After fantasizing for years, I'm leaving on my first African hunt in ~3 weeks. Planning, dreaming, loading, squeezing in (so to speak) as much trigger time as I can, etc. Today I got an email from my PH (highly recommended by friends) that the trophy fees, as mandated by the government of Zim, have increased, apparently effective immediately. While not a math maven, the percentage increases in some cases are fairly substantive, e.g., buffalo from $1750 to $2250, Leopard from $2500 to $3150. I've scoured the sources I know of (including the company website), but have seen no corroboration.
Has anyone else heard of this?
While only a relatively small thing overall, I'm used to trying to live by my word and honor my contracts, and admit to being annoyed when the other party suddently changes the "rules" (particularly in their favor and nearly at the last minute). As such, it is apparently neither the fault of the PH or his outfit, but......?
I should have gone last year.

I have heard, but do not know for sure, that the gov't just raised trophy fees, without prior notice. Of course what the outfitter charges are usually an inflated fee beyond what the gov't charges, so where you are is apparently unknown at this point. Of course if his price goes up $500 I'm sure he wants to pass that along to you, and rightly so IMO.



Also there is the 2% VAT on trophy fees, also new this year. Zim gov't sounds like John Kerry...such a greedy SOB.



How is it you can rate your own post? I didn't rate this post.

I sure hope there's no more increases in the meantime. Oh well, if I wanted to save all my money, I could stay home and watch TV.

In terms of rating my post? I have no idea. I'm lucky if I can figure out how to log on. I thought you were being generous.

There are similar rumors going on in Tanzania!!! As often happens with gov decisions to raise prices, hardly any for-warning is given. They couldn't give a rats a$$ how their decision can affect the whole industry.....

ICUdoc, all I can say is that once you are in Africa stalking your first trophy, you hopefully won't give a rats a$$ too as it will be such a great experience

Happy hunting!

What do you expect if old Mugabe gave himself a 260%(No spelling mistake 260% is correct) pay raise the money must come from somewhere.

So it's easier to get the money from foreign revenue

ICUdoc,

I am going on a "package" hunt in RSA in a few weeks and have added several additional species beyond what was included. A recent price list they furnished me showed similar increases (although mine is a plains game only hunt). Fortunately, when I booked my trip I was able to have them include in my contract that any additional animals would be priced as of my booking date...saving me about $1,000 on 3 additional animals!

Doc,

In corresponding with Barry Duckworth recently he also said that the trophy fees to the Zim government had increased and in some cases dramatically increased.

Regards,

Mark

The Parks Department in Zim is teetering financially. The government sees hard currency leaving the country, so they send out treasury officials to try to account for actual revenues of the outfitters. The irony is that a lot of the diverted money is going to offshore accounts of gov't officials who are "partners" in the concessions. I guess they just want to make sure they get their fair share.

Trophy fees have been paid to the government in Zim dollars at the official rate. The outfitters are getting rich on the spread between the official rate and the "parallel" rate. Now the government wants to charge trophy fees to the outfitters in US dollars.

Look for prices to go up, paricularly on high trophy fee, high volume species like elephant, where the outfitters have been making a killing.

If I'm interpreting correctly here, it sounds like this sort of thing is to be expected in dealings with venal, self-serving government officials (no extrapolations to current or [ick] future US politicos intended). Unfortunately, it appears to be a seller's market and they have would-be hunters by the short hairs. I assume the Zim crooks are smart enough to realize that if they raise their prices, more hunters will head elsewhere, especially given all the unrest and potential for unrest there. Had I known these would be the trophy fees over a year ago when I booked, I would have given much more thought to breaking my African "cherry" elsewhere (Tanzania?), since there is now less price differential. I was not smart enough to get a signed contract. How enforceable are these are in a place like Zim? Live and learn.

Bwanamich: I suspect you are right on the mark and my annoyances here will be forgotten when I'm putting the sneak on my new world-beater buff, or when the leopard hits the bait.

Its true I spoke to my PH last night and they did just raise the fees.

Does this only apply to animals taken in government concessions, or would it also apply to animals taken on privately owned ranches (for whatever amount of time there are privately owned ranches left)?

The facts are.

National Parks & Wildlife Authority of Zimbabwe, has gazzeted new trophy fees for all animals taken in National Parks concessions- with immediate effect and without consultation. Even the parks officer in charge of hunting at the SCI convention wasn't aware that this was going to occur.

The operators are still negotiating with parks before taking up the challenge in court. Since a fair number of the concession holders are senior political figures that should be an interesting bun fight - I'm selling ring side seats and not betting our minister will back parks!

The legal minimum trophy fees that may be charged (on other land, ie communal or private or the conservancies) have NOT changed. They remain as they were When Don Heath re-did them into US$'s back in 1996. ie Legal minimum for an Elephant (M) is $6000 Trophy fee and $750 per day.

As a result of many of the above informative messages, and further communication with my PH, this sounds as though it is the real deal. Again, the way it was handled is perhaps substandard, but what can you do?
More trigger time today, and my big rifle (.416 Rem) is doing good- I can't wait to do this!!!!