Leopard Hunting Warning

[AfricaHunting.com]

It has come to our attention that there has been an increase by hunting professionals in Namibia to offer Leopard “management” hunts. In other words, Leopard hunts where no Leopard tag is available. These Leopards are then sold as non-exportable hunts, or “problem animal” hunts.

We would hereby like to warn all NAPHA members that the offering of such hunts is strictly illegal in terms of the Nature Conservation Ordinance and that any person who is found to offer such hunts is not only in breach of the NAPHA Code of Conduct, he or she is also in breach of the law and could be subject to prosecution of disciplinary action by the NAPHA DC.

We therefore strongly advise all our members to refrain from either advertising or offering such hunts as this not only places the future of hunting in jeopardy, you will also be exposing yourself to a world of legal troubles.



Source: Namibia Professional Hunting Association (NAPHA)

 

[BRICKBURN]

Perhaps the hunting clients had better become aware that "PAC" and "Non Exportable" Leopard hunts are ILLEGAL in Namibia.

No demand, no sales.

 

[JG416]

This is an issue I was quite curious about, i.e. some PH's state that this is categorically illegal and some are very confident that it is allowed and advertise them openly and without concern. I met with NAPHA at SCI Las Vegas this year to get a straight answer. I questioned them extensively, and their answer was that any Namibian rancher could provide proof of a Problem (cattle killing) Leopard to the proper Governmental Agency and would receive a written permit to get rid of that leopard. Once they had that permit in hand anyone could kill the leopard, and in fact there are individuals that are paid to kill them professionally. This may not be correct, but it is unquestionably the information they gave out. There may be a fine distinction between a landowner and a PH who doesn't own the land. I am not trying to defend one side or the other on this issue, but just relating the answer I was given this year.

 

[BRICKBURN]

No doubt farmers can obtain permits to kill problem Leopards. Fair enough.

Selling hunts would make for some very interesting timing though.

How does a farmer know in advance when he will have a problem animal?
How far in advance are these hunts sold by an Outfitter to international hunters?
Hunting shows and magazines offering these months/years in advance. They can not have a permit in place. Sounds fraudulent to me.

May be a case of being in country and getting that special deal.
Sounds like the famous "Botswana marauding/problem Lion" hunts sold to naive hunters in the SA.

System Abuse?!

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Had a PAC ele offered to me at a hunting show here in Phoenix a few years back. I just looked at the guy in disbelief. I'm not known all that well for my looks of disgust as being subtle. After a moment or two I asked him if that was all on the up and up as it seemed strange that there were known PAC eles just waiting for foreign hunters to come deal with. He assured me there were......

 

[JG416]

1. I was told that permits are usually based on photographic evidence.

2. As to possible explanations for timing I can think of two scenarios:
--they have had this problem for many years and therefore expect to have a permit again this year
--the hunt is sold on a "come when the situation is right", such as many N. American mountain lion hunts

Of course any animal shot would be nonexportable.

While this situation is certainly a potential avenue for abuse, is it any worse than the many African/Namibian Ranchers that simply shoot cattle killing leopards and leave them to rot? A more reasonable number of science based trophy permits would go a long way to resolving these issues.

 

[JG416]

Had a PAC ele offered to me at a hunting show here in Phoenix a few years back. I just looked at the guy in disbelief. I'm not known all that well for my looks of disgust as being subtle. After a moment or two I asked him if that was all on the up and up as it seemed strange that there were known PAC eles just waiting for foreign hunters to come deal with. He assured me there were......

I can give you a little explanation about PAC ele. A few years back I did a PAC ele hunt with one of the most respected sponsors of this site and I asked him the same question. His explanation: certain elephants raid every year when the crops get ripe, we were required to be accompanied by a government game scout who had to verify that the problem elephant was either in the crop field or had been identified and tracked from the damaged field. We could not hunt any elephants not proven to be damaging crops. It is an amazing experience to have the local tribe of 600-700 people cheer and celebrate you after you have stopped a crop raider and provided them with meat.

 

[enysse]

1. I was told that permits are usually based on photographic evidence.

2. As to possible explanations for timing I can think of two scenarios:
--they have had this problem for many years and therefore expect to have a permit again this year
--the hunt is sold on a "come when the situation is right", such as many N. American mountain lion hunts
As far as I'm concerned this is still abusing the system and not good wildlife conservation.

Of course any animal shot would be nonexportable.

While this situation is certainly a potential avenue for abuse, is it any worse than the many African/Namibian Ranchers that simply shoot cattle killing leopards and leave them to rot? A more reasonable number of science based trophy permits would go a long way to resolving these issues.
Yes, I understand ranchers do kill cheetahs and leopards on site and shoot, shovel and bury. That doesn't make it ultimately right, it these kind of actions that lead to hunting ban or shipment bans...etc.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

I can give you a little explanation about PAC ele. A few years back I did a PAC ele hunt with one of the most respected sponsors of this site and I asked him the same question. His explanation: certain elephants raid every year when the crops get ripe, we were required to be accompanied by a government game scout who had to verify that the problem elephant was either in the crop field or had been identified and tracked from the damaged field. We could not hunt any elephants not proven to be damaging crops. It is an amazing experience to have the local tribe of 600-700 people cheer and celebrate you after you have stopped a crop raider and provided them with meat.

Well I do not consider myself an expert on the Zim hunting laws. But the explanation given to me, which may be mistaken, was that yes a foreign hunter may hunt a PAC animal, be it elephant or whatever. But basically you had to be already in country when the animal in question received the PAC designation.

The problem with designating an animal eligible for a PAC hunt well in advance as I see it is the lines between a true problem animal and the rest of the population that fall under normal quota start to get blurry. If advance marketing is allowed could the PAC route become an alternative method for outfitters to secure quota for animals that aren't actually problem animals? If so it starts to skew things. The way to avoid that conflict is once an animal receives that designation, it is to be hunted ASAP, thus you avoid the marketing of non problem animals.

That said, I won't swear that info is correct. I take no issue with the PAC concept at all. But I'd be very careful about actually booking in advance a PAC hunt.

 

[BRICKBURN]

.................
While this situation is certainly a potential avenue for abuse, is it any worse than the many African/Namibian Ranchers that simply shoot cattle killing leopards and leave them to rot? ..........

It changes nothing from the conservation angle. They shoot them without a permit, a hunter shoots them without a permit.
The added angle is the ability to fleece unsuspecting hunters.

 

[CAustin]

Glad we have this site to warn hunters.