im posting the following 2 articles due to previous posts on AR the past couple of days. they can be found at http://africanhuntinginfo.com
both articles were reported in the zimbabwe newspaper the Herald.

Govt raids safari operators:
Financial Gazette (Harare) 2006-12-22
Njabulo Ncube
Harare

Safari operators throughout the country are in a state of panic following the launching of a government blitz to expose suspected corruption and financial irregularities within the lucrative industry.

Industry players said teams comprising officials from the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ), the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) and the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA), had made a series of raids on safari enterprises across the country.

The sources said the teams are investigating the financial records of safari establishments, particularly those on game hunting. The teams are also keen to check records on clients. The exercise is in response to allegations that safari operators could be prejudicing government of billions of dollars in hard currency through illegal hunting and false declarations of earnings.

"A safari operator recently shipped about 250 elephants to a game park in Zambia without the approval of the authorities," claimed an industry insider.

Francis Nhema, the Minister of Environment and Tourism, confirmed that a team of investigators had been deployed throughout the country but stressed that the checks were routine.

"We are not looking for blood, but checking whether the players are doing the right thing," said Nhema.

He said the teams would submit a report to him on their findings. "At the moment I can not say if they have unearthed any irregularities."


hunting quotas for 2007 unsure:
The Herald (Harare) 2006-12-18
Enacy Mapakame
Harare

PREPARATIONS for the 2007 hunting season have been hampered by reluctance by hunters to disclose information relating to their activities this year.

The Parks and Wildlife Management Authority revealed yesterday that hunting quotas for next year had thus not been set yet as these depended on this year's hunts.


There were fears hunters were reluctant to release their figures after they overhunted, in which case they would be required to pay a fine.

Parks authority public relations manager Retired Major Edward Mbewe told Herald Business that operators in the hunting sector were required to submit information on the number of animals they had hunted the previous season.

This would enable the authority to assess the animal populace prior to issuing hunting quotas for the 2007 hunting season.

The information was supposed to have been provided early this month and the authority has since extended the deadline to allow for its remittance by all parties involved.

A hunting quota represents the number of animals that can be culled or harvested yearly without upsetting the animal's population.

Rtd Major Mbewe said the information would ensure the authority was allocating the appropriate numbers of animals to be hunted to avoid putting them on the endangered list.

Cases of hunters exceeding their hunting quota are common. This is why it was necessary to reconcile the figures before granting any new quotas, Rtd Major Mbewe explained. Such information was also necessary to guarantee transparency.

"We give hunting quotas towards the end of the year, but this time there is a slight delay because operators are taking their time in giving us information on the record of animals they successfully hunted during the last season.

"Delays in giving us this information also mean there will be a delay in processing their quotas and this affects the operators because they will not be able to market their animals, thus affecting their business," said Mr Mbewe.

He added that the participation of stakeholders would complement the authority's efforts in wildlife management as this ensured a manageable number of animals in a particular area.

"The participatory approach is meant to encourage good record keeping and effective management of animal population by all stakeholders.

"Hunting is not just about killing animals, but is a sport and management tool used to control wildlife populations. It promotes sustainable use of wildlife through anti-poaching activities as we will be looking at people who are licensed for the activity," he said.

Mr Mbewe added that if the animal population exceeded the land's carrying capacity, the whole ecosystem would suffer.

Hunting is one of Zimbabwe's fastest growing foreign currency earners, and attracts hunters from as far afield as the United States among other countries.

quote:

"A safari operator recently shipped about 250 elephants to a game park in Zambia without the approval of the authorities," claimed an industry insider.

I have had a little involvement wht moving eles - its a gargantuan task! 250 is 'biblical proportions' for a private operator to undertake. I once saw 72 sub-adult Roan flown from Togo to SA in a Russian Antonov (?). They guy responsible was later fingered in al sorts of dodgy, nefarious shite!

Wow, I would love to get details of who it was, how far, from where and how long...jeez that is epic...if its true!!!

Perhaps Ganyana or Don know?

i will see if i can get more info. but i seriously doubt if this was possible. my honest opinion is that the current situation in zim is one of utter desperation and lack of revenue. as with most things in africa the thing that works ( and is still making some form of money) will be next on the government's list - the hunting industry. needless to say, as rob mugabe is a creature of habit, for the next couple of months all we'll hear is how bad the hunting industry is and how badly it was miss managed by their outfitter owners, thus forcing the government to take control

What great news for the outfitters from Zim coming over to the Reno and Dallas shows. The Zim government exposing corruption. What a joke.
Who would ever hunt Zim again if these clowns should take over the safari business.

Somebody shoplifted 250 elephants and neither police nor border control noticed?

I doubt it.

quote:

500grains
Somebody shoplifted 250 elephants and neither police nor border control noticed?

A little money on the side can always seem to get the job done.

The USual bit of high quality reporting in the gov newspaper. HERALD = Hope Everybody Reads All Lies And Deception.

1) 25 elephants went out
2) it was not a safari operator- it was a disposessed farmer
3) it happened two years ago

4) All safari operators make a return to Parks and reserve bank after every hunt- The TR2. Parks are just too incopetant to collect all the data and have now asked safari operators to provide them with a sumerry of the years hunting. Operators were asked - by notice in the Herald (which nobody reads) to submit these returns by 10 december. Pitty the notice was only in the paper on the 6th december and that the Herald is only available in the capital when most of the hunting is based in Bulawayo or the lowveld.

It is just Stix Chimuti trying to shift the blame for his incompetance to operators for not co-operating. Normal. In early January, the operators will go to the minister and stix will have to give out quotas based on tthis year . It has happened for the last six years. In fact the last time the quotas were out on time was 1999 - when Don Heath was still in charge of research and quota setting at parks