What's the latest news on the health and safety situation in Zim?

How safe is it to go this year?

It is safe to go. Don't expect to receive your trophies anytime before 2012. Take plenty of small bills with you. It is going to shut down at some point, but it is still going now.
If you want a clearer picture, pm some of the guys from Zim. They can give you the straight poop on it...
Best of luck to you. There are some great outfits in Zim and some great animals waiting to be taken.
Brian

Based on what I saw in late Feb, it's actually starting to turn the corner. Businesses are operating and basic supplies are available. No vehicles on the roads though, other than trucks going up to Zambia and the odd govt Mercedes. Didn't see one starving or dying Zimbabwean. Good rains this spring so there will be food, at least in the country. We had fresh melon, fresh corn while sharing a fire with local homesteaders waiting for PAC. Food aid is getting through as well.

Take a dose of antibiotics (one dose of 300mg is all it takes) and some powdered electrolyte in case you get cholera (remote if you stick to bottled water and avoid uncooked vegetables and fruit, & wash hands before eating).

Watch your luggage and belongings esp. in the cities and at/around the airport.

Don't take cash if you can avoid it.

Buckle up in vehicles.

Zim is a lot safer (and a lot nicer) than RSA.

Allout,

I took 2 leopards in July 2008, plus other game. They have been at the taxidermist in the USA for 6 weeks now. Fauna and Flora notified me in Dec 2008 that they wanted my CITES permits. So that is only about 6 months to get the shipment from Zim.

Not every safari comapny delays shipments.

BigB

quote:

Bass Pro Shops have the worst idea of what customer service is or should be. They will never get another dollar of business from me and I would urge you to seriously consider any other sporting goods supplier before making a purchase with BPS...

Allout, got story you can share

according to our sunday paper, the ap now rates uncle bob as the #1 bad guy

Russ, I would love to not take cash. Please expand on that statement.

Most outfitters will be only too happy to have you wire your money in advance. If not to the outfitter, then to the agent.

Outfitters often ask for cash but they will take TCs if they have to. Harder for them to cash and it costs them something, but they will take them.

Of course you have to take some spending money for visa, incidentals etc, but $500 is more than enough.

I flew to Vic Falls and then by charter for a DG hunt in September. No problems at all and the officials at the airport were a lot nicer than TSA in Atlanta. My trophies arrived in the USA early in January.

I paid for all the animals I could possibly shoot, in advance, and the money stayed in Montana with Atcheson's until after I returned. Then the outfitter got his due and I got a refund for that which I hadn't shot.

There were no chortages of anything on Safari.

I dont see the problem with taking travellers checks to pay for the big expenses. Heaven forbid if you are robbed and can provide the numbers of the individual T checks to the company (say American express) that issued the T checks they are cancelled immediately so dont see the problem carrying them!

Arjun,

I'm afraid traveler's checks are not theway to go in Zim. They are a problem for the HO to cash. If you used an agent have him hold your trophy fees and just take enough cash for pocket money and tips. If you didn't use an agent do as Russ suggested and wire the money.

Mark

I'll second Mark's comments on TC's - especially if you are hunting in a Government concession. National parks wants US$ for the animals you shoot and TC's are not acceptable. You can bank then, but the banks want 30 days to make sure they clear and have not been cancelled- but parks has to be paid in 14 days...Sure, the bigger operators might be able to cover that from deposits held for later clients but...wire the loot is alot easier!

On other fronts...The cholera threat is greatly overated, but bring some cirpo with you for just in case- it will be greatly appreciated for the camp first aid box when you leave if nothing else!

The hunting in many areas continues to be good. I suspect that if the hunting in the parks is not bought under control quickly we will see a spectacular crash in trophy quality in a few key species next year- but not all areas rely on the parks as a reserve pool....

Poaching is heavy - as one would expect when malnutrition is rife. Many people do not understand that it is actually quite difficult to starve to death in Zim, even if you didn't grow any crops. The bush yields an amazing aray of food - not quality food, not a balanced diet, but enough so you are unlikely to ever see the walking skelaton images we had from Somalia and Ethiopia.

Howver, malnourished people die from diseases they should have lived through, malaria, tick bite fever, cholera...let alone the usual cluprit of HIV related TB.

For many of us this is going to be a very difficult year financially - cost in US$ terms have more than doubled - yup about 140% inflation in US$ terms in the last three months!!!! whilst the global recesion has cut clients disposable incomes, and serval of my friends are still looking at only half a season booked.

