I was just notified today by Freight Consultants that the Bulawayo office of the Parks Department had all of their computer equipment stolen (hard drive, printer, monitor, etc. etc.) on Wednesday evening. So if any of you have trophies in the country and have been relying on the Bulawayo office to issue the Cites Permits, this is another set back. They're not sure what they'll be doing. I am sure that the paperwork will all have to be re-constructed by outfitters, PH's, bank approvals, etc. Maybe our AR friends in Zimbabwe can check on it and give us an update.

One would HOPE that they were maintaining external and/or off-site backup's....wanna bet they weren't?

We always complain that the Namibian Permit office does not use computers, maybe it's a good thing.

The paper trail is still all manual, so that is not a problem. what remains to be seen is if stix chimuti will allow the bulawayo office to send their permits up to Harare whilst they are getting new computors reprogrammed. the software is a problem, as the lad who wrote it for parks has emigrated. When it didn't work properly in April this year, Fungai Muroki (OIC Bulawayo) sent all the permits up to harare. two months later Harare sent them all back- un processed!

Taxidermy enterprises donated a computor and printer- which disapeared a week after they were donated (and are in Harare!).

Alot will depend on who is the new minister of tourism in two weeks time.

HOWEVER!!! If you are and SCI member, have a fat winge! SCI pay the slary of the chairman of the parks board, one George Pangetti. George is ok, but for 5k a month of your money he should be able to make his minions at least attempt to do their jobs! (and no, shouting at Muroke or his deputy, Wellington Mafuka is not the answer. The problem occurs at the possitions of Director Scientific Services, Tapera (Stix) Chimuti; Chief investigations Officer, Leonard Nidza, and Chief of Scientific services, Hillary Madzikanda. - Or simply the Director General Morris Mutsumbiwa. He is quick enough to issue permits for illegal hunts, perhaps George could persuade him to issue legitimate export permits with the same alacrity? (or would that be asking to much of a man on the SCI gravey train?)

quote:

Originally posted by Bill C:
One would HOPE that they were maintaining external and/or off-site backup's....wanna bet they weren't?

That is a very insensitive and unwarranted not to mention rude comment.

I'd call Obama. He claims he can handle anything from a Blackberry.

Or Al Gore;he not only invented the internet but the microchip too!

Sorry to here this,trophies out of Zim are a crap shoot at best sometimes...

Dan

I give up. My trophies from my Mzb hunt three years ago are allegedly crated and ready to ship. I believe they have been for nearly a year. I have paid for everything except the final shipment over. If I eventually hear from someone, Ok, but I am not going to bother anymore. The photos I took will have to do. I was looking forward to hanging that 43" buffalo in my office, but that's Africa.

Holy smoke that is a pain in the butt to say the least about the PC being stolen.

Also is that true that SCI pays George his wages, wow that is very kind of SCI, so I take it George is working for SCI or is it a bit of a gift to get an insider into the system !

Cheers, Peter

There is one great gift that Black Africa has given to the world and that is the gift of Failure. With the incredible natural resources and climate that they have if they didn't totally and consistently F**k everything up Zim would be like the US and all the elephants would be in Zoo's.

Yeah Zim is screwed up, but I betcha they aren't on the verge of a 700 billion dollar bailout, they ain't dumb enough to get in that kind of a situation..I just wish all we had to worry about was some trophies!!

700 billion?? I think that's about what I got in change after buying two cokes in the Bulawayo airport.

quote:

Originally posted by els:
There is one great gift that Black Africa has given to the world and that is the gift of Failure. With the incredible natural resources and climate that they have if they didn't totally and consistently F**k everything up Zim would be like the US and all the elephants would be in Zoo's.

Yeah, you have to be careful for what you wish for.

The thing about Africa is we have dictators, we know it, and the WEST keeps propping them up with billions upon billions thinking the problem will go away, no such luck, the dictators just become more entrenched and hold out their hand for more money.

Now in USA (current crises specific) is you seem to have governements whom are not dictators, but excellent CON MEN whom get the public eating out their hands by using the flag, patriotism, religion and downright theft in some cases to win you over, and lies as well.

It is not 700 bill but well over 1 trillion at last count that they want from you to waste on those whom have been incompetant theieves in some cases, talk about robbing the people to pay the rich bankers, it is a classic case. Some including the treasury secretary walked out of jobs with millions upon millions in handshake payments, how about those being made to pay back the money they appropriated in one way or another

Cheers, Peter

Been waiting 26 months to get my trophies back from Zim. I might as well write them off. Its been like a bad dream trying to get them back. I've lost hope at this point.

WLA

i suppose the moral of this story is that if you hunt Zim, be satisfied with pictures and put the money you would have spent on taxidermy into your next hunt.

I second that

That is really sad to lose your animals -- When I was just a kid, I shot an elk late in the evening. With insufficient light, we decided to search the following morning. Morning came and we followed the blood trail only to find that somebody beat us to him -- That still haunts me to this day.

George Pangetti replaced Andre de Georges as the SCI Africa rep about 6 years ago- before he was appointed chairman of the parks board (he was on the board but not chairman).

Given that leaverage one would have thought SCI could have done something! Especilly as George was dputy Director Management in parks, and worked with all the current senior management except Hillary (who is fairly new)

UEG and others, who have not yet received their trophies from Zimbabwe, I feel sorry for you guys. I was in a similar position but I got my trophies of our May 2007 hunt from Freight Consultants 2 weeks ago and my taxidermist says that they are in good condition.

Peter,

Please take your opinions to the Political Forum.

Les

quote:

Originally posted by Balla Balla:
The thing about Africa is we have dictators, we know it, and the WEST keeps propping them up with billions upon billions thinking the problem will go away, no such luck, the dictators just become more entrenched and hold out their hand for more money.

Now in USA (current crises specific) is you seem to have governements whom are not dictators, but excellent CON MEN whom get the public eating out their hands by using the flag, patriotism, religion and downright theft in some cases to win you over, and lies as well.

It is not 700 bill but well over 1 trillion at last count that they want from you to waste on those whom have been incompetant theieves in some cases, talk about robbing the people to pay the rich bankers, it is a classic case. Some including the treasury secretary walked out of jobs with millions upon millions in handshake payments, how about those being made to pay back the money they appropriated in one way or another

Cheers, Peter

I was suppose to hunt in Zim this past June, but that didn't work out because of supposed security issue, and thats water under the bridge now anyway, but in the end I'm sorta glad I didn't go and would now having to be worried about getting trophies back. Zim is probably a good palce to hunt, tho I'll probably never find out personnally now and if I get back to Africa again it will be either Nam or SA again for plainsgame.

Bisonhunter

Zimababwe is GREAT and the more screwed up it gets the better the hunting is going to get IMHO. Don't write it off. Just take lots of picures. I wouldn't take any thing that you can not afford to leave in country. I will not take anymore expensive rifles. Take a Sat phone insure it go and have fun.

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:
i suppose the moral of this story is that if you hunt Zim, be satisfied with pictures and put the money you would have spent on taxidermy into your next hunt.

I have gotten trophies from Zim no trouble, but I agree with the idea of leaving the trophies there and spending the shipping/taxidermy money on the next hunt. I enjoy the next hunt more than I enjoy looking at taxidermy.