Wild&Jag; / Game&Hunt; Magazine - May 2023

In this issue

Every very now and then, life sends something your way that forces you to sit up and take notice. For me, that “something” was Jim Rice’s article, “Fulfilling dreams in the Free State” on p 24 of this issue. Thanks to an old friend’s valuable advice, Jim realised his dream and started hunting in Africa after putting it off for many years. In Jim’s own words: “What my friend meant was, if hunting is your passion and hunting a particular animal or in a particular part of the world is a lifelong dream, you can make that dream a reality. It’s better to pursue your dream, no matter the cost, than to give up on it, only to regret it later when you are physically unable to do it … Many times, we have only a window of opportunity to achieve our dream. If we miss that window, the dream is gone forever.” Truer words were never spoken! Brandon van Zyl also shares valuable advice with all role players in the wildlife industry in his article “The importance of knowledge in wildlife management” (p 80): “Those involved in the wildlife sector need to be open-minded. Every day gives us a new opportunity to learn and adapt. Therefore, knowledge is the key to success. We must just be willing to grasp it every time we get a chance.”