Whatever happened to the Van Heerden brothers ration hunt fiasco?

I can't even find the original thread! was it deleted/moved?

I am always amazed how quickly some things are forgotten.

Has anyone here hunted with the Ven Heerdons? Appears to be a lot of questions

I know AJ very well, hunted with him alot. Great guy, spent alot of time with him in Africa and the US.

Aleko

I spent 3 days in Barry's camp in the Selous. Barry was there with his client, I was there with another PH from a different outfitter.

Admittedly, I did not hunt with Barry, was just around him at breakfast and dinner.

Personally, I did not like him. He was very odd, barely talked (even to his client), didn't eat with us and he was rude to my wife. Not the kind of a guy I would want to spend any time around.

Regards,

Terry

There are pictures of one or the other in "Nyati". I suppose they've really fallen out of favor now, but they were good enough for this book at one time.


I'm just reading it for the second time and the information I picked up off of AR has more meaning 8 months later.

Minkman

Barry is hunting for Licky in Tanzania, and AJ is in this deal also, plus AJ is hunting in Zimbabwe I hear...The old man quit hunting altogether I understand.

AJ is a fantastic hunter and a really nice guy, I have hunted with him many times in the past. He was hunting for Pano year before last and was around last year in Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

I booked for Barry a number of years ago, but we had some problems and went our different ways, but I still remain friendly with him, Have not seen either of them in several years.

Minkman,
I don't believe there is a picture of either one of them in the book Nyati, I can't find it if there is..Are you sure you have the right book?????

Hi Ray c15 is a pic of barry with those 64" horns and C16 is a photo of him and a German client with an unusual buff.

Barry often used to submit photo's to African Hunter magazine.

HI Ganyana,
What has transpired since the "uncovering" of the ration hunts?

Hi Mitch

What has happened? Much ducking and diving and considerable damage control by some sectors of Parks. It would appear that the Provincial Warden who made the initial offer of these hunts to Barry and AJ had approched other safari operators with the same idea.

Guessing, but would presume somebody in the Parks Directorate or the Parks board knew about it. Once questions were asked, the top brass denied all knowledge of it as even the minister could not consent to hunting in Matusadona, and it would take the parks board and Ministry to agree to chage the regs to allow paying clients to hunt the ration quota's.

TJ Meke, the Director Finance and Admin has been away on dealing with illegal smuggeling of trophies. Back in the office today. He is ex CIO (State Secret Police) and certainly not in the know. He is running with the ball under pressure from the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority who want Big Game Safari's operators licence cancelled (one of the concessions is leased to the chairman of ZTA so they are hardly an independant party...)

Realistically I expect the whole investigation to fizzel out unless Barry or AJ do something silly and take the matter to court (as threatened). But that would be an all too stupid a move on their part as Parks would be forced to act against them and ZTA could legitimatly pull the operators licence untill the matter was finalised in court ( scheduled for say 2009 )

If anything happens I will let the forum know, but at present there are bigger problems to deal with.