African communities on the front lines of the poaching crisis fight to…
Milking the Rhino
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- Reviews
- Citation
- Cataloging
- Transcript
A ferocious kill on the Serengeti...dire warnings about endangered species...These cliches of nature documentaries ignore a key feature of the landscape: villagers just off-camera, who navigate the dangers and costs of living with wildlife on a daily basis. When seen at all, rural Africans are often depicted as the problem - they poach animals and encroach on habitat, they spoil our myth of wild Africa.
MILKING THE RHINO tells a more nuanced tale of human-wildlife coexistence in post-colonial Africa. The Maasai tribe of Kenya and Namibia's Himba - two of Earth's oldest cattle cultures - are in the midst of upheaval. Emerging from a century of 'white man conservation,' which turned their lands into game reserves and fueled resentment towards wildlife, Himba and Maasai communities are now vying for a piece of the wildlife-tourism pie.
Community-based conservation, which tries to balance the needs of wildlife and people, has been touted by environmentalists as 'win-win.' The reality is more complex. 'We never used to benefit from these animals,' a Maasai host of a community eco-lodge explains. 'Now we milk them like cattle!' His neighbor disagrees: 'A rhino means nothing to me! I can't kill it for meat like a cow.' And when drought decimates the grass shared by livestock and wildlife, the community's commitment to conservation is sorely tested.
Charting the collision of ancient ways with Western expectations, MILKING THE RHINO tells intimate, hopeful and heartbreaking stories of people facing deep cultural change.
'A wonderful, descriptive documentary, often perceptive and subtle, of the continuing conservation saga to create and sustain portions of the African landscape for both those who live there as well as those who just pass through. Milking the Rhino portrays aspects of these multi-faceted complex engagements between current proponents of tourist oriented activities and rural residents. The scenes allow the viewer to grasp the depths of competing life-styles, the devastating impacts of droughts upon rural economics and welfare, the meanings and interpretations of 'others' and their ways, differences in the significance attached to various mammals, the many ways that distrust and history reveal their pasts, the importance of rain and grass, the omnipresence of flies, hunting and the ways we learn about nature and from whom--as well as many more insights into different ideas and behavior.' Dr. Stuart A. Marks, Independent Scholar, Author, Large Mammals and a Brave People: Subsistence Hunters in Zambia, The Imperial Lion: Human Dimensions of Wildlife Management in Central Africa, and other volumes on nature and people
'I have worked in Kenya on these very issues for many years now, and this film really captures so much of the tension surrounding conservation...[It is] insightful and visually captivating...We see and hear about some of the ways in which rural people are trying to come to terms with increasing demands on land, animals (wild and domestic), and their own ideas of culture and acceptable employment...Not everyone agrees on what forms conservation should take and how benefits should accrue, and the film does not shy away from these tensions. Milking the Rhino is an honest and educational film that shows how some people are trying to make conservation work in Kenya and Namibia.' Dr. Jennifer Coffman, Associate Executive Director, Office of International Programs, James Madison University
'Must see viewing for those practicing conservation or ecotourism in Africa. Milking the Rhino brings the diverse and authentic voices of Africans to a broader audience. The film enlightens the debate around conservation practices in developing countries and illustrates the challenges and opportunities of community based conservation in a rapidly changing world.' Len Broberg, Director, Environmental Studies Program, University of Montana
'Milking the Rhino tells the fascinating story of a relatively recent development in African conservation: the community conservancy...The task of conserving wildlife on a continent still struggling with widespread poverty, developing government infrastructure, and growing human populations is a formidable challenge. Thinking outside the box will be the key, and the community conservancy concept as portrayed in this excellent film is at the cutting edge. As the film so aptly portrays, the conservancy concept is not without its problems or controversies, and its long-term success will still need to be objectively evaluated. However, it is an excellent example of how we must begin to better incorporate the human dimension into our evolving approaches to modern wildlife conservation.' Dr. Michael Hutchins, Executive Director/CEO, The Wildlife Society, Adjunct Associate Professor, Graduate Program in Conservation Biology and Sustainable Development, University of Maryland, Former Chair, Bushmeat Crisis Task Force
'Is ecotourism a viable strategy for wildlife conservation in Africa? Milking the Rhino asks the question directly to the people most affected by wildlife. What is it like to have an elephant destroy your most essential annual crop? How does it feel to have dangerous animals--animals that can and do kill people--living in close proximity? Do the tangible benefits of ecotourism compensate for increased populations of wildlife? Milking the Rhino provides a firsthand look at the highly nuanced and conflicting perspectives of people working both to make a living off the land and to maintain their traditional cultures. Be it elephants, tigers, mountain lions, or polar bears, the human dilemma remains the same: How can we use the land without losing its full panoply of species--including those that pose a direct threat to human welfare? Milking the Rhino asks all the right questions, showing us just how much is at stake for both people and biodiversity--but ultimately letting the viewers decide for themselves.' Dr. Charles C. Chester, Author, Conservation Across Borders: Biodiversity in an Interdependent World
'Milking the Rhino is a thought-provoking documentary which discusses the rise of commercial wildlife conservation efforts among rural communities in Kenya and Namibia...Like any great documentary, Milking the Rhino not only informs the viewer but leaves the viewer raising additional questions. What are the long and short term prospects and consequences of pursuing conservancy, for the land, the wildlife, and the existing culture? Who are and who ought to be the key players involved in the conservation process, and what competing agendas are at stake? Milking the Rhino offers an insightful look at the realities of conservation in Africa, and serves as a powerful base of knowledge from which to further examine these issues.' Muna Ndulo, Professor of Law, Cornell Law School, Director, Institute for African Development, Cornell University, Honorary Professor of Law, Cape Town University
'Enables the viewer to understand the connections between pre-colonial, colonial and post-independence policies and practices on hunting and preservation and their impact on society and culture from the perspective of those that experienced it or are involved in it (e.g. local community leaders, elders, and NGO workers), rather than from an outsider's point of view of how all of these interrelate. The relationship of colonialism and the challenges faced by these communities further resonates with the ongoing contemporary discussions in the development, conflict and environmental fields - to name a few - on whether solutions to African problems should be imposed based on Western models or worked out locally, how and by whom.' Aniuska Luna, African Peace and Conflict Network
'Highly Recommended...A concise comprehensive look at successful conservation efforts that are African led. It explores multiple issues - environmental conservation, community development, cultural anthropology, African history and politics, tourism and ecotourism. It provides a balanced picture of the issues and concerns and how they are being worked out. It is a story of hope and forgiveness, of people moving beyond the past and working together to build a sustainable future.' Janis Tyhurst, George Fox University, Educational Media Reviews Online
'Does an excellent job of describing how indigenous groups, represented by the Maasai and Himbi subjects in the field, deal with external limits to their own use of natural resources in their local area...I would recommend that instructors use this movie in courses which pertain to ecological, environmental and applied anthropology topics...Anthropologists who go to work with NGOs will benefit greatly from this film since it presents the conflicts that are born when global conservationism meets local survival.' Troy Belford, Anthropology Review Database
'Raising troubling questions about the daily realities of living in this difficult environment, this powerful documentary offers a distinctive perspective that is miles removed from the popular 'wild Africa' documentaries which celebrate animals while virtually ignoring the people...Highly recommended.' Video Librarian
'Community-based conservation ostensibly gives local people a stake in green tourism to help preserve wilderness and wildlife. The hopeful documentary Milking the Rhino finds two traditional African communities sorting out the somewhat stickier realities.' Utne Reader
'People who associate Africa only with jungles filled with wild animals are forgetting the people there who are trying to make a living raising crops or livestock...[A] beautiful film...Recommended for most libraries.' Library Journal
'In many typical documentaries about Africa, one sees pictures of plentiful, undisrupted, and magnificent wildlife; however, as this film is unique in discussing, if the camera person would just turn around, he or she would see a world where people are not only privileged to have wildlife live around them, but forced to pay a price for living with it...[Milking the Rhino] is worth the watch for those new to the conservation techniques in Africa, proving conservation is possible everywhere in the world.' Kristie Ann Conklin, DePaul University, Environmental Practice
'Offers hope based not in platitudes but in practical solutions.' Time Out Chicago
'A common theme in Kartemquin docs is that making a living is a political matter. Simpson skillfully adapts that perspective to rural Africa, where investing in wildlife links the Masai and others to the new globalism.' Chicago Sun-Times
'Fascinating, often beautiful...* * * * ' Chicago Tribune
'Milking the Rhino represents refreshingly optimistic fare...impresses throughout.' Variety
'David E. Simpson balances all sides of the argument, giving equal play to the emaciated cattle and the tenuous transfer of a black rhino, while generating impassioned and articulate discourse from all of his interview subjects.' EyeWeekly.com
'Fresh and ultimately fascinating...A worthy film and a rare peek into a world most of us will never know.' Metro
'Director David E. Simpson takes care to consider multiple sides of the story, balancing respect for cultural traditions with an appreciation of commercial progress and a compulsion to tell the story and to comment on the history of African nature documentaries at large.' Independent Weekly
Citation
Main credits
Simpson, David E. (screenwriter)
Simpson, David E. (film director)
Simpson, David E. (film producer)
Bukusi, Munyikombo (narrator)
Other credits
Photography, Jason Longo; original music, Mark Bandy; editor, David E. Simpson.
