04 September 2013, 10:00
lavacaCITES permit for leopard and elephant
Didn't want to highjack a thread. For those who have done it before, would you bother to get the import permit before the animal is down? I've heard comments both ways and disadvantages to trying to get the permit before the foreign export permit is completed. Welcome any thoughts. I leave 1 October. Thanks.
04 September 2013, 10:10
Todd WilliamsIf you are hunting elephant anywhere other than Tanzania, you don't need a CITES import permit for the USA. Only the CITIES export permit from the country of origin.
For leopard, I too have heard the arguments for and against in terms of getting the CITES import permit prior to the hunt. I've imported 2 leopard from Zim. In both cases, I got the permit after the hunt. I've experienced no problems choosing that route and in fact, my first leopard was held up in Zim for nearly 2 years before making it Stateside. In that case, a "prior" permit would have needed to be renewed a couple of times, which from what I understand, is also not much of an issue.
I'm hunting leopard again this December, again in Zim. I'll wait until after the hunt to see if I need an import permit or not.
04 September 2013, 12:00
shakariIf you look at the USF&WS website it says that if you require a CITES import licence you should apply before you hunt and the advantage of that is once you have the permit then all you have to do is keep it up to date but if you apply afterwards, you run the risk they might move the goalposts between the time you hunt and the time you apply for the import permit.
That said, it's obviously more convenient apply after the event if you need to.
08 September 2013, 04:01
lavacaThanks for the input. We are talking about Tazania.
08 September 2013, 05:35
oakmanWait until you harverst a cat or a elephant. It take USFG 3 months to process your app. for the permit and its only good for one year and it may take over a year to receive your shipt. The best it to wait until you get back home home to apply for the permit and fax them a copy of it and sent the real one to your custom broker..Good luck ....
10 September 2013, 04:17
armorerWe have obtained the permit in advance. Paying for a hunt, air fare, tip, and trophy fee only to find some regulator or quota denies shipment would be hugely aggravating. Our shipments have arrived in much less than one year. Permit renewal would be trivial by comparison. No doubt others have taken longer but our three issuances have been four to six weeks.
10 September 2013, 04:40
tendramsquote:
Originally posted by Todd Williams:
...In both cases, I got the permit after the hunt. I've experienced no problems choosing that route and in fact, my first leopard was held up in Zim for nearly 2 years before making it Stateside. In that case, a "prior" permit would have needed to be renewed a couple of times, which from what I understand, is also not much of an issue.
I imported my Cheetah to Canada with this philosophy and it worked out fine. Even then I almost had to renew the import permit because the taxidermy took a bit longer than expected and we were within a couple weeks of expiration when he finally arrived. The "moving the goalposts" concern that Shakari mentions is certainly legitimate but to be honest I don't see Leopard becoming unimportable any time soon. Of course, the real danger is Lion becoming unimportable and, unless I am mistaken, they are CITES II and don't even require an import permit. It is strange to me that you currently need to worry about the animal that is NOT listed as CITES I and DO NOT need to worry about the importability of the animal that is CITES I.
10 September 2013, 04:47
subsailor74quote:
Originally posted by Todd Williams:
If you are hunting elephant anywhere other than Tanzania, you don't need a CITES import permit for the USA. Only the CITIES export permit from the country of origin.
For leopard, I too have heard the arguments for and against in terms of getting the CITES import permit prior to the hunt. I've imported 2 leopard from Zim. In both cases, I got the permit after the hunt. I've experienced no problems choosing that route and in fact, my first leopard was held up in Zim for nearly 2 years before making it Stateside. In that case, a "prior" permit would have needed to be renewed a couple of times, which from what I understand, is also not much of an issue.
I'm hunting leopard again this December, again in Zim. I'll wait until after the hunt to see if I need an import permit or not.
+1 on the CITES permit for leopard. I did not get one until I returned to the States this year. Lisa at D&L Custom House Brokers in Elk Grove Village, Illinois actually submitted the application for me when I got back from Zim in April. My leopard is now back from the tanner and with Ben Cromeens at Tri-State Taxidermy in Houston. I am not sure it gets much quicker than that....or maybe I just got lucky.
10 September 2013, 05:00
boarkillerI did it after being back from SA and no problem.