Got an email this morning from HHK telling me that Zim Parks has drastically increased trophy fees on elephant, buffalo and lion. Anyone else heard this? Any other Zim outfitters aware of this.

Karl

Yes it is true.

I will PM you some info I got.

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:
Yes it is true.

I will PM you some info I got.

PM sent

Anybody care to share?

How about posting here? That's what this forum is about.

Dear HHK clients and agents,



In early January this year, just after the Dallas Safari Club Convention,
the Zimbabwe National Parks Management Authority announced a huge increase
in trophy fees for buffalo, elephant and lion. I am sure their timing was
planned knowing that most of the major players in the industry were out the
country for the safari conventions in the USA and Europe and as such would
find it difficult to contest this. In effect National Parks increased the
buffalo trophy fee by $3000, the lion trophy fee by $2600 and the elephant
trophy fee by $1000. Once we returned to Zimbabwe, the safari operators, as
a whole, have made numerous attempts to negotiate with National Parks at the
top level, however, they are adamant and they are not prepared to negotiate
any reduction in the new fees and that the fees have now been gazetted and
will apply from now onwards. We have not given up and we continue to oppose
these increases, however we feel that we have to notify all our clients of
the situation right now.



What this means is that we have to charge a surcharge on the following
animals effective February 2013:



* Buffalo $2000 (The actual increase is $3000 but we have agreed to
forego our usual mark up on the trophy fee and take $1000 of the increase
ourselves, we are now selling buff at cost)

* Lion $2600

* Elephant $1000



These charges will be in addition to our trophy fee of $2750 for buffalo,
$12,000 for elephant and $15,000 for lion. All other trophy fees will not
change.



In addition to the trophy fees increases, Zimbabwe National Parks have also
increased things like bow hunting permits (from $500 to $1500), hunting with
hounds permits, etc.



We are extremely sorry and frustrated by this, we feel we have been ambushed
by Zimbabwe National Parks but right now there is nothing we can do about
this except to continue to try and negotiate with them for at least a
reduction of the increases.



Kind Regards,



Graham Hingeston

If i am reading it correctly the old trophy fee was $1,750 and you marked it $1,000 to $2,750. Now it will be raised $4,750.

So they basicly doubled the goverment portion of a Buffalo trophy fee in one fail swoop?

Typical goverment boneheads.

I wonder if the $1000 for elephant will apply to tuskless or just the trophy bulls?

Elephant Tuskless
3,000 1,000


DrScott,

Along with the e-mail was an attachment with daily rates and 2013 trophy fees. The $1,000 surtax was also listed for tuskless elephants.

It's like they have no clue that there is a bit of a recession going on over here.

Oh, that's right. They don't have a clue. Just like the Tanzania Game Department. Clueless as hell. They have the mentality that most black Africans have about white Americans. We are all wealthy beyond imagination. "If we raise fees, we will make more money."

Ask Tanzania how that worked out for them.

They left the leopard trophy fee as is?

Well to those of us of limited resources, I just dropped buffalo from my list and sticking with leopard and sable... provided they don't raise those as well to ridiculous levels. There goes another dream out of my bucket list; buffalo with a double. Anybody want to by a slightly used Verney-Carron 450NE??

Wendell:

+1.

I haven't back to TZ and don't plan on it. F'em.

As Wendell said, africans, both black and white, consider all americans to be rich, regardless of the flat out fallacy of that assumption. Whereas we might be considered wealthy in their countries, we are hardly so in our own. Like Tanzania some years ago, Zimbabwe is going to kill the golden goose that is middle class americans doing safari. These increases will not effect the wealthy of America, but will surely have an immediate impact upon middle class safari plans.

I am glad I completed most of my african hunting during the last century and into the first 5 years of this current century, when I went over every year. The economic downturns of the last decade have hammered my retirement income. I have seen trophy fees double and more during my safari career.

Well Mike, I think you are right. Between retiring from the Navy in 2008 and working to get the kids (3) through school etc I have not been back since 2005. I had just booked a safari for 2015 and I expected trophy fees to go up a bit but this is outrageous. If the jack up leopards too, I've probably seen my last safari. This is crushing news to me. jorge

You would think they would at least make some effort to sugarcoat it. I mean they could have based it on some measurement of inflation as to the US dollar. You cannot buy as much food, water or gas with the old green paper, as you could in 2005 or whatever year Zim raised rates last. So they are just ignorant of the options or they don't believe any significant drop in projected revenue will result. As much as I like the "ignorant" argument, I bet it's the latter. As long as Zim is the easiest big 5 place to get to, to get around in and to hunt, what can we do exactly? Write our congressman or write theirs, same result. Damn.

It has only been in the past 25 years that the American middle class has been hunting africa. It was that middle class that actually revived the safari industry (and the double rifle industry) as the word spread among american deer and elk hunters that we could actually afford to fly halfway around the world and hunt exotic game in africa without going into debt or denying our family.

