Karoo Hippo Hunt For Conservation Dollars

I got an email this morning from my friend in the Karoo PC Ferreria . This is a special conservation hunt on a very old bull that it is time to replace to further the health of the herd they are re establishing as part of the Karoo Hippo Restoration Project.

The money taken will cover the cost of the Hunt, a replacement bull for the herd and the balance will go to fencing for his Karoo Rhino Project. This is a special hunt in many ways starting with the fact it will be the first hippo taken on the Seekoi River n the Northern Cape since Governor Plettenburgh's hunt in 1778.

It's a five day hunt package for 2, all inclusive for 80,000 Rand which isn't bad at all considering the current exchange rate.

This will not only be a truly fun experience it also gives 2 people a chance to be a big part of two major conservation efforts in the Karoo. The restoration of the Hippo and desperately needed funds for Rhino Protection. There is also a very nice variety of other game available in the area that I'm sure can be added to the package as needed at a very reasonable rate. There are very large numbers of Springboc, Ostritch, mor warthogs than I saw in all of the rest of my trip as well as Eland, Impala and several other species.

I'm waiting to hear back from him about what other species we can for sure work into the package and at what cost and when I hear back from him I will certainly update this thread.

One of the neatest part of the whole trip was seeing the large numbers of the otherwise rare Secretary Birds that frequent the area.

It's a great area for sight seeing as well as hunting and PC and his family will certainly treat you well.

He can be reached @ nfo@karoogariep.co.za

His website. http://www.karoogariep.co.za/

PC's family has been part of the Karoo for many, many generations successful as farmers and stockmen building a wonderful ranch. They have turned most of the ranches resources over in recent years to conservation and restoration of species that have been lost or suffered large losses over the centuries and his wildlife breeding prgram is second to none. I couldn't count the dollars he's spent on breeding stock and his sincerity in his efforts are made clear with low fences surrounding the many, many thousands of acres where his newly bred stock from the purchased breeders run free and are not harassed.

His is a place I'd happily return to just for a sight seeing vacation where all the shooting was done with a camera.

Am I doing the math on this right? Is this $5500 usd for this package?

Quoting directly from his email.

"I hope to raise R80 000 from this package - bull between 20 and 35 years old !!"

If I were not awaiting the "go" from my surgeon for my first of two neck/back/arm surgeries right now This would most certainly have me on my way.

Albert GRANT said:

Am I doing the math on this right? Is this $5500 usd for this package?

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Yup! Rounding down to 14/1 is $5700.

Sounds like a really good deal for someone. I never had any interest in hippo but this obviously had me curious. I already have a hunt in RSA in august though. Someone on here will jump on it I imagine.

Albert GRANT said:

Sounds like a really good deal for someone. I never had any interest in hippo but this obviously had me curious. I already have a hunt in RSA in august though. Someone on here will jump on it I imagine.

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I never had an interest in most of the things I took on my first trip until the opportunity was offered HA!.

I went over with just four things on my list that I felt I had to take to make my trip complete and ended up taking over 25 species while I was there. It usually amounted to Francois pointing and saying "You'd never want one of those would you?" as I put the scope on it for the first time.

In all honesty this bull would have been mine in all likelihood if I were not down to the bottom of my budget in the last week of my hunt by the time we got to PC's. It was still very well worth the trip as I came away with a magnificent Gemsbock bull from his place then an outstanding Black Wildebeest and East Cape Kudu bull from our last stop on the trip over at Doc Hayward's "Donker Kloof Farm in the East Cape.

The RSA doesn't look particularly large but when you drive it East to West and North To South hunting your way along over 21 days you will learn to appreciate it's size. I had it stuck in my mind that it was about the size of Texas and in truth it's more the size of Alaska and then some with very diverse terrain, flora, and fauna.

Being from the northern hemisphere I had a hard time keeping it in mind that the further south I went the colder the temperatures get and further north meant warmer.

I really can't wait to get back.

WildRose said:

I never had an interest in most of the things I took on my first trip until the opportunity was offered HA!.

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This is so true.... I went to Zim looking for my buff and came away enamored with the little guys. I have five now and will always try for more on each trip.

