44(5 AFRICA THE LARGEST GAME PRESERVE IN THE WORLD 



Notwithstanding this, Africa is still rich in animals, birds, and 

 fishes, and by placing certain restrictions upon their destruction 

 many species that would otherwise be exterminated may be fostered 

 and perpetuated. Both the professional hunter and the sportsman 

 wouUl then be able to gun or fish with reasonable success without 

 endangering the future supply of game. 



In London, on May 19 of the j)resent 3'ear, a convention was signed 

 by the diplomatic re{)resentatives of Great Jiritain, German}', Spain, 

 Belgium, France, Italy, and Portugal for the protection of the wild 

 animals, birds, and fishes of Africa, which convention, after being 

 ratified 1)}' tlie powers, is to remain in force for fifteen 3'ears. By 

 tiius acting in concert, the European nations who are most interested 

 in Africa, through their extensive colonial })Ossessions, have formed 

 themselves into a powerful game-protective :issociation, with jurisdic- 

 tion over the most extensive game i)reserve in the world. 



'J'he area over which the ]»rovisions of the convention are to apph' 

 includes all that j)orti()n of the Dark Continent extending from the 

 twentieth pai'allel of north latitude to the southern line of the Ger- 

 man ])ossessions in southwestern Africa, and from the Atlantic Ocean 

 to the Indian Ocean and the Red 8ea. Under the terms of the con- 

 vention, the hunting and desti'uction of vultures, secretary birds, owls, 

 giraffes, gorillas, chimpanzees, mountain zebras, wild asses, white- 

 tailed gnus, elands, and the little Liberian hii){)opotamusis ])rohibited. 

 Tlui young of certain animals, including the elephant, rhinoceros, 

 bippo[)otamus. zebra, antelope, gazelle, ibex, and chevrotain, are pro- 

 tected, and also the same species when accompanied by their young. 

 Particular emphasis is laid on the protection of young elei)hants,and 

 all elei)hants' tusks weighing less than twenty j)ounds are to be con- 

 fiscated by the government if the animal was killed after the conven- 

 tion went into effect. The eggs of the ostrich, among those of a large 

 number of other birds, are to be protected, but those of the crocodile 

 and of ])oisonous snakes and pythons are to be destroyed. A limited 

 number af lions, leopards, hyenas, otters, baboons and other harm- 

 ful monkeys, large birds of pre\', crocodiles, j)oisonous snakes, and 

 pythons may be killed. 



The method of taking or killing game is regulated to the extent 

 that the use of nets and j)itfalls is forbidden, and dynamite and other 

 exi)losives must not be used for taking fish. Only persons holding 

 licenses issued bv the local governments are allowed to hunt wild 



