On Wednesday 14th May 2014, Zimbabwean PH Richard Mukoki, a South African PH and his girlfriend and American hunter and wife were arrested in the Pfundundu area Northern Zimbabwe and spent 2 nights in Custody.
Details are that they were supposed to hunt a PAC Elephant. The PAC permit was made out to Zimbabwean PH Richard Mukoki and was issued for the Mukwishi area. They were challenged on the next door concession driving on a road that allegedly does not lead to Mukwishi area. The hunting party was then taken to Makuti Police station where the case was handed over to the police.
The Zimbabwean PH has a “B” restriction that does not allow him to hunt Elephant. Secondly he was not in possession of a TR2 and that means he is not allowed to hunt this PAC animal with foreigners.
The party appeared in court on the 15th and the case was remanded to the 16th. On the 16th all charges were dropped on the foreigners and Richard Makoki is the only one to face 3 charges. The hunt was booked with Makoki by South African agent, Koos De Meyer of Kuche Safaris.
It is most fortunate that the Clients had not yet shot an elephant, as the charges would then have included elephant poaching and would have been aimed at the hunter. The severity of that cannot be over stressed not to mention that it would undermine the work Zimbabwe is trying to do at the moment with USFWS on the Elephant ban.
The Zimbabwean PH is NOT a ZPHGA member. Further we welcome all foreign outfitters/agents to bring their clients to come hunt in Zim. However, if you book with a non-member of ZPHGA, please know our laws as a Zim Jail ain’t no country club!

This was a ZPHGA statement.

Good report Louis, keep them coming.

Karl

I hope the jail in Makuti is just the first stop on the road to Chikurubi for Makoki.

I tell you this is why this AR FORUM is the best there is...In my 6 years here I've learned from so many threads/posts here in booking a proper safari with a respectable outfitter...and to do our home work...there's so much info on here and more naive hunters can gain a host of do's and dont's....dang, I actually feel sorry for these American hunters...if I wasnt here I probably would be just as gullible and very trusting too...

They're darn LUCKY!!!

Thanks Louis, very informative information.

quote:

Originally posted by Late-Bloomer:
I tell you this is why this AR FORUM is the best there is...In my 6 years here I've learned from so many threads/posts here in booking a proper safari with a respectable outfitter...and to do our home work...there's so much info on here and more naive hunters can gain a host of do's and dont's....dang, I actually feel sorry for these American hunters...if I wasnt here I probably would be just as gullible and very trusting too...

They're darn LUCKY!!!

I don't feel sorry for them. If they are hunting through a South African outfitter booking in Zimbabwe, they have assumed the risk of trouble.

quote:

Originally posted by MJines:

quote:

Originally posted by Late-Bloomer:
I tell you this is why this AR FORUM is the best there is...In my 6 years here I've learned from so many threads/posts here in booking a proper safari with a respectable outfitter...and to do our home work...there's so much info on here and more naive hunters can gain a host of do's and dont's....dang, I actually feel sorry for these American hunters...if I wasnt here I probably would be just as gullible and very trusting too...

They're darn LUCKY!!!

I don't feel sorry for them. If they are hunting through a South African outfitter booking in Zimbabwe, they have assumed the risk of trouble.

Per my post...NOT everyone knows about happenings and goings all of safari hunting and booking with a reputable outfitter and what it all entails...hence my post...I would never have known if not for being on this forum.

Not everyone is as bright as you Mike

quote:

Originally posted by Late-Bloomer:

quote:

Originally posted by MJines:

quote:

Originally posted by Late-Bloomer:
I tell you this is why this AR FORUM is the best there is...In my 6 years here I've learned from so many threads/posts here in booking a proper safari with a respectable outfitter...and to do our home work...there's so much info on here and more naive hunters can gain a host of do's and dont's....dang, I actually feel sorry for these American hunters...if I wasnt here I probably would be just as gullible and very trusting too...

They're darn LUCKY!!!

I don't feel sorry for them. If they are hunting through a South African outfitter booking in Zimbabwe, they have assumed the risk of trouble.

Per my post...NOT everyone knows about happenings and goings all of safari hunting and booking with a reputable outfitter and what it all entails...hence my post...I would never have known if not for being on this forum.

Not everyone is as bright as you Mike

Still and all Caveat emptor...

quote:

Originally posted by Bwana Bunduki:

quote:

Originally posted by Late-Bloomer:

quote:

Originally posted by MJines:

quote:

Originally posted by Late-Bloomer:
I tell you this is why this AR FORUM is the best there is...In my 6 years here I've learned from so many threads/posts here in booking a proper safari with a respectable outfitter...and to do our home work...there's so much info on here and more naive hunters can gain a host of do's and dont's....dang, I actually feel sorry for these American hunters...if I wasnt here I probably would be just as gullible and very trusting too...

