Game animals are unlikely to compete directly with domestic animals as meat producers. The evidence so far has indicated that they are not as efficient in converting feed into liveweight and doubts remain concerning disease and their management in this and other respects. On the other hand, game-ranching could supplement other forms of meat production and even replace existing farming methods in arid regions. Certain species (eland, springbok) do feed on plants and shrubs not eaten by domestic stock and game give a higher yield of lean meat. Game should be regarded as complementary, not competitive and there is urgent need for more research with this approach as well as into the basic difficulties of marketing fresh meat in sophisticated markets.