http://www.huntingreport.com/w...te.cfm?articleid=588

Urgent Warning On Leopard and Elephant Trophy Imports Into US

(posted February 27, 2012)

If you have a leopard or elephant trophy that you harvested prior to 2012 on its way for import into the United States, you will need to take immediate action to prevent seizure of your trophy. The US Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) has issued a Notice to the Wildlife Import/Export Community informing them that the Service now requires that export paperwork for leopards and African elephants show two years of quotas when the trophy is taken in one year and exported in another. Shipments that do not reflect this information are subject to refusal of entry or seizure.

The requirement of two export quotas is not customary, so recent paperwork is not likely to have this information. If you have not yet read the March 2012 issue of Conservation Force Bulletin that was emailed to you on Friday, February 24, please be sure to read it now for a complete understanding of this issue. John J. Jackson, III, explains in that publication how the problem developed over only the last six months or so. It originated within the Law Enforcement Division of USFWS but had been enforced at only some ports of entry. With this notice, the requirement now will be enforced at all ports of entry beginning immediately.

Many shipping agents and brokers have put some trophy shipments on hold the last six months while they awaited clarification from USFWS, as the information provided from one port to the next varied, indicating confusion within the Service itself. Agents and brokers did not want to risk seizure of clients' trophies. Other shipments were delayed by end of year holidays or other issues. Regardless of why a shipment was delayed, if you shot your trophy before 2012, make sure that the exporting country provides the two required export quotas on your paperwork.

Download and forward a copy of the USFWS Notice to The Wildlife Import/Export Community to your exporter and clearing agent to make sure they get the necessary changes to the paperwork and prevent your trophy from being seized. Be aware that this likely means shipping your trophy back to the country of origin and will add another three to six months or more to the delivery. - Barbara Crown, Editor, The Hunting Report

http://www.huntingreport.com/c...ion_force.cfm?id=233


Trophy Seizure Threat Reaches New High; USFWS Conduct Reaches New Low
Written By John J. Jackson III, Conservation Force Chairman & President
(posted February 2012)

In late summer, 2011, possibly the worst problem yet with US trophy imports began developing. US Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) Law Enforcement import inspectors at some ports started requiring two quotas on export permits when leopard trophies were exported in a year different than the year taken. For example, if a leopard was taken in 2011 but not exported until 2012, some port inspectors want both the year of the take (2011) and the year of the export (2012) and the respective quota for each year to be on the export permit. In effect, two quotas have to be allocated by the foreign country. Those inspectors want the year of shipment and quota in block 11(a) of the CITES export permit.

Because the exact form of the CITES export permit is not mandated, some countries don’t even have a Section 11(a) on their forms. Furthermore, it has never been the practice to use two quotas. Additionally, the new double quota is only required by some inspectors in some ports and only in the United States. Worse, no clarification has been provided by USFWS despite multiple requests from every part of the industry and southern and eastern African countries trying to comply. Shipments already in transit to the US have been halted at intermediate stops and frozen in place. Many are still on hold today. Storage charges have been accumulating on shipments on hold in intermediate ports. Shipments have been broken up and returned to exporting countries from intermediate countries. The Section 11(a)/two-years-means-two-quotas issue began being applied to elephant trophies and is rumored to apply to crocodile as well. All are on Appendix I or II of CITES, with CITES quotas, and thus require an export permit, a quota and tagging or marking. Foreign authorities, brokers and all concerned cannot fathom the requirement of allocating and including two or more quotas, and the CITES Secretariat is reporting mixed and confusing responses to its inquiries to USFWS.

The problem has grown worse as has the confusion and panic. Hunting clients have demanded their trophies, while brokers have stalled, anticipating clarification. Due to changes in the Service Manual, hunters are now held accountable for disagreements between country authorities. The March 2008 changes to the Manual deleted the express provision that hunters should not be liable for technical differences between exporting countries and the United States. Those same Manual changes also added that seizure be considered first before all lesser alternatives, while it deleted the express 30-day “grace period” that had allowed for correction of technical errors. These changes have made the community vulnerable and sensitive. It is a hell of a mess, and the divisions of the USFWS have not seemed to care.

Finally, after five months (August-December), the Chief of Permits promised that he would issue a definitive answer at the Dallas Safari Club convention specifying what in fact was required by the USFWS. He did not provide any clarification of what was required. Most trophies are frozen in place with secondary problems, such as the passage of permit expiration dates that have ticked past. The furor is growing.