Distributor subjects
African Studies; Animal Rights; Animals; Anthropology; Biodiversity; Business Practices; Community; Conflict Resolution; Conservation; Developing World; Economics; Endangered Species; Environment; Environmental Ethics; Geography; Globalization; Habitat; Human Rights; Humanities; Indigenous Peoples; International Studies; Life Science; Local Economies; Marketing and Advertising; Multicultural Studies; Poverty; Social Justice; Sociology; Sustainable Development; Urban Studies; WildlifeKeywords
WEBVTT
00:00:11.999 --> 00:00:15.250
[birds chirping]
00:00:15.750 --> 00:00:18.417
[man speaking foreign language]
00:00:57.583 --> 00:01:01.040
[men singing
in foreign language]
00:01:01.041 --> 00:01:09.041
♪ ♪
00:01:48.250 --> 00:01:48.959
[bluesy music]
00:01:48.960 --> 00:01:51.332
[man singing
in foreign language]
00:01:51.333 --> 00:01:59.333
♪ ♪
00:02:08.999 --> 00:02:13.082
(male narrator)
Meru, like many towns
in rural Africa,
00:02:13.083 --> 00:02:17.958
sits on a border
between two worlds.
00:02:17.959 --> 00:02:19.207
There\"s the forest.
00:02:19.208 --> 00:02:26.374
♪ ♪
00:02:26.375 --> 00:02:30.624
And then there are people
trying to make a living.
00:02:30.625 --> 00:02:33.124
(Iqunwa)
When did
the elephants come out?
00:02:33.125 --> 00:02:34.541
[speaks foreign language]
00:02:34.542 --> 00:02:35.666
Last night?
00:02:35.667 --> 00:02:36.458
Because of the drought,
00:02:36.459 --> 00:02:41.457
we have more elephants
in this forest than normal.
00:02:41.458 --> 00:02:45.040
They know there is
food crops to eat.
00:02:45.041 --> 00:02:48.499
You know, maize and potatoes
are a real delicacy.
00:02:48.500 --> 00:02:51.332
Now, this is a print,
quite a big one.
00:02:51.333 --> 00:02:55.040
This is a big bull, you know,
maybe eight tons.
00:02:55.041 --> 00:03:00.624
Big one there, big one there,
big print there, all over.
00:03:00.625 --> 00:03:01.250
You know, prints.
00:03:01.251 --> 00:03:06.582
This one must have had what they
wanted to eat high up there,
00:03:06.583 --> 00:03:08.499
so they just pushed it.
00:03:08.500 --> 00:03:10.083
Whaa.
00:03:21.999 --> 00:03:25.998
(man)
You can use arrows, spears,
00:03:25.999 --> 00:03:27.999
poison arrows.
00:03:28.000 --> 00:03:29.667
Poisoned spears.
00:03:35.875 --> 00:03:36.998
Do you want to tell the warden
00:03:36.999 --> 00:03:40.667
that you will kill
the elephants?
00:03:42.959 --> 00:03:45.999
So there are people
whose school of thought is,
00:03:46.000 --> 00:03:47.249
get rid of the elephants,
00:03:47.250 --> 00:03:50.998
and worse still,
get rid of the forest,
00:03:50.999 --> 00:03:55.125
because it\"s a forest
that harbors the elephants.
00:03:57.083 --> 00:03:58.624
(narrator)
For centuries,
00:03:58.625 --> 00:03:59.583
people and wild animals
00:03:59.584 --> 00:04:04.083
have struggled
to share this land.
00:04:06.583 --> 00:04:07.250
But James Ole Kinyaga
00:04:07.251 --> 00:04:12.999
has a different vision
for the road ahead.
00:04:20.625 --> 00:04:23.998
If only he can persuade
his community
00:04:23.999 --> 00:04:26.375
to come along with him.
00:05:13.959 --> 00:05:16.374
We are really proud
of our culture.
00:05:16.375 --> 00:05:19.541
[people chanting]
00:05:19.542 --> 00:05:23.999
♪ ♪
00:06:00.999 --> 00:06:03.458
And the place is very busy.
00:06:09.000 --> 00:06:12.998
(narrator)
James is the host
of the Il Ngwesi Lodge,
00:06:12.999 --> 00:06:14.998
which he and others
in the community
00:06:14.999 --> 00:06:19.542
built a dozen years ago
from local materials.
00:06:35.625 --> 00:06:38.998
And this wildlife,
they can survive, you know,
00:06:38.999 --> 00:06:40.375
in anywhere, yeah?
00:06:46.041 --> 00:06:49.542
[water splashes]
00:07:02.083 --> 00:07:05.708
[all singing
in foreign language]
00:07:05.709 --> 00:07:13.709
♪ ♪
00:08:22.250 --> 00:08:24.750
[laughter]
00:09:19.999 --> 00:09:24.416
(narrator)
The Maasai are one of the oldest
cattle cultures on Earth,
00:09:24.417 --> 00:09:30.207
and wild animals compete
with cattle for grazing,
00:09:30.208 --> 00:09:31.499
which is why the decision
00:09:31.500 --> 00:09:34.457
the Il Ngwesi community made
a decade ago
00:09:34.458 --> 00:09:37.207
still stirs debate.
00:09:37.208 --> 00:09:41.582
They set aside 80%
of their pastureland
00:09:41.583 --> 00:09:44.500
for conservation.
00:09:55.959 --> 00:10:00.709
Since we started this project...
00:10:15.083 --> 00:10:18.998
(Nteere)
It was not easy to agree
to build a lodge.
00:10:18.999 --> 00:10:20.624
We couldn\"t understand,
\"Why conserve?
00:10:20.625 --> 00:10:24.708
How are we going to benefit
from conservation?\"
00:10:24.709 --> 00:10:29.290
The thing is, there wasn\"t
another lodge which is,
00:10:29.291 --> 00:10:32.207
you know, like Il Ngwesi
that I would say,
00:10:32.208 --> 00:10:34.332
\"Yes, that\"s where
we\"re going to.\"
00:10:34.333 --> 00:10:36.499
[water splashing]
00:10:36.500 --> 00:10:40.124
We didn\"t know anything
about tourism.
00:10:40.125 --> 00:10:41.749
We didn\"t know how to run it.
00:10:41.750 --> 00:10:42.874
I tell you, when we started,
00:10:42.875 --> 00:10:47.165
I couldn\"t tell
a white lady or a man.
00:10:47.166 --> 00:10:49.040
Whenever they are sitting,
they are not speaking,
00:10:49.041 --> 00:10:53.709
and if he have shaved,
I couldn\"t tell the difference.
00:11:12.875 --> 00:11:13.998
(Nteere)
Guests would come here,
00:11:13.999 --> 00:11:15.582
and they tell us
what they want us to do,
00:11:15.583 --> 00:11:18.374
because we didn\"t know
what to do with them.
00:11:18.375 --> 00:11:22.207
If there was a party somewhere,
we could just go.
00:11:22.208 --> 00:11:23.874
We didn\"t know why be there.
00:11:23.875 --> 00:11:25.124
They can help themselves.
00:11:25.125 --> 00:11:26.749
[man laughs]
00:11:26.750 --> 00:11:30.791
It\"s not Maasai way of life
that a man would go
00:11:30.792 --> 00:11:33.499
and cook for women.
00:11:33.500 --> 00:11:34.500
(woman)
What is on the menu?
00:11:34.501 --> 00:11:36.040
What are we going to have
for breakfast?
00:11:36.041 --> 00:11:40.083
(Nteere)
That was totally
against our culture.
00:11:52.333 --> 00:11:54.374
[laughter]
00:11:54.375 --> 00:11:56.165
(Nteere)
We learned what a menu is
00:11:56.166 --> 00:12:00.998
and what is supposed to go
with what.
00:12:00.999 --> 00:12:02.833
And now if we plan a menu,
00:12:02.834 --> 00:12:04.998
we have to know
how much it costs.
00:12:04.999 --> 00:12:05.999
What are we getting?
00:12:06.000 --> 00:12:08.874
What\"s the balance?
00:12:08.875 --> 00:12:10.667
Bon appetit.
00:12:32.875 --> 00:12:35.791
[speaking foreign language]
00:12:35.792 --> 00:12:37.249
So we need to hold
that lodge very well
00:12:37.250 --> 00:12:40.999
and also take care
of the wildlife that we have.
00:12:53.291 --> 00:12:56.374
[all singing]
00:12:56.375 --> 00:12:57.457
♪ ♪
00:12:57.458 --> 00:12:59.916
(narrator)
Il Ngwesi\"s gamble
00:12:59.917 --> 00:13:00.998
that wildlife and tourism
00:13:00.999 --> 00:13:04.541
will benefit this community
more than they disrupt it
00:13:04.542 --> 00:13:09.999
is a wager being made
in rural cultures across Africa.
00:13:12.999 --> 00:13:14.999
With land becoming scarcer
00:13:15.000 --> 00:13:16.998
and development needs greater,
00:13:16.999 --> 00:13:21.207
Africa\"s attempts
at community conservation
00:13:21.208 --> 00:13:22.916
are the end game
00:13:22.917 --> 00:13:26.165
in a long,
often troubled history
00:13:26.166 --> 00:13:28.998
of wildlife and people.
