Zambia Cuts Lion Quota

(posted December 24, 2008)

If you are booked for a lion hunt in Zambia this season, call your operator immediately as the Zambian Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) has slashed the 2009 lion quota for many concessions. Without discussing the issue or even warning the safari industry, ZAWA officials have simply told various safari operators that their lion quota has been cut, in most cases by half. As compensation, ZAWA has increased quotas for leopard and some other species, such as hyena. In spite of the reduction in lion quotas, ZAWA is still demanding the same concession and safari fees for 2009.

ZAWA officials apparently have forgotten what happened two years ago when they attempted a similar cut and were immediately hit with court actions. Court orders forced them to maintain the quotas agreed to in the concession lease agreements signed in 2003. These same court actions are still in effect for some of the safari operators and their concessions, which makes ZAWA's current action somewhat illegal. Safari Operators who don't have current court orders to protect them will certainly take their cases to the courts now, using the precedent already set to receive favorable judgments. In the meantime, hunting in affected concessions this season could come to a halt while operators battle it out in court with ZAWA.

Importantly, not all concessions have had their lion quota cut. Check in with your operator or agent to learn whether your safari is affected by this latest development. Look for a more detailed report in the January issue of The Hunting Report.

www.huntingreport.com

As I've said before, if you don't have your Lion yet you'd better get to it, 'cause Lion hunting isn't gonna be around forever. Don't kid yourself. And if you don't know what I'm talkin' about, you're not paying attention.

Reducing lion quotas in Zambia cannot be a bad thing for the lion populations and it would seem to me that the trophy quality will have to go up. The BUT is that the prices will have to go up also. Lions are the big revenue hunt in Zambia so that lost income will have to be made up somehow.

In the meantime John DuPlooy's Muchinga Adventures still has their full quota for '09 with 3 liona left. Maybe this is the time to book that lion hunt?

Mark+