The Commodification of Wildlife

By Zig Mackintosh

African traditional healer Gogo Nomsa Sibeko, who heads Nature Speaks and Responds (NPC), an organization founded in 2022 predominantly comprised of traditional female healers, was one of the speakers at the recent Snare Mitigation Symposium in Pretoria, South Africa.

While traditional healers are often viewed with skepticism from a Western perspective, similar alternative practices in the West aren't too different.

The United Kingdom has approximately nine million users of homeopathic products, and the practice is integrated into healthcare systems in countries like Germany and Switzerland.

Homeopathy is also gaining acceptance as an alternative or complementary medicine, especially as holistic approaches to health grow more appealing, principally amongst society's more affluent. This trend is partly due to concerns about over-prescription of conventional medications and a rising interest in natural remedies.​

The South African government officially recognized traditional healers under the Traditional Health Practitioners Act of 2007, which aims to regulate their practice and integrate them into the broader healthcare system.

There are around 200,000 to 300,000 traditional healers, also known as sangomas or inyangas, in the country. It's estimated that 70-80% of South Africans consult traditional healers for various health concerns, including physical, emotional, and spiritual ailments.

South Africa has an estimated 36,000 licensed medical doctors registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA). A significant proportion of these work in the private sector.

The public health system has approximately three doctors for every 10,000 patients, highlighting the disparity in medical care​ access.

​This shortage of doctors is compounded by budgetary constraints, which have limited provincial health departments' ability to employ newly qualified doctors despite an increase in medical graduates over the past decade.

Gogo Nomsa Sibeko spoke from the heart; she didn't need a PowerPoint presentation.

She was unapologetic about the fact that traditional healers buy animal parts from poachers; where else would they get their supplies?

The battle-hardened anti-poaching rangers in the room noticeably bristled at this uncomfortable truth.

Ms Sibeko went on to say that until there was a secure, legal way of obtaining the animal products, the poaching and buying would continue.

This reality cannot be bludgeoned or wished away; the same can be said of rhino horn use in Eastern medicine.

The South African government has officially "embraced the "wildlife economy" concept as a strategy to balance biodiversity conservation with socio-economic development.

This approach is encapsulated in the National Biodiversity Economy Strategy (NBES), which promotes the sustainable use of the country's natural resources to generate jobs, economic growth, and conservation benefits.

It encompasses activities such as ecotourism, wildlife ranching, medicinal plant harvesting, and trophy hunting, aiming to create opportunities for communities while preserving biodiversity​."

If the poaching dilemma is to be contained, this strategy must include the legal use of wildlife products in traditional medicine.

Animal rights activists oppose the "commodification" of wildlife. But that's not the issue; wildlife has been commodified since before the arrival of the white man.

The issue is how it's managed.

(Zimbabwean native Zig Mackintosh has been involved in wildlife conservation and filmmaking for 40 years. Over the years, he has traveled to more than 30 countries, documenting various aspects of wildlife conservation. Sustainable use of natural resources as an essential conservation tool is the fundamental theme in the film productions he is associated with.)