01x02 - Episode 2

[bunniefuu]

- [Dan] The Zambeze

Delta is a unique area

where the Zambeze

River meets the sea.

There are a variety of habitats

from forests to open floodplain,

historically supporting

an abundance of wildlife.

(film reel clicking)

The Civil w*r decimated

these wildlife habitats

leaving communities behind

with few means of survival.

They turned to poaching

to feed their families,

but unregulated, this

put further pressure

on wildlife populations,

(g*n shot firing)

threatening their

existence entirely.

How might the

hunting model provide

a viable alternative

for local communities?

(dramatic tribal music)

Hunting has become a

controversial practice

in modern times.

My name is Dan Cabela and

I’m traveling the globe

to explore the true impact

that hunting is having on

our remaining wild landscapes.

This practice goes as far back

as human history can remember

but does it have a place

in modern conservation?

(soft music)

(birds chirping)

Coutada 11 is a hunting

concession in Mozambique,

situated in the Zambeze

Delta ecosystem.

I’ve spent a lot of time

this vast ecosystem,

and come to know Mark Haldane

and his operation very well.

When they took over management

of Coutada 11 in the early 90s,

there was almost

no wildlife left.

I’m heading back to Mozambique

to explore what factors have

lead to that success story.

Today, the area has

been restored to its

historic abundance.

(birds chirping)

This turnaround is

an ongoing process,

but it has taken the

better part of 30 years.

(warthog grunting)

Firstly, animal poaching

needed to be dealt with.

Snares needed to be removed,

and poachers needed

to be dealt with.

A sustainable number

animals are allowed to be

routinely harvested each year,

and that quota is

determined scientifically,

and a strict off-take

quota is maintained

for both clients

and the community.

These hunting tags are sold

for large sums of money,

primarily to

international hunters,

and bring revenue

to the concessions,

but there are also

community quotas out there

preserving traditional

rights to the land

and providing meat

for the people.

The largest meat-bearing animal

in the area is the buffalo,

and I head with Mark

to harvest a buffalo

for the community quota.

(helicopter blades whirring)

- [Mark] The first time

I visited here was in ’94

and I fell in love

with the area.

At that time, there about

were a total of 1,200 buffalo

in the whole of the complex,

so it was pretty dismal,

you know?

Today, the Delta is sitting

with 25,000 buffalo.

(helicopter whirring)

(buffalo grunting)

A couple of years ago,

we campaigned government

to give us a community quota,

and that quota is not

a quota that allows

the local community to

go out there and hunt.

It actually allows us

to harvest those animals

for the community and deliver

them to the community.

(calming music)

- [Dan] The buffalo

live deep in the swamps,

so we climb into an old terrain

and we head out into the Delta.

- [Mark] So then

today, as you know,

we’re after the

community buffalo.

Our community gets three tags

from government every year

and specifically for their

own use the entire animal.

So what we are looking for

is a non-trophy animal,

an old bull.

But this is the wettest

year we’ve had since 1994.

So we gonna be in this

from here to the islands.

So you’ll have to be strong.

The only good thing is Ryan,

if he is kind, will

come fetch us there,

won’t make us walk

back again afterwards.

- There’s just a little

island at the top here

where a lot of the old single

Dabwe like to hang out.

You can see the trees

cut in the distance here,

probably about 300 yards to go,

so hopefully it’s

been worth the slog.

(hogs grunting)

Furthest to the left.

(calming music)

(g*nsh*t)

- [Dan] One of the

most important aspects

of taking the life

of an animal, to me,

is the honest sense of

community and connection

that comes from

sharing sustenance

with friends and family

family and those in need.

- [Mark] So what

we are looking for

is a non-trophy

animal, an old bull.

- [Dan] The trackers

expertly quarter the bull

to transport the fresh carcass

for distribution to the

community on the same day.

Nothing goes to waste

in a well-functioning ecosystem.

Vultures pick off the remains,

acting as nature’s

garbage disposal service.

30 tons of meat are distributed

to the community each season.

Traditionally, the Tozo

community would hunt

using Spears or snares to

harvest animals to eat.

But a snare is an

indiscriminate k*ller

and will eliminate whatever

finds itself entangled,

whereas the legal

quota for hunting

set by the Mozambican government

specifies that old males

past their breeding prime

can be harvested in

sustainable numbers.

- [Mark] With this

community quota,

I think the important thing

is our local community

are actually very happy that

we do the hunting for them.

It’s not like they are hunters

that want to get out there

and experience the

thrill of the chase.

They’re more practical.

They do it purely for meat.

We’ve never had a single person

show anything but

gratitude for it.

This is the community spot here

where we deliver the meat.

- [Dan] In order for

conservation to work,

we have to partner

with the community.

So it’s critical to have

that strong relationship.

I’m eager to see how

this whole process works

and how the meat is distributed.

