ZIMBABWE

RE: NON-TROPHY ELEPHANT PERMITS WITHIN NATIONAL PARKS - PRIMARILY HWANGE,

Some confusion and concern has been raised about whether the permits issued by National Parks to hunt non-trophy elephant within Hwange and other National Parks, are legal. I would like to shed a little light on the matter to help clients understand a little better.

The situation is that the National Parks Act states that there should be no hunting in the National Parks (as opposed to concession areas). The National Parks are used for Photographic safaris.

Because of financial constraints the Parks directorate have decided to issue permits for hunting non-trophy elephant within the National Parks, Hwange being the main one.

The industry and our Association object to this and have put forward proposals to Parks which we hope will be accepted, whereby the number of elephant to be taken off the National Parks is reduced greatly and under the control of Operators in the area, and not all comers from anywhere.

Strictly speaking, if Parks have issued a permit to hunt elephant within the National Parks it may be legal, but we consider it unethical. It will be up to the personal ethics of the individuals involved whether they undertake these or not.

The whole rationale behind the land classification originally was that there would be National Parks in which no hunting took place - Hwange, Mana Pools, Chizarira, Matusadona etc. These would be safe havens for animals to breed. As their numbers increased annually , the excess populations would be naturally pushed out in search of territory, into either the surrounding Communal Lands, or Hunting Concession areas. In those areas controlled hunting would take place under license from National Parks. If you can find a map please do look at it. I think Alec Strauss might have one left over from SCI. His e-mail is straussangel@gmail.com. He lives in USA. and may be able to send you a copy. It shows how non-hunting areas are situated next to hunting areas and Communal lands.

If we start hunting within a National Park it destroys the entire purpose of having National Parks, quite apart from destroying the business of the Photographic Safari people who have invested money into their camps and lodges there, and removes the areas in which ordinary people can enjoy the wildlife.

This is Conservation, but it is not Bunny Hugging. It has logical, scientific reasoning behind it.
As the hunting industry we do not believe this should be upset for short-term gain. If we start doing that in a very short time we will have destroyed the balance of breeding rates/hunting off-take and have nothing left.

I hope this explains things a little more clearly.

Yours sincerely
Sally Bown
Admin. Officer


Safari Operators Association of Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe Professional Hunters & Guides Association
Inbound Tour Operators of Zimbabwe Association
18 Walter Hill Ave., Eastlea, Harare, Zimbabwe
Tel: 00-263-4 702402
Fax: 00-263-4 705046
Mobile: 00-263-733 316739
Mobile: 00-263-772 766741
E-mail: soaz@mweb.co.zw; soaz1@mweb.co.zw
Websites: www.soaz.net
www.zphga.com
www.itoza.co.zw

Since most Park elephant populations in Zimbabwe are way over carrrying capacity and culling by Park's staff is probably not a viable option at this time, how does ZOAS propose that Parks control the excessive elephant populations? It seems that tightly controlled elephant hunting in the Parks by highly qualified safari operators can bring in badly needed revenue to the Parks Dept. and aid in controlling these elephant populations.

465H&H

Thanks for posting Sally's report Alan. It has always been my understanding that hunting management Elephant in communal areas was on the up and up.
Cheers,
David

OK, so now it IS legal to hunt in the park?

Somehow, I had gotten the impression that the law had not been changed, regardless of what Parks was doing there.

I had a long discussion about this issue with a few PH's the last time I was in Zimbabwe, and the universal consensus was that any PH who did a hunt in the park was going to lose his license down the road when the whole government thing got straightened out, and when I described the US Lacy act, the consensus was that any US hunter who had that hanging over his head was a fool to try and get a cheap management hunt in a park, when there were "PAC's" to be had elsewhere- of course this was before the "PAC" hunts became an issue.

Say what? I thought there were NO permits for ANY management elephant to date 2011??

The Law has not changed. The parks act clearly states that a permit to hunt within a National Park can be issued by the Minister.

This is not about legality. Its about preserving a delicate structure. A poster earlier referred to hunts being tightly controlled. Well the fact is that the hunts will not be tightly controlled and it is already apparent that rampant abuse of the system will/is occurring.

It is completely impossible for clients to cull Elephant. Anyone who has ever been on a cull will know that. It is a quick clean clinical process undertaken by experienced professionals. It is not hunting . A whole herd is selected and taken out. Bulls,cows and even calves. It is not pleasant and most certainly not enjoyable. A Client hunting is going to shoot bulls and cows....and in most instances only one, possibly two animals at a time. This leaves the rest of the herd....who takes care of that??.I have seen hardened PHs of many years experience become very emotional over Culls. It is necessary and has to be done, but very unpleasant. Remember that the crux is a national Park is supposedly a place of refuge. If Culls need to take place......do it properly, and with the least possible effect on the enviroment. I agree with the SOAZ comment, thats not Bunny hugging, its conservation.

zimFrosty,

I agree with everything you said about culling (taking out whole herds) It is not something that very many would want to do if they understood what it entails. I am very well aware of the implications of culling both to the shooters and the herds and why it was done the way it was in the past.

But that was then and now is now. The current Parks staff are not in any way qualified to do the culls themselves. But that doesn't solve the elephant overpopulation problem in the Parks. If something isn't done to control these populations a similar situation that occured in Tsavo a few years ago is a distinct possibility. There is already long term damage to the ecosystem in the Parks due to over grazing by elephants. While some off take of cows in the Parks may not control the populations, it may stave off the inevitable until Parks gets its act in gear to cull. I could make the case that the disturbance that some cow off take would entail to the herds, is more desireable than seeing mass die offs.

Some very controlled hunting in the Parks may in fact push some elephants out into the Safari areas bordering the Parks. Increasing the harvest quota for safari operators. Cows both tusked and tuskless are currently being shot in both communal and Parks hunting areas. I have taken more than my share of both so I speak with some experience. Have there been any creditable reports of these hunts material affecting elephant herds?

In all due respect, not solving the elephant over population problem is not conservation by any definition of the term.

465H&H