00:13:28.999 --> 00:13:31.998
[joyous singing]
00:13:31.999 --> 00:13:39.999
♪ ♪
00:14:03.250 --> 00:14:07.332
Half a continent away from Kenya
is another village
00:14:07.333 --> 00:14:10.500
where life revolves
around cattle.
00:14:19.999 --> 00:14:24.499
In the Marienfluss Valley,
drought, war, and poaching
00:14:24.500 --> 00:14:30.749
decimated wildlife in the 1980s.
00:14:30.750 --> 00:14:36.125
Now it\"s back.
00:14:57.083 --> 00:14:59.998
We are going to the new village,
00:14:59.999 --> 00:15:04.998
the new settlement just
in the middle of the valley.
00:15:04.999 --> 00:15:06.124
I did many things in this area
00:15:06.125 --> 00:15:09.666
with the communities actually
to prepare them to form
00:15:09.667 --> 00:15:12.374
what is now conservancies.
00:15:12.375 --> 00:15:13.083
And then what I\"m doing,
00:15:13.084 --> 00:15:16.875
I\"m now focusing on
the enterprise development.
00:15:17.999 --> 00:15:21.124
(narrator)
John Kasaona\"s
non-governmental organization
00:15:21.125 --> 00:15:26.916
helped this community develop
a campsite on the Kunene River.
00:15:26.917 --> 00:15:29.374
[both speaking French]
00:15:29.375 --> 00:15:33.541
(narrator)
Its popularity with tourists
who come for the wildlife
00:15:33.542 --> 00:15:39.999
is showing local people
that conservation can pay.
00:15:40.000 --> 00:15:43.166
But with profits come problems.
00:15:52.417 --> 00:15:54.083
[laughter]
00:15:55.542 --> 00:15:58.582
(narrator)
The community has used money
from the campground
00:15:58.583 --> 00:16:02.624
to bore a water hole
for livestock.
00:16:02.625 --> 00:16:05.041
And there\"s talk
of a second one.
00:16:08.959 --> 00:16:11.082
The Himba families
in this valley
00:16:11.083 --> 00:16:13.998
traditionally move camp
every few months
00:16:13.999 --> 00:16:18.916
to follow water and pasture.
00:16:18.917 --> 00:16:20.958
But the easy water at the pump
00:16:20.959 --> 00:16:22.207
has caused people
and their cattle
00:16:22.208 --> 00:16:26.583
to stay put in the center
of the valley.
00:16:42.208 --> 00:16:42.999
It doesn\"t have roots.
00:16:43.000 --> 00:16:45.666
I mean, the moment the cattle
put their tongue around it,
00:16:45.667 --> 00:16:48.208
they just pull
the whole thing out.
00:17:29.667 --> 00:17:31.708
Then it\"s very easy
for that somebody
00:17:31.709 --> 00:17:34.333
to convince the next person.
00:18:04.458 --> 00:18:07.874
[people singing and clapping]
00:18:07.875 --> 00:18:10.999
♪ ♪
00:18:54.667 --> 00:18:58.207
[woman singing joyously
in foreign language]
00:18:58.208 --> 00:19:06.208
♪ ♪
00:19:10.208 --> 00:19:12.582
(narrator)
John\"s troubleshooting takes him
00:19:12.583 --> 00:19:16.416
to another part
of Marienfluss Valley.
00:19:16.417 --> 00:19:17.000
The Himba residents here
00:19:17.001 --> 00:19:20.998
have yet to gain the capacity
to run their own lodge
00:19:20.999 --> 00:19:24.998
like the Maasai at Il Ngwesi.
00:19:24.999 --> 00:19:29.916
So John helped the conservancy
strike a deal.
00:19:29.917 --> 00:19:31.916
An exclusive lodge
on the Kunene River
00:19:31.917 --> 00:19:35.998
is paying 8% of its profit
to the conservancy
00:19:35.999 --> 00:19:40.998
in exchange for operating
on communal land,
00:19:40.999 --> 00:19:44.332
but there are strings attached,
00:19:44.333 --> 00:19:49.250
and the local village
is not happy.
00:20:57.000 --> 00:21:02.208
(Staltmeier)
We want to give the guests here
a wilderness experience...
00:21:05.999 --> 00:21:07.457
But at the same time give them
00:21:07.458 --> 00:21:11.333
a comfortable bed
and edible food.
00:21:12.542 --> 00:21:15.541
So it\"s not about total luxury.
00:21:15.542 --> 00:21:21.999
It\"s just a certain level
of comfort.
00:22:23.999 --> 00:22:27.333
[engine revving]
00:22:37.166 --> 00:22:39.082
You know what I mean.
00:22:39.083 --> 00:22:41.874
Well, I don\"t know
what you\"re talking about
00:22:41.875 --> 00:22:42.500
in those meetings,
00:22:42.501 --> 00:22:45.791
but I just know that I\"ve had
so many conversations
00:22:45.792 --> 00:22:48.833
with the Himbas
to try to make them understand
00:22:48.834 --> 00:22:50.666
what people hope to find there,
00:22:50.667 --> 00:22:54.249
what the tourists we bring there
hope to find there.
00:22:54.250 --> 00:22:55.332
[engine cranking]
00:22:55.333 --> 00:22:57.207
Are we all in?
00:22:57.208 --> 00:23:00.791
Bye.
00:23:00.792 --> 00:23:03.457
(Staltmeier)
Guests coming to this part
of the world,
00:23:03.458 --> 00:23:07.625
they\"ve got a certain picture
in their head already.
00:23:11.208 --> 00:23:17.416
They want to discover
a really remote place.
00:23:17.417 --> 00:23:18.291
And it\"s not a nice feeling
00:23:18.292 --> 00:23:20.999
when you\"ve traveled all the way
around the world,
00:23:21.000 --> 00:23:22.416
and then you clearly can see
00:23:22.417 --> 00:23:26.207
that 700 people
have been there before you,
00:23:26.208 --> 00:23:30.666
and they all left
a mark on the place.
00:23:30.667 --> 00:23:32.749
So of course we try
to give the people
00:23:32.750 --> 00:23:35.583
the experience
they are looking for.
00:23:37.999 --> 00:23:40.165
(man)
Welcome to the Himba village.
00:23:40.166 --> 00:23:41.999
(woman)
Can I ask you a question?
00:23:42.000 --> 00:23:42.917
Yeah.
00:23:42.918 --> 00:23:44.791
We brought ballpoint pens.
00:23:44.792 --> 00:23:45.998
Can we give it to the children?
00:23:45.999 --> 00:23:48.290
Will they know
what to do with it?
00:23:48.291 --> 00:23:50.749
(man)
Let\"s try them.
00:23:50.750 --> 00:23:51.999
(Staltmeier)
So we got the agreement
00:23:52.000 --> 00:23:55.290
that when we bring people
to Outapi,
00:23:55.291 --> 00:23:57.582
the first thing is not buying
curios at the market,
00:23:57.583 --> 00:24:02.791
but that the people should get
the chance to speak to Oma,
00:24:02.792 --> 00:24:05.291
to see how she\"s
actually living.
00:24:07.999 --> 00:24:10.999
Greeting the African woman
that live in this life,
00:24:11.000 --> 00:24:12.916
you can always shake hands.
00:24:12.917 --> 00:24:15.333
Feel comfortable, please.
00:24:21.333 --> 00:24:24.082
(Staltmeier)
And it\"s for me
the most amazing thing
00:24:24.083 --> 00:24:27.791
what people coming
from Europe or America,
00:24:27.792 --> 00:24:31.792
proper communication
is possible there.
00:24:35.999 --> 00:24:38.708
(Staltmeier)
But it\"s always
really off-putting
00:24:38.709 --> 00:24:39.998
when they approach
the Himba village,
00:24:39.999 --> 00:24:43.249
and then they see already
this whole strip of curios,
00:24:43.250 --> 00:24:45.374
and now they are meant
to buy something.
00:24:45.375 --> 00:24:48.833
You want a real experience,
you know?
00:24:48.834 --> 00:24:51.750
You don\"t just want a set-up.
00:24:57.542 --> 00:24:59.958
I mean, these people are here
to make a living.
00:24:59.959 --> 00:25:04.916
They\"re just lacking
some means to survive.
00:25:04.917 --> 00:25:06.998
Let them sell what they have.
00:25:06.999 --> 00:25:08.958
This is my feeling.
00:25:08.959 --> 00:25:11.791
I think there is
nothing wrong with it.
00:25:11.792 --> 00:25:12.667
I\"m not against the buying.
00:25:12.668 --> 00:25:15.998
I\"m against making
the whole Himba village
00:25:15.999 --> 00:25:17.249
just a curio shop.
00:25:17.250 --> 00:25:18.998
You know,
it\"s not tourists anymore
00:25:18.999 --> 00:25:22.499
like you\"ve got them
15 years ago or so.
00:25:22.500 --> 00:25:26.708
I mean, it\"s now travelers,
people who have been
00:25:26.709 --> 00:25:27.958
almost all over the world.
00:25:27.959 --> 00:25:30.998
And they\"ve seen
Maasai villages,
00:25:30.999 --> 00:25:31.999
and they have seen something
00:25:32.000 --> 00:25:35.082
in Papua New Guinea
or something.
