Today I had a chat to someone in the hunting industry whom I admire a lot. He tells me that one of the big outfitters came back from the USA a week ago after exhibiting at most of the shows. Not one hunt booked! This outfitter employs 8 PH's, and he now says that he will have to let them all go. 8 families without food on the table. This makes me very, very sad.
The impact on the the hunting industry is going to be bad at a much larger scale than what I initially anticipated. Hunting concession will be lost because of the lack of hunters. Farmers will resort back to traditional farming like cattle, sheep or maize. I cannot see them return to the wildlife industry once they've gone back. In a short few years from now the economy might recover sufficiently for hunters to once again come back to Africa. The only problem will be that there will not be enough outfitters, PH's and/or hunting concessions to service these people. I've seen this happen so many times. When someone in this industry leaves the industry, they normally leave because they've been hurt financially (we all have families to support), and they NEVER return to the industry again. Once bitten twice shy applies here.
I would absolutely hate to leave the industry that I love so much. But I cannot allow my family to suffer just because I'm doing (or trying to do) what I love to do. That would be immensely unfair towards them. My heart is tearing from my body. I ache all over because of this. But the signs are clear. I have a hunt in May I must do, and that will be a great one for my client, because he'll receive service fit for a king, as I know, if something positive does not happen VERY soon, that will be my last hunt.
I will turn my back on this industry, and never return, not because I want to, but because I have to.
