Just read this

https://www.newsghana.com.gh/t...mits-issued-in-2017/

Sounds like a very good reason not to hunt there.

Firstly I cannot open the link to the Ghana news (???) article, but rumours have been flying around since yesterday afternoon here in Tz.

Although there is nothing official to go by yet, I am told by a reliable source that the Minister has NOT revoked 2017 hunting permits. What he has done is withdraw automatic renewal letters for 2018/2022 hunting term - with a view to auctioning off blocks rather than the current system of block allocation.

All outfitters knew that their current leases expire at the end of this year. Its always been 5 year leases.

There will be an official announcement soon apparently. On the whole it may be good news as auctioning off blocks will allow market forces to dictate the price of blocks and thereby the end price to the incoming hunter. As long as the auction is open and public this development may also put an end to the somewhat murky block allocations experienced here in the past.

Bad news for those who have taken care of their blocks for the future, but only if they can't get them back (or better ones)via a fair auction - we'll see...

https://atcnews.org/2017/10/24...-to-auction-permits/



#TANZANIA REVOKES ALL HUNTING PERMITS ISSUED THIS YEAR

(Posted 24th October 2017)



Those in the mood to celebrate over the sudden revocation of hunting licenses in Tanzania may want to read on first before breaking open their bottles of champagne, as this does not mean a ban on hunting per se.
To the contrary will a new system be prepared under which hunting licences can be obtained through auction, leaving those who earlier this year legally obtained and paid for their permits hung out to dry. Tanzania, unlike others of her East African neighbours, continues to permit hunting with all the negative global publicity associated with it and as repeatedly reported here in the past.
The recently appointed new Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism – his hapless predecessor was unceremoniously sacked – Hamisi Kigwangalla made the announcement in Dodoma but remained silent on any level of compensation for those who had paid for their current licenses, the loss of revenue for them and the likelihood of staff being made redundant should enacting the new auction system take longer than anticipated.
Tour operators meanwhile dismissed and laughed at a statement made by the chairman of the hunting operators association, one Eric Pasanisi, who had claimed this would affect wildlife conservation as in his own, many say distorted, belief his association members raise over 65 percent of the financial resources used for conservation in the country.
The Minister further directed that any hunting blocs under any form of dispute like Loliondo and Lake Natron, be excluded from having new licenses issued until pending disputes have been fully resolved.

At the same meeting did the Minister also threaten to repossess at least eight privatised hospitality businesses over alleged non performance and breach of terms and conditions by the new owners, fitting into a recent trend seen in Tanzania where the current government, reminiscent to actions taken in the 1970’s. is again nationalizing businesses and cancelling land leases under reasons strongly disputed by the owners of such enterprises and land.

quote:

Originally posted by JTHunt:
Firstly I cannot open the link to the Ghana news (???) article, but rumours have been flying around since yesterday afternoon here in Tz.

Although there is nothing official to go by yet, I am told by a reliable source that the Minister has NOT revoked 2017 hunting permits. What he has done is withdraw automatic renewal letters for 2018/2022 hunting term - with a view to auctioning off blocks rather than the current system of block allocation.

All outfitters knew that their current leases expire at the end of this year. Its always been 5 year leases.

There will be an official announcement soon apparently. On the whole it may be good news as auctioning off blocks will allow market forces to dictate the price of blocks and thereby the end price to the incoming hunter. As long as the auction is open and public this development may also put an end to the somewhat murky block allocations experienced here in the past.

Bad news for those who have taken care of their blocks for the future, but only if they can't get them back (or better ones)via a fair auction - we'll see...

This!

http://www.huntingreport.com/w...te.cfm?articleid=833


“No Sense” in Reports That Tanzanian Minister Has Revoked Hunting Permits

(posted October 25, 2017)

On October 24, African media outlets including The Namibia Daily News circulated a report that Tanzania's newly appointed Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism, Hamisi Kigwangalia, has revoked all tourist hunting permits issued in 2017 and would implement a new auction system within 60 days.

