Full text : Proceedings of the South & East African combined agricultural, cotton, entomological and mycological conference held at Nairobi, August, 1926

260 PART NV.
. The CHAIRMAN (Mr. Holm) said that it was, of course, a
complex question, which had already been fully discussed internationally,
 and this Conference might not feel that it was able to
discuss the pros and coms.
Mr. FULLER suggested that they should not enter into any
discussion on this subject but record a note to the effect that Monsieur
Van den Abeele’s suggestions have been sympathetically received by
the Conference.
CHAPTER V.
GAME: PRESERVATION OR DESTRUCTION.
(Capt. Caldwell, Acting Game Warden, Kenya, attended for the
discussion on this item.)
Mr. KIRBY advocated the destruction of game on the grounds,
firstly, that by destroying crops it caused starvation among many
native tribes; and, secondly, that it had the effect of making the
natives congregate in fixed areas, with the result that cultivable land
became exhausted, so that, for both causes, fatalities were many,
especially among children, in seasons of dearth. The game was also
instrumental in spreading tsetse fly and sleeping sickness, and caused
a great increase in cattle disease; furthermore, the protection of game
robbed the natives of a useful supply of food. He would like to see
the natives allowed to help to reduce the numbers of game to
reasonable proportions.
(The above was circulated in the form of a note under T.C.(C)
Ag.15.) -
Mr. FULLER thought it would be very helpful if the Conference
could adopt a conclusion on the matter. There were many parts of
Africa where European settlers were incurring serious losses owing to
trypanosomiasis.
(Instances were quoted by two or three delegates of the damage
done by game in Tanganyika Territory.)
CAPTAIN CALDWELL (Acting Game Warden) knew that he
would find himself in a minority when he spoke on behalf of the
preservation of game before his present audience. He would explain
however that he never had been in favour of indiscriminate and
uncontrolled preservation of game and cases undoubtedly arose where
in the interests of man game must be destroyed. It had been stated
that game caused, In some cases, starvation among the natives; he
had never heard in Uganda or in Kenya that such was the case. The
policy in these two territories was to preserve game in places where
it could do mo harm to anyone and to’ allow it to be freely
destroyed where it was harmful, e.g., when damaging crops.
Certain valuable trophies of game so killed were considered the
property of Government, otherwise the killing would be done for profit
and not for protection. In Kenya and Uganda cultivators were given
power to kill game where it was becoming a menace, but these powers
must be strictly controlled so that it would not be possible for the

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