They're darn LUCKY!!!

I don't feel sorry for them. If they are hunting through a South African outfitter booking in Zimbabwe, they have assumed the risk of trouble.

Per my post...NOT everyone knows about happenings and goings all of safari hunting and booking with a reputable outfitter and what it all entails...hence my post...I would never have known if not for being on this forum.

Not everyone is as bright as you Mike

Still and all Caveat emptor...

Understood Jeff...well understood no doubt...just hate seeing folks swindeled especially if they were new-comers to Africa which we have no way of knowing...if they knew then of course I'd have no sympathies

I belong to a private outdoor club here in Florida. They hired a guy to book hunts for the members. The guy they hired was supposedly experienced. This guy called me one day to attempt to sell me on an elephant hunt. It was crystal clear to me that the hunt was illegal.

After listening to his sales pitch, I told him that he needed to learn what the Lacey Act was all about. He was going to cause someone to violate it.

I am lucky. I have been around the block. This guy had absolutely no idea what he was getting himself and potentially others into. There was no ill intent on his part. He simply didn't know.

I am sure this happens more often than we realize.

Yes Larry and why I feel AR is an invaluable wealth of knowledge especially for this sort of thing

quote:

I don't feel sorry for them. If they are hunting through a South African outfitter booking in Zimbabwe, they have assumed the risk of trouble.

Mike

Kinda brash man...........not everyone knows about AR.

quote:

Yes Larry and why I feel AR is an invaluable wealth of knowledge especially for this sort of thing

I know that it is hard to believe but there are actually sources of information other than AR. Amazing yes, but true.

Go cheap and forget to do your homework and this is what you get. Hard to feel sorry for any involved!

x2...

Lekker!

quote:

Originally posted by Dave Fulson:
Go cheap and forget to do your homework and this is what you get. Hard to feel sorry for any involved!

So true.

Anyone know anything about a Zim PH named Booze Charlatan?

quote:

Originally posted by Frostbit:
Anyone know anything about a Zim PH named Booze Charlatan?

Run . . . just run.

Oh yes, Booze Charlatan. Famous PH and deep river diver. On his spare time he dives for lost artifacts in the Zambezi river.

quote:

Originally posted by Louis Muller:
On Wednesday 14th May 2014, Zimbabwean PH Richard Mukoki, a South African PH and his girlfriend and American hunter and wife were arrested in the Pfundundu area Northern Zimbabwe and spent 2 nights in Custody.
Details are that they were supposed to hunt a PAC Elephant. The PAC permit was made out to Zimbabwean PH Richard Mukoki and was issued for the Mukwishi area. They were challenged on the next door concession driving on a road that allegedly does not lead to Mukwishi area. The hunting party was then taken to Makuti Police station where the case was handed over to the police.
The Zimbabwean PH has a “B” restriction that does not allow him to hunt Elephant. Secondly he was not in possession of a TR2 and that means he is not allowed to hunt this PAC animal with foreigners.
The party appeared in court on the 15th and the case was remanded to the 16th. On the 16th all charges were dropped on the foreigners and Richard Makoki is the only one to face 3 charges. The hunt was booked with Makoki by South African agent, Koos De Meyer of Kuche Safaris.
It is most fortunate that the Clients had not yet shot an elephant, as the charges would then have included elephant poaching and would have been aimed at the hunter. The severity of that cannot be over stressed not to mention that it would undermine the work Zimbabwe is trying to do at the moment with USFWS on the Elephant ban.
The Zimbabwean PH is NOT a ZPHGA member. Further we welcome all foreign outfitters/agents to bring their clients to come hunt in Zim. However, if you book with a non-member of ZPHGA, please know our laws as a Zim Jail ain’t no country club!

Louis,

Welcome to AR, and thank you for posting this.

I have ALWAYS stressed the need for anyone hunting in Zimbabwe to book with a known and properly licensed Zimbabwean PH.

There far too many of these very well know, and honestly run, to take a chance at booking with some of the very shady operators from South Africa.

This is not a swipe at the South African PHs who are just as well known, and honest as their counterpart in Zimbabwe.

But, we should all do our part to weed out the crooks, no matter from what country they come from.

A case in point is the thread we have about a crooked Zimbabwean PH right now.

Two comments on the article.