00:25:35.083 --> 00:25:37.457
And when it feels like a setup,
00:25:37.458 --> 00:25:39.165
then they don\"t want
to go there.
00:25:39.166 --> 00:25:41.207
And so at the end of the day,
00:25:41.208 --> 00:25:43.625
the Himbas will lose out.
00:25:44.333 --> 00:25:45.208
Be there first.
00:25:45.209 --> 00:25:47.416
Be with the people.
00:25:47.417 --> 00:25:50.499
And then throw
all the curios out.
00:25:50.500 --> 00:25:53.667
And then I promise you,
the people will buy more.
00:25:59.625 --> 00:26:02.375
Yes, but I think they can do
with some advice.
00:26:10.250 --> 00:26:11.874
We don\"t want the Himbas
00:26:11.875 --> 00:26:13.958
to make up a show
or do something
00:26:13.959 --> 00:26:15.998
what they wouldn\"t do
without the guests.
00:26:15.999 --> 00:26:17.290
This is how they are.
00:26:17.291 --> 00:26:17.875
Yeah.
00:26:17.876 --> 00:26:19.999
We want to show them
exactly how they are.
00:26:20.000 --> 00:26:21.624
And there\"s nothing
wrong with it.
00:26:21.625 --> 00:26:23.541
Yes, there is nothing
wrong with it.
00:26:23.542 --> 00:26:25.499
Okay, that\"s good.
00:26:25.500 --> 00:26:26.582
[laughter]
00:26:26.583 --> 00:26:27.874
Yeah.
00:26:27.875 --> 00:26:31.290
[woman singing
in foreign language]
00:26:31.291 --> 00:26:39.291
♪ ♪
00:27:01.417 --> 00:27:04.083
To make sure
that the area is safe.
00:27:11.458 --> 00:27:14.791
(narrator)
The Il Ngwesi community
trains and deploys
00:27:14.792 --> 00:27:16.749
its own game rangers
00:27:16.750 --> 00:27:21.999
to monitor wildlife
and to ward off poachers.
00:28:48.375 --> 00:28:51.998
(narrator)
Lack of rain has led
the young warriors
00:28:51.999 --> 00:28:55.249
to begin cutting fences
and grazing cattle
00:28:55.250 --> 00:28:59.208
on a white neighbor\"s ranch.
00:29:08.500 --> 00:29:11.958
(narrator)
The situation worries
the elders.
00:29:11.959 --> 00:29:14.124
Before the switch
to conservation,
00:29:14.125 --> 00:29:17.998
relations with their neighbors
were fraught with conflict
00:29:17.999 --> 00:29:20.999
over cattle and land.
00:29:44.208 --> 00:29:47.875
[airplane engine roars]
00:29:48.875 --> 00:29:50.332
(narrator)
The worst of the problems
00:29:50.333 --> 00:29:53.040
were with
a third-generation Kenyan
00:29:53.041 --> 00:29:54.999
named Ian Craig.
00:29:56.125 --> 00:29:59.458
Craig\"s ranch borders Il Ngwesi.
00:29:59.625 --> 00:30:02.374
During drought,
young men from Il Ngwesi
00:30:02.375 --> 00:30:05.998
would steal grass
and cattle from Craig.
00:30:05.999 --> 00:30:08.916
You can see the difference
between our land and his land,
00:30:08.917 --> 00:30:11.708
because his land has lots
of long grass,
00:30:11.709 --> 00:30:14.874
and we are always there
trying to get grass.
00:30:14.875 --> 00:30:18.082
And he started by building
a fence using the rocks,
00:30:18.083 --> 00:30:20.374
and then we could go
and remove them
00:30:20.375 --> 00:30:23.999
and get the cattle in.
00:30:24.999 --> 00:30:28.624
(Craig)
You know, the relationship
was pretty aggressive.
00:30:28.625 --> 00:30:30.499
Everything was based
on livestock.
00:30:30.500 --> 00:30:32.457
So, you know,
there was illegal grazing.
00:30:32.458 --> 00:30:33.499
We were arresting people.
00:30:33.500 --> 00:30:35.499
People would...
They would burn grass.
00:30:35.500 --> 00:30:39.165
We would, you know, retaliate,
arrest people.
00:30:39.166 --> 00:30:39.917
It wasn\"t great.
00:30:39.918 --> 00:30:43.416
There was a lot of stock theft,
cattle being stolen at night,
00:30:43.417 --> 00:30:45.999
people being killed,
people being injured.
00:30:46.000 --> 00:30:49.875
And it was all
our direct neighbors.
00:30:51.375 --> 00:30:52.541
(narrator)
By the 1980s,
00:30:52.542 --> 00:30:54.998
Craig had begun converting
his cattle ranch,
00:30:54.999 --> 00:30:58.416
Lewa, into a game preserve
00:30:58.417 --> 00:31:02.249
and was running
a small tourist camp.
00:31:02.250 --> 00:31:03.998
It had a view of Mount Kenya
00:31:03.999 --> 00:31:06.666
and a new attraction:
00:31:06.667 --> 00:31:08.998
a group of endangered rhino.
00:31:08.999 --> 00:31:11.165
(Craig)
We had a fence
that kept people out,
00:31:11.166 --> 00:31:14.624
a barrier to keep wildlife in,
and people on the ground,
00:31:14.625 --> 00:31:17.457
surveillance, recording,
aircraft, good communications,
00:31:17.458 --> 00:31:19.708
the capacity to respond
to any poaching incident.
00:31:19.709 --> 00:31:22.416
We were spending
an enormous amount of money
00:31:22.417 --> 00:31:25.082
on protecting these rhino.
00:31:25.083 --> 00:31:28.998
And it sort of evolved
as a commonsense progression
00:31:28.999 --> 00:31:31.457
that by bringing Il Ngwesi
closer to Lewa,
00:31:31.458 --> 00:31:33.791
the first thing, it was going
to reduce my security costs,
00:31:33.792 --> 00:31:36.916
because I could leave that whole
sector for them to look after.
00:31:36.917 --> 00:31:39.499
Conservation was starting
to work for Lewa.
00:31:39.500 --> 00:31:40.998
The economy of Lewa
was changing.
00:31:40.999 --> 00:31:44.916
There\"s tourism coming in.
00:31:44.917 --> 00:31:47.999
You know, why couldn\"t this work
at Il Ngwesi?
00:32:30.500 --> 00:32:32.833
I\"m so proud
to run this place today.
00:32:32.834 --> 00:32:36.249
But back then, I was leading
a group of young people
00:32:36.250 --> 00:32:38.998
who were totally
against the idea
00:32:38.999 --> 00:32:45.541
simply because Ian, again,
is a white man,
00:32:45.542 --> 00:32:46.417
and I went to school,
00:32:46.418 --> 00:32:50.998
and I learned that white men
are the people
00:32:50.999 --> 00:32:52.999
who colonized the country.
00:32:53.000 --> 00:32:57.457
And I got
some negative information
00:32:57.458 --> 00:32:59.792
about the conservation idea.
00:33:01.375 --> 00:33:04.124
(male narrator)
Forget for a moment
any controversy
00:33:04.125 --> 00:33:04.999
there is about Rhodesia,
00:33:05.000 --> 00:33:06.874
and see it as
an exciting holiday land
00:33:06.875 --> 00:33:10.999
where patrol boats watch over
the game reserves.
00:33:11.709 --> 00:33:13.582
(Gichohi)
The first white person
came to Africa.
00:33:13.583 --> 00:33:19.998
They found these vast open areas
with vast numbers of wildlife.
00:33:19.999 --> 00:33:21.998
You know, I can imagine
the first time
00:33:21.999 --> 00:33:23.708
somebody saw the Serengeti,
00:33:23.709 --> 00:33:26.791
you know,
the splendor of this open space.
00:33:26.792 --> 00:33:29.582
And I believe that\"s where
the myth comes from,
00:33:29.583 --> 00:33:34.792
the myth of wild Africa,
an unspoiled Eden.
00:33:37.792 --> 00:33:40.998
(Magome)
The public
in the developed world,
00:33:40.999 --> 00:33:44.833
when they turn
to National Geographic,
00:33:44.834 --> 00:33:47.998
they see
the migrating wildebeest.
00:33:47.999 --> 00:33:51.499
And they see the lions
following them.
00:33:51.500 --> 00:33:54.998
And they see the crocs
taking a few.
00:33:54.999 --> 00:33:56.082
And they say, \"Wow.
00:33:56.083 --> 00:34:01.708
\"There is a place
where there is only wildlife
00:34:01.709 --> 00:34:04.582
\"getting on
with business as usual
00:34:04.583 --> 00:34:10.125
and with no interference
except from the cameramen.\"
00:34:10.792 --> 00:34:14.457
The reality is that if you
just turn the camera around,
00:34:14.458 --> 00:34:21.291
you have people that live
just next to this wildlife.
00:34:22.999 --> 00:34:24.916
(Gichohi)
In the pre-colonial period,
00:34:24.917 --> 00:34:28.124
many of the pastoral communities
such as the Maasai
00:34:28.125 --> 00:34:32.457
relied on wildlife
as a second cattle.
00:34:32.458 --> 00:34:34.833
It was a fallback resource.
00:34:34.834 --> 00:34:37.457
They hunted,
but you\"re talking about
00:34:37.458 --> 00:34:41.625
hunting with spears and arrows.
