Save Valley Conservancy

Those who have a keen interest in Africa and some of the great hunting opportunities this great continent has to offer will be greatly sadened by the latest developments in the Save Valley Conservancy.

September 2, 2012 in Business
ZIMBABWE risks a ban from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, emanating from
the chaos in the Save Valley Conservancy, where owners were denied hunting
permits.

Report by Our Staff
The permits were issued to 25 individuals, the majority of them Zanu PF
sympathisers, in a move analysts said would put a dent on the countrys
image ahead of the co-hosting of the UN World Tourism Organisation General
Assembly next year.
Industry players told Standardbusiness on Friday the impasse may prompt the
US Fish and Wildlife Service to impose a ban on trophy exports to the US.
This paper was told on Friday, such a move would kill the US$30 million
safari business.
"The organisation is not likely to accept the importation of trophies into
the US if Zimbabwe is seen to have violated best practices. Importation into
the US will be terminated because it threatens the integrity of hunting, an
industry player said on Friday.
Trophy exports to the US constitute 80% of the industry's total exports.
The fresh setback to hit the industry comes months after Parks and Wildlife
Management Authority did not renew leases for operators at a time they had
already secured clients.
Vitalis Chadenga, the authority's director-general, was not answering his
phone on Friday.
Emmanuel Fundira, Safari Operators Association of Zimbabwe president, said
the denial of permits to hunters destroyed the image of the industry and led
to negative perceptions.
Empowerment needs to be managed in a transparent manner with a high degree
of accountability so that it does not become self-serving. That way it can
deliver value for the business and community concerned, he said, adding
that expropriation would only deter investment.
Another operator bemoaned failure by authorities to give hunting licences to
the conservancy owners.
"Clients paid last year to hunt in the concession but the owners cannot
fulfil their obligations as a result. It puts a big dent on the country's
image," the operator said.
The operator said the new permit holders had neither the knowledge nor the
clients related to the industry and wondered how they were given permits in
the middle of the hunting season.
The hunting season runs from April to November each year.
Following the invasion of the Save Valley Conservancy by Zanu PF-aligned
officials, led by Chiredzi South MP, Ailess Baloyi, Tourism and Hospitality
Industry minister, Walter Mzembi, instructed the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority
(ZTA) board to recommend solutions to the impasse.
The board also recommended that permits issued to partners should be revoked
until the matter had been resolved.
The board noted that one of the policy implementation challenges was that
while the lease holder applied for hunting quotas to the Parks and Wildlife
Management Authority, the farmer also applied for the same hunting quotas
for the same area.
This has also brought confusion, leading to Parks and Wildlife Management
Authority to stop issuing hunting permits. This has resulted in illegal
hunting taking place, communities encroaching into conservancies, the
product being destroyed and there is now negative publicity on the
destination, said the ZTA board.
Zimbabwe presently has a wildlife-based land reform policy with the
objective of ensuring conservation and sustainable use of wildlife for
present and future generations and to maintain a proportion of land outside
protected areas under wildlife management.
Challenges associated with perceived country risk, absence of working
capital, insufficient domestic services and dilapidating infrastructure have
over the past decade curtailed any significant development of the tourism
industry.

Another low blow. Not looking good for the hunting industry.

Zimbabwe is the last affordable place in Africa to hunt dangerous game and it looks like Mugabe and his henchmen are going to screw it up. The sooner he and his friends are in hell the better off Zimbabwe will be.

If you can't import the animals into the US, hunting will be over. There are few that will hunt and take pictures. But a majority will stop hunting.

the loss of Zimbabwe is exactly...what will happen if the loss of wild life continues.

The taking of game meat to sell and the rhino horn insider dealing from reports has begun...

i do think that this will play havoc on remaining safaris this year and next year...

and like enysse says not many are willing to travel to just take pictures...

like others have indicated the looting has begun and it will continue...

Originally Posted by richteb

Report by Our Staff...

Vitalis Chadenga, the authority's director-general, was not answering his
phone on Friday.

By: Isdore Guvamombe, 6 September 2012

National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority director general Vitalis Chadenga has died. Chadenga, a veteran conservationist, died at the Avenues Clinic in Harare yesterday afternoon where he had been battling for life since being admitted last weekend. He had collapsed in Bulawayo last Thursday while attending a Zimbabwe-Botswana Joint Permanent Commission meeting and was thereafter airlifted to the Avenues Clinic in Harare.
Parks board chairman Mr George Pangeti confirmed Chadenga's death yesterday.
"The director-general Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, Vitalis Chadenga, has died.

allAfrica.com: Zimbabwe: National Parks' Chadenga Dies

So what is the current status of this mess now? Where did this article originally appear? A friend and I hunted the SVC last year in July with Zambezi Hunters and our trophies have still not shipped. We were scheduled to hunt the Arda area but were switched at the last minute to the Impala Ranch.

can the Save still be hunted on a nonexportable basis?

There are ranch owners in the SVC that did receive their hunting permits last year and their hunters should not have problems. My advice is to check with the safari company to make sure their ranch/landowner received hunting permits and will receive them this year too. I know that the Sango did receive their permits last year and is operated by Zambezi Hunters.

Originally Posted by mooseloose

can the Save still be hunted on a nonexportable basis?

Hi
I hunted SVC last September with Roger Whittall Safaris, on there Humani camp. I have just last week recieved my trophies . Everthing ok.
They are still hunting.

BR. Poul

Congtrats Sir! What month did you hunt? Still waiting for mine...

Originally Posted by 458Lott

Hi
I hunted SVC last September with Roger Whittall Safaris, on there Humani camp. I have just last week recieved my trophies . Everthing ok.
They are still hunting.

BR. Poul

Originally Posted by Scott CWO

So what is the current status of this mess now? Where did this article originally appear? A friend and I hunted the SVC last year in July with Zambezi Hunters and our trophies have still not shipped. We were scheduled to hunt the Arda area but were switched at the last minute to the Impala Ranch.

I saw this when you posted it. I was wondering if anyone would post. There are some pretty wise people on here that know a lot more than me, especially about Zim. But is Impala Ranch related to Ken Drummond or Arnold Payne at all ?
I wanted to hear more about the hunt details... The devil is in the details.

Originally Posted by Scott CWO

Congtrats Sir! What month did you hunt? Still waiting for mine...

Hi Scott CWO
I hunted from the 9. of September till the 20. of September 2012. Buffalo and PG.
3 month later I was contactet by the lokal agent in Zim, that my trophies were ready for shipping, but he wanted to charge me an aditional 790.- Us for extra paper work.
After some negotiation i got of with 650.- us. Last week i pick them up at the airport and to day I'am going to deliver them to the Taxidermist.
If you are patient, I will post pictures of the trophies when they are ready in 6 month to hang on the wall.

I hope yours are will arrive shortly.

BR. Poul

No I did not hunt with Drummond and Impala Safaris. I hunted with Zambezi Hunters on a ranch called the Impala Ranch. It is in a different part of the SVC than Savuli.