Trophy Hunting Important for Namibian Economy

Trophy hunting in Namibia is a significant contributor to the country's economy, with about eight per cent of the annual gross domestic product (GDP), says the president of the Namibia Professional Hunting Association (NAPHA).’The hunting of about 25,000 wild animals organized by hunting professionals in 2005 brought a turnover of N$316 million and surpassed income from the entire small livestock sector the same year, which was N$285 million,’ said Diethelm Metzger, president of NAPHA at the organisation's annual general meeting last week. ‘Trophy hunting is an important section of the tourism industry and grew an average of 12.5 per cent annually since 1996,’ Metzger added. This was a remarkable achievement, especially since there was little or no financial support to trophy hunting from Government, he said. ‘The National Budget of Government for the defense sector, which is around 10 per cent, is twice as high than for tourism and agriculture together,’ according to Metzger. He said for each trophy hunter visiting Namibia, five to six jobs were created since it was a labour-intensive part of the tourism industry, requiring camp attendants, service staff, game trackers, hunting assistants and professional hunters, he told delegates.

Source: The Namibian[/INDENT]