while discussing a hunt in tanz with an outfitter,i was told that poaching had decimated the animal population throughout zim, including Save and kariba area. True? or disinformation to sell a tanz hunt?

My understanding is that the central game farm areas where decemated after the "indiginization of private lands". It's also my understanding that some areas are being hard hit. I'm sure some of the more remote areas like in the Zambezi valley are relatively untouch. I guesss probably like anything else it just depends. So as always do your due dilligence before going. That said the same comments could be made about some of the areas in Tanzania. Some poached/logged out. Some in decent shape, but with a fair amount of poaching. Some remote and relatively untouched.

Brett

Poaching a big problem? Sure. Decimated throughout the country? Clearly too broad a brush.

I've been once or twice a year to Zimbabwe for lots of years (with four trips to the Selous, too) and I don't think I'm throwing my money away in either country.... Pick your destination carefully. Experienced clients are probably a better source of information than a guy trying to sell something, IMHO.

But, of course, there is no poaching in Tanzania.

quote:

Originally posted by JudgeG:
But, of course, there is no poaching in Tanzania.

Of course, but perhaps there's the ocassional "misallocation of animal life"????

Brett

quote:

while discussing a hunt in tanz with an outfitter,i was told that poaching had decimated the animal population throughout zim, including Save and kariba area. True? or disinformation to sell a tanz hunt?

emron,

The above is complete BS. There are areas of Zim that have been hard hit such as occupied farms and some of the communal lands but I assure you the game on the Save is thriving. I can promise you that you would see hundreds of animals and a great variety of game during even a very short safari there. Safari operators in Zimbabwe continue to provide high quality safaris at very reasonable prices. I have no reservations about sending a client to any of the 3 Zim operators we represent.

Mark

quote:

Originally posted by emron:
while discussing a hunt in tanz with an outfitter,i was told that poaching had decimated the animal population throughout zim, including Save and kariba area. True? or disinformation to sell a tanz hunt?

Unless bwanamrm wiped out the animals in the Omay on Lake Kariba, there was plenty of game when I left in October. The good concessions, like Martin Pieter's Omay area, conduct extensive anti-poaching campaigns year round.

I am headed to the Save this year, booked it with Mark Young and fully expect an outstanding hunt.

I have also been to Tanzania with Mark's outfit and was very pleased.

Less than nine months ago, I saw the following in the Save Cons, all in good supply:

lion
leopard
elephant
rhino (b&w)
buffalo
croc
sable
eland
nyala
waterbuck
bushpig
bushbuck
impala
kudu
hyena
wild dogs
warthog
giraffe
zebra
grysbok
klipspringer
duiker
wildebeest
cheetah
and maybe some more.

Decimated? Nope.

Is poaching a problem in Zim? Yes. More so than in some other areas, I'm sure. However, the good outfits have antipoaching patrols and would not have good reputations for long if they let their areas get shot out.

I saw more snares and evidence of poachers in the Save in June of 09 than I did in September of 07. Not a lot, but more. I saw more of this in the Luangwa of Zambia than in Zim. Really the more local people, the more poaching, and even so the operators do keep most of it in check. Having the PH's and clients wandering around in the bush at odd times does make it hard for poachers to get away with too much when combined with aggressive antipoaching patrols.

My experience is that weather, bush and local water conditions have more to do with what you will see than the poaching in the Save. I have no personal knowledge of the Kariba areas.

You can't generalize. There are 3 types of areas: private, communal, and safari. Private areas have been pretty well shot/poached out as a result of confiscation or resettlement, with a few notable exceptions such as Lemco, Save. Communal areas are OK for elephant and the odd buffalo, that's pretty much it. Small game doesn't do well in settled areas, it gets poached. The safari areas are OK for the most part, but there has been strong hunting pressure in all of them, as well as poaching around the peripheries. Bottom line is Zim is still going but I wouldn't say strong. It's hard to get a good elephant in Zim these days, 40lb is considered excellent unless you catch a tusker coming out of Gona or Hwange and get him before he goes back in. Buffalo .... it's becoming very hard to get a 40" hard bossed buff in Zim. Yes, people get them, but you can't count on getting one. The one thing Zim had going for it was reasonable pricing, but the prices are moving up rather strongly now due to dollarization and demand. Hard to find a buff hunt under $1K per day.

Having said that, all African countries are afflicted with the same problems, to a greater or lesser degree.

I was in the Save last October. There are a lot of critters running around.

There was certainly some evidence of poaching. However, I don't believe it has done that much damage.