Just thought I'd post a heads up for anyone planning on taking a Bontebok this year.

Last September I hunted several concessions in the Northern and Eastern Cape of South Africa. Two of the animals that I wanted to hunt were Bontebok and Red Lechwe.

Prior to my hunt I corresponded with my Outfitter, and I had the understanding that he would take care of any necessary permits. I had a good hunt and shot a good Bontebok and a huge Red Lechwe.

Life was good until in late February I get an e-mail form Safari Cargo in South Africa saying that my trophies are ready to be shipped and for me to send them a copy of the US CITES permit for my Bontebok. They had the South African CITES permit for my Bontebok and my Red Lechwe that my outfitter got for me. Safari Cargo need the US CITES permit for my Bontebok before they can ship my trophies.

It took several days of scrambling with US Fish and Wildlife websites, phone calls, and e-mails to the landowner where I shot the Bontebok for me to get all the paperwork together for the Bontebok CITES permit application.

The US application process takes 60-90 days including having it published in the Federal Register for 30 days. The application can be downloaded from the US F&W website, it costs $100, and you also must include a letter from the South African property owner stating that I had his permission to cull a Bontebok from his private herd.

In April, I got another e-mail from Safari Cargo stating that the South African Conservation Department has just implemented a Threatened Or Protected Species (TOPS) regulation and that if my trophies were not shipped by April 30th they will need additional permits and additional costs for my Bontebok and my Tsessebe.

Its now been 60 days since USF&W recieved my Bontebok CITES application. No permit yet. Its also past the April 30th date for the South African TOPS permits. No idea what that will involve and cost.

As most game animals are the property of the landowners in South Africa, I don't understand why the USF&W Service should have any say in the matter, but somehow they do.

So the moral of this story is that if you hunt any animal anywhere in the world that the USF&W has classified as Threatened or Endangered, you as the hunter need to make sure you have all the required red tape needed to get your trophies home. And get it as soon as you get home.

Thanks for the heads-up and I hope everything is resolved in your favor. I knew Bontebok required a CITES permit but was unaware that Red Lechwe and Tsessebe needed CITES documents as well.

Sounds somewhat similar to the Black-faced Impala situation in Namibia.

And soon it will be Black Wildebeest also...

In February when I started the US CITES import process, the USF&WS only needed a US import permit for Bontebok and a South African export permit for Bontebok and Red Lechwe. Right now I don't know what the South African TOPS regulation is, only that Safari Cargo mentioned that it included Tsessebe.

It took me 5 1/2 months to get my Bontebok CITES from the USFW. One woman does this and it moves depending upon her workload. My next trip involved a good friend. I had his ready in a month. I hope you don't send the original to Safari Cargo. They only need a copy. Call me if you get in over your head. Best plan these things to work for you, not against. As for CITES, Zim and now RSA has an export CITES for animals they deem as necessary. Necessary to charge you more fees. LDK

TOPS - threatened or protected spesies Act came into effect at the end of Feb this year.
This is another bit of legislation which is having an impact on hunting, both for local and foreign hunters.
One of the major issues is that it seeks to prevent "canned" hunting practices for animals like lion and rhino by mandating that these animals may only be hunted after 24 months from being released on to a property.
It requires specific permits for each animal hunted, in addition to any cites requirements.
Here is some info from the Act, some animals which should not be of interest to hunters have been left off the list.
Application of TOPS Regulations:
These regulations are only applicable to the TOPS listed species listed as:
• Critically endangered species (only indigenous)
• Endangered species (only indigenous)
• Vulnerable species (only indigenous)
• Protected species (currently only indigenous species listed but may include alien species).

Restricted Activities
A person may not carry out a restricted activity involving a specimen of TOPS without a permit.

Game farmers will register with Parks Board and will then issue the hunter of a TOPS animal, a permit to hunt a species listed under TOPS. (As for animals not listed under TOPS, the status quo remains, where the hunter has to purchase a hunting licence or protected animal permit as he did in the past.)

Which activities are restricted?
i) hunting, catching, capturing or killing by any means / method / device, searching for, pursuing, driving, laying in wait, luring, alluring, discharging a missile or injuring with intent to hunt, catch, capture or kill;
ii) gathering, collecting or plucking;
iii) picking parts of, or cutting, chopping off, uprooting, damaging or destroying;
iv) importing into the Republic, including introducing from the sea;
v) exporting from the Republic, including re-exporting from the Republic;
vi) having in possession or exercising physical control over;
vii) growing, breeding or in any other way propagating, or causing to multiply;
viii) conveying, moving or otherwise translocation species;
ix) selling or otherwise trading in, buying, receiving, giving, donating or accepting as a gift, or in any way acquiring or disposing of;
a listed threatened or protected species (TOPS)

