Aug 28, 2013 | News
In the past South African hunters obtained temporary firearm export permits from the SAPS upon arrival at border posts. This will not be possible in future. The SAPS now requires hunters to apply for temporary firearm export permits at their local DFOs at least three weeks before departure. Should the process experience a hiccup, the hunter may find himself not obtaining a permit timeously. Hunters are therefore advised by African Hunting Gazette to:
- Apply at least six weeks prior to departure
- Ensure that the serial numbers on their rifles are clear, legible, and correct.
Aug 28, 2013 | Bulletin - Augustus 2013
In die verlede was dit moontlik om tydelike vuurwapen uitvoerpermitte tydens opwagting by grensposte van die SAPD te bekom. Dit sal voortaan nie meer moontlik wees nie. Die SAPD vereis dat jagters nou ten minste drie weke voor vertrek by hul plaaslike AVOs aansoek moet doen. Indien die aansoek vertraag word kan dit gebeur dat permitte nie betyds uitgereik word nie. African Hunting Gazette raai jagters dus aan om eerder:
- Ten minste ses weke voor vertrek aansoek te doen
- Te verseker dat die reeksnommers op hul wapens duidelik, leesbaar en korrek is.
Aug 28, 2013 | News
According to the RSA Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA), 553 rhino have been poached in South Africa to date. A spokesman for the WorldWide Fund for Nature in South Africa (WWF-SA) is reported to have said that the overall rhino population will soon begin declining.
It is expected that in excess of the 2012 tally, 668 rhino will be poached this year. Aggressive anti-poaching operations have not proved particularly successful in the reduction of poaching activities despite the arrest of approximately 150 poachers this year. It does not appear that arrests of the actual poachers will solve the problem. The WWF-SA is apparently of the opinion that success might be achieved if the perpetrators higher up the chain should be targeted by law enforcement, because they form part of international organised crime syndicates.
Aug 28, 2013 | Bulletin - Augustus 2013
Volgens die RSA se Departement van Omgewingsake (DOS) is 553 renoster reeds die jaar in Suid-Afrika gestroop. ’n Segsman vir die WorldWide Fund for Nature in South Africa (WWF-SA) is aangehaal dat hulle meen dat die renosterbevolking op die rand van afname is.
Daar word verwag dat 668 renosters vanjaar gestroop gaan word – meer as in 2012. Nieteenstaande die arrestasie van 150 stropers die jaar blyk selfs aggressiewe anti-stroop operasies nie besonder suskesvol te wees nie. Die mening is dat die arrestasie van stropers nie die probleem sal oplos nie. Die WWF-SA is blykbaar van mening dat sukses behaal kan word as rolspelers hoër op in die ketting van die internasionale georganiseerde misdaad sindikate deur wetstoepassers gearresteer word.
Aug 28, 2013 | News
The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) recently released the recommendations of the Rhino Issues Management (RIM) report. The report calls for the immediate dehorning of thousands of rhino in national parks. The report, written by former SA National Parks chief executive Mavuso Msimang, indicates that it would take three years at a rate of eight rhino per day and cost R84 million to dehorn SANParks rhinos, take DNA samples and insert microchips. Since rhino horn grows at 5cm per year the process will have to be repeated every 3-4 years. The government indicated that de-horning was not on the cards on the short term.
Mr Msimang also came up with a novel concept and urged the government to consider opening a rhino trading structure possibly linked to the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and recommended that the government use Cites Article 27 to make an interim application to CITES to end the ban on rhino product trading and not wait for CITES 2016.
Aug 28, 2013 | Bulletin - Augustus 2013
Die Departement van Omgewingsake (DOS) het die voorstelle van die Rhino Issues Management (RIM) verslag onlangs bekendgemaak. Die verslag stel die onmiddelike onthoringing van duisende renosters in die nasionale parke voor. Die skrywer van die verslag, die voormalig hoof uitvoerende beampte van SANParks, Mavuso Msimang, het aangedui dat dit drie jaar sal duur en R84 miloen sal kos om die SANParke se renosters to onthoring, DNS monsters te neem en mikroskyfies in te plant. Aangesien renosterhoring met omtrent 5cm per jaar groei sal die proses elke 3-4 jaar herhaal moet word. Die regering het aangedui dat dit tans nie ‘n opsie is nie.
Mnr Msimang het ook met die oorspronklike konsep van ‘n renosterhoring handels-struktuur vorendag gekom wat moontlik aan die Johannesburgse Effektebeurs gekoppel kan word aan aanbeveel dat die regering nie tot 2016 wag nie, maar CITES Artikel 27 gebruik om ‘n tussentydse aansoek na CITES te loods om die verbod op die handel in renosterprodukte op te hef.
