The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-06-04
SOME BIG GAME PRESERVES

London Correspondence of the Chicago
Evening Post.
TT does not severely tax the memory
to go back to the day when Living
stone and Stanley went into the wilds
of Africa as into an undiscovered coun-
try" But since that day the dark
continent has become light. Settlement
has advanced with marvellous strides; the
area of the unknown may be said to have
passed
There could be no better indication
of how widespread has been the opening
of this vast continent than that given
In letter from R. S. Hynde, president
of the chamber of agriculture and COM
merce of the Nyasaland Protectorate,
which appeared recently in the specta-
tor.
This letter is a protest In behalf of the
chamber against many of the game pre-
serves of Central Africa-preserves in
tended to protect wild game from the in
discriminate sportsman in order that the
discriminating sportsman may not be de-
prived of his pleasure when civilization
grows too tame for him and he takes a
jaunt into the heart of Africa
The whole idea Of these game sanctu-
aries rests upon the presumption that
Africa Is a wild, unclvilized and useless
country, instead of which, as Mr. Hyde
points out, 1t is being pierced by railways
In every direction and is fast being turned
into a civilized, well-populated and pro-
ductive territory.
These reserves-at least all but one of
them-are said to be not only a nuisance,
but an actual menace to life and prop
erty The elephant marsh game reserve
is right at the gate of the Nyasaland
country, close to the customs ports of
Chrome The railway skirts one side of
it, and the road from Chrome to Chick
wawa and Cholo runs more or less
through it and alongside.
The Shirwa reserve, not such a strict
sanctuary as the elephant marsh, lies
near the administrative capital of the
country, within few miles of Zoinba
township. 1t bounds one of the principal
seats of the coffee and tobacco industries
and is close to large cattle-raising in
terests.
The Central Angoniland reserve Is In a
more out-of-the- district, but includes
many native villages and Is in district
notably suitable for cattle raising. 1t Is
native gossip that, owing to the increas-
ing numbers of elephants the natives can
not cultivate their gardens, and that when
complaint is made the natives are told
to move. as the elephants certainly can
not be driven away. or course. the ma
tives are not allowed to shoot or capture
the game.
The only game reserve in Central Africa
that seems to have been placed judlcious-
ly Is the Lake Mweru, in northeastern
Rhodesia. 1t Is said to be large enough
for all the British territory usually mark
ed on the maps as British Central Africa,
and which includes the Nyasaland Pro-
tectorate and northeastern Rhodesia.
The question chiefly raised by this pro-
test-or it might properly be termed this
official condensing of many protests from
both natives and white settlers-is
whether these game sanctuaries are to be
maintained once they are proved detri-
mental to the development Of Britains
South African possessions. Against the
general policy of game preserves few OBJ
tectIons will be raised. Any man who
wishes TO see beautiful wild things saved
from the advance of civilization and all
who want big game shooting to be still
an attainable sport are likely to wish
we'll to the various local administrations
In their efforts; but the essence of game
preserve Is that 1t must not interfere with
the development of the land
The reserve established in the desert of
today may be In the way of the settler of
tomorrow. Then the forest must either
be transformed or abolished. Game re-
serves near railways OF close to roads or
settlements are both a nuisance and a
danger Beasts of prey, like lions. are
permitted to incyease unchecked. and they
go forth from the sanctuary and take
toll Of the whole neighborhood, besides
killing the milder animals OF the preserve
itself.
No reserve should be within miles of
any human habtati6n or center of in
dustry. Take some OF the larger animals
commonly considered innocuous by the
whites. The hippopotamus, for instance.
is a regular pest TO the natives. The