Poaching Poachers

In the game reserve, towards the afternoon when a few of us were gathered in the kitchen area, we saw a boat pull up to the bank. Out filed four men. We were curious, something didn't seem right, why a boat? Why here? Why now? As we watch I notice the smallest of the group is handcuffed.

“Poacher” someone says

“Wow, he's just a kid,” someone else says.

Looking no older than 15, the poacher, who was caught in his canoe, fishing in the river, walks past with his head hang-dog. The rangers make him walk out of the way, on the other side of a chalet, to get to the scout camp. It was then we discovered what happens, at least part of what happens, to poachers. First the poacher is captured and taken in. His nets are confiscated. The front of his canoe is sawed off and kept so his boat is useless.

Later I walked through the scout camp. There was the poacher, sitting on the ground looking defeated and a bit repentant (probably from getting caught and the unknown repercussions to be had.) Definitely down on his luck. Looking closer I noticed he was older, more like in his late twenties, he was just a small man.

We volunteers debated for a while what would happen to him. Most of the scenarios we came up with involved bribes on the part of the family and the release of the poacher. Bribes are how it is done in Malawi. Also, money has a different value, its not something to be saved, its something to be craved and then squandered. Everyone knows the word 'capital' but no one knows how to calculate profit. Some volunteers thought it a bit unfair that it was illegal for people to fish the river. On the surface you might agree thinking it would be unfair for villagers not to fish their natural resource. But if you know Malawi you know what would happen if that were to happen. The people would over fish and kill many species off. This would kill off other species. People would poach the crocs and the hippos and they would starve from lack of food. Poachers would find easier access into the park and increase their poaching. There is a 'me' mentality here and also and 'now' mentality. Liwonde and the river would just become another animal-less, desert village.

The day we left I saw the poacher, still in handcuffs, fate still undecided. I can only wish they all get caught, I can only hope someone will care enough to protect what is almost completely gone from Malawi. Nature, natural wildlife, and natural habitat.