There has been much speculation on the possibilities of domesticat¬ 
ing wild ungulates for ranching purposes. Individual animals of virtually 
all species have been tamed and raised as pets, but very little research 
has gone into raising wild animals as domestic herds. The potential of 
this, however, has been shown by a tame eland herd in Southern Rhodesia. 
Since 1954 an Agricultural Officer in that country has maintained a herd 
of elands, keeping records on such factors as reproduction and growth 
rates (Posselt, 1963)» This herd breeds and thrives in captivity. It 
is periodically put over a weighbridge, and herded and handled in the 
same manner as cattle, except that the animals are more placid and 
easier to manage than most range cattle. They have been milked and some 
have been castrated. They can be confined by normal wire fences, and 
when grazing free they do not join wild elands in the vicinity. From 
the evidence to date, they appear to be an extraordinarily satisfactory 
"domestic" animal combining productivity and adaptation to the environ¬ 
ment in a degree superior to that of normal livestock, and providing 
manageability not found in free-ranging wild ungulates (ibid.). 
Problems Involved 
Attitudes toward harvest of wildlife 
The idea of commercial utilization of wildlife is affected by a 
complex series of human attitudes. The nature of the problem is well 
illustrated in East and Central Africa. Most of the indigenous peoples 
regarded wildlife as a source of animal products and hunted it as such. 
In several African languages the word for wild animal also means meat . 
The European administrators and land owners have variously regarded wild¬ 
life as a source of sport hunting, an object to be rigidly protected in 
restricted areas for aesthetic reasons, or as an obstacle to "proper w 
land development. The consequent prevailing idea of conflict between the 
interests of people and the interests of animals strongly affects the 
attitudes about land use of administrations and technical services. It 
also mitigates against wildlife being considered seriously as a resource 
of the land. The recent change in this attitude and slowly growing appre¬ 
ciation of the potential value of wildlife as a resource for animal prod¬ 
ucts stems largely from the work of visiting wildlife management experts. 
These scientists, largely from America, have pointed out the need to manage 
wildlife to keep it within the carrying capacity of its range. Also they 
have stressed the potential value of wildlife as a resource of animal 
products in addition to its existing value as the basis of the important 
tourist industry. 
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