Ladies and Gentlemen,

Saw this picture on the website of an outfitter in RSA (I previously hunted plains game with them). Lion was taken in a DeBeers owned concesion called Venetia Limpopo. For the small price of $46,614 (daily rates, VAT and trophy fee), you too can have a chance at a lion like this. [For that price, I could do 21 days in Tanzania].

Regards,

Terry

I've seen steers in Kansas that weren't fed that well....looks like he never had to run after a meal or ever missed one.

Avoiding the controversy of how this lion came about, it doesn't look fat to me, nor are you likely to see such a lion in Tanzania outside of a cage.

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Ditto Alf. Last year I spoke with the head PH with Rooipoort(DeBeers)regarding their lions on the Venetia property. Last year was the first time the area had been opened to client hunting in a quite a few years. The lions were transplants, but were far from canned or tame.

I was interested in hunting there but passed on the lion due to sticker shock. My quote was below the $46K number, but not by much (or enough)!!!!

T.Carr Who was the RSA outfitter?

Zero Drift,

The outfitter is Madubula Safaris

www.madubula.com

They have hunted Venetia and Rooiport and have taken some outstanding plains game trophies from those two concessions.

By my post of the lion picture, I did not mean to imply anything negative about Madubula. I thought it was interesting what some client would pay for a lion.

The prices on their website aren't up to date. I got the price for the lion hunt from their new brochure.

Regards,

Terry

[This message has been edited by T.Carr (edited 03-05-2002).]

Thanks Terry, I have heard very good reports about Madubula Safaris. I know they run a very clean operation.

Did you have a chance to hunt Rooipoort? The quality of animals there are simply amazing!!!

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Zero Drift,

I hunted with them in 1998 and 1999, I did not hunt Rooiport or Venetia. I believe they had just gotten these DeBeer's concessions in 1999.

Regards,

Terry

Ladies and Gentlemen,

YES! That picture shows a black maned lion all right! Not many of those around anymore, I doubt any in this forum has ever seen one in the wild...

I have no intention to comment on the hunt itself more than Rooiport is excellent for plains game.

Bjorn

[This message has been edited by Bjorn Klappe (edited 03-05-2002).]

He is indeed a very nice lion. He appears to be in very good condition, and will make a very good mount. Too bad they dont have VERY many of these types of lions in the wild anymore. They are such a magnificiant animal, its really a shame.

That indeed, is a marvelous lion. I have not had a client take one quite like that. Western
Tanzania, was still producing some like this in the 70's, but I have not heard or seen one in a long time.
When you shoot out the gene pool, then it is almost empossiable to bring them back. This one probably got his genes from a captivity
pool. That is o.k. I just wish I could have gotten one. However, I have not found a 100# elephant or a 50" buffalo but I had lots of fun just the same.
George

The one thing good about it is that there are such lions, from breeding in captivity or not.

There are lions pretty close to this one. I saw two big males traveling together the one time I visited Kruger, though not as much black mane.

I saw a big black-maned lion in Tanzania, but he was going about 7,500 mph, and mostly a blur. He was a lot smarter than us hunters.

I hate to say it, but 46K is actually a bargain for a lion like this. You'll easily pay that amount for a 21 day safari in Tanzania and you'll never see anything nearly this nice. If it isn't a canned hunt, I'd consider it if any of his brothers are around.

OK guys. I get the feeling there is more to this story. A few guys have alluded to something "hidden" about this. While it is a gorgeous animal, fill those of us in that don't know the inside story.

Gary,

There are others here better qualified to talk about this than I, but RSA has a history of "canned" lion hunting. I don't believe that SCI recognizes lion trophies from RSA. I believe there are a few concessions adjoining Kruger where you can hunt lion, but most other lion hunts are on private concessions where the lion has been introduced. To what extent these introduced lions are "wild" depends on how they were raised.

John DL,

Last year (when this lion was hunted) the rate was only $36,602. A real bargain . I looked at Madubula's new brochure. They had pictures of 4 other lions: a black maned one (almost as good as the one in the picture) and three with tan manes (one with a huge mane).

Also in their brochure, they had a top ten (SCI) eland and black wildebeest and a SCI #2 blue wildebeest from Rooiport.

From Venetia they had two 57.5" kudus and a 61" kudu, SCI top ten eland and black wildebeest and 35.25" waterbuck (SCI#2).

Those De Beer's concessions seem to have some nice plains game.

Regards,

Terry

[This message has been edited by T.Carr (edited 03-06-2002).]

It may be just the way the couple is sitting behind the cat but he's really big too. The lions on this DeBeers property, they are wild but do they hunt on their own or provided their meals? There are surely plenty of black maned lions held in captivity so this DeBeers operation should show an excellent possibility of renewing gene pools in the wild. Obviously the profit is there to make it worth while($40k plus).

Here's a picture of that 61" kudu taken at Venetia. Look at the mass and the width, I'd call that a near perfect kudu.

Regards,

Terry

[This message has been edited by T.Carr (edited 03-06-2002).]

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Terry-

Thanks for the reply. Kinda what I thought, from the posts above.

Also, FWIW, I'd take that kudu any day over the lion. Personal preference, whatever, but man is that an incredible looking animal... Thanks for the pic.

I cannot see the photo of the lion (only a small square is visible), but I can see the 61" kudu...

Anybody knows why?

Antonio

Funny... now that I posted the lion picture became visible...

Antonio

That mane looks shampooed, blow dried and brushed daily.

Check his toenails. Are they manicured?

Nice exit hole on the lion too.

Looking at the picture you will notice the guide put alot of effort into getting a quality photo. The blood is cleaned up the nose is in the dirt to hide the blood? The ground even has been raked smooth. I am sure they fluffed the main and ect also. This little extra work made that photo even more awesome.
Dean

Alf,
I for one appreaciate all the effort that goes into you posts, Keep up the good work!
George

Ditto George Hoffman. Thank you very much ...
or, in my best Afrikaans accent, "buy a donkey."

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RAB