My outfitter tells me he has heard from several sources the USF&W is working to stop imports of leopards to the US. I will be hunting leopard in June and will be applying for the permit tomorrow. Hope my luck holds and I get the permit approval. Anyone have some inside news on this subject?

John

I heard similar rumors and talking to USFW did not give me any confidence so I passed on leopard on my hunt.

SSR

You guys just trying to give me heartburn?

I received my CITIES permit on 4/04/12 for my leopard hunt next week. FYI, the expiration date on my permit is 4/03/2013.

quote:

Originally posted by txsouthpaw:
I received my CITIES permit on 4/04/12 for my leopard hunt next week. FYI, the expiration date on my permit is 4/03/2013.

Do you remember when you sent it in?

Txsoutpaw,

How long did it take to get the approval?

It took about 4 weeks. I'm using Andy Hunter w/Zimbabwe Dip & Pack and he recommended I apply prior to the hunt to help expedite the process if I'm successful on leopard.

Folks,

Tom Hardesty/ Atcheson Taxidermy is checking on this for me with his US,F&W contact. I'll report what he finds out.

Mark

Wonderful--and I'm leaving Thursday.

Don

It's time to bypass all of USFWS crap and invest in a small cabin/trophy room in Canada. I am not joking.

Guys,

I just spoke with Tom Hardesty/Atcheson Taxidermy. He heard back from his US,F&W contact in Seattle and there is NOTHING afoot as far as closing leopard imports.

Relax!

Mark

quote:

Originally posted by MARK H. YOUNG:
Guys,

I just spoke with Tom Hardesty/Atcheson Taxidermy. He heard back from his US,F&W contact in Seattle and there is NOTHING afoot as far as closing leopard imports.

Relax!

Mark

Whew!! Thanks Mark.

USFWS has been scrutinizing import paperwork for several years now. When they find an error, even a tiny one, there are two choices. The hunter can send the trophy back to the country of origin, or let USFWS confiscate it. Once confiscated, it will never be seen aqgain.

John Jackson of Conservation Force/Hunt Report is the leader in this fight and has sued the Service. I don't have a link, but I'm sure you can find it.

Thanks Mark, looking forward to what you can find out. Well, I'm leaving May 31 and won't get the CITES permit back before I go. So I'll have to trust my good luck and go with a positive attitude on this one. Been planning this trip for over 2 years and was advised to apply for the leopard permit after returning from the safari to keep from running out on the permit expiration. The leopard was the main attraction on this safari, for me anyway. It would be a major bummer if I happen to tag a nice Tom and have to leave it in Zim.

John

Thanks Mark,

Feel a little better about it now. Just talked to South Texas Fur Dressers and they are going to see what they can find out this week from their contact in Houston. I'll post the response when I get the word.

Also talked to my outfitter and he says these type of rumors come up all the time with fish and wildlife. He says if fish and wildlife could, they would stop all CITES imports. This particular one came up a couple of weeks ago and doesn't seem to be associated with the quota discrepancies at the end of last year.

John

John, Cites are time sensitive. If you get chui and I hope you are successful, the question to ask how long till it is shipped. Or wait till you get home. Fill out and wait till hunt is just about over and have wife or friend FedX it to USG&G. I also sent a prepaid return mailer.

Mike

What dreams are made of.

I just called a friend at USF&W he said it's internet BS. Nothing official about closing leopard imports. He said they are requiring the permits to be filled out correctly which is causing some problems with legally hunted trophies.

Just got my CITES permit yesterday. Took 3 weeks from start to finish. My wife and I are leaving on the 30th for 14 days in the DSA with Myles McCallum.

Thanks for the replies guys. I sent my application off today priority mail with a return envelope. The wife and I will lift off in 16 days, so I probably won't get the permit prior. Sounds like everything will be fine. Packing ammo today to be sure it makes weight.

John

Good luck to all of you leopard hunters!

I have two guys going this year and helped them fill out the permits etc. They both put in SASE and BOTH got them back in under 2 weeks.!!! Also have the required network set up to have them both back(if successful) in the States under 4 months MAX. We'll see.

USF&W is trying their best to seize Leopards coming into the US. They use the rulebook to find obscure violations and then, they seize them.

I had a client with two Leopards seized coming into the US out of Tanzania. They changed the rules on Tanzanian Leopard and started seizing them based on a different interpretation of the application.

It was the Tanzanian CITES Export that they were picking on. 5 Leopards total, that I know of out of Tanzania. I believe all 5 were eventually released.

So, officially, of course they are not stopping the importation. Unofficially, they are seizing under any obscure ridiculous rule or clerical mistake they find.

Use a good shipping agent. Lynette Lilley with Well Worldwide was the agent that got my clients Leopards released and I have used her for many years.

The agent will make sure your paperwork on both sides is perfect, then cross your fingers and hope they don't change the rules on you.

I have just applied for two re-export permits (leopards). Can anyone tell me the usual timeframe ?