Wild, wild life

John Kasaona has helped turn the poachers of Namibia, including his father, into conservationists, giving them “ownership in the wildlife.”

“We realized that stopping poaching is completely different from catching poachers.”

“When we look to the buffalo in the Midwest, Namibia is now a model for the U.S.”

“My father taught me that when you see a cheetah feeding in the wild, you just slap it on the butt, and it will run away.

If you see a lion face to face, stand your ground son, and look big. It might turn away.

But if you see a leopard, you run like hell boy. You run faster than the goats you are herding.”

His slideshow included a number of amazing shots by Frans Lanting. By coincidence, I spoke with him at great length about camera traps the prior night. The photos on his iPhone were much better than mine. =)

You can see the annotated TED slideshow here