SHALLOM IS BACK...

AH, Hunters, Outdoors-men, Friends & Stakeholders,
it has been a long unexplained absence, but I am glad to see most of you still present and active on here. The stories will unfold and circumstances revealed in good time. Before I get to responding to personal emails and catching up with the rest of you, I just want to say - it is good to be back among like minded community and familiar territory. The transition back may be slow, but hopefully steady and permanent.

Wild Footprints Limited is still in its forced hiatus due to reasons to be explained later, but is preparing to launch its new chapter of operations starting next season. We have already re-launched our website www.wild-footprints.com which is linked to our facebook and twitter pages. Please take some time to visit and explore our new prospects. Your feedback is very important in our pursuit of excellence.

I look forward to gradually getting back into the swing of Africa Hunting and networking with everyone. A new chapter in Tanzanian Hunting is in the making - we are working towards making it sustainably better for all stakeholders involved. Greetings and best wishes from Tanzania.

Welcome back Ryan. I hope things work out for you.

hi ryan any updates on tanzanian areas?

Welcome back Ryan!

Welcome back Ryan!

Welcome back! Hope all things work out for you.

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Originally Posted by spike.t

hi ryan any updates on tanzanian areas?

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Thank you all for the warm welcome back into the fold... Things will work out. I am born into this business and am too connected and passionate about the industry to turn away or let anything divert me otherwise. It is such a tiresome cliche, but the time away and focus on family and survival has surely firmed all the foundations for a bigger, better and stronger return.

For those who kept track with me on the Kilombero, I am sorry to report it has all gone and there is simply nothing left to salvage. It is one of the hardest hits I have taken and what has kept me away from public opinion. I hope to document my 20 years of the Kilombero at some point, so i will not get into it now. It was a case of trying to save a Tanzanian Asset from Tanzanian Authority. The Kilombero Valley is no more.

As you will notice on our website and social links, there has been some positive developments and we look forward to some good times again. I have secured some prime hunting blocks which we cannot wait to get into. There is fear of abuse by current holders, but i am doing all I can to focus on the positives.

In terms of "updates" I can confidently report that there is a lot of turbulence being created with the new allocations which take effect next year. Likewise, I can report that turbulence is superficial due to a few unhappy camps and disgruntled players within the industry. It is a real pity because it detracts from the real reason we are all part of this industry - wildlife and wilderness. I am taking on some major responsibilities within the Tanzanian Industry and should be in a position to report to you more officially in the very near future. But for now, it is a case of unhappy people attacking the fortunate ones, instead of working with them and cooperating for the greater good of the industry and our international markets.

The allocations are as you have received them from the government of Tanzania and should remain that way. Nevertheless, we expect the government to emphasize its position on the matter very soon. The industry in Tanzania has turned a chapter and implemented local empowerment law after over fifty years of foreign dominance. It is a sensitive topic in the current environment, but it is a change that needs to be embraced rather than discredited. Some industry players built monopolies and assumed ownership of the resources, when in fact it is all Tanzanian owned and government managed resource. It will take time for the realities to sink in and its a challenge for the industry to meet. There is a lot of work ahead.

Nevertheless, as experienced Tanzanians, we are determined to showcase our ability on the big stage and guide newcomers into the traditions and expectations of the hunting market and its stakeholders. As with any industry, there will be exceptions and distractions, but overall most are vastly experienced.

So as always, we turn to you guys for support and solidarity. We all need to work together and serve one another in a professional and ethical manner to sustain our hunting heritage and protect habitats. Tanzania will continue to be a premium destination for truly wild big game safaris, but always make sure you are working with the right people and going through the right channels. One of my responsibilities will be to ensure minimal crookedness by Outfitters and be an advisory to the market. Karibu Tanzania!

thanks for that ryan. glad you are taking it in a level headed/philosophical way, but i can sympathize with some of the people who over the years have invested a lot of time and money into looking after their areas, and now have lost most or all of it. you are however right in saying they probably became over confidant in believing they had a "right" to those areas, but after so long its hard to think it might change, but being africa they should have always expected something round the corner! keep us informed of what happens, especially with the areas given to companies/people that have no real experience in running hunting operations. cheers

welcome back Ryan, enjoy your new areas.
Christophe

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Originally Posted by spike.t

thanks for that ryan. glad you are taking it in a level headed/philosophical way, but i can sympathize with some of the people who over the years have invested a lot of time and money into looking after their areas, and now have lost most or all of it. you are however right in saying they probably became over confidant in believing they had a "right" to those areas, but after so long its hard to think it might change, but being africa they should have always expected something round the corner! keep us informed of what happens, especially with the areas given to companies/people that have no real experience in running hunting operations. cheers

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I agree with you on sympathizing with some, but we are required by policy to invest and care for areas entrusted to us, irrelevant of ownership status. We should not feel regret or at loss for doing the right thing for the wildlife and its habitat. It is merely a lease, but comes with criteria. There should be no losers (that is the ultimate goal) because we need to find a way of working together through positive business relations. Competitive advantage never requires one to extinguish the other. You must understand it got to a point where some were holding over ten prime areas, while many had been operating with one or two marginal ones. The future of wilderness areas in Tanzania requires local involvement and a sense of ownership of resources by local stakeholders in collaborative efforts with foreign stakeholders. We simply cannot afford an overriding policy of Tanzanians serving as middlemen to their own resources. It is not a long term strategy and has potential for hostility and repercussions to the sustainability of the very resources that all stakeholders may be fighting for. Sensible partnerships for mutual benefit is the only way forward in the current climate.

