South Africa's traditional hunters not ready to give up their passion

Township dog owners in Johannesburg remain passionate about traditional hunting which has been going on for generations, despite numerous challenges.

It is not an easy task for the dog hunters whose activities are considered illegal and criticised by anti-poaching lobby groups.

“They were shooting the dogs but now they don’t shoot. They catch you and then you can get out of jail with R500 or R1000,” one of the hunters told reporters.

The hunting usually takes place in the morning hours and ends by midday. Public opinion in South Africa is divided as to whether this type of hunting should be considered illegal or not especially as the hunters are more concerned about feeding their families.

“It used to be more traditional, where they would actually hunt for food, and it would be one or two guys going out with just a few dogs, nowadays what has happened, they actually using it more as a sport, and actually using it as part of gambling as well,” a South African wildlife official, Isabel Wentzel said.

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Although the controversy on the illegal activity continues, the traditional dog hunters are not ready to give up.

The activity has become a central part of their daily lifestyle which they keep transferring from generation to generation.

AFP