Game Ranching

Game ranches are usually understood to mean an area of land, often enclosed by special fencing, where game animals are kept. There are many purposes for the existence of game ranches. Some owners of game ranches have no commercial motive and are purely interested in conservation and the private enjoyment of the experience of nature. Others acquire and breed animals to profit from live sales, hunting, or tourism. Financial reasons have made the latter type far more common, thus the for-profit type of game ranches is the focus of this entry.

The hunting aspect of game ranching often invokes negative connotations. Some species have become extinct through overhunting. Many people are sickened by reports of the “hunting” of sluggish, drugged lions. The use of dogs in ...