Royal27 said:

This is so true.... I went to Zim looking for my buff and came away enamored with the little guys. I have five now and will always try for more on each trip.

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That's funny, while I took some awesome large animals on my trip jut out of pure dumb luck I ended up taking half of the tiny 10 which I had zero interest in at all before getting there.

There's something very challenging about deer and antelope that are smaller than my average dog and the flavor can't be beat.

I am still abwolutely amazed at the variety of large game in Africa. It's simply beyond what any of us here in the US can imagine where most of us are limited to one species of deer, one species of turkey, maybe one species of bear if you are lucky without having to do a great deal of hunting. I've hunted in as many as 14 different states in a single year and not see a 1/4 of the number of species I saw in the RSA.

Great price for sure!

And you can't beat the cause. I just posted it here to be nice but if it doesn't sell pretty quickly I may have a fire sale so I can take advantage of it myself.

That is one heck of a deal. 5500 for a hippo is going to be a great deal for one lucky hunter.

I heard back from PC after asking him a few questions.

Yes this is all inclusive for two people 5 days for the Hippo Hunt.

It will probably take 2 days max for the hippo portion.

Sight seeing on the ranch, room, board, meals etc included.

Anything on his general list of available hunts may be added

He is just now starting the permit process for the hippo so there's no rush.

He did mention to me that right now he knows of some exceptional Black Wildebeest, Steenbock, and Gemsbock that are currently available as well as all of the other game he has regularly available.

The warthogs and Springbock I saw while I was there were extremely impressive in both quality and numbers. I had to pass on several very nice Springbock during my Gemsbock hunt and considering the bull I took I'm happy I did.

This will certainly be a great example of conservation at work through hunting.

PC has been doing hospitality for vacations, photo safaris etc for a long time. He just started doing the hunting to fund his conservation projects recently. I have a great deal of respect for him, what he's doing and how he's going about it.

The weekend I was there he was hosting a large gathering of ranchers meeting with RSA conservation authorities working on long term conservation projects for all of the RSA.

It gave me a really once in a lifetime opportunity to meet some of these people and listen to the discussions. I think I wrote a bit about it in the thread I did about my trip where I discussed the Oryx Hunt.

For whatever it's worth he made a permanent positive impression on me so I'm glad to try and help.

Karoo Hippo Hunt For Conservation Dollars

interesting header and i am sure its for a good cause, but most african hunts advertised on here result in helping conservation of wildlife, bush etc , etc, etc. ..........so sorry, but to me its no special case/ different to the other hunts offered on here by people who are operating hunting funded conservation properties/areas. cheers mike

I have sent PC a private e - mail but not heard anything back from him yet?
Will keep on him as this is a really good deal, especially for a local hunter!!

spike.t said:

Karoo Hippo Hunt .........

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There are lots of great operations contributing to conservation just like yours Mike.
This is just a bit strange due to the species and the location.

BRICKBURN said:

There are lots of great operations contributing to conservation just like yours Mike.
This is just a bit strange due to the species and the location.

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Bruce said:

I have sent PC a private e - mail but not heard anything back from him yet?
Will keep on him as this is a really good deal, especially for a local hunter!!

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If you don't hear back from him pretty quickly send me your email address privately and I'll make sure he gets it. When I heard back from him yesterday he said they really have their hands full right now with lots going on but he won't leave you hanging long.

What makes his project a neat deal to me is that their ultimate goal is to reestablish a self sustaining wild herd of Hippo in The Karoo where they were long ago killed off. To me that'a a very laudable goal.

WildRose said:

............
What makes his project a neat deal to me is that their ultimate goal is to reestablish a self sustaining wild herd of Hippo in The Karoo where they were long ago killed off. To me that'a a very laudable goal.

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It is a laudable goal. It is also something Mike has done in his area in Zambia.. (and many others)
Taking a shot out area and reintroducing indigenous species and helping them grow into a self sustaining population.

The Hippo reintroduction is a little atypical that's all and certainly for the area.

Everyone's efforts need to be recognized. (Group Hug)

Kudos to ALL those working to see game is available for future generations. It is a very lofty goal, one I am proud to support and be associated with.