Russ, Mark thanks for the headsup on wiring funds. Will check with my guys to see if this is good for them AND ME. I just want to do something other than carrying up to $25M in travelers checks and especially not that much cash around with me. Just not comfortable with that.

At my age I have enough trouble remembering why I go from room to room at the house. No telling what I would do with the cash!

muygrande - on second thoughts, please bring cash - oh and you are welcome to stay over for a few nights as you pass through Harare

Ganyana, I can feel your pain. One can only hope that our home grown problems will be shot lived. Greed is unfortunately a bi-product of freedom as we know it in the USA these days.

Thanks for the "invitation" to drop some green backs in Harare but Bulawayo is as close as I will get on this trip. Perhaps next time.

quote:

Originally posted by JBoutfishn:

quote:

Bass Pro Shops have the worst idea of what customer service is or should be. They will never get another dollar of business from me and I would urge you to seriously consider any other sporting goods supplier before making a purchase with BPS...

Allout, got story you can share

Probably should have sent this via PM - but what the hay...
Bass Pro Story –

A relative gave me a $50.00 gift card for Christmas from Bass Pro. This is good for me, because who can’t use $50.00 worth of something from BPS, Cabelas, etc...?
We have a BPS in my area, but it is about 40 miles from my house, so I opted to make a purchase online. I have done this several times with BPS, Cabela’s, etc…
My purchase was set to arrive within 4-5 business days. Three full weeks later I called Customer Service (at least what BPS calls customer service). They told me they were sorry my shipment never arrived and give it another week or so. If it hadn’t arrived by then call back.
I waited another week, called back and was told they were going to overnight my purchase to me. Ok, great. I have been waiting a month at this point for something that was supposed to come in 4-5 days.
Two days later – nothing had arrived. So I called back. They couldn’t find it in the system. I was told they would look into it and get back to me. The next day, the package arrived. I was not even remotely surprised when I opened it and found it wasn’t what I ordered. I ordered a pair of deck shoes; they sent me three rolls of fishing line.
So I called back and explained the situation to the “Customer Service Professional.” Basically she told me, “Oops, too bad for you.”
At this point the $50.00 is irrelevant. It isn’t worth the aggravation. So I told them to refund the purchase price (they agreed to do this on a BPS card) and asked if I would return their fishing line if they sent me a prepaid Fed-ex label. I agreed.
A week and a half later, the fed-ex label arrived with a letter stating that as soon as they received their merchandise (merchandise I never asked to be shipped to me mind you) the would begin to process my refund.
So I called again. I explained the situation again and told the void on the other end of the phone that I had no intention of sending anything back to BPS until they rectified the situation. Basically she called me a thief. Then she said I would be receiving an invoice for the fishing line (line I never ordered) and if it went unpaid, they would file a credit rating report on me.
This is when the situation got a little heated, I told her anyone from BPS was welcome to come to my home, pick up the fishing line and stuff it in their arse.
So here we are like, 3 months after the initial order, I still have their fishing line, and they still have my refund.
I get a catalog from BPS. I called the number on the back ad told them just where they could stick that catalog. I again explain the situation to the shocked lady on the other end of the phone.
Two weeks later I get a BPS card in the amount of my original purchase – the one I never received.
That is pretty much it. It took three and a half months for BPS to get the “right” thing done. I would say that is pretty pathetic customer service. And they will never get another dollar from me.
I have had mix-ups with other sporting good retailers and it never took them more than 2-3 days to get things right...

Hey - you asked.

Brian

Brian

Why didn't you just take a CAB to the Bass Pro and shop in person?

OH! I forgot about you and CABS.

Sorry, could not resist.

How have you been doing.

I have a friend on his way to a hunt in Zim right now, I will give a report when he gets back.

Hey,

Check this article out : http://www.africahunting.com/m...e=viewarticle&id=109

Niko62:

Are you affliated with the site you mention in almost all of your posts?

Hi guys

Just want to let you all know that I live in Harare, and I feel very safe here. Sure, times are tough here but it seems we are all in the same boat at the moment, wherever we live! I have been a PH for 16 years in Zimbabwe and Tanzania and actually think that perhaps...maybe!...we are on a road to recovery at the moment. It will be slow, but we will get there. For any of you wanting to hunt here I can assure you that you will be safe and enjoy yourselves.