The reports quote Kigwangalia as saying, "Acting on authority bestowed on me, I am officially revoking all permits given to tourist hunting companies this year."

Exactly what this means is unclear. Industry contacts told The Hunting Report that the proposal, as reported in the media, does not make any sense. Hunting permits in Tanzania are allocated to safari operators based on the quota of the blocks held by an individual operator. It's not clear how either operators or hunters would compete at auction for permits for hunts that may only be operated by one company in a given block.

Also, there are only a few months left in the current hunting season, and arranging an auction for 2017 permits makes no sense. Some speculate the minister is referring to the concessions that were allocated in the usual tendering process for 2018 – 2022. But the minister is quoted referring to hunting permits and not concessions, and these areas were allocated per the wildlife act and are legally binding. So, any further speculation is simply a waste of energy and angst.

One operator told us, "We are waiting for clarification on this. There are many different versions going around and it is not clear what the minister stated."

Both the Tanzania Hunting Operators Association (TAHOA) and The Tanzania Professional Hunters Association (TZPHA) are seeking clarification from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism (MNRT) to get a better understanding of the situation.

Hunters with safaris booked to Tanzania are advised to simply hang tight for now. Stay in contact with your operator and wait for the Tanzanian hunting industry to get a handle on exactly what the MNRT is proposing. We will follow this development and notify you as soon as we have a clearer picture of what is happening. – Justin Jones, Assistant Editor

Get important news bulletins like this sent directly to your email 24 hours before anyone else sees them, plus unlimited access to our database of hunt reports and past articles, a special expanded electronic version of our newsletter and more! Upgrade your Hunting Report subscription to Email Extra today. Click here for more information.

Perhaps this shows my ignorance. This specifically says permits issued in 2017. Were any permits issued in 2016 and prior for multiple years? If so, how much of a problem is this matter?

These people have caused me to affirm my decision to never go to that country again. Why would anyone ever book more than a year in advance with this kind of lunacy? They stressed me to the max in 06 & 07. Safaris are my vacation away from an immensely stressful profession. Why do I need stress related to my vacations? I don't. It seems my prior decision to not go back was a good one.

Does anyone have an e mail address for this minister?

quote:

This specifically says permits issued in 2017. Were any permits issued in 2016 and prior for multiple years?

Hunting permits and Leases on Blocks are 2 totally different subjects.

Hunting Permits are issued year by year to the hunting client for the specific safari which has been booked; a hunting permit cannot be issued in advance for "multiple years" though you can book a hunt a year or two in advance but that is an understanding solely between you and the outfitter.

Block/Concession Leases hold a validity of 5 years from date of contracted agreement between outfitting company and the Govt.

Depending on when the contract was drawn between parties will a date of expiry be known - some could be at the end of 2017 while others could be later. I know for a fact of one having a valid and legally binding lease until 2022.

What we hear and read to date is the Minister talking to the press. The outfitters have not, to the best of my knowledge, received any formal communication with regards to the Minister's intentions.

quote:

Originally posted by fulvio:

quote:

This specifically says permits issued in 2017. Were any permits issued in 2016 and prior for multiple years?

Hunting permits and Leases on Blocks are 2 totally different subjects.

Hunting Permits are issued year by year to the hunting client for the specific safari which has been booked; a hunting permit cannot be issued in advance for "multiple years" though you can book a hunt a year or two in advance but that is an understanding solely between you and the outfitter.

Block/Concession Leases hold a validity of 5 years from date of contracted agreement between outfitting company and the Govt.

Depending on when the contract was drawn between parties will a date of expiry be known - some could be at the end of 2017 while others could be later. I know for a fact of one having a valid and legally binding lease until 2022.

What we hear and read to date is the Minister talking to the press. The outfitters have not, to the best of my knowledge, received any formal communication with regards to the Minister's intentions.

Thank you Fulvio.

If you are correct, this is even more insane than I thought. They are cancelling the clients permits not the rights to the hunting areas. Can this guy be that stupid? Why an attack on the clients?

