I have done a little bit of missions work in Africa...
There is a MUCH different relationship and perception of the animals there than here.
Elephants? Hated. Think of how irritated you get with the rabbits and gophers in your garden. Now... extrapolate that into a 2 TON rabbit AND IT’S FAMILY chowing down on YOUR food.
Lions? Loved and hated. Loved for the tourist dollars, hated for the every now and then old male or female too sick to hunt an animal, but gets a child before it is put down.
Story is kind of the same with rhinos and hippos. Leopards though are nearly revered as amazing hunters that leave people and their animals alone... except for an occasional goat, which seems to be tolerated. I suspected that was for religious reasons.
Great post.