A conservation decision made thousands of miles away.
Consequences felt on the ground.

A remote community in Africa, led by a woman chief, attempts to break the stranglehold of absolute poverty by waging a war on wildlife poaching. For decades illegal wildlife poaching by both subsistence and bush meat gangs has led to the government declaring this community’s homeland “depleted” of wildlife.

The chief finds help in the form of a safari operator and they work together to bring stability to the community. But all was not well. Disease, food stability, and rampant alcoholism hamper basic needs like health care and education. Even young girls, just after reaching puberty, are sold by their parents as child brides in order to feed their family for one year. Dark forces including South African land speculators, criminal poaching gangs, and her own people conspire against the chief. Even elements from the modern world work against the chief’s wishes.

Will the chief and her community see success? You can purchase and watch the film HERE.

Description of the Story:
Filmmaker Tom Opre dedicated over three years to documenting the lives of a remote community in Zambia, led by a woman chief, who dared to break the bonds of poverty by waging a war on wildlife poaching.

In 2015, the children of the Lower Luano Valley were starving to death. For generations, the people survived by living off the land, which included eating a small amount of game. They worked hand in hand with the safari hunting industry, which helped pay for the protection of wildlife and provided hard cash to this community. But in 2001 and 2002, the Zambian government banned safari hunting which created a vacuum. The land soon became filled by well-organized bush meat poaching gangs.

The wildlife was decimated over the next fifteen years.

Once, the area held Africa’s Big Five – elephant, lion, leopard, cape buffalo, and rhino. Now almost all those animals, along with a multitude of plains game, were gone. The people had no hope. No safari hunting operator would even consider committing funds to a “game-depleted” concession with no legal hunting quota.

But the people of Shikabeta were led by a wise chief. She knew she needed a safari operator in her area. She cast her net and found Roland Norton, an import/export customs dealer who had spent a lifetime dreaming of running his own safari concession.

From 2017 through 2020, filmmaker Tom Opre documented the complexities, heartaches, and successes of an unusual business agreement which led to astonishing results for not only the wildlife but, most importantly, the community.

This is an excellent review of the film:
Killing the Shepherd (2021), is a quietly compelling Zambian documentary that flips the script on the usual narrative around hunting, conservation, and community survival. At its heart is a provocative idea: when legal, regulated trophy hunting was banned in Zambia, it didn’t stop the killing, it just removed the resources and incentives to protect wildlife. Without funding from safari operators, anti-poaching efforts collapsed, and poachers moved in unchecked. More animals died, and local communities lost both income and influence over their land.

The film follows a remarkable shift: a local female chief, recognising the crisis, invites a safari operator back, not for profit, but as a form of conservation partnership. Hunters return, yes, but so do armed scouts, jobs, and a renewed sense of stewardship. The “shepherd” of the title isn’t a literal herder, but a metaphor for those who manage and protect the land, whether through tradition, economics, or necessity.

It’s an uncomfortable truth for many Western environmentalists, and the film doesn’t shy away from the moral complexity. It’s not pro-hunting propaganda; it’s a grounded look at what happens when well-intentioned bans ignore on-the-ground realities. The cinematography is strong, the voices of local Zambians are centred (which is rare and welcome), and the pacing keeps you engaged even when the subject matter is heavy.

And here’s another review:
Killing the Shepherds is a must-see film for anyone concerned about wildlife conservation and the welfare of the often marginalized citizens of Africa — and all rural people throughout the world. In this brutally honest documentary, you will see the difficulties and complexities of conservation and WHY it is so important for the local people to benefit from conservation. Your heart will sink at the horrific human conditions but it will soar when a brave intelligent chief asks for help….and she GETS it from a man who agrees to put everything he’s got into turning her community around.

We cannot protect the wildlife we adore if we can’t face up to the reality of life in such a harsh and unforgiving environment. If people suffer. So too will the wildlife. I am so thankful for people like the Nortons and TA Opre for sharing this amazing story with the world.

The Book:

Incredible stories are often left on the cutting room floor during the film editing process. Killing the Shepherd: Beyond the Film delves deeper than any film. Gritty and raw, this book will take the reader through a transformative process providing hope for the future of Africa’s wildlife. It also provides a business blueprint enabling rural communities throughout the dark continent to realize their most basic human rights.