An Important Trophy-Shipment Crackdown
(posted June 14, 2005)

If you are a US citizen and you are about to board a plane for a hunt, or safari, anywhere in the world, be aware that the US Fish and Wildlife Service has begun to crack down on a very common practice hunters use to save money on trophy shipments. That practice is the consolidation of more than one hunters' trophies under a single register and/or hunting permit.

The Service says the practice distorts their statistics and prevents them from obtaining a clear picture of who is hunting and importing what around the world. To put an end to it, the Service has vowed to block all consolidated trophy shipments it detects, allowing only the trophies of the person whose name appears on the register and/or permit to go through. All of the other trophies will have to be sent back to the country of origin for re-export. If that is not possible, or the hunter elects not to do it, the trophies will be seized.

We are indebted to Corporate Sponsor, Carol Rutkowski of Coppersmith (Tel. 817-481-1260. E-Mail: Carolr_dfw@coppersmith.com) for word of this important development. She says the service has been threatening a crackdown in this area for some time, and has finally made good on its threat. Earlier this week, she says, a consolidated shipment was blocked in Chicago, and the word she hears is, it is the first of a wave of such actions.

The new US Fish and Wildlife Service action, it should be noted, is distinct from a fairly new US Customs "automated manifest requirement" that all hunters' trophies be shipped in separate crates. That requirement, which went into effect January 2004, addressed only the shipping-crate issue. The new US Fish and Wildlife requirement addresses the larger issue of hunting permits and what are called hunting registers.

In most countries, a separate hunting register is supposed to be filled out for every hunter who goes afield and then wants to export trophies. Almost everywhere, every hunter is also supposed to buy a hunting permit as well. Costs are associated with both documents. Hence the temptation to skirt the requirements for both documents by simply consolidating trophies into one shipment.

Up to now, many hunters have made no effort to hide the fact that they have consolidated their trophies. Single shipments have been reaching port of entry with multiple hunters' names on different trophies. And it is this practice that makes it easy for the Fish and Wildlife Service to detect consolidated shipments.

So, what is to stop hunters from simply putting one hunter's name on all the trophies in a consolidated shipment? Technically, nothing. And, if only a few trophies are involved, the practice might go undetected. But it should be noted that filing a deliberately false government document is a violation of law. Doing so now, in the face of an announced crackdown, may be inviting trouble. That's particularly true if the false document seeks to mask illegal hunting activity in a foreign country.

Our advice here at The Hunting Report is to take this new crackdown very seriously. Hunting on someone else's permit and then shipping your trophies on someone else's register has always been illegal. It defrauds the host country. And that is just what might land you in big trouble here. On the face of it, all the feds want to do with their latest crackdown is improve their international record-keeping. In the process, they might turn up a treasure trove of Lacey Act violations. - Don Causey, Editor/President.

That is correct and we have been paying carefull attention to this law the past couple of years...

On past ocassion we have shipped a hide or horns in someone elses trophies, as the trophy was lost or later found, so we would not have to send a single set or horns in one package..

We are checking into the possibility of those animals being sent to me as a administer of the company for distribution to the rightfull owner. I will let you know how that turns out.

Is it ok to ship together if all people have thier own permits and documentation? Who cares if they are in the same crate?

Found on a New Zealand taxi website ///

dont know how current the information is but it might be possible it seems to consolidate ex: NZ to USA ?

I know Zambia does not legally allow it now, even it it was previously possible

Peter
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Due to recent policy changes at some U.S. Fish and Wildlife offices it is now necessary to meet a number of conditions to ship a consolidated consignment of two or more hunters trophies.

These are as follows:

1. One hunter/the addressee must be the designated 'owner' of all the trophies. That same person needs to be given power of attorney to perform the necessary steps for importation.

2. All the documentation reflects the consignment to be that of one hunter.

3. The designated owner is responsible for:
a. Payment of the combined commercial invoice.
b. Pre-arrange and payment for customs clearance.
c. Is the sole holder of the shipping insurance policy.

No other party is recognized as owner of the goods.

If all parties are in agreement then they should nominate one individual to be the recognized owner.

Economies of documentation, crating and freight are achievable. Please request a quote to compare the cost.

Does any of this apply to completed trophies?

Ray,

We often have similar problems. Please do pass along anything you find out.
Thanks
Rich Elliott