First I have to wonder if the Zim government will crack down on illegal activities especially involving elephant to make a good showing for USF&W. Unlikely they would, more than likely a coincidence.

Second it can be difficult to distinguish the good guys from bad. I do not know any of the players in the alleged incident or am I privy to any details, only what is posted here. However if you look at the site of the agent who allegedly booked the hunt it seems as though he is involved with "Trophy Quest" on The Outdoor Channel. As a first timer going to Africa that would have to make a favorable impression.

Buyer always beware.

http://www.kuche.co.za

quote:

The hunt was booked with Makoki by South African agent, Koos De Meyer of Kuche Safaris.

Seems a bit harsh for the client, assuming as I must, that they didn't know any better. Bet they will never be back to any African country. And if that's the case, they won't be silent. Now that's not the best for tourism in general.

Yes, hunters should know the rules, but they don't. This was an obvious one, but I promise you I don't know every rule where I hunt. I rely on the PH for that. And in some countries, the rules are in more than one language and don't always agree -- one language to the next.

I don't think the hunters should have gone to jail unless they knew they were involved in an illegal operation. However, if they didn't get raped and contract HIV, they should consider themselves lucky.

I don't think it was a good thing that the hunter hadn't yet shot an elephant so that they could have prosecuted him for poaching. Sounds like the hunter got scammed and in that event, I don't think African countries should prosecute if they have any interest in encouraging tourism.

Just my 2 cents.

The USA would not show any favoritism to tourists for braking the law and neither should Zimbabwe. Koos De Meyer wanted to make a fast buck by booking a cheap hunt and I hope this hurts his business good to prove the point.

quote:

Just hate seeing folks swindeled especially if they were new-comers to Africa which we have no way of knowing...

Late-Bloomer:

You are of course certain that the American client was a newcomer to Africa or is itjust an assumption?

One also needs to remember that there are dozens of hunters in search of "adventure" and those who gamble on low cost hunts which almost always have a hidden agenda.

When it bites them in the ass the smarter ones shut up; others look for sympathy by blaming the outfitter, agent, PH, etc.

