Another Zambian Company Loses Hunting Concession
(posted August 11, 2006)

Another major Zambian hunting company has lost its hunting area - namely, Leopard Ridge Safaris. Leopard Ridge had the right to hunt Nyampala, a prime area located between North and South Luangwa National Park. The other company that lost its hunting rights earlier this year was Sable Transport. That company lost its right to hunt Sandwe and Chisomo.

“ Both of these area withdrawals, occurring as they have in mid-season, have caused major disruptions in clients' hunting plans. They have also heightened some observers' concern about the overall stability of the industry. The word we have is, at least two more companies may be in danger of losing their areas.

So, what is behind the rash of area cancellations? The answer to that question depends on who you ask. Some say non-Zambian companies have been targeted. Others say a clique in the hunting industry is using political connections to get back what it lost in the last area allocation. Still others say the area cancellations are valid steps that needed to be taken against companies that had misbehaved.

Reached in Lusaka today, Leopard Ridge's Greg Michelson said the latter reason certainly didn't apply to his company. He said the charges lodged against his company simply weren't true. Moreover, he said ZAWA (Zambia Wildlife Authority) had overstepped its authority in the way it went about terminating the company's lease.

"We are challenging ZAWA in court for the way they handled this," Michelson said. "We feel pretty confident we can get at least a stay of execution. After that, we plan to fight this to the bitter end."

Michelson went on to say that booked clients had no reason to fear for their deposits. ZAWA allowed him to finish ongoing safaris, he said, and only one other client had arrived since the lease termination. That client was re-booked into the Chiawa area, where his safari was being conducted by Royal Zambezi Safaris. New clients were not expected until the 21st of the month, he said, more than a week after he expected a court ruling on his request for a stay of execution. He said that would give him time to be sure all clients were accommodated or were refunded their monies.
"We are a long-established company, originally in Zimbabwe. We will take care of all our clients, Michelson said."

(Postscript: Affected clients can reach Leopard Ridge at: 011-260-1-261-764 - dialed from the US. E-mail: leopardridge@hotmail.com; or leoridge@zamtel.zm.)

Ever since Zambia shut down hunt a few years ago with little warning. I've been a little shy of booking in that country.

When they opened up two yeras ago I was looking to book somewhere in Zambia but I had my reservations. I think this will keep me out of the country. At least for now.

Just out of interest

We know one of the family being Ross Michelson, he has brought a handful of his personal commercial clients to hunt with us on our private (owner operated) ranch in Zambia

To cut a long story short ... The Government Hunting Concessions within GMA's in Zambia has in the last few years been VERY POLITICALLY charged to say the least with much infighting and claims back and forth about manipulation of the system which issues the leases.

The problem is quite complicated and involves ZAWA - GOVERNMENT - AND OUFITTERS. There is no easy fix as (should we say) political or private self interest and influence can often play its hand in the matter.

That is why (we personally) dont, and have never hunted or applied for any concession licences.

We have gone the (Private Owner Operated Ranch) route, and although we still do come under the same (Wildlife body ZAWA) whom control hunting in Zambia, and we do come up against miscellaneous red tape isues, we have been operating successfully since the 1998 season.

I dont know the perfect solution OR have any answers to the concession issues, we essentially DONT get involved or care about them per se as we have to concentrate on our own private business operation

Cheers, Peter

Curious how this turned out...anybody know if Leopard Ridge is still hunting Nyampala?

Bill- I think Ron Oliver would be who to ask. He posts occasionaly and was booking for them up through last marketing season.

Greg Michellson (sp?) is always at SCI and has been at DSC as well. Since the outfit is his and his brother's, he'd be the one to ask.
Rich Elliott

Rich, I did email them too, and the company is not listed for the Dallas show. Nyampala has been regarded and widely accepted as one of the best concessions in Zambia, and I was just curious what might have become of it.

