Dear Editor,
Recently, some friends and I received a WhatsApp picture of eight men posing with big smiles on their faces, a gun and knife in their hands and seven dead deer on the ground near them. I was made to understand this disgrace happened in the Abary Conservancy. It seems the men had access to an airboat which they used to chase the frightened animals. When the deer became too tired to run, they moved in close and shot all seven. In the photo, the eight men are showing the world how proud they are to have participated in this act. Why do several have smiles on their faces? They just slaughtered one whole deer family; male, female, young and old.
I understand there are two reasons to hunt deer: feeding your family and for sport. However, both reasons have rules that should be followed. Here are two: If for food, don’t kill more animals than you can eat; if for sport, give the animals a fighting chance. These killers broke both rules. If they could afford an airboat, they obviously weren’t hungry; in fact, one seems to be overfed. And by using the airboat, the deer did not have a chance to escape.
What is the value of the meat obtained from seven dead deer? Approximately G$50,000 (US$250).
What is the value of seven live deer for eco-tourism? Approximately G$50,000 (US$250) for each trip in an airboat to see and photograph them.
What is the value of the bragging rights for the eight killers in the photo? Disgust, repugnance, hatred, loathing, revulsion, etc.
I really hope someone with a kind spot in their heart for Guyana’s wildlife will use this incident for finding ways to protect Guyana’s deer and other wildlife.
Yours faithfully,
Syeada Manbodh
