Does an outfitter have to pay the government for his alloted quota up front? If that is true, I don't imagine he gets a refund for any un-shot quota.

On State safari areas you get to pay the annual concession Fee (US$100,000) up front and then pay for the animals as you shoot them. Your quota is made up of "fixed Quita" and "option Quota". Fixed quota parks are obliged to give you and yu have to pay for in full by the end of the season weather you have shot them or not. Option qota is variable- parks can alter it annually to cope with changing conditions and animal populations, but the operator is under no obligation to shoot (and therefore pay) for the said animals. Typically the quota is split roughly 50/50

Thanks Ganyana. I guess operators try and shoot their fixed quota first.

Ganyana, Is the $100K set in US$ and payable in US$ or local currency?

Until this year it was set in US$ and paid in Zim $ at the official exchange rate . This year it is payable in US$ cash.

Also, becuase of the multiple exchange rates the operators didn't fight too hard when parks were putting up the trophy fees. In 1997 operators paid US$6000 trophy fee for an elephant and needed another 3000 to 3500 to cover the concession fee and auction fee. ie it actually cost a safari operator US$9k to 9.5k for an elephant. Then the currency and economy went funny and paper values became meaningless. I recieved a bill for US$3400 for duty for my landrover- but payable in Zim dollars. Cost me US$2.23!

Parks have now pushed up the trophy fees to 10k for an ele and concession fees from $10,000 per anumum to US$100,000.... and Zimbabwe dollars are not accepted anywhere, phones, water, groceries....nothing is payable in Zim. Now the operators are crying - and it is a hard year to sell

Ganyana, does the $100,000 US apply to safari areas like Malapati? It has to be tough coming up with a hundred grand upfront each year.