Prohibited Activities
No permits may be issued for:
• Translocation of TOPS species to protected areas from outside natural distribution area;
• Translocation to extensive wildlife system where possibility of transmitting disease or hybridization;
• Listed large predators & rhino
o Captive bred put and take;
o Hunting in controlled environment;
o Hunting adjacent to holding facilities for listed large predators;
o Hunting by using gin traps
• Poison;
• Snares;
• Automatic weapons, .22 rim fire or smaller caliber, air guns;
• Hunting animals under the influence of tranquilisers;
• Hunting animals trapped against a fence;
• Hunting listed large predators, rhino, elephant and crocodile with bow and arrow;
• No traps, except for:
o Hunting/catching marine species;
o Collecting invertebrates for scientific purposes;
o Trapping terrestrial vertebrates for scientific, veterinary or management purposes;
• No dogs, except for:
o Tracking a wounded animal;
o Flushing, pointing and retrieving;
• No darting, except for:
o Management purposes, disease control procedure or scientific experiment;
o Veterinary treatment;
o Translocation;
• No luring (bait, smell, sound or any other) except for:
o Lion, leopard or hyena – dead bait;
o Marine or aquatic species – dead bait;
o Invertebrates for scientific purposes – dead bait;
• No flood/spot lights, except for:
o Culling;
o Hunting leopard or hyena;
• No motorized vehicles, except for:
o When darting is required;
o Tracking when hunting over long ranges;
o Culling;
o Allowing a disable person to hunt;
• No aircraft, except for:
o Tracking when hunting over long ranges;
o Culling.

Damage Causing Animals (DCA)
May be hunted (but not by foreign client) by means of:
• Poison;
• Traps, except gin traps;
• Dogs, only to track or flush a wounded DCA;
• Darting for translocation of DCA;
• Luring with bait, sound or smell;
• Motorised vehicle;
• Flood / spot light.

The full TOPS list includes plants, fish, mammals, reptiles, etc. and is available on DEAT’s website: www.deat.gov.za. Only the following birds and mammals which may be of interest to hunters are listed in this manual:
CATEGORY: Endangered Species – Indigenous species facing a high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future, although they are not a critically endangered species
Scientific Name Common Name

MAMMALIA
Damaliscus lunatus Tsessebe
Diceros bicornis Black Rhinoceros
Equus zebra Mountain Zebra
Lycaon pictus African Wild Dog
Ourebia ourebi Oribi

CATEGORY: Vulnerable Species - Indigenous species facing a high risk of extinction in the wild in the medium-term future, although they are not a critically endangered species or an endangered species
Scientific Name Common Name

AVES
Ardeotis kori Kori Bustard
Eupodotis caerulescens Blue Korhaan
Geronticus calvus Bald Ibis

MAMMALIA
Acinonyx jubatus Cheetah
Cercopithecus mitis Samango Monkey
Damaliscus pygargus pygargus Bontebok
Dendrohyrax arboreus Tree Hyrax
Hippotragus equinus Roan Antelope
Manis temminckii Pangolin
Neotragus moschatus Suni
Panthera leo Lion
Panthera pardus Leopard
Philantomba monticola Blue Duiker



CATEGORY: Protected Species – Indigenous species of high conservation value or national importance that require national protection
Scientific Name Common Name

AVES
Bucorvus leadeateri Southern Ground-Hornbill

MAMMALIA
Aonyx capensis Cape Clawless Otter
Atelerix frontalis South African Hedgehog
Ceratotherium simum White Rhinoceros
Connochaetes gnou Black Wildebeest
Crocuta crocuta Spotted Hyena
Felis nigripes Black-footed Cat
Parahyaena brunnea Brown Hyena
Leptailurus serval Serval
Loxodonta africana African elephant
Lutra maculicollis Spotted-necked Otter
Mellivora capensis Honey Badger
Raphicerus sharpei Sharpe’s Grysbok
Redunca arundinum Reedbuck
Vulpes chama Cape Fox

500nitro,

Very interesting information - thanks. I was surprised to see Tsessebe, Reedbuck, and Black Wildebeest on this list. I was not aware of their current status in RSA.

You have to remember that the Cites Permit requirements for South Africa and the United States are different. In other words, South Africa may require a South African Cites Permit to export white rhino, elephant, tsessebe, etc. while the United States does not require a Cites Import permit. Your responsibility is to obtain all Cites Import Permits from the USF&W Service as required only by the United States, for things such as Leopard, Bontebok, Scimater Horned Oryx, etc. Just because South Africa requires a Cites Export Permit for some of their animals does not mean that you have to have a Cites Import Permit for the same from the United States. The USFWS lists those animals on their website requiring a Cites Import Permit and from which countries. If in doubt ask your Outfitter or PH ahead of time so you know which animals require you to obtain a Cites Import Permit, or go to the USFWS website.

quote:

You have to remember that the Cites Permit requirements for South Africa and the United States are different.... If in doubt ask your Outfitter or PH ahead of time so you know which animals require you to obtain a Cites Import Permit

Yes, I was aware of this before my hunt. My problem arose from a mis-communication between my outfitter and me about who had to do what for the US CITES permit. And that was the purpose of my original post: to give a heads up for anyone planning on hunting Bontebok, or any other US CITES animal, that they, the hunter, need to make sure that the US permits are obtained.

500nitro, thanks for the TOPS info. It's getting to be that you need a Philadelphia lawyer to interpret the African hunting regulations. Kind of like the fishing regulations here at home.

buffybr: Yes, you are right about needing a lawyer re: the regs. In addition, I know of a couple of hunters that didn't get their permits and had their animals confiscated and also ended up paying a hefty fine.

Cites appendix 1 animals the import permit must be issued first
cites appendix 2 the import permit is done last