The word permits is used repeatedly. However, it certainly sounds like they are talking about the areas.

quote:

They are cancelling the clients permits not the rights to the hunting areas.

Larry, this is typical misguided media reporting.

As far as I know, hunting permits are alive and well and there are clients currently hunting.

The issue is related to the Concession Leases which he intends nullifying, starting from scratch and awarding through auction to the highest bidder.

People who will/may get hurt are the outfitters who have accepted bookings in advance who may not have the concession/s which were used in marketing such advanced booked hunts or at worst, unable to meet the bidding at the auction and find themselves with no concessions at all with deposits to pay back.

Assuming it happens, it is slated for 2018.

Fulvio:

I think you are right.

Friends,

I have been on the holler for the last three days trying to figure out what is happening and what is going to happen as we have a vested interest in this announcement.

What I can say is that according to some of the top role players and the industry there, is that hunting WILL continue in 2018 in Tanzania.

Also, from other sources, this announcement is part of a heavy handed "bitch slapping" movement to clean the Game Department of corruption and in fighting over CERTAIN blocks.

Rests assure. If your Outfitter has a block or has had a block and he wants to continue, the chance is VERY good that he will get that block again, maybe for less than he has it for now. The reason for it is simply math. There are not enough outfitters for the amount of blocks in the country!

There are CERTAIN blocks that are heavily contested, and most of this fireworks are about these couple of areas.

Remember this is hearsay, second hand information, but I trust the sources.

So do not stress to much about your planned TZ adventure, and lets give this a bit of time to see how it matures?

That's what we've been told as well. It's doubtful this will affect any of the remaining 2017 hunts as the season is nearly over anyhow.

http://www.tawa.go.tz/news/vie...he-period-2018-2022/

This was posted September 10th.

Advertising hunting block for the period 2018-2022.

I noticed the invitation to apply states the season starts on 1 July. I didn’t realize the season started so late.

Ya July-Oct is the main hunting season in Tanzania.

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:
I noticed the invitation to apply states the season starts on 1 July. I didn’t realize the season started so late.

Back in colonial times the season was open throughout the calendar year and the rainy periods were what determined accessibility to hunting areas, thereby creating a natural closure or lull in hunting activities.

With the passing of time some bright spark of the scientific type decided to create the 6 month hunting season which basically falls between one rainy season and the other, ie. short rains Dec/Jan & long rains Mar/May.

This brainwave of an idea is what actually opened up the poaching as there were no legal hunting parties occupying the primary hunting areas and the Game Dept did not have sufficient funding available to conduct patrols and anti-poaching activities.

The period related to the Iraqi war saw Tanzania and other African hunting venues lose a lot of business due to messages from Congressmen and Senators not to travel abroad and once this advice was relaxed did it become "business as usual".

In order to try and to recoup on lost revenue, the then Director of Wildlife (name withheld) decided to extend the season by 3 months, hence from July/March. It worked beautifully and to everyone's benefit until another bright spark showed up and brought the house of cards tumbling down by revoking the arrangement.

During the last couple of years the 9 month season was once again brought up and it seemed for a moment that it was going to happen until the plan fizzled out, reconfirming the hunting period to what it was and still is (July/December).

Fulvio,

A real shame. March in Masailand is magical.

quote:

Originally posted by lavaca:
Fulvio,

A real shame. March in Masailand is magical.

January, though still wet and slippery is even better - the concentrations of game is a sight to behold.

Fulvio,

I was in Simanjiro on late March of 2012. It was the beginning of the rains; fireworks show every night. Had a hail storm one night that tore up some tents, but the buffalo were streaming out of the park followed by lions. There were so many buffalo, we'd spot multiple herds from a hill and decide which to pursue, but before you could get to them, we'd run into other buffalo. They were literally everywhere.

Lavaca,

The migration per se actually begins with the onset of the short rains which, though not regulated by a chronometer, usually start early November and continue through to the end of December;these rains trigger the migration on its southbound journey to areas lush with green grass as far as and beyond the Simanjiro Plains in central Tanzania.

