Dear E-Mail Extra Subscriber Mark H Young,

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Hunters headed to Tanzania received some more bad news to digest this morning. Seems a Tanzanian newspaper called This Day has published a front-page article claiming the government is not going to back down on the implementation of fee increases this year.

"The government has flatly rejected pressure from the country's powerful hunting lobby for a reversal of its recent decision to significantly hike various hunting block and trophy fees," the article says in its lead paragraph. Almost instantly, thanks to various chat rooms and so-called news services, the information was blasted around the world as fact. Our phones have been ringing off the hooks. Here is the actual situation.

This Day is a tabloid-type newspaper in Tanzania that is not widely respected. Moreover, it has a history of picking up on anti-hunting stories. Here at The Hunting Report, I do not take this report as the final word on hunting fees. In fact, I believe a responsible outcome is still the most likely result.

"This situation is still open," is the way Gerard Pasanisi of TAHOA put it this morning. "TAHOA is ready to sit down next week with specialists from the minister's office to discuss the problem of fee increases."

So, what should you do if you have a safari to Tanzania scheduled? Personally, I would get on the plane and go. While I cannot guarantee the outcome of this matter, I believe THAOA and Pasanisi when they predict a responsible outcome. More details as they become available. - Don Causey, Editor/Publisher, The Hunting Report.

I am sure Don Causey is sincere in his opinion on this issue, and to his credit he is not being an alarmist with regards to Tanzania (something he has been criticized for before and is likely sensitive to), but I wonder if he is aware that Gerard Pasanisi controls a surprising number of concessions in Tanzania, and as such is being directly impacted by this situation and therefore could be understandably biased in his outlook. NOT to say it won't work out, but one needs to factor this in when evaluating Pasanisi's opinion.