Gentlemen,
While I was in Zambia they lost their court hearing for a stay and had a week to move out of Nyampala. One of their PH's spent an evening in camp with us before heading back to Lusaka. Needless to say he was very upset and called the whole thing political... imagine that. Seems the character who had the area before and subleased it to other outfits, lost it at auction, protested, then made allegations of overshooting quota. Someone in the Government took him at his word and evicted Leopard Ridge, they fought it in court but lost...

Interesting stew they're cooking up in Africa. Wonder when the skeletons will start floating up to the surface?

Per an email from Ross of Leopard Ridge, they are still selling hunts in Nyampala, and the problems "have been sorted through the courts"...

2/2/07: EDIT: Sounds like the situation in Nyampala has degraded further as far as Ross Michelson is concerned.

http://www.times.co.zm/news/viewnews.cgi?category=4&id=1170316195

While this is a little off topic, it is PHC's birthday. Wasn't Nyampala the camp and concession that Capstick built with Dandridge and wrote about in Death in the Longgrass?

From The Hunting Report E-mail Extra


Dateline Zambia: On the eve of the Safari Club International Convention, we have received some very contradictory information about the future of Leopard Ridge Safaris (leoridge@zamtel.zm), the South African company that won the right a while back to hunt Nyampala, an important "corridor" concession between North and South Luangwa National Park. Leopard Ridge, you'll recall, had its contract to hunt Nyampala cancelled abruptly in the middle of the season last year. Since then, the matter has been in the courts, where it still remains.

Recently, we began to receive reports that Leopard Ridge had won a court injunction allowing it to hunt this year. To check that out, we called Dr. Lewis Saiwana, Director General of Zambia Wildlife Authority, who said that the reports were false. "Leopard Ridge is not authorized to market hunts in Zambia, as it does not have a hunting area here," Saiwana said flatly. "They have not won their area back."

Reached in Zambia with that news, Ross Michelson of Leopard Ridge immediately fired an e-mail off to us saying he had indeed won a court injunction allowing him to hunt Nyampala until the larger court case is settled. Moreover, he says he received an e-mail from Saiwana on the 18th of January (that would be the day after we spoke to Saiwana), inviting him to apply for his 2007 quota for Nyampala. Michelson concluded his e-mail by saying he fully intended to sue Saiwana for contempt of court if he made any more attempts to interfere with his right to hunt Nyampala.

Who is right here? What is going to happen? We do not pretend to know how a conflict between these two power centers in Zambia - ZAWA and the courts - will be resolved. We publish the details of all this so hunters interested in Nyampala this year will be able to ask the right questions. Importantly, Saiwana will be at SCI, and he has promised to make some important announcements. We'll file a follow-up bulletin immediately if his comments clarify this matter.

Five or six years ago I gave a deposit to an outfitter who was involved in a similar skirmish involving hunting rights in his concession. His claims of "political" bias because he was not a native to the country he was hunting in. His insistence that he retained rights to hunt there. This outfitter also solicited deposits from several other safari hunters at the SCI convention that year, claiming he was still legitimate. That man Jaco du Plessis has not been seen or heard from since. My advice for any prospective Zambian hunter is to wait for conclusive proof that Leopard Ridge is still licensed to operate. This note is not to suggest this may be the Michelson brothers MO. It's merely a bit of advice to ensure you don't make the same mistake I did. My best safari education has come through making stupid errors.

Bwana Moja

I don't see Leopard Ridge Listed in the SCI exhibitors either.
Rich Elliott

I see on a Hunting Report bulletin the Ross Michelson was just deported from Zambia for a violation of "immigration" [policy.

Just a word of caution Ross Michelson has been deported from Zambia . I must add that I am not aware of what has transpired but there has been a lot of reports and articles in the local posts and copies of letters from state house (Presidents Office) to him. My guess is he has rubbed the wrong people. I also cannot confirm the status of Leopard Ridge but his father is still here and maybe running the show.I know Ross personally and he does call a spade a spade and also does have no tolerance for nonsense and is very vocal not really the correct attitude if you want to do business in most of Africa