We may be witnessing the beginning of the end of safari as it has evolved over the past two and a half decades. The closing of Zambia and Botswana, the move to up list the CITES status of Lion, the unrestrained poaching of Rhino, the doubling of trophy fees and the U.N. move to restrict import/export of sporting firearms all bode ill for the survivability of safari as we've known it.

Cheers Be glad you had the opportunity to do it.

What a bummer!

I have just committed $3.5k to my first real bigbore with all the extra bits and was planning on doing Zim late in the season for Buffalo. Where am I going to find another $3K?

quote:

Originally posted by Kathi:
Dear HHK clients and agents,



In early January this year, just after the Dallas Safari Club Convention,
the Zimbabwe National Parks Management Authority announced a huge increase
in trophy fees for buffalo, elephant and lion. I am sure their timing was
planned knowing that most of the major players in the industry were out the
country for the safari conventions in the USA and Europe and as such would
find it difficult to contest this. In effect National Parks increased the
buffalo trophy fee by $3000, the lion trophy fee by $2600 and the elephant
trophy fee by $1000. Once we returned to Zimbabwe, the safari operators, as
a whole, have made numerous attempts to negotiate with National Parks at the
top level, however, they are adamant and they are not prepared to negotiate
any reduction in the new fees and that the fees have now been gazetted and
will apply from now onwards. We have not given up and we continue to oppose
these increases, however we feel that we have to notify all our clients of
the situation right now.



What this means is that we have to charge a surcharge on the following
animals effective February 2013:



* Buffalo $2000 (The actual increase is $3000 but we have agreed to
forego our usual mark up on the trophy fee and take $1000 of the increase
ourselves, we are now selling buff at cost)

* Lion $2600

* Elephant $1000



These charges will be in addition to our trophy fee of $2750 for buffalo,
$12,000 for elephant and $15,000 for lion. All other trophy fees will not
change.



In addition to the trophy fees increases, Zimbabwe National Parks have also
increased things like bow hunting permits (from $500 to $1500), hunting with
hounds permits, etc.



We are extremely sorry and frustrated by this, we feel we have been ambushed
by Zimbabwe National Parks but right now there is nothing we can do about
this except to continue to try and negotiate with them for at least a
reduction of the increases.



Kind Regards,



Graham Hingeston

Am I the only one who cannot see this adding up?

If the buffalo trophy fees has INCREASED by $3000, how come they are selling it at cost of $2600?.

What was the original cost?

The lion is $2600.
Buff will now cost $4750.
HHK trophy fee 2750 plus parks increase 3000 minus 1000 that HHK is reducing = 4750
I think I got that right.

Glad I got my Buff last August!

I meant to say the lion icreased by 2600.

This is the kind of unadulterated B.S. that is dictating that 2014 will be my last Safari.

Don't these increases only pertain to the areas controlled by Parks? I don't think it affects local council prices under the Campfire program or the Save, Bubye or other conservancies. Am I right?

Clearly also a function of other countries closing. Decrease supply....increasing price. Blind man could have seen that coming.

No the acting parks Director General is intrinsically anti hunting - but not stupid. He undoubtably made that move when everybody was away so the Statutory instrument could be pushed through before there were 100 irate operators outside the ministers door.

As I understand it, the legal minimums that an operator may charge (on private land or parks) for a hunt and trophies combined has not as yet been altered. This is a reserve bank matter that affects trophy exports (Since 1990 operators have not been aloowed to give away or under sell hunts even on their own land)

Edson has consistently complained that the amounts recieved from operators in the safari areas is lower than in the auction areas especially since the indiginisation drive from 1997 onwards when many operators have manged to get leases extended (rolled) without paying parks the auction fees or full concession fees.

Edson is a botanist not a finance man- he would rather see direct income than the old system where the actual value of the animals was spread between 'trophy fees' annual concession fees and the five yearly 'acution fees'.

Typically safari operators 'accounted' for the concession fee and auction fee in the daily rates and profit on their mark up of trophy fees.

No more it seems. BUT as an ex operator I can state that my costs of conducting a lion hunt with me as the PH and the same crew as usual doubled in US$ terms between 2002 and 2012. A significant ammount that couldn't just be added on- hence I am out of the game. Economies of scale will have kept a check on those cost increases for the bigger operators but not much.

If Edson is confirmed as Parks Director General those with state safari areas are going to have trouble- Edson has always been against 'reselling' unshot animals- If it is on the pre- hunt list, then it comes off the quota. An unmanageable system to put it mildly- especially if hunting the main species took all the time and you never even tried to hunt the sundry plainsgame listed on the permit!

I think that I might have mentioned it before, that foresight, cause and effect, are unknowm qualities / quantities among the "brothers" between Cape Town and Cairo. They have yet to work out that if you throw a stone into a pond, there will be ripples, the bigger the stone, the bigger the ripples.

