I took this article out of our local SCI chapters newsletter this month.

SAFARI ETHICS AFRICA (SEA) – Kirk O’Keefe

A non-profit (RSA Section 21) company has just been established to “promote confidence again among those coming to South Africa on safari, monitoring the adherence to ethical hunting norms and providing legal assistance to foreign hunters …. in disputes arising from unethical or fraudulent behavior on the part of local operatorsâ€. It has as its goal the “promotion of RSA safari confidence, aiding in the retrieval of outstanding or corrupted funds and offers a legal facility in the event of a claim against disputed or unethical, unscrupulous behavior or business ethicsâ€.
While SEA is in the fledgling stage, it has taken on 3 serious cases of fraud worth US$450,000. One of which is the so called “World Record Rhino†wherein a piece of horn was inserted into the original rhino horn to yield the needed measurement.
This development is wonderful news since Pineywoods members have experienced several recent cases in which trophy shipments were not received or incomplete, long delays in trophy shipments, unwelcome pressure applied to use RSA taxidermists and of course, the horror stories about the cumbersome RSA firearm permit process. In addition, SCI and The Hunting Report are actively soliciting information on RSA "undefined services and egregious shipping charges". The RSA Professional Hunters Association, as well as the SCI African Office, has proved to be powerless and RSA legal recourse is difficult to arrange, has high cost and a very uncertain outcome. So until the advent of ESA, there has been no realistic recourse so when a problem has occurred sportsmen have had no practical choice except to write it off.
SEA’s founding members are Kate Inman, Gary Kelly, and Dave Randles who is the SEA legal representative. Dave is the head of the RSA Law Society. Other members are Paul Phelan, a PH who was a Natal Parks Board Conservation Officer, PH Sean Kelly and Nicole Walker as Business manager.
SEA is actively soliciting donations from individuals and conservation organizations. They intend to work closely with Nature Conservation, PHASA and the RSA Provisional Game Departments. For further information and donations, you should contact SEA at:

Safari Ethics Africa
P.O. Box 1173
Bela Bela, 0480
Limpopo Province
South Africa
S.E.A@tiscali.co.za

Seems odd to call an organization (PHASA) powerless in one paragraph and then say you intend to work closely with them in the next paragraph.

What sort of worries me is we or someone keeps pulling all these new and fandangled organisations out of a hat with the main goal to clean up hunting or whatever !!!!

And then the first thing is they WANT DONATIONS from the gulliable out there whom still wont have any guarantee of future success

IMHO we already have (PHASA established) and now under new captaincy so I would think it MIGHT be better to RATHER strengthen PHASA into a (more robust organisation) that is capable of interfacing with government and other various wildlife entities.

WHY try to reinvent the wheel are my initial thoughts

Cheers, Peter

Peter,
I fully agree with you. Phasa might not be the most perfect organization. But if all outfitters and ph's join them we can have a strong organisation and we can work towards a better regulated hunting industry.

I also agree. Stewart Dorrington the new (ish) president of PHASA strikes me as the best thing to happen to PHASA for years.