I was fortunate to have hunted in Zimbabwe last year, but to this date, my trophies remain there. It just seems extreme to me that after one year they still have not shipped. Everytime I call, always another reason why they sit. Is this normal for Zimbabwe or is there something I may do to get them moving? Appears that most of the problems exist with their government. Any suggestions? Are others experiencing the same?

We are still waiting for ours after three years

It took a year and a half to get my buffalo and bushbuck back from my 2005 Zimbabwe hunt.

A year seems to be about normal, so I wouldn't panic yet. My shipments have taken anywhere from 11 -16 months. As you can read above, others face even greater delays.

While I agree it seems unreasonably long, very few shipments arrive from Zim in much less than a year.

Hang in their.

Bill

Elephant killed March 2007, tusks and ears arrived January 2009. About 22 months.

My trophies from July 07 arrived in the UK in May 08. My trophies from August 08 were despatched in April 09, but have been sitting in Johannesburg since then because the airline lost the original export and cities documents. We are currently awaiting replacements.
I think that the time delays can depend upon which area you hunt in Zim and hence which handling agent does the application for the documentation and hence which area government office gets involved. In the final analysis, Zim is Zim. We love its people and its hunting, but its lack of bureaucratic efficiency is just something we have to live with.I consider myself to have been lucky so far, but I am always prepared for the inevitable cock up. It certainly wont put me off going though !!!

Fairly normal. Don't panic yet.

Not having hunted Africa previously, I was wondering why the trophy shipments take so long? Quarantine? Red tape? I assume they are shipped by air freight rather than surface.

Thanks.

Forrest

Okay, I now understand. I thought that it may be an issue with the company handling it. It is just so very frustrating. It's now been 12 months and I've been told that they are at the shipper awaiting final documents from the Parks Department. I hunted Namibia 3 years earlier and had my trophies home within 6 months.

Do a search on this topic. I have posted the phone numbers and email adress of the Director General of Parks (Morris Mutsumbiwa) - don't have those details on hand today.

Zim parks can easily take a year to process an export application and then take another 6 months to do the pre shipment inspection, even if all the paperwork is correct. It is one of the zim operators biggest nightmares and a significant cost- you have to employ somebody virtually full time to chase and keep the pressure on Parks.

I just got an e-mail this month regarding a hippo and buffalo from a July '08 hunt.

On my way to do my 1st safari in September.
It'll be my friend's 10th, and his 4th in Zim.
He indicated it'll take 3 years to get the trophies.

- Lars/Finland

Its Wendell fault

I hunted in ZIM in late June 2008, and my bill arrived from Fauana & Flora on 1-13-09. The tophies were at the taxidermist by late Jan. This also included a CITES leopard. So it can go fast and 6 - 8 months has been the norm for me on 6 shipments from ZIM.

BigB

One final question.

What should I expect once I do finally receive my trophies? Specifically, the condition of the dip & packed hides. I'm most concerned with the Leopard hide. My CITIES permit expired and I had to extend/renew it and they do have the new version(copy) in hand. Trying to be hopeful.

This is slightly off-thread, but I am still waiting for my trophies from Namibia from June 2008. I left them with the outfitter, who responds to some of my messages, and says they are coming. Other hunters who hunted much later than me with the same outfit in 2008 received their trophies months ago. Does over a year for Namibia seem extreme?

quote:

Originally posted by BigB:
I hunted in ZIM in late June 2008, and my bill arrived from Fauana & Flora on 1-13-09. The tophies were at the taxidermist by late Jan. This also included a CITES leopard. So it can go fast and 6 - 8 months has been the norm for me on 6 shipments from ZIM.

BigB

Who did you use for processing and shipping? Any recommendation on how to help ensure good processing and reasonable receipt?

quote:

Originally posted by R.Jolly:
My trophies from July 07 arrived in the UK in May 08. My trophies from August 08 were despatched in April 09, but have been sitting in Johannesburg since then because the airline lost the original export and cities documents. We are currently awaiting replacements.
I think that the time delays can depend upon which area you hunt in Zim and hence which handling agent does the application for the documentation and hence which area government office gets involved. In the final analysis, Zim is Zim. We love its people and its hunting, but its lack of bureaucratic efficiency is just something we have to live with.I consider myself to have been lucky so far, but I am always prepared for the inevitable cock up. It certainly wont put me off going though !!!

I think you hunted with Alan right before we did in 2007 and we had the same turnaround on our trophies to the US, but I understand things have slowed down a bit since then.

Oday450,

I do not know who the shipper was. The Documentation and Processing Co. was AFRO PRIDE
out of Borrowdale Harare. All of the shipping stuff is taken care of by the Safari Co. Fauna & Flora handles it on the US side.

BigB

It's all of Africa, I think.

It's been 11+ months since I got back from Namiba and my trophies haven't left Windhoek yet.

I was told last August that my trophies would be ready by February, the taxidermist finally finished them this month (July).

Every request such as "send me your banking information and the amount and I will do a wire transfer" takes a week to even get an email response with the information.

Sept/Oct 2007 hunt, trophies arrived in Houston 22 months later.

Go figure!

CTJ

Killed ele in Zim May 2007. Received ivory, tanned hide October 2008.