Aug 28, 2013 | Bulletin - Augustus 2013
‘n Span wetenskaplikes van die Cardiff Universiteit se School of Biosciences het ‘n DNS tegniek ontwikkel wat spesies akkuraat kan identifisier met gekookte vleismonsters uit die stedelike bosvleis markte in Guinea-Bissau.
Volgens die Cardiff Universiteit het die afwesigheid van ‘n betroubare diagnostiese tegniek voorheen pogings belemmer om die bedreiging wat onwettig jag van colobus ape, bobbejane en sjimpansees inhou te ondersoek. Deur die insameling van gekookte weefselmonsters het die navorsers vir die eerste keer daarin geslaag om by wyse van DNS kodering die spesifieke primate wat verhandel word te identifiseer. Dit het interessante en onverwagte resultate opgelewer. Die DNS is uit die vleismonsters onttrek en kodeer by wyse van ordening van spesies-spesifieke DNS by die School of Biosciences.
Die navorsers hoop dat die tegniek bruikbaar sal wees vir regeringsagentskappe wat wêreldwyd verantwoordelik is vir die beheer van die onwettige bosvleis bedryf.
Aug 15, 2013 | News
According to media reports Tanzanian Natural Resources and Tourism Minister Ambassador Khamis Kagasheki the Tanzanian is collecting views from wildlife stakeholders on the establishment of the Tanzania Wildlife Authority (TAWA). TAWA appears to be intended as similar to TAWICO (Tanzania Wildlife Corporation – hunting company) of the past.
According to AllAfrica.com the minister, when opening a meeting aimed at getting views and advice from personnel who served in the Ministry, said: "We are expecting to complete the process of collecting views from stakeholders, leaders and the citizens on the plan by November this year." The Minister is quoted to have said that the plan will be endorsed by Members of Parliament during the November parliamentary sessions.
The Minister said that the establishment of the authority will enable the review of the current wildlife Act that has weaknesses towards better management of the wildlife conservations. "The review of the Act will enable the Authority take action and penalize those involved in the wildlife poaching accordingly,". He also noted that review of the Act will enable the Authority promote involvement of local communities participations in wildlife conservations.
Industry role players indicated to the AHG that they hoped that the step would improve the situation on the ground. It is said that in 1965, when Tanzania’s wildlife population was higher than today, there were 47 hunting blocks. By 1997, the number increased to over 140 hunting blocks. At the same time, the number of hunting companies increased from 9 in 1984 to 42 by 2004, and according to the Wengert email in 2013, around 52 hunting companies. The increase in hunting blocks was a combination of opening up new areas to hunting combined with subdivision of existing hunting blocks. For instance, in the late 1980s and through the mid-1990s, both Southern Maasailand and the Northern Maasailand hunting concessions were first subdivided; Southern Maasailand from 2 to 8 hunting blocks and Northern Maasiland from 2 to 6 hunting blacks. Moyowosi South hunting block was split into 2 in 2001, then reconstituted into 1 block and now apparently subdivided again. Subdivisions of hunting blocks continues to the point that many are too small for viable hunting. As an example Mto wa Mbu and Lake Natron are no longer viable for plains game (e.g., zebra, eland, Grants & Thomson gazelles, lesser kudu, etc.) as there are about 6 Hunting Blocks from Mto wa Mbu to Gelai Rumba up to the border with Kenya. This is also said to be the case with Moyowosi and Muhesi.
In all cases and continuing until today, it appears that in the subdivided hunting blocks, the old quotas for the single block were given to each of the new subdivided blocks, resulting in quotas being multiplied by as many as four times or more for short-term economic gain with little or no biological/empirical data to justify these subdivisions or to determine if they were/are sustainable. In addition to safari hunting quotas, quotas were given for game capture and game cropping in many blocks, as well as resident hunters quotas. This has resulted in a major drop in Tanzania’s trophy quality because of too high a harvest rate. While some increases in quotas may have been acceptable, certainly not to the extremes, as noted above.
It is expected that TAWA will have its hands full. Like any organization, its ability to manage wildlife will depend on the moral integrity of those who run it. The new director of TAWA will have to take a very close look at the implications of hunting block subdivisions and quota multiplications. If they are to take place they must be based upon credible scientific data and recommendations coming out of the Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute (TAWIRI) in collaboration with TAHOA (Tanzania Hunting Operators Association).
Aug 6, 2013 | Safari Planning
The best safari outfitters, who have the best areas, the best camps, the best staff and the best equipment have not developed this reputation overnight. They are, more often than not, booked out more than a year in advance. And nowhere is it more true than in the hunting industry, that you get what you pay for. In my experience, it is extraordinarily rare to find a good cheap hunt, in fact, I think the phrase, ‘a good cheap hunt’, like the phrase ‘military intelligence’, is an oxymoron.