Report reference Illegal Hunting on Pfundundu.
1/ May 14th at 0915, along the old Tsetse Game fence road, within the Pfundundu leased area, a red Toyota Raider was stopped with 7 occupants. Later identified as 2 American clients, the SA PH and his girlfriend, the Zim PH, a game scout and another.
2/ They were asked what they were doing along the road in question as it was privately held leased area.
3/ A male adult on the back, claiming to be a Zimbabwean Professional Hunter stated that he was on his way to Mukwichi to hunt a PAC Elephant and Buffalo.
4/ Addressing him in Shona, he was asked why was on the fence line road when it doesn’t go to Mukwichi, replied that it does and that they would turn off past the Alan Lowe memorial tree – indicating an exceptional and intimate knowledge of the area as the memorial isn’t well known to all and sundry - to enter mukwichi.
5/ Having previously discussed the roads with staff working the roads, we were fully aware that the road doesn’t go through, but bends to the Mana Pools boundary.
6/ then was asked for a hunt permit and his PH licence. He produced a PAC permit with no animals specified on it issued for Mukwichi. The PH licence proved to be a ‘B’ restriction licence disallowing him to hunt Elephant with clients.
7/ Speaking to the driver of the vehicle, on introduction it was clear that he is Afrikaans speaking, He then asked in Afrikaans ‘how is the area?’, ‘have you seen any Elephant’. On being asked – in afrikaans -if they were actually hunting then, he replied that they were. They were told no, we hadn’t seen any, yes there were some in the area, but to be careful because we had two other hunting parties in the area and a Bull dozer team working on the road further down. We considered this fair warning that they were not supposed to be there!
8/ They were allowed to continue down the road as we were unable to make an informed decision as to a course of action in light of our recent Elephant import ban by the USA, the American clients and SA operators.
9/ We proceeded toward the main tar road until we could get signal and called Mr. Stander and told him the story.
10/ We waited for some time until National Parks had been advised and a decision taken to arrest them.
11/ At about 1230 hrs we turned around and drove back down the road toward them.
12/ At about 1400 hrs, as they reached the Bulldozer about 5kms past the Rukomechi river, we caught up to them.
13/ The driver and the ZimPH were asked to come and discuss things with us.
14/ They were asked for a TR2 hunting permit, whereupon the ZimPH became quite belligerent stating that He was going to shoot a PAC Elephant and that the ‘clients’ in the vehicle were photographic clients coming to take pictures of him.
15/ The south african driver, clearly a professional hunter looked astonished as the Zim PH was asked why then did the ‘clients’ have a firearm with them and why did the SA driver – who introduced himself, a Professional Hunter in South Africa – have a cartridge holder on his belt with 375 caliber cartridges in it.
16/he stated that they were in the act of hunting for a Tuskless Elephant but had been told that as long as it was a tusked non trophy it would be OK.
17/ he also quickly stated that he didn’t have a firearm and that he’d use the Zim PH’s to back up the client – an American Male and his wife.
18/ They had taken from 0915 to 1400 to cover some 15 kilometers. Clearly indicating that they were hunting.
19/ They stated that they were staying at Cerutti Lodges at the Lake shore.
20/ On being told that the hunt was illegal, the SA PH said that they would stop.
21/ They were advised that National Parks reaction team was on it’s way to arrest them and that they should follow us back to the main road.
22/ Once we got signal, we received a call from the SA Outfitter, the owner, who asked us what the problem was and could we please help his staff and clients.
23/ He was appraised of the situation.
24/ Along the road back, we noticed the ZIM PH handling his hunting rifle on the back of the vehicle. Shortly thereafter the SA PH flashed his lights at us indicating us to stop.
25/ Taking precautionary steps we stopped over a rise and the SA PH then got out of his vehicle, took the rifle from the Zim PH, bagged it and brought it to us and asked us to keep it in our vehicle as he was unsure of his intentions with it.
26/ It had been lying unbagged in the rifle rack on the back of the vehicle from the time of first meeting them to the time it was taken away.
27/ Further along the road, we passed the turn off to ‘big vlei’ and shortly thereafter noted that the SA PH wasn’t behind us so we stopped.
28/ We reversed back some 500m to the turn off and noted that they had turned onto this road would lead them to the main road and away from us.
29/ At this point we could not raise the SA PH on his phone despite there being full signal. The SA Outfitter was called to tell the SA PH to stop before he was fired upon by the National Parks stop group waiting at the road.
30/ we moved our stop group – actually our own Anti Poaching team – to the borehole 15 turnoff where they found the SA PH stopped.
31/ Within minutes, National Parks and ZRP details had also stopped there and the case was handed to them.
32/ the Zim PH was asked how many hunts he’d done like this with the SA Outfitter and he stated this was his first. The SA Outfitter had told us that he’d done 2 others previously.
33/ Later, we found out from SA Outfitter that the Zim PH used a Taxidermist in Victoria Falls to export the trophies. We were unable to assess who this might be.
34/ the SA PH insisted that they’d ‘gotten lost’ and turned down the wrong road as they thought our tracks had gone that way. He was asked how they hoped to track an Elephant when they failed to track a vehicle down a dirt road. They were clearly, on our opinion, trying to escape custody.
35/ They were then detained by the NP and ZRP details and taken to Makuti Police station.
36/ At Makuti, they were detained in custody over night.
37/ The OC Districts, visiting from Kariba, was consulted and he had the case moved to Kariba.
38/ Statements were recorded at the Police station and they were transferred to Kariba.
39/ Investigations continued at Kariba on the 15th.
40/ The case was sent to court on the afternoon of the 15th and all remanded in custody until the 16th.
41/ the SA Outfitter arrived in Zimbabwe on the night of the 15th and met with Mr Stander and us at the road to our camp by the main road.
42/ He stated that he’d used the Zim PH before and had never had a problem with anything.
43/ They had met this year in April at the Jameson Hotel in Harare to discuss this and other hunts.
44/ the Zim PH was paid US$6000 for this hunt in it’s entirety. The money having been handed over by the SA PH on arrival.
45/the Zim PH told Police that he could not recall what he’d done with the money ( 2 days later!) Police did not pursue, to date, the tracking of this money and ZIMRA Kariba showed no interest in the case to all appearances.
46/ the Zim PH is a well known resident of Kariba.
50/ As at pm of 16th May, the Zim PH has been remanded on free bail until the 9th of June and is the only accused in this case.
51/ He has 3 or 4 charges to answer. No one else has been charged in this case to date.
53/ the SA Outfitter and his group have now returned to SA. (17th May

Just another reason for Americans to stay away from Zim. I should only have to worry about checking out the Outfitter and PH's references. Part of the point of requiring the PH to be licensed is that he/she is the hunter and is required to know the local laws. They need to keep us on the correct property and operating legally.

quote:

Originally posted by CharlesL:
I should only have to worry about checking out the Outfitter and PH's references.