I hunted Zim last June. I received the tanned hides and tusks early this year and picked up everything from the taxidermist about a month a ago. The stuff was ready at the taxidermist a good while before I picked it up. It was under 12 months from the field to floor.

I hate to create additional anxiety but;

We recently received a safari shipment that sat idle in Zim for 2 years. Unfortunately the pests seemingly bacterial on up to dermestid moths and beetles were not quite so inattentive.

Two giraffe capes were more digested than whole. Many skulls and bones were so badly grease burned it is unlikely they will ever be white again. It seems that this is as much and possibly more of a poor preparation, poor dip and pack, and storage issue than strictly a time issue, but this kind of damage does not happen over night.

So…. If nothing else you might want to be the squeaky wheel that gets the grease!

Good luck and Best regards

Mike O

I think additional anxiety is unwarranted. Zim has some fantastic operators.

My son and I hunted the month of June 2008 with HHK Safaris. Trophies (ele, leopard, 4 buff, PG) arrived within 10 MONTHS including a small paperwork delay.
I hunted again this April with Walker/Watson and Pro Safaris in Rifa and my shipment (lion, croc, hippo etc.) is ready to ship now - 3 MONTHS! I was emailed the completed Cites for inspection July 22 and only arrived home May 3. The logistics company is waiting for my wire of funds.

I talked with my broker Maria Felix at Hunter International Customs on this issue. She believes the hunting company is the single biggest variable in speedy shipments. These guys obviously get out and get it done. She suggested I give these companies a pat on the back on this venue, so here it is.

There is no doubt that there has been some long delays in shipment from Zim. Few on this thread have had more aggravation than me ! . We got caught up in that web with many of you, but have now put a new plan together that is fast and dependable. .
Chifuti Safaris is now using Andy Hunter for all of our clients Dip and Pack and he is already shipping trophies taken this year in March-April-May "09 !!
Andy is on the ball, keeps in touch with our office for weekly updates, updates our clients on the status of their shipments, and answers his emails promptly when a client asks a question. Life is now a lot more comfortable for us and Chifuti's clients.

I don't even think about it for more than a year. Usually, I'm not too concerned about it, because I don't want to pay the shipping bill anyway!

Dave is right about Andy- I use him.

But to be fair, Shipping agents based out of Harare have a much easier time than those in Bulawayo. Unfortunately Parks refuse to process permits at head office that they deem 'should' have been processed in Bulawayo.

If you have been waiting more than a year and the paperwork is being held up in the Bulawayo parks office, drop me a PM and I'll give you the parks Director Genera's Phone and email and the chairman of the parks Board contacts and you can bug them - which is alot more helpful than emailing the girls at Taxidermy ent, Matebeleland taxidermy, maple freight etc- who really, really do try!!

I agree with Dave and Ganyana.
Andy Hunter emailed me 12.07.09 to say thet he had my elephant tusks and skin that I shot 18.05.09 and was applying for the export permit the following day. That seems good service to me up to that point.The rest is down to Parks and how much Andy chases them. I am confident that he will be on the ball.

Hunted the Save with Roger Whittall Safaris June 2008..got the skins, tanned ele hide, and tusks here and cleared in March 2009. Have had all the taxidermy that I want done and on the walls and floors (and stools, and chairs).
All that remains is to plan for the giraffe shoulder mount, which will require some more thought.
One of the longest waits was for SCI to recognize the elephant as #3 Archery. That should have been quicker, I felt.
Dave

quote:

Originally posted by Dave Fulson:
There is no doubt that there has been some long delays in shipment from Zim. Few on this thread have had more aggravation than me ! . We got caught up in that web with many of you, but have now put a new plan together that is fast and dependable. .
Chifuti Safaris is now using Andy Hunter for all of our clients Dip and Pack and he is already shipping trophies taken this year in March-April-May "09 !!
Andy is on the ball, keeps in touch with our office for weekly updates, updates our clients on the status of their shipments, and answers his emails promptly when a client asks a question. Life is now a lot more comfortable for us and Chifuti's clients.

I concur with Dave. We have seen some amazing results with Chifuti Clients, and Andy Hunter. Just off the top of my head, we took a shipment of trophies from a Chifuti hunt that was only 5 months ago and 2 months for taxidermy. That means the hunter has them after only 7 months from the date they were collected. Heck there are deer hunters in the U.S. that don't get their deer head back that quick... DAN

In Namibia, my trophies were sent to the Vet check at the airport on August 5th and IACS says that they should be released for shipment by this Friday, the 14th.

If I get them by August 26th, it will be exactly one year since I returned from Africa.

Buzz and Myles work with Andy too. He is top notch.

Any opinion on how Bill Bedford (Ingwe) is at getting shipments out? All i have seem from them before has been top notch. Anyone have recent experience. I assume Charl Grobeler handles all the shipments.

Larry

I shot a buff in Zimbabwe in May of 1993. He arrived at NY (Port of entry)before Thanksgiving of the same year - and I had been frantically telephoning the outfitter and constantly bugging my broker before that. I really can feel for people experiencing these much longer waits nowadays (and reflecting that I didn't know how well off I was compared to what was coming for future hunters in Zimbabwe)

BigBBear- Yes Charl handles the paperwork - through the Harare parks office.