Nothing is more expensive than spending even one day of your time hunting looking for an animal that is not and has never been in the hunting area. When you multiply this experience by 7, 14 or 28 days, the cost becomes devastating, not only from the point of money, time and effort flushed down the toilet but in the frustration, irritation, anger and mental anguish that will live with you for years after. No-one likes to be lied to, cheated or defrauded but this is doubly galling when, in retrospect, if you are honest with yourself, you know in your heart of hearts that a little bit of research could have avoided the situation in which you found yourself.
Of course, hunting is not about, ‘dial-a-buffalo’ or ‘rent-a-herd’, and an essential element of this amazing sport is its infinite uncertainty. A novice on his first hunting trip to Africa may take a world record on his first morning out of camp. An experienced, dedicated, African veteran may spend many years of his life looking for a particular trophy class animal and never obtain one. But everyone who has paid to hunt a particular species, in a particular area, with a particular outfitter, should have a chance, if not an exactly equal chance, to take the animal of his dreams. As such, I believe it is better to save up and wait for an opportunity to hunt in the best area, at the best time, with the best outfitter and professional hunter that you can afford. I believe that it is axiomatic that, if you pay peanuts you get monkeys and, although I shot a colobus monkey once in Ethiopia, to mount above a bongo I had previously earned in the Central African Republic, it is the only monkey I have ever wanted while on safari.
Luck occurs when preparation meets opportunity and, in booking a safari, the more research you do, the fitter you are, the more you practise your shooting skills and prepare, the luckier you will be on that important hunting trip of a lifetime. Having said that; people often do not think past the hunt itself. I believe it is just as important to prepare for what happens after the hunt is over. Which people am I going to need to tip and how much? On this score, once I know how many people are going to be in my hunting team and, roughly, what their functions are, I take some small gifts with me to give the team both before I start the hunt and/or during the hunt, as well as the normal monetary tip at the end of the safari. The word ‘Tips’ stands for, ‘To Insure Prompt Service’ and these little gifts do just that. They often help cement the team, ensure a happy, friendly and co-operative atmosphere, as well as raise the spirits of the team when, as can often be the case, times are tough, enthusiasm is waning and spirits are low. As James Mellon writes in African Hunter, ‘On any difficult expedition, especially on a foot safari, the gravest danger is always sinking morale. So keep your spirits up at all costs.’ Over the years, I have taken many such gifts with me in the form of T shirts (emblazoned with the South African flag), warm woollen hats and gloves – all of which are unbreakable and easy to pack – simple Swiss army knives, inexpensive digital watches, sweets and necklaces (for the wives and children). Clothing, however, is the all-time favourite and, like the army, in Africa, there are only two sizes that count – too big or too small.
Where are you going to send your trophies at the end of the hunt? In my opinion, the best taxidermists for African animals are in Africa and, for the most part, they are less expensive than those overseas. Outside of South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe, there are no taxidermists, as opposed to dipping stations, the quality of whose work I trust. Having said that, I believe it is important for the hunter to verify the standard of the taxidermy by actually visiting the studio, seeing how the work is done and by whom and, if necessary, speaking to other customers of the taxidermist he has in mind.
A good taxidermist will give you a sheath of printed forms on which to note the various measurements of the trophies you take. I think it is important to fill these in, particularly in the case of unusual animals which your taxidermist may not know well. I try and make a point of visiting my taxidermist when my trophies arrive at his studio. I take along the forms plus photographs of the animals concerned. We check the trophies together and discuss how I want them mounted, taking his suggestions into account of course. If you merely make the arrangements telephonically and the trophies turn out badly what can you do then? The taxidermist will usually blame the professional hunter and he will return the compliment. None of this will replace the hair that has slipped, the horns that are burnt, the tusks that aren’t yours or allow you any recourse.
If you do not follow this procedure and, to compound matters, you are dealing with an inferior taxidermist, you run the risk that your Harvey’s duiker is going to be mounted on whatever the taxidermist believes is the closest type of animal in respect of which he has a mould or form, such as a southern bush duiker. The fact that the resulting full mount bears no resemblance to the live animal does not seem to bother many taxidermists nor, for that matter, some clients. Over the years, particularly in North American trophy rooms, I have seen some very strange sights – Lord Derby’s eland that look like Cape eland, nyala like bushbuck, a leopard like a lioness and so on. The worst was a springbok that looked as if its face had got lodged in a pencil sharpener.
Worse still, imagine hearing that your trophies have been lost, damaged or stolen while at the taxidermist or, taking delivery of your prize kudu only to find that the horns have been replaced with an inferior set, or your luxurious, perfect cape has been exchanged for a moth eaten one. This means that, even after a long day in the field, it is important to show an interest in your trophies, to accompany them to the skinning shed and to check, at regular intervals, how they are being caped, skinned, salted and labelled and how they are treated subsequently. For example, in humid or wet conditions, the salted skins must be opened and aired every day. And what insecticide is being used to prevent bugs making a meal of your hides and horns? And how are your skulls being cleaned? How many hunters do you know who let the skinners boil their heads only to find that, at the same time, the horns attached thereto have been badly burnt?
