With age comes wisdom

On Saturday evening we spent the evening celebrating Wild Dog at a magical Safari Soiree fundraiser for the Wild Dog of Zimbabwe.  It put us in mind of this little story about a Wild Dog which was sent to us by a friend.  Enjoy!

One day, not very long ago, a very old and decrepit Wild Dog starts chasing rabbits in the veldt and before long, discovers that he's lost. Wandering about, he notices a young lion heading rapidly in his direction with the intention of having lunch.

 The old wild dog thinks, "Oh, oh! I'm in deep trouble now!"

Noticing some bones on the ground close by, he immediately settles down to chew on the bones with his back to the approaching cat. Just as the lion is about to leap, the old wild dog exclaims loudly,
 

"Boy, that was one delicious lion! I wonder, if there are any more around here?"

Hearing this, the young lion halts his attack in mid-strike, a look of terror comes over him, and he slinks away into the trees.

"Whew!," says the young lion, "That was close! That old wild dog nearly had me!"

Meanwhile, a squirrel who had been watching the whole scene from a nearby tree, figures he can put this knowledge to good use and trade it for protection from the lion, so off he goes.

The squirrel soon catches up with the lion, spills the beans and strikes a deal for himself with the lion.

The young lion is furious at being made a fool of and says, "Here, squirrel, hop on my back and see what's going to happen to that conniving canine!" 

Soon the old wild dog sees the lion coming with the squirrel on his back and thinks, "Oh hell, what am I going to do now?," but instead of running, the dog sits down with his back to his attackers, pretending he hasn't seen them yet. Just when they get close enough to hear, the old wild dog says...

"Where's that damn squirrel now? I sent him off an hour ago to bring me another lion!"

Moral of this story...

Don't mess with the Wild Dogs... Old age and Treachery will always overcome Youth and Skill, ... and Bull Shit and Brilliance only come with old age and experience.

Craft book launched

A new book on the craft of Zimbabwe was launched on Friday 11th November at the Tambira Galleries in Harare.

Crafters and artists as well as fans of their unique hand made wares attended the launch and spent time sipping wine and swapping ideas.

The book, written by Jane Lee and Jane Stillwell is a resource guide for buyers of craft items but is also a beautiful book for anybody who is interested in arts and crafts.

We are proud that a number of items from the Chishakwe Crafts Project were included in the book and were present on display at the launch (better yet we noticed a number of sales from our display!).  Our crafts project has taken a position slightly to the back of the burner since the collapse of the Zim dollar in 2009 and the subsequent difficult adjustments to "real" money.

We are hoping that our presence in this beautiful book will be just what we need to get our craftsmen busy boosting the local economy again!

Congratulations Clive Stockil

Congratulations to Clive Stockil, who recently received the prestigious French award of the Ordre National du Merite. Thank you for all of your hard work in the Save Valley Conservancy and for your contribution to the protection of Zimbabwe's Natural Heritage.

Here is a condensed version of the Ambassador of France's lovely speech.

Following the example of Napoleon the 1^st with the Legion of Honour, General de Gaulle created the Order of Merit in 1963 to distinguish not only those who brought the highest contribution in defending the country, but also to its intellectual, moral and economic development.  The Order of Merit is a consecration, which rewards a fulfilled life, but is also a tribute that salutes your destiny and opens a future.  It gives the holder the strength to do even more, proving furthermore their qualities that have justified their distinction. The laurels just above the cross that I will give you in an instant, weave in a circle of hope.

The hope that you give to this country, by your action in favour of the protection of wildlife, the hope you give to people around the world to see the values you defend, promoted everywhere on this planet, beyond cultural differences.  It is the action of a lifetime, as you continue today at the institution you used to chair for more than a decade:  The Save Valley Conservancy.

... 


Your fight in favour of wildlife is not limited to the creation and the management of the [Save Valley] Conservancy, but is a long progression, from the beginning of your career as a guide and professional hunter.  It may seem surprising but it is probably at that time that you got to know and appreciate the value of wildlife.  Soon after, you became responsible for wildlife management at Hippo Valley Estate.

But your real awareness of the problem of wildlife conservation came in 1982, with the conflict between the Shangaans and the National Parks Authority.  The Shangaans, a traditional group living in the South-East of Zimbabwe, had been moved off their land in the 1970’s to allow the creation of the Gonarezhou National Park.  The Shangaans, who used to hunt wildlife for their subsistence, were forbidden to kill animals.  They began to see wildlife as a nuisance, damaging their homes and destroying their crops.  As a result, they were forced to poach and many of them were arrested.

So in 1982, thanks to your knowledge of the Shangaan language, you were a mediator of this conflict and an agreement was reached between the National Parks Authority and the Shangaans : they were allowed to use the benefits of wildlife for the development of their community, giving them an incentive to preserve the animals on their land and in the National Park.  They received the meat and a percentage of the revenue from commercial hunting on their land, and the funds were used to improve their living conditions with schools, clinics and electricity and water supplies.

The success of your mediation pushed you to create a programme called Campfire (Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources).  The programme seeks to empower rural communities for conservation and sustainable development through a number of different activities, in particular harvesting natural resources.  Campfire helps manage the wildlife and it’s sometimes over population and generates profits for local communities.

You have proved that economic development and conservation of wildlife are not incompatible.  Chiredzi Wildlife Investments and the Save Valley Conservancy that you founded are an example of this new trend.   Thus your conservation efforts that I mentioned earlier are mostly self financed by the activities you propose; lodges, safaris, fishing, hunting permits and trophies, cultural tours...

Finally, you offered your large experience to suppo0rt the same approach in other conservation areas, and contributed to the linking of the Save Valley to Gonarezhou National Park, and beyond to the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park.

All your achievements have contributed a lot to the cause of wildlife, preservation of biodiversity, but also improved the livelihoods of the communities that dwell in and around the conservancy and their perception of nature. 

...

Your passions, your perseverance despite many challenges, and your successes have been considered exemplary by the President of the Republic and justify the recognition by France, who awards you today the Order of merit.  You see that the colour of the ribbon is blue.  It is a reminiscence of the most famous French royal Order of the Holy Spirit.  So this spirit will now be upon you.

...

Clive Stockil, on behalf of the President of the Republic, we knight you in the National Order of Merit.