00:34:42.375 --> 00:34:45.250
The colonizers arrived
in Africa.
00:34:47.041 --> 00:34:50.998
They brought with them
new tools for hunting.
00:34:50.999 --> 00:34:56.458
[gunshots]
00:34:59.166 --> 00:35:04.416
And they began to allocate land,
land for ranching,
00:35:04.417 --> 00:35:08.999
for agriculture.
00:35:24.709 --> 00:35:26.874
(Gichohi)
The colonizers became
the big hunters.
00:35:26.875 --> 00:35:29.916
They became the people who
developed the tourism safaris.
00:35:29.917 --> 00:35:32.999
They took over
the management of wildlife.
00:35:35.917 --> 00:35:39.207
Eventually what you had was
the late \"30s, early\" 40s,
00:35:39.208 --> 00:35:43.290
the movement to create
national parks.
00:35:43.291 --> 00:35:46.666
(male narrator)
Pleasant accommodation
in the Kruger National Park
00:35:46.667 --> 00:35:49.749
makes it possible
to spend fulfilling days
00:35:49.750 --> 00:35:52.998
in this vast game reserve.
00:35:52.999 --> 00:35:56.998
(Gichohi)
When they started to set up
national parks,
00:35:56.999 --> 00:35:58.082
in all instances,
00:35:58.083 --> 00:36:00.917
there were people
living in those areas.
00:36:02.041 --> 00:36:04.998
(male narrator)
The squatters
appointed spokesmen.
00:36:04.999 --> 00:36:06.998
Some put their case
in the traditional way
00:36:06.999 --> 00:36:09.290
with dignity and courtesy.
00:36:09.291 --> 00:36:11.998
Others argued hotly
in the new way.
00:36:11.999 --> 00:36:14.998
These newcomers insisted
on ignoring the boundary.
00:36:14.999 --> 00:36:16.582
(Gichohi)
There was a particular area
00:36:16.583 --> 00:36:18.374
that was desirable
as a national park.
00:36:18.375 --> 00:36:21.499
And you just moved people
to make way.
00:36:21.500 --> 00:36:24.582
(narrator)
Finally an offer was made
to the squatters
00:36:24.583 --> 00:36:26.749
of land away
from the game reserve
00:36:26.750 --> 00:36:27.709
with free transportation
00:36:27.710 --> 00:36:30.166
of household possessions
and cattle.
00:36:30.999 --> 00:36:31.999
The offer was accepted,
00:36:32.000 --> 00:36:35.917
and now the boundary
will be marked by a fence.
00:36:53.041 --> 00:36:55.998
(Magome)
For Africans,
we were not allowed
00:36:55.999 --> 00:36:57.624
to have a permit to hunt.
00:36:57.625 --> 00:37:01.749
So every time you were found
with wildlife,
00:37:01.750 --> 00:37:02.458
you must have poached it.
00:37:02.459 --> 00:37:05.708
You must have
taken it illegally.
00:37:05.709 --> 00:37:07.290
Conservationists
during that time,
00:37:07.291 --> 00:37:09.208
they were like policemen.
00:37:11.000 --> 00:37:13.999
They just wait until you do
something wrong,
00:37:14.000 --> 00:37:15.791
and they arrest you.
00:37:15.792 --> 00:37:19.249
So we were actually retaliating.
00:37:19.250 --> 00:37:20.374
\"He\" s trying to stop me?
00:37:20.375 --> 00:37:21.666
I will show him.\"
00:37:21.667 --> 00:37:22.417
That\"s how you end up
00:37:22.418 --> 00:37:25.207
with a really command
and control way
00:37:25.208 --> 00:37:27.332
of managing wildlife.
00:37:27.333 --> 00:37:29.332
You alienate people completely
from a resource
00:37:29.333 --> 00:37:33.582
that they had utilized
in a sustainable fashion.
00:37:33.583 --> 00:37:37.875
They began to look on it
as a nuisance.
00:37:40.709 --> 00:37:42.791
And then we go
through a transition
00:37:42.792 --> 00:37:47.917
from the colonial rule
to self-government.
00:37:51.000 --> 00:37:53.040
One of the comparative advantage
00:37:53.041 --> 00:37:56.290
that many African
countries have,
00:37:56.291 --> 00:37:57.291
it is tourism.
00:37:57.292 --> 00:38:00.998
[man singing
in foreign language]
00:38:00.999 --> 00:38:02.998
♪ ♪
00:38:02.999 --> 00:38:07.792
And tourism needs
the myth of wild Africa.
00:38:09.500 --> 00:38:14.999
Wildlife is a fundamental piece
of many African economies.
00:38:16.999 --> 00:38:18.998
And so we go through
a transition when we begin
00:38:18.999 --> 00:38:22.998
to bring Africans
into wildlife management,
00:38:22.999 --> 00:38:29.541
but still command and control
where you\"re using the gun,
00:38:29.542 --> 00:38:33.998
fighting poachers.
00:38:33.999 --> 00:38:34.999
The change in conservation
00:38:35.000 --> 00:38:38.916
begins to take place
when there is a realization
00:38:38.917 --> 00:38:40.958
that the command and control,
00:38:40.959 --> 00:38:43.998
the fortress type
of conservation
00:38:43.999 --> 00:38:45.207
was not working.
00:38:45.208 --> 00:38:48.791
The Guns of Navarone,
it\"s not working.
00:38:48.792 --> 00:38:50.999
Can we have something else?
00:38:53.500 --> 00:38:55.040
(Gichohi)
You don\"t have enough guns.
00:38:55.041 --> 00:38:56.624
You don\"t have
enough individuals
00:38:56.625 --> 00:39:01.749
to protect every single elephant
that is walking around Africa.
00:39:01.750 --> 00:39:06.082
You need more people
who feel vested.
00:39:06.083 --> 00:39:08.708
This resource is theirs,
00:39:08.709 --> 00:39:11.998
and therefore they need
to protect it
00:39:11.999 --> 00:39:16.458
as they look for ways
that they can benefit from it.
00:39:18.166 --> 00:39:24.916
(Magome)
However, the reality
of conservation in Africa
00:39:24.917 --> 00:39:29.750
is such that we do not have
simple solutions.
00:39:35.250 --> 00:39:37.500
[gunshot]
00:39:49.792 --> 00:39:51.999
(male narrator)
For the first time
in two years,
00:39:52.000 --> 00:39:54.708
the people in Marienfluss Valley
00:39:54.709 --> 00:39:57.249
are holding
a community meat hunt.
00:39:57.250 --> 00:40:02.624
They don\"t have the big game...
Elephant, buffalo, and rhino...
00:40:02.625 --> 00:40:06.082
That support development
of tourism.
00:40:06.083 --> 00:40:08.040
But they do have antelope
00:40:08.041 --> 00:40:12.125
in numbers that
can sustainably be hunted.
00:40:16.458 --> 00:40:20.040
(narrator)
Unlike Kenya,
where all hunting is banned,
00:40:20.041 --> 00:40:22.040
the Namibian government
is betting
00:40:22.041 --> 00:40:26.332
that people will conserve
wildlife if allowed,
00:40:26.333 --> 00:40:29.375
on occasion, to kill it.
00:40:37.917 --> 00:40:39.207
\"I am benefiting.
00:40:39.208 --> 00:40:40.290
Why should I waste it?\"
00:40:40.291 --> 00:40:46.249
So they are actually managing it
in a very sustainable way
00:40:46.250 --> 00:40:47.792
by hunting it.
00:41:54.750 --> 00:41:55.999
[gunshot]
00:41:57.000 --> 00:41:58.542
[gunshot]
00:41:59.667 --> 00:42:02.999
[gunshot]
00:42:55.291 --> 00:42:58.833
(Lindeque)
Now let\"s look at
the proposed new park.
00:42:58.834 --> 00:43:03.040
That whole park will be
surrounded by, I think,
00:43:03.041 --> 00:43:06.040
five different conservancies.
00:43:06.041 --> 00:43:07.998
They all have interests in it.
00:43:07.999 --> 00:43:10.998
(narrator)
In a marked shift
from the colonial past,
00:43:10.999 --> 00:43:13.457
ministry discussion of a new
national park
00:43:13.458 --> 00:43:16.040
centers on its impact
on local people.
00:43:16.041 --> 00:43:18.874
(Lindeque)
The intention
of this new park is not
00:43:18.875 --> 00:43:21.499
to remove rights from anybody.
00:43:21.500 --> 00:43:24.416
And how do we do that
without creating conflict?
00:43:24.417 --> 00:43:29.708
(narrator)
Namibia became an independent
republic only in 1990.
00:43:29.709 --> 00:43:32.290
It\"s now one of the few
countries anywhere
00:43:32.291 --> 00:43:33.374
to give indigenous people
00:43:33.375 --> 00:43:35.666
a legal stake in wildlife
00:43:35.667 --> 00:43:37.998
in the form
of communal conservancies.
00:43:37.999 --> 00:43:42.833
(Lindeque)
A conservancy is basically
defined as a group of people
00:43:42.834 --> 00:43:46.998
who have determined
their own boundaries,
00:43:46.999 --> 00:43:48.582
geographically and socially.
