Is a calm debate possible on hunting in Africa?

There are Africans furious with white Europeans seeking to impact how Africa manages its own wildlife.

There are campaigners who believe that those Africans are wrong and that no one has the right to shoot animals.

And there are hunters who disagree.

What unites all of them is a belief that they have the best interests of Africa's iconic animals at heart.

And that they know the best way to ensure that these animals survive and thrive into the next century.

Perhaps a calmer conversation might be possible if everyone stopped to look at the science.

More profoundly, it would help if all of us paused to consider that those on the other side of the debate had at least some good motivations.

It might also be helpful if those whose emotional reaction to the issue exceeds their personal expertise showed a little more respect to those who have studied it deeply.

For instance, how reliable are the facts in the possession of the actress Joanna Lumley compared with the understanding of the academic Amy Dickman?

One uses her fame to seek to change laws regarding hunting in Africa while the other is the Professor who runs Oxford University's Conservation Research Unit - a woman who has spent decades living among Africa's lions.

Africa's big animals cannot survive the emoting of the ignorant - however well intentioned.