Finally, she spots the perfect animal: an old solitary male, distinguishable by the white circles on his horns indicating his advanced age, and soon it is dead with a single shot.
“Hunters are not violent people who like to kill,” said Meyeridricks.
“Hunting is an experience that brings you closer to nature. You must know how to interpret the bush. You have to immerse yourself to the point of being part of the ecosystem.”
Despite their efforts to explain their side of the argument, hunters are facing more and more pressure.
This year, two major airlines, South African Airways and Emirates Airlines, banned transport of elephant, rhino, lion and tiger trophies.
In March 2015, Australia also outlawed the import of lion trophies.
Such policies make hunters furious.
“Africa doesn’t have the luxury to argue these things from a very isolated European perspective,” said Meyeridricks.
He says that it is not only the animals that need to be taken into account but also the surrounding communities who benefit from the hunting industry.
“For wildlife to manage to survive and to thrive on this continent, African communities need to have some sort of benefit, and the only benefit they can have from wildlife is financial.”
– Meat for eating –
According to the South African environment minister, the legal hunting industry generates about 6.2 billion rand ($510 million) a year.
Several of the large environmental organisations, including the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), support hunting, as long as the outfits follow legal, sustainable and ethical practises.
Back at Iwamanzi, the blesbok is positioned on its belly, with its legs folded under the body, and its snout resting on the ground.
Taking her place behind the animal, Kitshoff poses for a photo.
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