I'm know I'm wading into a deep pool here, in which my knowledge is limited. But I think it would be useful to draw upon the experience of the membership here and get a discussion underway.

At the conclusion of my recent hunt with CMS, I was talking with Buzz Charlton about the abundant evidence of poaching that we came across in Chewore: poacher's camps, shots heard in the distance where no one legitimately should be hunting, elephants with obvious small caliber bullet scars in their hide, etc. Buzz said that CMS has been spending an increasingly large amount of their private funds seeking to train and equip a local anti-poaching force, but noted that the problem continues to grow. I mentioned Midway USA's "round up for the NRA" program, where purchasers at that website can elect to round up their purchase amount to the nearest dollar, with the difference being contributed to the NRA, and we agreed that, if it could be administered properly, it was likely that a good number of hunters would agree to add to their safari bill an amount equal to 1% of the game fees to support poaching control efforts. at the conclusion of my hunt, I put my money where my mouth was, and added 1% of the game fees, earmarked to assist in poaching control efforts.

My questions are these: is there any way we can think of to "institutionalize" such voluntary contributions? and also are there measures that could be taken to ensure such donations are used for the intended purpose? I have a high degree of trust that Buzz and Myles will properly use any such donations, but I certainly would be concerned that any official or governmental involvement in such a program would inevitable lead to misuse of funds or corruption.

Would it aggravate the folks here if they were asked at the end of a safari if they'd like to "round up" their game fees voluntarily by 1% to support anti-poaching? What kind of evidence would you want to see to assure you that the contributions were going to the right place? Is there any way such a program could be broadened across a group of respected outfitters to get more bang for the buck?

I reiterate, I'm ignorant of all the political and business ramifications involved in poaching, but I know there are people on this board with a wealth of information to provide on the issue.

Leon, you make a good point, and a good idea too. But as you indicate, the money would need to be kept in private hands, period!

A great idea! How do we make sure it goes to anti poaching work, and not into someones pocket?

Impala, working with trustworthy outfitters would be the best bet, but nothing is for sure. However, I trust them a lot more than the local authorities, that's for sure.

Aaron,

I agree, I have hunted with companies that I would trust without question. Others, not so much.

The idea is great. Maybe we could treat anti poaching money like tipping. If warrented, give what you can, if you think the money will be used properly.

You are right about the locals.

Leon,

As Aaron said there would have to be some trust involved but it would be pretty easy to include on the contract a place where the client could choose to add 1% of his daily fees for anti poaching. That would give the client the option to contribute over and above the safari cost or not as he/she saw fit.

Mark

Some outfitters add a "community fee" into their contracts. Zambeze Delta Safaris has one that adds $50/person/night to your stay to cover schools, school supplies, water wells and grain mills for local villages. I don't see why you couldn't do the same with an anti-poaching fee. Of course added fees could reduce overall competitiveness of operators when comparing those who charge extra fees vs. those who do not. But that is capitalism at work! Would you pay more to hunt where there is more to be hunted?

It truly is a fantastic idea, though I can't speak from a paying hunter's point of view, obviously. I think it could do so much good. And yes, it would have to be done through legit operators whom you trust. If it kicks off, maybe the operators could include how the money was spent in their end of season reports, or something like that? Smart thinking Leon.

I'm proud of you Leon.
If I didn't trust the operator to do the right thing, I would not hunt with them in the first place.
As long as it was voluntary, I would give an extra 1%.
If you don't want to do it, well that's your business.

Thanks for all the well informed input. I don't want to grab credit for the idea, though. Buzz charlton really was the one that raised the issue that CMS and other
Responsible safari operators were grappling with the issue. All I added (in my capacity as a guy who buys too much from midway) was the idea that we could steal the NRA roundup concept from them. david makes an excellent point that the outfitters would have to bring some effort to the table by describing the uses of the money in a manner designed to sell the idea of a voluntary add-on. Hard to get people excited about donating money unless you can demonstrate some tangible results.