Outdoors

TheReview Wednesday, February 6, 1991 — A12

Poachers a problem here as well

The thought of poaching usually
conjures up the game plains and
thormbush veldts of Africa where
so much of this illicit trade has
been pracused for years.

Once immediately thinks of great
numbers of long-tusked elephants
and horned rhinos which have
been slaughtered for ivory and
supposed aphrodisiacs.

In addition, the very attractive
skins of diminishing cats such as
leopard and cheetah have also
been sold on the black market in
great numbers.

Game officials interviewed there
would welcome the “drying up”
of foreign markets which would
force the dealers out of business.

“If there were no buyers, there
would be no profit in the enter-
prise and the absence of profit
would bring the practice to a
jarring halt.”

While travelling through Tsavo
in East Africa, Mary and I passed
under a very prominent hill which
offered a commanding vicw of
many miles of surrounding terrain.

A game warden told us that the
hill was known as Poachers’ Look-
oul, in view of the fact that it had
often been used by such rascals in
their search for ~“tuskers.”

Elephants were numerous
among the strange baobab trees in
the area.

However, recent events within
our Own province and country
have demonstrated that poaching
is not confined to Africa.

The current inroads by poachers
into our elk herd up-Island are
very serious when contemplating
their very surviyal.

Game officials report that the
small herd may well be unable to
withstand the additional hazard of
poaching in the light of natural
rates of recruitment.

Of late, we have also had inci-
dents of poaching within our
National Parks! Elk, bighorn
sheep and mountain goats have

£ 2 = +
Elk, bighorn sheep and mountain + ®
fen te er aie vophy heads, goats have been faken for their
€ remains left behind to be 3
scavenged by coyotes, wolves, trophy heads
magpics and ravens.
How have some of these
poachers managed to retrieve their DR PETER C YAM
heads from the parks without : ns M.D., N-D.
being spotted when passing | HAS ESTABLISHED HIS GENERAL PRACTICE
through the gates? OF
Some didn’t pass through. The NATUROPATHIC MEDICINE
trophies were flown out by small AT :
plane, hired for the purpose! A few 2321 James White Blvd., Sidney
of the blokes have been caught and - ALLERGIES - ACUPUNCTURE
heavily fined. a a ¢ ELECTRO THERAPY - HOMEOPATHY
ie ee killing of farm ani- ¢ NUTRITION - SUBSTANCE ABUSE
mals 1s often cven more difficult to
comprehend. We once lost a very 656-71 18
expensive, purebred bull to a trig-
ger-happy joker with a high pow-
ered rifle. He left the bull where it sd
lay. Later in the same week, a
neighbour lost three purebred hol-
stein milk cows in the same way.
Vern Michell of Island View
Road reports that birders turned up
a rare white-throated sparrow. in
the vicinity of his market farm a
week ago.
Mrs. George Hibberson of
Bourne Terrace telephoned about.a
sizeable flock of handsome cedar !
waxwings busily feeding upon the : ? :
bountiful supply of red Pyracantha ° ad i
berries on the grounds of the
Sidney/North Saanich public i Lf
library on Resthaven Drive.
(They played during that time period
..and they have several records to their name) ‘a

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