I applied for my leopard CITES permit on June 4, 2012. I received the permit on June 18, 2012. 14 days from application to receipt. It is valid for a year.

Hard to beat service like that!

Good news indeed!

Wow! That is good news indeed

Good to know!

Gents has the process remained the same? I booked a leopard hunt for Aug of 2015 so I should apply say in Sept of 14? thanks!

Jorge, I thought Zim issues its cites for ele and I would assume they also issue for leopard but do not know. But I would apply before you head over.

Mike

Thanks Mike. I went to the USFWS website and it seems pretty straightforward (that worries me). Hunt's still a long way away, but I just want to make sure I have no issues.

Just make sure that the Permit is not expered when you are actually bringing the leopard skin into the USA.

The Permit must be valid on the day of entry.

Jorge, if I'm not mistaken, the permit not only has to be valid for when you hunt, but also clear though when the trophy comes back home. Therefore, applying 11 months before your hunt will likely cause problems in getting your skin back home.

I believe it'd make more sense to apply 3-4 months before the hunt, not 11. Perhaps someone who is more up to date can suggest the best course of action?

quote:

Originally posted by DLS:
Jorge, if I'm not mistaken, the permit not only has to be valid for when you hunt,

Not to be disrespectful but that isn't correct. I've hunted and taken two leopard. One in 08 and one in 11, both from Zim. In both instances, I applied for and promptly received the CITES import permits once I arrived back home after the hunt. On the first one, the trophies were held up for nearly two years ( a story in itself) so I didn't even apply for the permit until about a year and a half after the hunt as that is when I was advised the trophies were ready to ship. I had no issues at all with the imports when they occurred.

Good luck on your leopard hunts SBT and Jorge! A positive attitude is the best preparation you can take with you as I didn't even have a cat feeding until day 12 of a 14 day hunt on my 2011 hunt! Very easy to get down and discouraged. But when it happens, it can happen fast! I'm thinking I might try it again one more time as I love the chess game.

scott - by the title of the post i thought you'd been smoking something

I applied on Oct. 5 for importation from RSA, and other than the confirmation that they've received the application, haven't heard a word.

Todd brings up a good point - the permit must be valid when the skin is ready to come back. I am hunting in Namibia in April but have not yet applied for my permit.

I think in Tanz I needed a permit to get the license issued, but I may be mistaken.

Jorge: I sure do hope you get your leopard. If I could trade my April leopard for the sure knowledge you would get one, I would. Unfortunately, I cannot.

quote:

Originally posted by PostDriver:
I applied on Oct. 5 for importation from RSA, and other than the confirmation that they've received the application, haven't heard a word.

I would say something is wrong; you should dig into that.

quote:

Originally posted by PostDriver:
I applied on Oct. 5 for importation from RSA, and other than the confirmation that they've received the application, haven't heard a word.

Definitely time for some follow-up phone calls. Way beyond normal processing time.

quote:

I think in Tanz I needed a permit to get the license issued, but I may be mistaken.

Not mistaken.