Four weeks later at the SCI Convention, industry leaders, foreign government representatives and USFWS met in a number of side meetings. The Deputy Director of USFWS, Rowan Gould, said that the problem was not yet resolved. He very personably explained that he had a personal friend who had a leopard seized, but he could not solve the problem for his friend. He acknowledged that “hunters are caught in the middle…caught in a trap” that has to be fixed, but there are differences on the issue within the USFWS, so there is not yet a definitive answer. He was backed up by the Chief of Management Authority, Roddy Gabel, who confirmed that they were working on the problem but had no resolution yet. Chief Gabel said he was puzzled why the problem had not arisen “until last year.” The foreign government representatives and leaders of the Professional Hunter associations of Africa looked at the Deputy Director and Chief of Management Authority with disappointment that the issue was not resolved and condemnation of the havoc caused by the delay. The agency that is so judgmental of others is caught in its own trap. Apparently Law Enforcement and the Management Authority can’t agree, and each port of entry has its own view.

The Deputy Director got sharp with me when he thought I was suggesting that it was being done deliberately, when in fact what I was implying was the obvious: the delay was irresponsible, the problem was of their own making and the consequences were the result of the harsh new provisions in the internal Service Manual.

This may be the worst seizure and forfeiture problem I have seen, but this block 11(a) issue is just a symptom of a deeper problem within the Agency. Hunters don’t seem to have a friend within the Agency leadership anymore. That is frightening. What will be next?

One broker said that the port inspectors and Solicitors have been turned loose on international hunters like an uncontrolled pack of attack dogs. They are inventing issues on their own without adequate oversight with the mistaken caveat that the trade is disfavored, must be strictly controlled and any technical irregularity should convert trophies into contraband rather than just “subject to” being treated so only when the situation warrants. This does indeed jeopardize the safari industry and the conservation dependent upon the industry. It creates disrespect for the Law Enforcement agency and mistrust of USFWS. Believe me, those innocent hunters that are losing their trophies will not soon forget or forgive the deep personal loss and excessiveness of the mistreatment. The mistreatment is unforgivable. How can our government go so wrong? It is time to govern the regulators before more harm is done.

Conservation Force and its supporting organizations, such as Dallas Safari Club, Houston Safari Club, the Wild Sheep Foundation, Grand Slam/OVIS, etc., are no longer the only organizations sounding the alarm. Most of the American Wildlife Conservation Partners (AWCP) signed a request back in September 2011 directed to the Director to fix the problem. The latest double quota development occurred after that and after other joint letters from Conservation Force (including NRA, SCI and the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation) and its member organizations to both the Chief of Law Enforcement and Director of the USFWS without response except that they are working on it. As I write this, the Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council is scheduled to address the issue and make recommendations to the Director of USFWS.

I received a surprising phone call today (mid-February). Five different leopard trophies have been seized on entry into Houston for the “Section 11(a) violation.” The seizures are continuing! We need hunters and brokers to report seizures to Conservation Force as early as possible.

Good Lord...here we go again. it is not meant for me to ever have a leopard in my house!

God Damn tree huggers in the USFW.

My leopard from 2011 just cleared today. The leopard issues have been on-going and I made sure that it would clear prior to it being released. Glad I did! I have Lisa and Laura from D&L Custom Brokers in Chicago to thank for making sure everything was in order.

This is a big problem. Your only choice is ship it back and pay the shipping both ways again and hope the will fill in box 11A

Return shipping beats seizure, but just barely.

Can anyone tell me what sense does this make?

Except being a royal pain in the posterior for everyone?

We might have to add USFW to two other orgenizations we don't care much for; PETA and HSUS!

That is just plain stupid !!

once again, government employees run rough shod over the people who pay these WPOS salaries. thanks a lot tree huggers getting a government check! makes me exceedingly glad i shot my leopard and 2 crocs several years ago and my elephant hunt in Oct is for a non-exportable bull. this shit will not stop until reasonable people retake control over our lives/government. BIG BROTHER THINKS HE KNOWS WHAT'S BEST FOR PLANET AND CARES LESS WHAT THE IMPACT IS ON ITS RESOURCES!

What a living, frickin nightmare! And, yes, John it IS deliberate. How could anyone believe otherwise?

Thank you so much for this information. I'm still waiting for the Cities permit for the leopard I took in November. This is one time I'm glad they are slow on issuing permits.

The voting American public must get this agency back under control. They have gotten way out of hand.

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
Can anyone tell me what sense does this make?

Except being a royal pain in the posterior for everyone?

We might have to add USFW to two other orgenizations we don't care much for; PETA and HSUS!

Saeed, just so! All are anti-hunting but the usfw has more money and power. We need to change the current administration but don't hold your breath.

Tom

Makes you kind of choke up with pride in your country. I'm going to go out and fire off some "safe and sane" fireworks.

