I've seen a few threads lately talking about how if you shoot a warthog it has to go through special inspections and then go to an approved taxidermist once you get it back here in the US.

Do you avoid this extra overhead by having the hog mounted in Africa and having the completed mount shipped back?

I'm going to RSA for my first safari in 2007, and one of the animals on my list is the warthog. I'd like to ship the other 4-5 animals back to have them mounted here by a taxidermist in SC, but if I can avoid the extra hassle of the warthog by getting it mounted over there, I'll have that one done that way and the rest shipped back to America just dipped and packed.

Thanks.

I don't think there is a lot of extra hassel at all. I had a bush pig skin, skull and a warthag skin and skull sent back this past summer without a problem.Others may disagree with this but I would not have anything mounted in Africa. I think the work is by and large second rate and the shipping will kill you.

You have to get it inspected by a USDA inspector, but it wasn't really any hassle, and my taxidermist took care of it all. There wasn't any problems going through Customs, just have the proper paperwork.

SC:
Yep, you can do that. Ship all the Antelope over here for mounting, and have the hog done in Africa.
If the hog is "Ready for display", meaning, tanned, cured and mounted on a plaque, its no big deal. I did it last year with two hogs, one shoulder mount and one european mount.

I was burned by this on my shipment. I planned for my Dad to make the 2.5 hour drive to Atlanta to pick up our shipment, but because of a set of warthog tusks the whole shipment had to be forwarded on to a USDA approved taxidermist. This cost $250 instead of a tank of gas. (which isn't a whole lot different theses days)

My taxidermist is not USDA so I had to search around a little to find one. On that I had guys that wanted $250 to clear them for me to the one I used that did it for free. All of it seems sortof of a scam as he never opened the box.

It is not much of a hassle at all with the USDA inspection. But is does have to be shipped to USDA approved facility, so you can not pick them up yourself. Also make sure your taxidermist is licensed. My friend who went with me on my last trip was burned because his taxidermist was not approved and he ended up sending them to my taxidermist.

If you have the warthog mounted in Africa, which thier are several good taxidermists, you do not have to worry about the USDA inspection as it is then considered finished taxidermy.

quote:

All of it seems sortof of a scam as he never opened the box.

wyattd,

If he never opened the box, he could lose his USDA licence over that! The items in the box should all be removed and if (and hoping) the warthog has been packed seperate, the warthog skull, skin and tusks have to be dipped, the box and packing material have to be burned and the area this was performed has to be washed with an approved disinfectant. If it wasn't packed seperate everything has to be dipped. A report has to be kept on everything you do so when the USDA vet comes to check, everything is in order.

Your shippment should have been in a different box when you picked it up, the orginal should have been ashs

And $250.00 seams alittle much just to clear one warthog skull

Clover,

I've done this twice, it's real simple:

The USDA website provides a state by state list of taxidermists who can accept raw swine/primates.

If your tax. is not on the list, find the closest one to you in SC or NC and have your trophies shipped to him/her. They will charge about $150 for receiving/inspecting the shipment, then it is released to you or your tax.

Also, if the taxidermist is not a USDA approved facility, the tannery that the taxidermist uses may be. This way, the trophies can be shipped directly to the tannery. The skulls, horns and any items that will not be tanned can then be forwarded to the taxidermist.
Getting one animal mounted in Africa to avoid all of this is strange to me. It is not that difficult. If you are having your stuff mounted in the U.S. your taxidermist should have all the answers for your questions.

Thanks for the info. Some of the other posts that I had read had made it sound like the warthog might be more trouble than it's worth, but from these answers it sounds like it's not that bad.

My taxidermist of choice is not USDA approved, but there's one in SC that is that's only an hour or so from my house. I'll give him a call and see what he'll charge to handle it.

Thanks.

if baboon is on your list it's a similar thing only going thru the CDC papers. civet cat must be mounted there (sars)

quote:

civet cat must be mounted there

butchloc,

African civet doesn't have to be mounted there, the skin must be cleaned of all fat and flesh, salted and dryed. The skull must be completly clean of all flesh and dry. And it needs a CDC permit to bring it in

Asisan Civet can't come into the USA

When I went in 02 I set everything up ahead of time through F&F. I had everything, including my warthog and bushpig shipped directly to my tannery. They are USDA approved and broke the box. The skulls/horns were then sent on to me and when the hides were tanned, they were shipped on to me as well. You save some shipping money by doing it this way. I have all my clients do this, it saves me from having to ship the hides to the tannery and I pass that savings on to my clients.

Hugh