The new policy/act has raised the standards and fees yet again, with some pretty tough requirements, so we envision some shedding in the first couple of years by those who may fail to meet the conditions and fulfill commitments, but in the third year is when a major assessment will be conducted to establish credibility for allocation during the next tenure of allocation (2018 - 2022). Eventually, only the serious players will remain. Unfortunately, financial capacity is one of the biggest factors, so it may open the door to becoming an elitist industry - something I am very much against and will not serve the interests of a majority of the international market. We need to find a balance for value and accessibility.

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Originally Posted by christophe morio

welcome back Ryan, enjoy your new areas.
Christophe

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Ahsante sana Christophe... Karibu to the west. Best regards.

I have been to Tanzania and the biggest issue I have with the industry there is exactly what you have said....they are literally pricing themselves out of the safari market. Sure, there will always be the few who can afford the price no matter what, but TZ will lose a great deal of hunting dollars over the next few years if prices continue to climb.

Good luck in your quest Ryan.

ryan i agree with what you are saying. i just hope that these people can look after the areas the same way the bigger companies were able to with the financial backing they had. if you dont mind me asking what areas have you got? and i wish you good luck .

With your emphatic determination should shall succeed. Kind Regards.

Ryan

Having been there and planning to return in the future.

What is being done about the squatters and poaching on hunting concessions.

It is just like travel out and build a hut and level the area around there camp sites.

Good to have an experienced person working on this.

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Originally Posted by spike.t

ryan i agree with what you are saying. i just hope that these people can look after the areas the same way the bigger companies were able to with the financial backing they had. if you dont mind me asking what areas have you got? and i wish you good luck .

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No doubt it is not going to be easy... some may fail and some areas may suffer as a result. An opportunity has been presented and those who are serious about years of hard work, sacrifice and effort to get to where we are, need to abandon the politics and get to working for the industry. It is time to perform.

The financial backing will still be required and we hope to secure it through government subsidies, funding through donors/campaigns/NGO's. The business model alone simply cannot sustain the costs of hunting in Tanzania (if you want to offer value to the market). But at the same time, companies registering millions of dollars in losses each year, but doing a great job in the field through foreign financial resources is not a sound business model either - it is another form of "dead aid" which weakens the system, rather than getting it to work towards self reliance and sustainability. As long as unrelated profits (oil, inheritance etc) are paying for the industry, there will never be foundations for development and sustainability because the industry will serve only a minority who fall into that financial category.

Please take some time to visit our website and find out in more detail about the areas i currently have. Let me know what you think of the website and if there are any improvements we can make - thanks. (Wild Footprints | Hunting Tanzania…)

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Originally Posted by James.Grage

Ryan
Having been there and planning to return in the future.
What is being done about the squatters and poaching on hunting concessions.
It is just like travel out and build a hut and level the area around there camp sites.
Good to have an experienced person working on this.

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James,
thanks for the encouragement and glad you will be heading back out this way. The truth of the matter is many "open areas" and "game controlled areas" will fall to the pressure of encroachment. In my Kilombero area, the disaster is complete and it will never return to anything close to its former ecological glory. The same applies to many hunting areas which do not have a "high protection status". One of the reasons I applied for only "game reserves". A game reserve concession does not allow for any human activity other than tourist hunting. Therefore you are in a remote and substantial area knowing that the law is clear and can focus on conservation and hunting operations knowing the policy cannot be manipulated politically or abused by individual powers of authority.

Not much CAN be done about squatters and poachers in areas outside of game reserves because of the "people card". Some areas have good community relations so that it is not a major problem, but many areas cannot take the pressure. The sad truth is that in Africa, wildlife and wilderness habitat does not have a bright future beyond designated and protected areas. But we are working hard to designated more areas for protection and maintain the status of those already designated. Tanzania is the shining light on this aspect - with more than 25% of land as protected natural habitat. A further 20% also has designated purpose, but not the high protection status necessary to keep out damage.

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Originally Posted by Stretch

With your emphatic determination should shall succeed. Kind Regards.

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Cheers Bwana! Looking forward to the challenge.

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Originally Posted by Shallom

No doubt it is not going to be easy... some may fail and some areas may suffer as a result. An opportunity has been presented and those who are serious about years of hard work, sacrifice and effort to get to where we are, need to abandon the politics and get to working for the industry. It is time to perform.

The financial backing will still be required and we hope to secure it through government subsidies, funding through donors/campaigns/NGO's. The business model alone simply cannot sustain the costs of hunting in Tanzania (if you want to offer value to the market). But at the same time, companies registering millions of dollars in losses each year, but doing a great job in the field through foreign financial resources is not a sound business model either - it is another form of "dead aid" which weakens the system, rather than getting it to work towards self reliance and sustainability. As long as unrelated profits (oil, inheritance etc) are paying for the industry, there will never be foundations for development and sustainability because the industry will serve only a minority who fall into that financial category.

Please take some time to visit our website and find out in more detail about the areas i currently have. Let me know what you think of the website and if there are any improvements we can make - thanks. ([url=http://www.wild-footprints.com]Wild Footprints | Hunting Tanzania?/url])

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now i wonder which companies they could be? :biggrin: i enjoyed reading your web site, the history/background was interesting. good luck with your new areas. been to the selous, but nearest to your western areas i have been was ugalla, and that was a great area so hope yours are better.