00:43:48.583 --> 00:43:50.666
And they have agreed
to establish
00:43:50.667 --> 00:43:56.998
a common approach to land use,
to wildlife use, to development.
00:43:56.999 --> 00:43:59.666
Both those conservancies
are trying
00:43:59.667 --> 00:44:01.457
to get a concession
in that area.
00:44:01.458 --> 00:44:03.749
So the same rights
that the private landowner
00:44:03.750 --> 00:44:05.998
would have over wildlife...
00:44:05.999 --> 00:44:13.998
Tourism, trade, hunting...
A community could also have.
00:44:13.999 --> 00:44:15.082
On the annual quota,
00:44:15.083 --> 00:44:21.457
there could be ostrich,
springbok, kudu, oryx.
00:44:21.458 --> 00:44:23.290
[men speaking foreign language]
00:44:23.291 --> 00:44:25.541
We are very much aware
of contrasts
00:44:25.542 --> 00:44:27.916
in how people look at wildlife,
00:44:27.917 --> 00:44:30.791
different ethical values
that people hold
00:44:30.792 --> 00:44:33.207
all over the world.
00:44:33.208 --> 00:44:35.958
But it\"s a very utilitarian
approach for us.
00:44:35.959 --> 00:44:37.833
It\"s a question of alternatives.
00:44:37.834 --> 00:44:42.750
Without that, which other
incentives can we provide?
00:45:06.667 --> 00:45:09.998
[people clapping and singing]
00:45:09.999 --> 00:45:17.999
♪ ♪
00:46:23.625 --> 00:46:25.374
Where did they rank this one?
00:46:25.375 --> 00:46:26.166
Was it the second one?
00:46:26.167 --> 00:46:29.250
[speaking foreign language]
00:46:30.041 --> 00:46:32.958
(narrator)
Komungandjera is visited
by Margie Jacobsohn,
00:46:32.959 --> 00:46:36.791
co-director of the NGO
that John works for.
00:46:36.792 --> 00:46:40.998
The organization is helping
the conservancy find markets
00:46:40.999 --> 00:46:42.290
for local resources.
00:46:42.291 --> 00:46:43.916
(Jacobsohn)
Do the children use this
00:46:43.917 --> 00:46:46.207
when they are in the field
with the goats?
00:46:46.208 --> 00:46:49.000
[speaking foreign language]
00:47:00.999 --> 00:47:03.332
(Jacobsohn)
That would earn
quite a bit of money
00:47:03.333 --> 00:47:06.083
if the gum is turned
into essential oils.
00:47:17.250 --> 00:47:21.250
[cow moos]
00:47:36.667 --> 00:47:39.708
[woman singing]
00:47:39.709 --> 00:47:47.709
♪ ♪
00:47:57.333 --> 00:48:00.998
(narrator)
John is on his way
to a quarterly meeting
00:48:00.999 --> 00:48:03.875
of conservancies
from northwest Namibia.
00:48:04.709 --> 00:48:08.082
There are now over four dozen
communal conservancies
00:48:08.083 --> 00:48:12.834
covering more than 15% percent
of the country.
00:48:18.583 --> 00:48:22.874
(Kasaona)
All the conservancies
that we are working with
00:48:22.875 --> 00:48:24.124
are coming together
00:48:24.125 --> 00:48:26.416
basically to learn
from each other
00:48:26.417 --> 00:48:31.207
and to report their progress.
00:48:31.208 --> 00:48:34.998
(narrator)
The meeting will last
three days.
00:48:34.999 --> 00:48:39.458
Some have traveled that long
just to get here.
00:48:51.500 --> 00:48:54.249
(Kasaona)
Whoever killed the lion,
what actually happened?
00:48:54.250 --> 00:48:57.457
Maybe the chairman
can explain to us.
00:48:57.458 --> 00:49:00.374
(Gichohi)
You\"re talking about issues
of consensus.
00:49:00.375 --> 00:49:03.833
You\"re talking about issues
of governance.
00:49:03.834 --> 00:49:05.958
You\"re talking about
perspectives
00:49:05.959 --> 00:49:10.624
that are often very different
about how you should conserve.
00:49:10.625 --> 00:49:11.417
And what opening up
00:49:11.418 --> 00:49:12.998
to community conservation
has done
00:49:12.999 --> 00:49:16.457
is really made conservation
much more complex,
00:49:16.458 --> 00:49:18.250
much, much more complex.
00:49:36.166 --> 00:49:38.666
Okay, now I just want to say
one or two things
00:49:38.667 --> 00:49:40.999
about the incident
so everybody understands
00:49:41.000 --> 00:49:42.998
what is the story
with these lions.
00:49:42.999 --> 00:49:48.998
In January 2002,
two female lions,
00:49:48.999 --> 00:49:51.374
okay, they give birth
to eight cubs.
00:49:51.375 --> 00:49:54.332
To work on large carnivores
at low density,
00:49:54.333 --> 00:49:58.124
the only way to get a handle
on the population ecology
00:49:58.125 --> 00:49:58.999
is through individuals.
00:49:59.000 --> 00:50:01.207
I have long term records
that go back 15 years
00:50:01.208 --> 00:50:01.999
on one individual.
00:50:01.999 --> 00:50:02.999
We\"re following it through.
00:50:03.000 --> 00:50:06.124
We\"ve got a genealogy chart
of exactly who belongs to who,
00:50:06.125 --> 00:50:08.624
and that\"s the basis
of our understanding.
00:50:08.625 --> 00:50:12.332
And this is the information that
we relate to the communities.
00:50:12.333 --> 00:50:14.332
And they are identifying
with these individuals.
00:50:14.333 --> 00:50:16.958
Purros will get up and say,
\"Where are our lions?\"
00:50:16.959 --> 00:50:19.207
And they\"ll say,
\"But where\"s the old female?\"
00:50:19.208 --> 00:50:20.249
\"Oh, no, she\" s there.
00:50:20.250 --> 00:50:20.999
She \"s given birth.\"
00:50:21.000 --> 00:50:23.708
\"Ah great, she\"s given birth
to another litter.\"
00:50:23.709 --> 00:50:25.165
See, now, that association is,
00:50:25.166 --> 00:50:28.291
it\"s a wonderful thing.
00:50:28.999 --> 00:50:29.834
But you get situations
00:50:29.835 --> 00:50:32.999
where lions become
habituated livestock killers.
00:50:33.000 --> 00:50:36.416
In which case, I then went out
with the community
00:50:36.417 --> 00:50:37.166
and shot the lions,
00:50:37.167 --> 00:50:41.332
assisted them
in shooting the lions,
00:50:41.333 --> 00:50:42.998
which was a terrible thing
for me to do,
00:50:42.999 --> 00:50:46.541
because that lion
I might have been following
00:50:46.542 --> 00:50:50.998
for five or six years.
00:50:50.999 --> 00:50:53.624
But those four lions today,
00:50:53.625 --> 00:50:57.124
I argue that they were
the wrong lions to shoot.
00:50:57.125 --> 00:50:58.332
These lions, they learned from
00:50:58.333 --> 00:51:01.998
the problems they have
at Purros when two were shot,
00:51:01.999 --> 00:51:03.541
and they run up Marienfluss.
00:51:03.542 --> 00:51:06.040
They go all the way
to the Kunene River.
00:51:06.041 --> 00:51:08.207
So all the tour operators
are very happy.
00:51:08.208 --> 00:51:10.999
There have not been lions there
for 20 years.
00:51:11.000 --> 00:51:13.998
Then we know the lions
come down,
00:51:13.999 --> 00:51:15.998
and they get shot in Sanitatas.
00:51:15.999 --> 00:51:19.998
They did not kill
any more livestock.
00:51:19.999 --> 00:51:20.999
They do the right thing.
00:51:21.000 --> 00:51:23.207
But now they get shot.
00:51:23.208 --> 00:51:25.874
But how you decide what is good
00:51:25.875 --> 00:51:27.998
and what was not good
is your decision.
00:51:27.999 --> 00:51:32.083
But you\"re informed
about it now.
00:52:39.625 --> 00:52:43.083
[all talking at once]
00:53:49.208 --> 00:53:52.792
What we are trying to do here...
00:54:06.208 --> 00:54:09.332
So actually I take it
too serious to make sure
00:54:09.333 --> 00:54:12.583
that something is coming out
of all this effort.
00:54:13.417 --> 00:54:16.750
Because at the end of the day...
00:54:30.500 --> 00:54:34.208
How would I answer them?
00:54:43.625 --> 00:54:45.124
This drought
is not even a drought.
00:54:45.125 --> 00:54:46.207
It\"s more than a drought.
00:54:46.208 --> 00:54:47.457
It\"s like a disaster.
00:54:47.458 --> 00:54:50.999
[birds cawing]
00:54:51.667 --> 00:54:52.874
(narrator)
In northern Kenya,
00:54:52.875 --> 00:54:56.875
the drought has now lasted
eight months.
00:55:07.291 --> 00:55:08.582
[cattle mooing]
00:55:08.583 --> 00:55:09.749
(Kinyaga)
Cattle to the Maasai
00:55:09.750 --> 00:55:17.750
is actually the backbone
of their entire community.
00:56:04.999 --> 00:56:08.250
[cattle mooing]
00:56:17.208 --> 00:56:20.749
(Craig)
This is the worst drought
since 1964.
