Tom Opre is an influential figure in the world of outdoor exploration, renowned for his passion for wildlife and the great outdoors. As a multifaceted American outdoor enthusiast, photographer, and filmmaker, Tom has left an indelible mark on the hunting and outdoor industry. With an unwavering commitment to ethical hunting practices and wildlife conservation, he has become an ambassador for responsible engagement with nature.
Throughout his illustrious career, Tom Opre has captured the essence of nature’s splendor through his exceptional photography and videography skills. His lens has brought to life breathtaking moments in the wilderness, inspiring countless individuals to embrace the beauty and importance of the natural world. Beyond his creative prowess, Tom’s engaging personality and dedication to showcasing the wonders of the outdoors have made him a sought-after television personality, contributing to various hunting shows and outdoor media outlets. As an advocate for sustainable hunting and environmental stewardship, Tom Opre continues to inspire a new generation of outdoor enthusiasts to cherish and protect the wilderness for generations to come.
In your book, ‘Killing the Shepherd: Beyond the Film,’ you highlight the transformative process experienced by the community in Shikabeta. Can you elaborate on some specific examples of how this process provided hope for the future of Africa’s wildlife and empowered the local residents?
Remember, these people living in the Western world would be considered beyond our lowest poverty standards. They live in mud walls with thatched roof huts. They dig holes in the sand along rivers to get water, always with an eye out for man-eating crocodiles. Insects, baboons, and hippos eat their crops. One farmer told me, “I plant 1/3 for the animals and armyworms, 1/3 for my family, and 1/3 the sun just shrivels up.” They don’t have automobiles. Few, if any, even have bikes. They walk tens of kilometers each way to get medical care or even attend a bush school, an open-air thatched roof affair with dirt floors. The average life expectancy in the bush is forty to forty-five years.
Because of my film, and subsequent book, people worldwide can assist the people of Shikabeta. African Children Schools, a nonprofit based in California, has donated the funds to build three schools. But a school includes not only a concrete building with a metal roof but also desks, uniforms, teaching supplies, outdoor latrines, teacher salaries, and teacher housing. The first order for uniforms, back in 2018, was 120. In 2022, the uniform order was for 600.
As a filmmaker, you captured the gritty and raw aspects of the journey to combat wildlife poaching. How did you ensure that the authenticity and depth of the story translated effectively from the screen to the pages of your book?
Not many folks have been embedded in an anti-poaching scout team during a night-time raid. Documenting the action on film is straightforward. You see what happened. Describing how I felt when we turned off the tar road and heard eight AK-47s being racked open and then loaded is something you don’t see in the film. But in the book, I’m free to go into greater depth. You can provide the reader with nuance. Description, done well, can propel the viewer into the seat next to me. The book is a wild ride.
The ban on safari hunting created significant challenges for the community in the Lower Luano Valley. Can you discuss some of the ways in which the community and Roland Norton found innovative solutions to address these challenges and restore balance to the ecosystem?
Key to these efforts was weaning the community off subsistence poaching for game meat. Once the fish farm had been established, the people could purchase fish. The Nortons sold the fish at cost. They even built a series of reservoirs around the valley, which they stocked with fish. Next, they taught the community how to fish with a cane pole, line and hook. This allowed folks to fish for dinner. Wildlife resources are not infinite. It was all part of teaching modern conservation to the community.
Next, they devised a system to provide proper seed stock and fertilizer to the farmers at cost. This scheme included guaranteeing the purchase of surplus grain and vegetables. One area consistently had surplus corn. The Nortons purchased the surplus and trucked it to areas of need, typically areas with a surplus of vegetables as those farmers could irrigate out of the river. Remember, farmers don’t have trucks. Transportation is a huge issue. But the safari company has not only Landcruisers but also heavy-duty flatbed trucks they utilize for development projects.
A cool story Roland told me was during the first year of their efforts. The community of Shikabeta had been using seed stock from previous crops. Most of us know that if you continue to use seeds from your crops, eventually, your stock will degrade. In an attempt to educate the community farmers, Roland dropped into the major seed wholesaler in the capital Lusaka. He explained the issue to the general manager and asked for a sample packet of seeds. He was told to come back in a week. When he went back, the manager was off. His secretary told Roland his seeds were out on the loading dock. Arriving at the loading dock, Roland discovered there was an entire pallet of corn seed. He returned to the secretary, explaining there must be a mistake as the people couldn’t afford a pallet of seed. The secretary explained that her manager was moved by Roland’s efforts and wanted to donate a pallet of seeds to the community. Amazing what goodwill can accomplish.
Your book sheds light on the importance of human rights in rural communities across Africa. How do you believe empowering these communities can contribute to the overall conservation efforts and protection of wildlife in the continent?
Not every animal in Africa is on the endangered species list. Even the animals listed as “threatened” live in large and healthy populations in certain parts of Africa. We live in a world with over eight million humans. As a species, we have a pretty bad track record, over thousands of years, being responsible conservationists. Iconic megafauna doesn’t live in cities. It lives in rural ecosystems. In the modern age, it’s clear that if natural resources, like wildlife, don’t provide some sort of value or economic benefit to the local communities living with these resources, they’ll go the way of the Dodo bird — extinct. It’s the people who live in those areas who will be tasked with managing the planet’s wildlife resources. They have local knowledge and experience. It won’t be people living in mega metropolitan areas doing the hard work. These people often don’t even know where their food originates. In fact, urban dwellers are often a bigger problem than poachers. To stand on the wrong side is nothing more than neocolonialism. It’s pretty tough to tell the people of the Kingdom of Shikabeta they can’t realize their basic human rights, income to buy food, access to health care, and opportunities for their children to get an education, through an economic model which creates benefits for their hard work in modern wildlife conservation.
‘Killing the Shepherd: Beyond the Film’ not only tells a captivating story but also offers a blueprint for other rural communities to assert their basic human rights. What advice or guidance would you give to individuals or organizations looking to support and empower similar communities in Africa?
There’s a worldwide ecosystem of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), foundations, and nonprofits with the goal of protecting wildlife and/or “saving” impoverished people living in rural Africa. Almost all of them are anti-use when it comes to wildlife resources. The national parks, like Kruger or Serengeti or any one of more than 300, are products of colonialism. Europeans drew up their boundaries decades or even hundreds of years ago. Local communities were removed from lands, which in some cases, they had lived on for hundreds if not thousands of years. There are two facts in this world. Everything alive today is going to die. Everything alive is programmed to survive, thus overpopulating the carrying capacity of the land. There will be plenty of wildlife if it offers value to local communities.
Local communities, like the Kingdom of Shikabeta, must have the right to make their own decisions about their natural resources. The Western world can offer insight into the peer-reviewed science surrounding modern conservation. It can offer financial assistance, with checks and balances, to ensure those resources are utilized for specific projects and not wasted through corruption. But what the modern world can’t do is dictate policy. It especially cannot devalue Africa’s wildlife resources.
Bonus Question:
If you could have any superpower what would it be and why?
Superheroes are immortal, right? Wouldn’t it be great to know there is a being standing strong to benefit people worldwide and teach each new generation how to best live in harmony with all things living on the planet?
The late fashion photographer, Peter Beard, said, “Humans haven’t learned how to be good neighbors with the rest of the animals living on the planet.”
His new book Killing the Shepherd: Beyond the Film is available on Amazon!
