it is not intended to be relevant
to anyone not a member, and it is sent out as a monthly
service, so I don’t have to chase advertising either. I do
have to make it interesting, or members wouldn’t read it,
and wouldn’t know what’s happening at their club.
It is easy for a specialised publication to miss the mark
occasionally as far as what the readership really wants.
There are a number of reasons for this.
One is that no one really wants to get hold of a
magazine where every article is written by the same guy.
This happens a lot with the firearms annuals and special
editions in the United States. Massad Ayoob is one of my
favourite handgun writers, but I am less likely to buy an
anthology wherein he has written just about everything
than I am one which offers a number of perspectives from
myriad authors. Here at the African Hunter, we balance
our content to ensure we have articles by professionals on
the ground, experts in various African fields, and just as
importantly, submissions from those sport hunters who have
visited the Dark Continent. Your experiences are important
as they portray an expert viewpoint on African hunting and
are an essential part of our editorial content. As such, we
welcome submissions from YOU, the African Hunters. So
you all need to break into print and send me some stuff!
31 July was the much-awaited election day in
Zimbabwe - but the real significance of the date is that it is
celebrated annually as World Ranger Day in honour of those
game rangers, wardens, conservation officers or whatever
they may be known as in various parts of the world who are
charged with protecting their natural history heritage day in
and day out - it is largely a difficult, dangerous and thankless
task for which they receive very little remuneration and
recognition. For their dedication, many have in the past,
and no doubt will in future, pay the ultimate price.
In the wake of the recent slaughter of rhinos in southern
Africa - five animals at Tembe Elephant Park in South
Africa - I decided to look into how many rhino may be
safe repositories of their gene pools - by being elsewhere.
Steve Shurter of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums
(sic), when asked how many rhino were in the United
States, replied: “The AZA Rhino Advisory Group makes
recommendations to participating zoos in North America
for managing the rhino programs in the region, including
306 African rhinos (including two northern white rhinos)
currently held in zoos and breeding centres. In light of the
global rhino poaching crisis we can't share details on the
zoos, individual rhinos or their security and management
details.” So, in one way, this answer was more disturbing
than I had anticipated - even in North America captive rhino
are seen as a priority security risk. But at least, thankfully,
they are there.
The northern white rhinos may well be extinct in the
wild. I visited Nimule Nati ?[\??[??Y[?[? NN ?[???[X?H[? H???? NN
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