Lisa at D&L is handling mine and I know she is on things, but it still worries me. To make it worse, FW issued my CITES permit about a month ago and it hasn't gotten here. We sent them a prepaid UPS envelope, but there has been no activity on tracking, so it sounds like someone issued it and then it is sitting somewhere- never mailed. Been trying to get a response since Thursday, and no one will call us back. USFW is just a wonderful organization!!!

The USFWS is the sworn enemy of the United States Citizen Hunter. The fact that we have no recoure against their codependent control the rest of the world BULLSHIT is completely frightening.

Jeff

If you take a leopard against the 2011 quota what does that have to do with any other year's quota? Just more government BS.

If you take the leopard and it gets shipped in the same year do you still need to have others year's quota info? Or will pledging your first born suffice?

So the Chief of permits and Deputy Director of the USFWS realize there is a problem, hunters are caught in the middle, and the issue needs to be fixed" and no one can come up with an answer or resolution?


Why does "we are working on it" not inspire confidence.

Kathi,

Thanks for the heads-up. I just sent this information to Karl Stumpfe with whom we hunted last November and took a leopard. I am sure he will make certain that all is in order before it is shipped and am glad that it wasn't on route already.

quote:

Makes you kind of choke up with pride in your country. I'm going to go out and fire off some "safe and sane" fireworks.

Kicking Wing sells snakes and sparklers...

Doesn't matter to me now since my leopard burned up in the recent fire!

quote:

Originally posted by 505 gibbs:

quote:

Makes you kind of choke up with pride in your country. I'm going to go out and fire off some "safe and sane" fireworks.

Kicking Wing sells snakes and sparklers...

Tim: I had that very same problem with my last Leopard Cites Permit. It never arrived at all, and I had to spend additional time and money and apply for a replacement. And, the USFWS acted like it was my problem or doing!

I am SO happy that my leopard cleared in January! I spoke with Paul at Fauna & Flora today and he assures me that when a trophy has been cleared it is not subject to seizure. We REALLY need to inject some sanity to the laws and the folks that enforce them. I hope it all turns out well for those still waiting for their cats!

I was relieved to hear this afternoon that my leopard cleared, and is now on it's way to the taxidermist.

I cannot even begin to put into words the level of frustration that this BS generates - part of which is the lack of a name/face that we can hold accountable. The other part is that we do not seem to have anybody or an association looking into and handling on behalf of us (US hunters) --- where the blip is SCI in this ???

Saeed:
In this country it is an oxymoron to equate sense with a government bureaucracy. Follow the chain high enough and you will find some dictum or memo indicating the Emperor's wishes. (As in Emperor's New Clothes). Bureaucrats are masters of self-flagellation. Couldn't really be any different in your country, I would imagine.


Dutch

"The way we hunt we are." Rainer Josch

Just received the following from SCI. Looks like USF&W have changed the policy a bit for the positive.


Over the last few months, SCI staff has been working diligently with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), importers and other members of the regulated community to find a solution to a recent spike in seizures of sport-hunted trophies. On Friday February 24th, the FWS released a memo that clarifies the instructions on tagging and marking leopard, Nile crocodile and African elephant trophies. We commend the FWS for taking a first step to help reverse the incidences of seizures due to paperwork and procedural problems with importation. SCI will continue to work with the FWS to solve importation problems that interfere with trophy importation by many SCI members. The FWS’s full memo is attached and SCI strongly encourages our members who are planning on hunting any of these three species to read through the entire memo and to provide a copy to their Professional Hunter, Outfitter and/or Taxidermist or whoever else might be involved in the preparation and exportation of these trophies.

One particular source of trophy importation problems relates to the tags and/or tusk markings required for the importation of CITES Appendix I trophies. In some circumstances the trophy is taken in one year and imported in a different year. In those circumstances, the tags and/or tusk markings must include different information about the quota from which the animal was taken than must appear on the CITES export permit document. The attached memo provides specific information to cover the requirements for these circumstances.

One particularly significant statement in the memo appears in its last line where the FWS explains that, “Sport-hunted trophies imported into the United States that do not comply with the marking, tagging or CITES document requirements are subject to refusal of entry or seizure.” With this sentence, the FWS acknowledges that refusal of entry is a potential strategy that hunter/importers can request to avoid trophy seizures. If and when a hunter/importer is faced with procedural or paperwork deficiencies concerning the importation of the trophy, the hunter/importer may ask for the FWS to refuse entry of the trophy and to return the trophy to the country of export. A refusal of entry is not a means of fixing existing paperwork flaws. Instead it requires the hunter/importer to restart the exportation process with new exportation and importation documents. While it may be expensive to ship a trophy back to Africa and to seek new documentation, in many cases this cost and effort will be far more reasonable than losing a trophy to seizure. It is important to understand that the FWS is unlikely to elect to refuse entry unless the hunter/importer specifically asks for that option. For this reason, SCI strongly recommends that hunter/importers who are facing a possible seizure ask that their trophy be refused entry rather than seized. Hunters/Importers should retain the attached FWS memo and show it to the FWS border official if any question arises.