00:56:20.750 --> 00:56:22.082
This is the worst drought.
00:56:22.083 --> 00:56:24.708
My sort of gut feel here
in northern Kenya
00:56:24.709 --> 00:56:30.541
is that we\"re going to lose 60%,
70% of the cattle
00:56:30.542 --> 00:56:34.749
by the time it rains in April.
00:56:34.750 --> 00:56:37.708
The sheep, they\"ll die big-time.
00:56:37.709 --> 00:56:42.083
There will be
a major die-off there.
00:56:48.709 --> 00:56:50.833
We are dying of hunger.
00:56:50.834 --> 00:56:51.998
Our cattle are dying.
00:56:51.999 --> 00:56:54.416
Just look.
00:56:54.417 --> 00:56:55.041
Cattle are dying.
00:56:55.042 --> 00:57:00.708
If the gods give some rains,
we will grow grass.
00:57:00.709 --> 00:57:02.998
And now no grass.
00:57:02.999 --> 00:57:04.165
Cattle are dying.
00:57:04.166 --> 00:57:04.999
Tomorrow we are dying.
00:57:05.000 --> 00:57:09.833
If my cow dies,
tomorrow, my people.
00:57:09.834 --> 00:57:13.959
[man speaking in foreign
language on walkie-talkie]
00:57:18.125 --> 00:57:19.207
(narrator)
The drought is straining
00:57:19.208 --> 00:57:23.875
the Il Ngwesi community\"s
commitment to conservation.
00:57:24.999 --> 00:57:25.750
With grass scarce,
00:57:25.751 --> 00:57:30.290
herdsmen graze their livestock
ever closer to the lodge.
00:57:30.291 --> 00:57:31.998
Some are invading
the conservation area
00:57:31.999 --> 00:57:38.959
the community
has set aside for wildlife.
00:58:06.500 --> 00:58:08.165
They graze
everywhere now randomly
00:58:08.166 --> 00:58:09.959
because of this drought.
00:58:14.999 --> 00:58:17.291
Because they are,
like, suffering.
00:58:24.959 --> 00:58:28.082
(woman)
We sincerely hope and pray
that the rain will come soon
00:58:28.083 --> 00:58:30.290
so that it
can alleviate problems
00:58:30.291 --> 00:58:31.457
that the community are facing.
00:58:31.458 --> 00:58:34.998
The directors of Bedouin Camp
would also like
00:58:34.999 --> 00:58:36.666
to thank the community
00:58:36.667 --> 00:58:37.998
for helping to contribute
00:58:37.999 --> 00:58:41.165
towards the great success
of Bedouin Camp.
00:58:41.166 --> 00:58:44.082
[speaking foreign language]
00:58:44.083 --> 00:58:46.541
(narrator)
A neighboring Samburu community
00:58:46.542 --> 00:58:51.082
hopes to build their own lodge
like Il Ngwesi.
00:58:51.083 --> 00:58:51.999
In the meantime,
00:58:52.000 --> 00:58:54.416
they are allowing
a safari camp operator
00:58:54.417 --> 00:58:55.998
to use a corner of their land
00:58:55.999 --> 00:59:00.249
in exchange for bed night
and conservation fees.
00:59:00.250 --> 00:59:03.124
The camp owner
wants to extend her lease,
00:59:03.125 --> 00:59:07.834
but the relationship
has become strained.
00:59:08.083 --> 00:59:11.874
The elders have asked Ian Craig
to attend the meeting.
00:59:11.875 --> 00:59:15.040
In the ten years since he helped
Il Ngwesi build their lodge,
00:59:15.041 --> 00:59:18.998
Ian has become a trusted advisor
in the region.
00:59:18.999 --> 00:59:20.666
(woman)
And because of the whole
00:59:20.667 --> 00:59:24.999
collaboration between
the community and Bedouin Camp,
00:59:25.000 --> 00:59:27.249
the community can benefit
00:59:27.250 --> 00:59:29.749
from more than 3 million
shillings a year.
00:59:29.750 --> 00:59:31.040
First of all,
welcome to Bedouin Camp.
00:59:31.041 --> 00:59:33.833
We\"re really thrilled
you\"ve come to see us.
00:59:33.834 --> 00:59:35.165
This project
is a brand-new concept
00:59:35.166 --> 00:59:40.749
where we\"re trying to endorse
for-profit community work.
00:59:40.750 --> 00:59:43.998
And if everyone can be busy
doing things in the mess tent,
00:59:43.999 --> 00:59:45.998
that would be great,
sort of polishing.
00:59:45.999 --> 00:59:47.290
Then we\"ll come to you
and talk to you
00:59:47.291 --> 00:59:49.374
all about your different jobs
just briefly
00:59:49.375 --> 00:59:51.457
as we find you doing
what you should be doing.
00:59:51.458 --> 00:59:55.624
Our project here
is from the outset,
00:59:55.625 --> 00:59:59.290
for no reason other than we want
to benefit the community,
00:59:59.291 --> 01:00:04.499
purely focused on community.
01:00:04.500 --> 01:00:06.541
Our aim is to bring
in high net-worth clients
01:00:06.542 --> 01:00:09.998
and show them
in a very intimate fashion
01:00:09.999 --> 01:00:14.082
the way the Samburu live,
their philosophies on life,
01:00:14.083 --> 01:00:16.958
and so we can all learn
and be part of that.
01:00:16.959 --> 01:00:19.249
They\"ve learned how to serve
everything correctly
01:00:19.250 --> 01:00:24.040
from the right or the left,
basic courtesies in English.
01:00:24.041 --> 01:00:25.958
Say \"Hi,\" boys.
01:00:25.959 --> 01:00:26.417
Hi, Europe.
01:00:26.418 --> 01:00:29.749
Would you like to describe
a little bit about the camp?
01:00:29.750 --> 01:00:30.500
The camp will be
01:00:30.501 --> 01:00:36.165
the most good camp
in Samburu district.
01:00:36.166 --> 01:00:37.959
Yes.
01:01:58.999 --> 01:02:03.998
[women singing mournfully
in foreign language]
01:02:03.999 --> 01:02:07.582
(narrator)
James is going home
to check on his family
01:02:07.583 --> 01:02:09.499
during the drought.
01:02:09.500 --> 01:02:12.082
With savings from his ten years
with the lodge,
01:02:12.083 --> 01:02:17.374
he has bought private land
in the highlands.
01:02:17.375 --> 01:02:20.708
[woman singing on stereo]
01:02:20.709 --> 01:02:28.709
♪ ♪
01:02:58.458 --> 01:03:00.792
It\"s one day old here.
01:03:08.792 --> 01:03:11.791
[singing]
01:03:11.792 --> 01:03:18.291
♪ ♪
01:05:51.999 --> 01:05:54.998
[singing]
01:05:54.999 --> 01:06:02.999
♪ ♪
01:06:21.999 --> 01:06:24.208
Like, a hundred and something.
01:08:22.417 --> 01:08:25.582
(narrator)
It\"s the final day
of the quarterly meeting
01:08:25.583 --> 01:08:29.625
for Marienfluss
and neighboring conservancies.
01:08:39.999 --> 01:08:43.040
That they might have never
experienced before.
01:08:43.041 --> 01:08:45.998
[woman speaking
foreign language]
01:08:45.999 --> 01:08:49.583
(female translator)
01:08:52.625 --> 01:08:55.249
(translator)
An apology for I make
some mistakes,
01:08:55.250 --> 01:08:59.875
because I am not
used to public speaking.
01:09:19.000 --> 01:09:21.541
Okay, so the samples
that were collected
01:09:21.542 --> 01:09:24.708
by the ladies
at Orupembe and Sanitatas
01:09:24.709 --> 01:09:27.749
were sent to Windhoek,
then to South Africa,
01:09:27.750 --> 01:09:30.998
and to the perfume companies
to see if they are interested.
01:09:30.999 --> 01:09:34.999
But something came out of
the initial chemical analysis.
01:09:35.000 --> 01:09:37.749
And it is the people
who are doing research
01:09:37.750 --> 01:09:39.998
on a cure for cancer.
01:09:39.999 --> 01:09:41.624
They think that
some of the commiphoras
01:09:41.625 --> 01:09:43.499
will be very useful as medicine.
01:09:43.500 --> 01:09:45.958
And I will give more information
01:09:45.959 --> 01:09:49.249
the next time
they send me something.
01:09:49.250 --> 01:09:52.709
[applause]
01:09:55.291 --> 01:09:58.541
[singing and clapping]
01:09:58.542 --> 01:10:06.542
♪ ♪
01:10:32.000 --> 01:10:34.125
We will get there.
01:10:42.583 --> 01:10:45.375
Is what we are having
currently now.
01:11:01.709 --> 01:11:04.124
(narrator)
To the south of Marienfluss,
01:11:04.125 --> 01:11:05.000
an airborne sharpshooter
01:11:05.001 --> 01:11:06.998
from Namibia\"s Ministry
of Environment
01:11:06.999 --> 01:11:11.165
has buried a tranquilizer dart
in an endangered black rhino.
01:11:11.166 --> 01:11:13.666
[man speaks over radio]
01:11:13.667 --> 01:11:14.708
(man)
They saw a rhino,
01:11:14.709 --> 01:11:15.998
the rhino we were looking for.
