Parks to auction game

Business Reporter February 24, 2008

THE Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Authority (ZNPWA) will next month auction over 1 000 wildlife species in the Zambezi Valley Hunting and Fishing camp.

In an interview with Sunday Business on Thursday, the ZNPWA’s public relations manager, Retired Major Edward Mbewe, said the auction would be conducted on 7 March.
“We are going to auction wildlife at the Zambezi Valley Hunting and Fishing camp. This year’s auction will be conducted in the VIP lounge at Rainbow Towers in Harare in the morning and it will be conducted by AKM auctioneers.â€
Auctioning and hunting of the wildlife species is a yearly event, which sees tenders being drawn from prospective foreign and local hunters to raise funds for the authority.
The hunting is expected start on 1 May to 30 September for a period of 10 to 14 days respectively.
“The hunting camps consist of various animal species which are packaged into 73 bags,†Rtd Maj Mbewe said. “On average the bag (an assortment of wildlife species) contains between 10 to 15 wildlife species which includes dangerous and playing game.â€
A total of 53 fishing camps will also be auctioned on the same day. The fishing expeditions have been set after the hunting season in October.
In an effort to afford locals an opportunity to participate in the hunting, the authority will auction 20 percent of the camp in local currency.
“In a bid to cater for both foreign and local hunters, we are going to auction 80 percent of the camp in foreign currency and the remaining 20 percent in local currency.
“We have seen that more and more locals have shown an interest in hunting so we thought of accommodating them as well,†said Rtd Maj Mbewe.
The authority is also expected to introduce another category of hunting, which caters for the country’s citizens at Hartley A and Mufururidzi camps where nine bags would be auctioned for them (citizens).
However, all trophies paid for in local currency cannot be exported as it is illegal to do so.
According to the statutory instrument 143 of 2003, foreign hunters should pay for hunts in foreign currency, proceeds should be deposited with an authorized dealer within seven days from the last day of the hunt and trophies can only be exported when Exchange Control has been satisfied that funds pertaining to the hunt were received in Zimbabwe through normal banking channels.
“We are definitely looking forward to a high turnout of foreign hunters, we are calling upon agents that intend to be registered to come and purchase forms so as to represent their foreign hunters,†said Rtd Maj Mbewe.
He said the hunting industry is one of the country’s biggest foreign currency earners and contributes immensely to the authority’s coffers.
“We get the much-needed foreign currency through the hunts and the revenue accrued will go towards construction of our infrastructure, protecting the wildlife species, salaries, purchase of equipment such as radios and uniforms among other necessities.
“Some of the funds go towards the up-keep of the anti-poaching units in which we pay particular attention to the rhinoceros which is one of the endangered species,†said Rtd Maj Mbewe.