Which obviously was not done here. I have no sympathy for the hunter and the girlfriend. They booked with riff raff and got burned. Serves them right. Maybe they will do their homework next time. And if they elect to skip doing the homework and stay home, so be it. For those that are booking with reputable outfitters and doing their homework, there is absolutely no reason to "stay away from Zim". Frankly it is gratifying to see Zim taking enforcement of the game laws seriously, not something to be condemned.

PHs in Zimbabwe need all the help we can give them, just as well as that Zimbabwe is still one of the more reasonable countries to hunt.

quote:

Originally posted by CharlesL:
Just another reason for Americans to stay away from Zim.

That is a ridiculous statement if there ever was one.

Jeff

Agreed.

It sounds like the Zim authorities did an excellent job in this case.

quote:

Originally posted by Bwana Bunduki:

quote:

Originally posted by CharlesL:
Just another reason for Americans to stay away from Zim.

That is a ridiculous statement if there ever was one.

Jeff

I have looked at Zim multiple times, but I am not experienced enough to separate the wheat from the chaff. Unless I can afford a handful of outfitters that are endorsed on AR I can not be confident that I am not making a costly mistake. I would have to be concerned about the changing banned list to keep from violating the Lacey Act. Just hunting with members of ZPHGA isn't sufficient because it appears that some of their members are banned. Also I could be hunting on listed property or with a banned PH that I was assigned by the outfitter. Just not worth it in my opinion.

quote:

Originally posted by CharlesL:

quote:

Originally posted by Bwana Bunduki:

quote:

Originally posted by CharlesL:
Just another reason for Americans to stay away from Zim.

That is a ridiculous statement if there ever was one.

Jeff

I have looked at Zim multiple times, but I am not experienced enough to separate the wheat from the chaff. Unless I can afford a handful of outfitters that are endorsed on AR I can not be confident that I am not making a costly mistake. I would have to be concerned about the changing banned list to keep from violating the Lacey Act. Just hunting with members of ZPHGA isn't sufficient because it appears that some of their members are banned. Also I could be hunting on listed property or with a banned PH that I was assigned by the outfitter. Just not worth it in my opinion.

Let me make it really simple for you.

Option 1: Book with CMS
Option 2: Use a reputable booking agent
Option 3: Ask for references

Zim has some of the best PH's in the subcontinent.

Jeff

quote:

Originally posted by fujotupu:

quote:

Just hate seeing folks swindeled especially if they were new-comers to Africa which we have no way of knowing...

Late-Bloomer:

You are of course certain that the American client was a newcomer to Africa or is itjust an assumption?

One also needs to remember that there are dozens of hunters in search of "adventure" and those who gamble on low cost hunts which almost always have a hidden agenda.

When it bites them in the ass the smarter ones shut up; others look for sympathy by blaming the outfitter, agent, PH, etc.

Fujo- Thank you for the comments much appreciated Im learning

Again if the hunters "knew" then of course no sympathies as I said prior... throw'em in jail too, would serve them right

well done louis on the informative reports.
this sort of incident only give the anti's more ammunition to ban hunting in Africa.lets hope that the variuos PH licences are revoked soon, keep up the good work in the Rifa

I see a lot of rabble rousing here about South Africans hunting in Zimbabwe, yet no one is acknowledging that the "base" perpetrator in this scenario was a "well known" Zimbabwean PH?

quote:

Originally posted by 505 gibbs:
I see a lot of rabble rousing here about South Africans hunting in Zimbabwe, yet no one is acknowledging that the "base" perpetrator in this scenario was a "well known" Zimbabwean PH?

Perhaps I missed this . Who was the well known PH?

All I saw named was a guy without a full license.

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:

quote:

Originally posted by 505 gibbs:
I see a lot of rabble rousing here about South Africans hunting in Zimbabwe, yet no one is acknowledging that the "base" perpetrator in this scenario was a "well known" Zimbabwean PH?

Perhaps I missed this . Who was the well known PH?

All I saw named was a guy without a full license.

Exactly.

No everyone is savvy enough to know and see trouble ahead.
It really could happen to anybody especially first time.
Hell, it happens here in US aplenty, where hunters get screwed by outfitters with money, hunt wrong properties etc.
Unscrupulous people are everywhere and they come up very trustworthy, because they know what they are doing and how to talk to people.
Also, there is no reason not to go, because of few bad apples anywhere.
Zim has their shit together for what I have seen there.
Corrupt, but whet it comes to hunting industry, it is pretty self policed besides the law.
After all, it pays the bills for Zim.