My hunting partners Bull Ele and Lion, as seen on TAA a couple weeks ago, are stuck in Chicago with USF&W. We expect they are gonna send them back but no decision as yet.

What a mess!!! Our tax $$ at work!

I shot my leopard in Oct of 2011. As I had hunted earlier in the year and bagged an ele.Concurently my outfitter had changed the company name. While at SCI I visited extensively with USFWS. Its like the IRS you get one opinion one place and opposing opinion the other. I did find out though about the requirement to now post the 2012 numbers along with the 2011 numbers. It makes no sense, just another hassle factor. I had always labored under the delusion of the "Test of Reasonablenes." As far as I am concerned US Fish and Feathers has nothing on the Gestapo of Hitler's Germany in terms of bad acts against fellow citizens. I noticed we are also now liable for what the foreign nation does with the CITES permit. USFWS does not care if one makes a insignificant mistake or an action that occurrs completely out of the individual's control... we the hunter have the very real possibility of being found guilty of a criminal act. Imagine if every element of our lives was subject to the same level of scrutiny and punishment. For example being arrested for traveling 56mph in a 55mph zone and get sent to prision for six years for speeding.

This is not what our forefathers who drafted the constitution had in mind. I don't understand how USFWS gets away with thumbing their nose at Senators and Representatives, such as the Congressional Sportsmen Congress, let along our organizations such as SCI, NRA, etc.

To be treated with the presumption of guilty until proven innocent by USFWS as well as draconian fines and criminal charges is beyond belief. Folks we have all got to get together drag our elected representatives to USFWS and have them remove the appointed director and fire senior administrators.

Thanks for people like John Jackson and his Conservation Force for continuing to fight the good fight. But we all need to chip in and give him help and support.

Well put, Tim.

quote:

Originally posted by Tim Vining:
Folks we have all got to get together drag our elected representatives to USFWS and have them remove the appointed director and fire senior administrators.

I emailed my two senators and one representative today and linked them to the hunting report Kathi posted.

Anyone else?

Cheers
Jim

This is obviously a real problem but only a small part of the problem. My question is where and how are all these "regulations" initiated in every level of government which in many cases are caprecious, arbitrary, and punitive legaly under the US & state constitutions?

Secondly, how do we as a people interviene to stop the ongoing insanity and reverse what already has been done?

So,

Just to be clear - what do I, if anything, need to do?

We took leopard and elephant in November 2011.

I applied for and received my CITES permit for the leopard in 2011 immediately upon returning from Namibia in December 2011. That has all of the correct information based upon the dates, locations, PH, exporter etc. for 2011.

I have notified my PH who has in turn notified the taxidermist who will be doing the exportation of these new requirements.


I use Flora and Fauna for importation.

Do I need to do anything else on this side?

Thanks

quote:

Do I need to do anything else on this side?

Pray.

quote:

Originally posted by MMS:
This is obviously a real problem but only a small part of the problem. My question is where and how are all these "regulations" initiated in every level of government which in many cases are caprecious, arbitrary, and punitive legaly under the US & state constitutions?

Because our politicians create the agency and allows them to "interpret and make rules" to implement the law. The process has become so flawed and manipulated by special interest that rules and regulations are designed to confuse and mislead. Thus leading the unwary and well meaning to unknowingly commit a criminal act. Whereby the bureaucrat can thump their collective chest and say " look we caught a bad person" who broke the law. Intoxicated with greed and power our elected and appointed officials have abdicated their fiduciary responsibility to the American people.

Secondly, how do we as a people interviene to stop the ongoing insanity and reverse what already has been done?

It is why the 2nd Amendment exists, to protect the rest of our God given rights.

It appears that a Daniel M Ashe was appointed as director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in December of 2010 --- who does he report to up the ladder ---Salazar??

Also ---- what Senate committee overseas this department?

It letter writing time

Grrrrrrrrrrr!

i am absolutely amazed by this situation. This is the US of A! I would have thought that your system would have mechanisms that hold these people accountable to the citizens whom they are supposed to serve. They call themselves a service but they conduct themselves as a regulatory authority & an enforcement directorate. This does not sound like a democratic system but a dictatorship with deep dark dungeons!

What service do they provide?

What is the core of the problem here? Do they have anti hunting elements at the top of the organization?

Can you not take them to court and hold them accountable?

Let us look at it this way - If you needed Police help because of criminal elements in the neighbourhood, you go to the police and they help you. They do not treat you like a criminal - Right?

Why does the USF&WS not have a similar set up where the investigative and prosecuting authority is separate from the service providing one?