01:11:15.999 --> 01:11:19.875
They saw it,
and we have to speed up.
01:11:21.041 --> 01:11:23.082
(narrator)
The return of big game
01:11:23.083 --> 01:11:25.749
is what
Marienfluss Conservancy needs
01:11:25.750 --> 01:11:27.165
to bring in enough tourists
01:11:27.166 --> 01:11:31.998
to make a real profit
from conservation.
01:11:31.999 --> 01:11:35.458
[men grunting]
01:11:38.417 --> 01:11:39.999
(Jago)
Rhino translocation is something
01:11:40.000 --> 01:11:44.958
which Namibia has done
for many years.
01:11:44.959 --> 01:11:45.542
In some cases,
01:11:45.543 --> 01:11:49.040
we are maintaining populations
and moving rhinos
01:11:49.041 --> 01:11:53.791
from one national park
to another national park.
01:11:53.792 --> 01:11:56.998
(narrator)
But this rhino
is being translocated
01:11:56.999 --> 01:11:58.624
not into a protected area
01:11:58.625 --> 01:12:01.998
but to a communal conservancy
near Marienfluss.
01:12:01.999 --> 01:12:03.082
(man)
Really a weird pulse.
01:12:03.083 --> 01:12:05.207
It\"s still giving us 85%,
01:12:05.208 --> 01:12:06.290
but it\"s really 229.
01:12:06.291 --> 01:12:07.999
(Mark)
It\"s coming and going.
01:12:08.000 --> 01:12:09.457
It\"s lost it again.
01:12:09.458 --> 01:12:12.290
(Gichohi)
Protected areas only protect
01:12:12.291 --> 01:12:16.457
a very tiny proportion
of wildlife diversity
01:12:16.458 --> 01:12:20.667
and wildlife population
on the continent.
01:12:23.125 --> 01:12:26.166
(man)
One, two, three, yes!
01:12:29.250 --> 01:12:30.875
One, two, three, yes!
01:12:32.375 --> 01:12:33.250
If you only secure
01:12:33.251 --> 01:12:35.998
that which can be contained
in national parks...
01:12:35.999 --> 01:12:37.958
One, two, three.
01:12:37.959 --> 01:12:41.875
(Gichohi)
You would secure very little.
01:12:48.999 --> 01:12:50.998
Okay, ready?
01:12:50.999 --> 01:12:55.667
[rhinoceros groaning]
01:12:57.709 --> 01:13:00.791
[engine revving]
01:13:00.792 --> 01:13:05.332
(Gichohi)
If wildlife can begin
to contribute meaningfully
01:13:05.333 --> 01:13:09.791
to local economies,
to local households,
01:13:09.792 --> 01:13:15.666
if wildlife can be seen
as a second cattle,
01:13:15.667 --> 01:13:19.541
and if there is evidence
of true stewardship,
01:13:19.542 --> 01:13:23.250
I will see that as success.
01:13:31.250 --> 01:13:34.499
(Jago)
The conservancies are now
beginning to get to the point
01:13:34.500 --> 01:13:37.082
where they can look after
the animals
01:13:37.083 --> 01:13:41.874
and derive benefit from them.
01:13:41.875 --> 01:13:44.833
(narrator)
This is the first rhino
01:13:44.834 --> 01:13:45.998
that the ministry
is bringing back
01:13:45.999 --> 01:13:48.457
to a communal conservancy
in this region,
01:13:48.458 --> 01:13:53.041
where poaching was prevalent
a generation ago.
01:14:01.125 --> 01:14:03.582
And it\"s not, like,
in a cage standing there
01:14:03.583 --> 01:14:04.708
where you can watch it.
01:14:04.709 --> 01:14:05.833
You have to follow it for hours,
01:14:05.834 --> 01:14:09.792
and you saw it naturally
in the desert between the bush.
01:14:10.959 --> 01:14:11.709
It\"s a very big moment
01:14:11.710 --> 01:14:15.917
for the community conservancies
to receive the rhinos.
01:14:21.999 --> 01:14:25.583
[rhinoceros groaning]
01:14:48.417 --> 01:14:51.332
(Uri-Khob)
And then we only have
two minutes to move away
01:14:51.333 --> 01:14:53.998
from the rhino
to the safest place.
01:14:53.999 --> 01:14:57.998
If he wakes up too fast,
then you must run for your life.
01:14:57.999 --> 01:14:58.500
[laughs]
01:14:58.501 --> 01:15:01.999
And it\"s not always easy
if a rhino is behind you.
01:15:10.750 --> 01:15:14.542
And he can\"t stand up.
01:16:09.999 --> 01:16:13.998
(narrator)
The drought at Il Ngwesi
continues to fuel debate
01:16:13.999 --> 01:16:17.750
over the merits
of wildlife versus cattle.
01:16:18.000 --> 01:16:22.667
But tourism at the lodge
has not tapered off.
01:16:29.999 --> 01:16:34.708
(narrator)
Il Ngwesi has several
black rhino of their own.
01:16:34.709 --> 01:16:36.624
The success
of the ranger program
01:16:36.625 --> 01:16:38.708
convinced
the Kenya Wildlife Service
01:16:38.709 --> 01:16:41.499
that the community
could protect them.
01:16:41.500 --> 01:16:42.417
[panting]
01:16:42.418 --> 01:16:43.999
Omni, come on.
01:17:13.709 --> 01:17:17.916
(woman)
That\"s a good boy, Omni.
01:17:17.917 --> 01:17:20.000
Good Omni.
01:17:20.999 --> 01:17:24.875
Whoops.
01:17:34.125 --> 01:17:37.207
[men singing]
01:17:37.208 --> 01:17:39.375
♪ ♪
01:18:00.542 --> 01:18:02.332
(narrator)
The Samburu elders
soon terminated
01:18:02.333 --> 01:18:08.999
Bedouin Camp\"s lease in favor
of developing their own lodge.
01:18:12.208 --> 01:18:13.998
Come to a dead end?
01:18:13.999 --> 01:18:15.998
(narrator)
Ian Craig is collaborating
01:18:15.999 --> 01:18:18.249
with more than a dozen
other communities
01:18:18.250 --> 01:18:21.999
hoping to replicate
Il Ngwesi\"s success.
01:18:29.417 --> 01:18:30.874
(narrator)
Their vision is to create
01:18:30.875 --> 01:18:36.998
the largest unbroken stretch
of protected land in Kenya.
01:18:36.999 --> 01:18:40.958
(Craig)
There was a need for continuity
on the movement of wildlife
01:18:40.959 --> 01:18:42.416
between land units.
01:18:42.417 --> 01:18:44.998
But there was
no coordinated initiative
01:18:44.999 --> 01:18:46.624
to bring communities together.
01:18:46.625 --> 01:18:48.541
And that\"s what this
is all about.
01:18:48.542 --> 01:18:50.999
It is building
community institutions
01:18:51.000 --> 01:18:52.374
that will have an economy,
01:18:52.375 --> 01:18:55.124
that will stand
the course of time.
01:18:55.125 --> 01:18:58.082
Peter, it\"s somewhere here.
01:18:58.083 --> 01:18:59.332
What do you think?
01:18:59.333 --> 01:19:02.875
[laughter]
01:19:03.500 --> 01:19:04.458
Can you move a little bit?
01:19:04.459 --> 01:19:06.082
Am I not really getting it?
01:19:06.083 --> 01:19:09.332
And the forest as well?
01:19:09.333 --> 01:19:11.998
The forest?
01:19:11.999 --> 01:19:13.998
Gee, that is fantastic.
01:19:13.999 --> 01:19:14.999
Bye.
01:19:15.000 --> 01:19:17.082
(man)
Ian, what\"s the good news?
01:19:17.083 --> 01:19:19.541
There is rain.
01:19:19.542 --> 01:19:20.417
And it\"s still raining now.
01:19:20.418 --> 01:19:22.998
And you know we really haven\"t
had rain all year,
01:19:22.999 --> 01:19:26.124
so it\"s pretty significant.
01:19:26.125 --> 01:19:28.834
It\"s really great.
01:19:48.999 --> 01:19:52.291
[thunder claps]
01:20:00.166 --> 01:20:02.583
Blessings means rain, yeah?
01:20:08.917 --> 01:20:12.792
Rain, like, now I want to spend
the whole day with the rain.
01:20:17.834 --> 01:20:20.999
Yeah, it feels really good.
01:20:22.750 --> 01:20:23.458
Yeah.
01:20:23.459 --> 01:20:26.666
[men and women singing]
01:20:26.667 --> 01:20:34.667
♪ ♪
01:20:39.083 --> 01:20:42.709
[steady rainfall]
01:20:44.083 --> 01:20:47.417
[birds chirping]
01:20:52.667 --> 01:20:56.000
[thunder rumbles]
01:21:01.542 --> 01:21:04.998
[men singing
in foreign language]
01:21:04.999 --> 01:21:12.999
♪ ♪
01:22:18.834 --> 01:22:22.249
[women signing
in foreign language]
01:22:22.250 --> 01:22:30.250
♪ ♪
Distributor: Bullfrog Films
Length: 83 minutes
Date: 2009
Genre: Expository
Language: English
Grade: 7 - 12, College, Adult
Color/BW:
Closed Captioning: Available
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