Hunting comes naturally for Dakalo
Proud hunter Dakalo Nemangwele says that wild animals have generated an income for game farmers and butchers who process and prepare the meat.
LIMPOPO- Dakalo Nemangwele is a proud hunter from Mangwele village in the Nzhelele area in Vhembe, and says besides earning an income from hunting, there are several opportunities made possible by this hobby.
“I started hunting at around 12 years of age.
“Hunting on its own is a sport and a job to many, while it puts meat on the table for both hunters and non-hunters.
“I really enjoy hunting, as it is a full-time job that contributes to the GDP of the country and attracts tourists from abroad,” said Nemangwele.
He said he has hunted in most provinces in South Africa.
“We hunt on private game farms where the revenue will be used to maintain the farm and pay the bills. In South Africa, we normally hunt during hunting season that starts in April and the main reason for this is to let the animals have time to give birth and raise their calves,” he said.
“I have hunted from small antelope to medium and large animals. Africa is more popular for its magnificent trophy animals with bigger bodies and longer horns, like the kudu with its beautiful spiraled horns, and I have also hunted impalas, warthogs, tsetsebes, duikers, klipspringers, blue wildebeest, nyala, bushbuck, eland, gemsbok and steenbok.
“All these animals have generated an income for game farmers and also generate money for butchers who process and prepare the meat,” he said.
He explained that game meat is very rich in protein, with less fat, thus making it more suitable for human consumption.
“We have different types of hunting: biltong hunting, where the hunter is mainly hunting to have meat for consumption; and trophy hunting, where the hunter will only select matured bulls or rams and they only take horns and skin to make their trophies,” he concluded.