It’s very fulfilling

to play a part in this.

(Knife blades scratching)

- Kaz Antonio is the headman

of this village over here.

So as the headman, he’s

signing to say that

he’s received one

buffalo for his village.

We do it in a formal manner

so that everyone knows

we have a record of who’s

received meat when and where,

and then he will be in charge

of dividing amongst everyone.

(men chatting)

Bush meat trade and bush

meat is as old as time.

Bush meat was a huge part

of the people’s diet.

So by us doing these meat crops,

we are fulfilling what

they’ve done for centuries.

It takes away the need for them

to go and poach,

it’s sustainable.

We’re taking out

a select portion

of the population of wildlife.

The Safari op will benefit,

the wildlife will benefit

and the community will benefit.

(woman speaking

foreign language)

- So, Dan, I think the

meat drop is probably

the most basic part of

our community projects

and over the next

couple of days,

if you’ve got a bit of time,

I’d really like to show

you the rest of them.

- I’d love to see that

- Great.

(clapping)

(background chatter)

- Apart from the

meat distributed to

the local community,

Zambeze Delta Safaris

has also taken on

a number of community projects

to enable the population.

(rooster crowing)

- Okay. So Dan, this is Zach.

Zach is our community

liaison officer.

He heads up all of our

community programs.

The farming, the

beekeeping, the maize mill,

the school, the clinic, he’s

our liaison between community.

Does a darn good job.

Let’s go and have a look

at some of the bees.

- We’ve had some of the

honey, it’s quite good.

- It is good, isn’t it?

About as organic as

you can find anywhere.

So Dan, there you have it.

This is what we call an

African Top Bar hive.

Your brood is in the center

and the honey you harvest

is on the outside.

And we use a combination of

African Top Bar hives like this

and the more modern Langstroth

hives with the frames.

- Zambeze Delta Safaris

has also taken on

a number of community projects

to enable the population.

So Dan, there you have it.

This is what we call an

African Top Bar hive.

- Can you tell us

how it’s beneficial

to the community to

have this this program?

- We give the community a

guaranteed market for the honey.

So basically, every

year when we harvest,

we’ll send the team

around, headed up by Zach,

they’ll harvest the honey.

Each guy’s honey gets

weighed that evening

and is paid out for it.

- How many hives total

do you have here?

- We have a little bit

over 400 at this stage.

Working towards 1000.

What you see here is the

Zambeze Delta community farm.

What you see behind

us here is all rice.

They got a phenomenal

crop last year.

The local farmers here do

all the farming themselves,

except we do the

plowing for them.

Slash-and-burn has

historically been

how the folks in this

region produce their food.

It’s pretty hard

on the environment.

They’ll take a mature

piece of forest,

very often with huge big trees,

way over a 100 years old,

and in October, when we get

our really hot temperatures

and the north wind,

they’ll burn it.

And it kills everything.

Those big 100 year old trees

are k*lled from the

heat of the fire.

So you’re taking a forest

that might have taken

100 years, 200 years to develop,

you’re burning it down and

planting one crop there only.

It’s unsustainable and

we can’t support that.

And hence the importance of

a farming project like this.

- So by bringing the tractor in,

you’re essentially taking

the pressure off the forest?

- That’s exactly it.

- The concession have also shown

that Delta has an

additional tool

to aid in their harvesting.

- So Dan, this is the

community maize mill.

They use it to mill

a bit of everything.

They mill cassava with it, corn

and they make a flour

or a meal out of it

which all forms part of

the staple of their diet.

The crops are

farmed predominantly

by the women in the villages.

So Dan, this is the rice from

our community farming project

and Zach’s one of the

participating farmers as well.

And he harvested in excess

of 60 bags that this year.

- With a crop of rice like this,

the fishing project

and the meat,

I can assure you no-one

goes to bed hungry

in this concession.

- [Dan] As wildlife

populations recover,

poaching also

increased in the area,

and the need grew for

more organized protection.

- [Mark] Now we run, you know,

a pretty large

anti-poaching unit

which is highly successful.

(calming music)

- [Dan] As wildlife

populations recover,

poaching also

increased in the area,

and the need grew for

more organized protection.

Traditionally,

the Tozo community

would hunt using

spears and snares.

- [Mark] We run a pretty

large anti-poaching unit

which is highly successful.

(calming music)

(calming music)

- [Dan] The community needs

to benefit from the operation

and share in the value

that wildlife can create

for this to be sustainable.

After seeing how this

whole operation functions,

I’m left with the

feeling that this model

can be sustained for

generations to come.

Before I head out,

Chief Thozo has

asked if I would like

to join him and his

family to share a meal,

and I am humbled by the offer.

- That sounds great.

This model can be replicated

anywhere where the

primary land use is

hunting across Africa,

while creating incentives

to keep wildlife on the land.