Most good taxidermists will provide you, free of charge, with a set of labels to be attached to your trophies to ensure that the correct ones arrive at the correct destination. In this regard, I also obtain my taxidermist’s advice on which airfreight forwarding and clearing agents to use. I do not send my trophies by sea.
In the years to come, especially when you can no longer hunt the way you once did, it is wonderful to have a record of your hunts. I would urge you, therefore, to take lots of photographs and not just of dead animals. Photographs of people and places, sunrises, sunsets and scenery and also of those inevitable hunting mishaps – a flat tyre, stuck in a river crossing – and then of all aspects of the hunt such as building a blind, hanging a bait and so on. Also, if you can, keep a diary and, if not every day then, at regular intervals, jot down notes of what has transpired. When you return home write up your diary and keep it together with your photographs as a permanent record and memory of your hunt. In the years to come you will be very glad that you did so and, who knows, if you do this often enough, you may have sufficient information and photographs, if not for a book, then for a number of interesting magazine articles, which will help other people to avoid some of your mistakes and book a decent safari.
Aug 6, 2013 | Safari Planning
I would like to begin by mentioning some thoughts on 1×1, 2×2 and 2×1 safaris. On a 1×1 safari, the only thing I really worry about on the human relations side is my compatibility with the PH. For the most part, I enjoy hunting with young or young-at-heart pros who thoroughly enjoy their job, know their hunting area well, speak the local languages fluently, have a good rapport with their hunting team, have a sense of humour, can hold a conversation about things other than sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll and who do not want to make holes unnecessarily in the animals I am hunting.
On a 2×2 safari, this issue is compounded purely by the additional numbers, if nothing else, and it makes good sense to ensure that you and your companion have a very, very sound friendship before you embark on an adventure of this nature, which can often bring with it stresses and strains not present in the every-day environment. It is equally important for the two pros to have a similar relationship.
In my view, 2×1 safaris should be avoided at all costs. For a small discount, two of you share the services of one PH. In other words, at best, you each have one half of the hunting time. If one of you wounds an animal and you have to spend a day or so looking for it, however, the other member of the team never recoups his ‘share’ of the lost time. Apart from this, the whole concept is flawed and fraught with relationship destroying time bombs. While it is true that, personally, the 2×1 safaris I have shared with my close friend, Derek Carstens, have proved the old axiom, ‘trouble shared is trouble halved, pleasure shared is pleasure doubled,’ circumspection is the watchword when booking this type of safari.
Travel arrangements to and from the hunting area are critical. If at all possible, I try and fly directly to my destination. If I have to split the journey I try, as far as possible, to fly on the same airline, as this reduces the chances of my firearms going astray and, if they do, my getting them back quickly. If I catch a connecting flight in Africa I do not sit in the transit lounge and assume that my luggage, particularly my firearms, are going to catch the connecting flight with me. I remember once in Nairobi having to rescue my gun case from a trolley full of luggage about to be loaded on an Air Ethiopian flight to Addis Ababa. I was en route to Harare. It is extremely important to ask to see the cargo manager and ensure that your luggage is loaded onto the connecting flight, in your presence, if this is at all possible and it often is. In any event, I obtain the name, title, telephone and fax numbers of the cargo manager on each of the airlines on which I fly before I leave.
In Africa, one cannot assume anything. In this regard, while I always try to limit my luggage to what I can personally carry, namely, one suitcase, one gun case and one carry on piece of hand luggage, which I can drape across my shoulders on a broad strap, I always take the largest piece of hand luggage I am allowed.
In this I carry as many of my breakables, such as cameras, binoculars, spare telescopic sight etc. as possible, plus a change of clothing and toiletries. And the one area where I do not stint, is my gun case. Apart from the wailing and gnashing of teeth when your guns do not arrive on the same flight as you, there is nothing worse than to find out, when they do eventually arrive, that someone has driven over your soft or plastic gun case in a ten ton tractor and your brand new, custom made .375 plus Zeiss Diavari Z scope are in a state that, only after copious amounts of super glue have been used, will they be fit for a wall hanging and nothing much else.
I know this will seem a bit like belt, braces and hands in the pocket precautions, but I also wrap a broad Samsonite luggage strap around my suitcases. If you have ever flown regularly with African airlines and experienced the vigour with which they pound their aircraft onto the tarmac when landing, you will realize that your luggage is not going to receive any treatment more gentle than that meted out to their planes. As for kid gloves – what is a glove?