This was not good. I have booked a buffalo hunt in Zim in 2014. What will be the trophy fee when we get to 2014 ......


Torbjorn

$1000 more for a tuskless, $3000 more for a buff and the bow permit up to $1500?? Well that's me done planning another big game bowhunt in Zim.
It really narrows the playing field to the very wealthy only and removes the average hunter from the equation.
JCHB

quote:

Originally posted by GunsCore:
Don't these increases only pertain to the areas controlled by Parks? I don't think it affects local council prices under the Campfire program or the Save, Bubye or other conservancies. Am I right?

Can any of you folks in the know answer the question posted above? My hunt is in the Bubye. j

quote:

Originally posted by GunsCore:
Don't these increases only pertain to the areas controlled by Parks? I don't think it affects local council prices under the Campfire program or the Save, Bubye or other conservancies. Am I right?


Can any of you folks in the know answer the question posted above? My hunt is in the Bubye. j

Got an e-mail from my outfitter this morning in the Save, my cost will not increae this year.
This does only affect those hunting on Parks land.
Places like Save are privatlely owned.

Jorge- not this year

The reserve bank mayapply it to all trophies for exports but not yet, and given all the screaming and shouting about this in the coridors of power, maybe they won't bother at all.

The main problem is that the rural councils in the Campfire areas tend to follow park's lead on things like trophy fees. Again, it will not be this year as agreements were all concluded before the Christmas (at the latest) so operators knew exactly what they were selling. Next year though...

Thanks, Bwana Cecil- I hope your info. is correct (No offence, I have no reason to think otherwise!) and that it does not change...I, too, am booked for buffalo (cow) in the SAVE in July...I have not yet heard from my PH but of course this is breaking news... Its a damn shame. Will only fenced private ranches be left? They are fine for what they are, but if thats all thats available I reckon I'll hunt in Texas...

quote:

Originally posted by GunsCore:
Don't these increases only pertain to the areas controlled by Parks? I don't think it affects local council prices under the Campfire program or the Save, Bubye or other conservancies. Am I right?

Yes, but consider the "African mentality" here. If they see their neighbor getting (or charging) much more for the Buffalo, jealousy will set in and the communities will increase their fees as well. Thinking that they can get it too.

Forget the fact that they will be receiving the business that normally went to Parks areas, because people will shop around for a reasonable priced Buffalo. No, let's not consider that!

They will fall in line, raise fees then complain that nobody is killing their $4750 Buffalo.

I sure am glad I got most of my African hunting out of the way over the past 18 years. Holy crap. I just added that up. Dang, I'm getting older!

Does this really surprise anyone? With the Botswana & Zambia situation, it doesn't surprise me at all. Yes, it is more expensive but still a hell of a lot cheaper than TZ.

Gentlemen

I will post CMS reply to this under a different thread. As I have a number of clients from the AR I thought I would post it now but I will get around to sending you a private email explaining it all in more depth.

What has been posted is as a whole correct, however it is important to correct a few things here.

Don - what you say is right that nearly all COUNCILS will follow suit. However what you say about it only been next year is incorrect as in many agreements with council it states that the operator may only sell trophies at prices NOT BELOW national Parks fees- so that means that it is with immediate effect. ( This will answer your question Mike Core regards your hunt and you may want to ask Warren)

The fellows hunting SAVE and BUBYE- this will not apply to you as its private land. Pse see my other post for our statement. Cheers Buzz

quote:

Originally posted by Ganyana:
Jorge- not this year

The reserve bank mayapply it to all trophies for exports but not yet, and given all the screaming and shouting about this in the coridors of power, maybe they won't bother at all.

The main problem is that the rural councils in the Campfire areas tend to follow park's lead on things like trophy fees. Again, it will not be this year as agreements were all concluded before the Christmas (at the latest) so operators knew exactly what they were selling. Next year though...

Thank you sir. Either way I'll probably be screwed as my hunt is not until 2015. jorge

Might be time to reconsider options for Alaskan grizzly and australian buff. Very sad!

quote:

Originally posted by jorge:
Well to those of us of limited resources, I just dropped buffalo from my list and sticking with leopard and sable... provided they don't raise those as well to ridiculous levels. There goes another dream out of my bucket list; buffalo with a double. Anybody want to by a slightly used Verney-Carron 450NE??

So sad you will have to buy a Daisy instead
[URL= ]buck[/URL] drop for iron sights

quote:

Originally posted by shootaway:

quote:

Originally posted by jorge:
Well to those of us of limited resources, I just dropped buffalo from my list and sticking with leopard and sable... provided they don't raise those as well to ridiculous levels. There goes another dream out of my bucket list; buffalo with a double. Anybody want to by a slightly used Verney-Carron 450NE??

So sad you will have to buy a Daisy instead

George-

PISS OFF