Hunting safaris are big business in many of Africa's top safari destinations, but you won't see it advertised in the average glossy safari brochures. You can hunt for almost any African mammal if you pay enough. That includes cheetah, rhino, leopard, buffalo, lion, elephant, and kudu. Many of these are endangered species.

It will set you back about $20,000 to shoot a Bull elephant with a rifle in Namibia -- less if you don't want to bring home the trophy (the stuffed head). Namibia, Botswana and South Africa are popular hunting destinations and most of the big trophy hunting is done under strict laws governed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and local governments.

Hunting safaris generate a significant amount of controversy. Some people are set against them on principle and some enjoy hunting and don't see anything wrong with it. Others may see it as a necessary evil since it does bring in a significant amount of cash that is sometimes used to further conservation efforts. Allowing some trophy hunting on community owned land is one way local people can raise money to better their lives, like the Ngome community in South Africa. But it's difficult to measure exactly where the profits go and how they are used.

One of the best Africa travel sites, the Africa Guide, doesn't even list hunting safaris as a vacation option on principle. I choose to list some links because I think it's important for people to see that it's out there. What do you think?

_{Image © David Hutchinson}