They will hang around until the arrival of the long rains (March/May) when they do an about-turn and head back North, taking around 3 months to get back to where they started in the Mara.

A new twist.

http://www.thecitizen.co.tz/Ne...l-g8epr2z/index.html

http://allafrica.com/stories/201711060821.html



Tanzania: Local Hunters Plead for Role in Conservation

By By Zephania Ubwani


Resident hunters are calling for full recognition as the government reviews operations of the sector.

They said although controlled hunting by the license holders was beneficial to wildlife conservation, some officials at the ministry had for long "dismally failed to promote resident hunting."

Local hunters based in Arusha last week welcomed an announcement made by the minister for Natural Resources and Tourism Hamisi Kigwangalla recently that the ban against resident hunting would be lifted.

"This is a good move but we want a level playing field just as is the case with the way the tourist/foreign hunters are treated," lamented one of them, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The licensed hunter, operating from the TFA Complex in Arusha,said many of his colleagues were still bitter with the October 2015 ban against resident hunting by former Natural Resources and Tourism minister Lazaro Nyalandu.



The two-year ban was met with bitter criticisms from members of Hunters' Association of Tanzania ((HAT) who accused the ministry of discriminating against them at the expense of tourist hunters.

Recently while speaking to stakeholders in the natural resources and tourism sector in Dodoma, DrKigwangalla said the government would review the ban.

However, he picked another controversy with the powerful tourist hunters and other players in the industry when he said the government was revoking all hunting block licenses.

Allied to this was the suspension of hunting allocations for the upcoming 2018-2022 period in favour of introducing a new tendering or auctioning system for all applicants to abide by.

Tourist hunters under their lobby, the Tanzania Hunting Operators Association (Tahoa) and the Tanzania Professional Hunters Association (TPHA), have claimed the measure would impact negatively on wildlife conservation and tourism.

Local hunters, much as they welcomed the move by the new minister, accused some officials of the ministry of unfairly associating them with escalating cases of poaching.

"We are here to tell Dr Kigwangalla that the reasons why our licenses were revoked were not clear. To make matters worse, the former minister Nyalandu associated us with poaching," lamented Abdul Rahman Abubakar, the chairperson of HAT Arusha chapter.

The new minister reiterated the government's position on hunting during his visit to Arusha last week,saying the new system would not discriminate against the local hunters as feared.

During his tenure as the minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Mr Nyalandu defended the government over the move, alleging association of the local hunters and wanton killing of wildlife by poachers.

Mr Nyalandu, quit the ruling party CCM a week ago, saying he was dissatisfied the way it was running the government. He had also stepped down as Singida North MP on CCM ticket. He represented the constituency since 2000.



The tiff between the local hunters and the Natural Resources ministry flared up in January last year,only three months after October 2015 suspension of local hunting when HAT openly accused the government for "stagnation of resident hunting".

The ban, they argued, contravened the Wildlife Act No. 5 of 2009 which empowered the citizen hunters as managers of the would-be designated areas.

"These public (ministry) officials showed their utter contempt for the law and got away with it", the association said in a letter to Mr Nyalandu's successor Prof. Jumanne Maghembe in a letter dated January 13th, 2016.

Prof Maghembe, a legislator for Mwanga constituency in Kilimanjaro region, lost the cabinet post during a recent mini-cabinet reshuffle.

http://www.thecitizen.co.tz/Ne...24-gp8gsy/index.html


Hunters now to bid for blocks.

I was unable to copy the article to post.

quote:

Local hunters, much as they welcomed the move by the new minister, accused some officials of the ministry of unfairly associating them with escalating cases of poaching."We are here to tell Dr Kigwangalla that the reasons why our licenses were revoked were not clear. To make matters worse, the former minister Nyalandu associated us with poaching," lamented Abdul Rahman Abubakar, the chairperson of HAT Arusha chapter.

Well, in this case, the former Minister was right when it applies to the quoted gentleman, who was found with dead animals in the back of his truck without proper licenses which is tantamount to illegal hunting.