First For Hunters Blog
SCI Donates Fee Award to Anti-Poaching Effort in Zimbabwe at SCI Convention

by Stephanie Spika Hickey | Feb 23, 2016 Leave a comment
At the SCI Convention on Thursday, February 4, SCI made a formal presentation of a donation to the Dande Anti-Poaching Unit (DAPU). SCI President, Larry Higgins presented the check for $8900 to James (Buzz) Charlton and Myles McCallum, who operate DAPU in association with Charlton McCallum Safaris. SCI President-elect Paul Babaz and SCI Legal Task Force Chairman Rew Goodenow participated to congratulate Charlton and McCallum on their efforts.

The donation came from money that SCI earned as a result of a victory in one of its elephant importation ban cases. SCI received an attorney fee award in a Freedom of Information Act case SCI brought against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). With the approval of SCI’s Executive Committee, SCI’s Litigation Department selected DAPU as the recipient of these funds.

DAPU operates in Dande East and Dande North. Since its founding in 2010, DAPU’s anti-poaching patrol teams have picked up over 5000 snares and arrested over 60 poachers. Game in the area has rebounded significantly since DAPU began operating. Most of DAPU’s expenses have been covered by Charlton McCallum Safaris but individual hunters and some organizations have provided some support.

When SCI sues a federal or state government over an illegal rule, policy or other decision, SCI’s primary goals are not to obtain a monetary reward or financially penalize the government for its errors. Instead, SCI seeks to obtain a judicial decision that will require the federal or state government to reverse, withdraw or change decisions that harm hunting and sustainable use conservation. Nevertheless, on some occasions, like the one involving the request for documents about the elephant importation ban, SCI has been able to recover an attorney fee award from the federal government in the settlement of the case. Unlike the animal rights and anti-hunting groups that use such awards to finance membership or propaganda campaigns, SCI has put these awards toward programs and projects that benefit the species at issue in the litigation. SCI last invested such an award in a scimitar-horned oryx program conducted at the Selah, Bamberger Ranch Preserve in Texas.

DAPU intends to use the donation to purchase tents, boots and other important equipment for the DAPU anti-poaching teams. For more information about DAPU, please visit their website. http://www.cmsafaris.com/afric...de-anti-poaching.htm. SCI is very excited to make our donation to DAPU as the latest installment in our effort to invest our litigation successes in SCI’s conservation missions.

Well done Buzz. Myles and SCI!

SCI..Very deserving recipient!

Congrats to both!

Congrats to everyone involved. Well done.

I wonder how much $$ was the award for?


465H&H

Good stuff! Glad part of my entry fee went to the proper place

$8,900.00. It's in the article.

excellent- good on Buzz and Myles and glad to see SCI give some money to a worthy cause.

Outstanding!

Good for them! We know that money will be put to good use.

Good deal!

Well done all around!

WINNER WINNER

quote:

Originally posted by Tim Herald:
excellent- good on Buzz and Myles and glad to see SCI give some money to a worthy cause.

So nice to see at least some of our money is going to a good cause1

Now, if they could let us know where the rest of it goes it I am sure the members would appreciate it.

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:

quote:

Originally posted by Tim Herald:
excellent- good on Buzz and Myles and glad to see SCI give some money to a worthy cause.

So nice to see at least some of our money is going to a good cause1

Now, if they could let us know where the rest of it goes it I am sure the members would appreciate it.

I didn't know you were donating to SCI Saeed!! Kudos to you!!

quote:

Originally posted by Matt Graham:

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:

quote:

Originally posted by Tim Herald:
excellent- good on Buzz and Myles and glad to see SCI give some money to a worthy cause.

So nice to see at least some of our money is going to a good cause1

Now, if they could let us know where the rest of it goes it I am sure the members would appreciate it.

I didn't know you were donating to SCI Saeed!! Kudos to you!!

"SCI is forcing "donations" from all African outfitters, and I have not seen any indications they are paying anything back.

Congrats to the guys at CMS and DAPU!

This money will be well-spent at least. Well done!

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:

quote:

Originally posted by Matt Graham:

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:

quote:

Originally posted by Tim Herald:
excellent- good on Buzz and Myles and glad to see SCI give some money to a worthy cause.

So nice to see at least some of our money is going to a good cause1

Now, if they could let us know where the rest of it goes it I am sure the members would appreciate it.

I didn't know you were donating to SCI Saeed!! Kudos to you!!

"SCI is forcing "donations" from all African outfitters, and I have not seen any indications they are paying anything back.

Ah sorry I guess you were using the 'royal we'.

Yes those poor Africans get strong-armed year after year...

Good group to support and kudos to SCI for their willingness to support them.

And SCI is making such a bloody fuss about giving them such a small sum of money??

If one takes into consideration the millions they milk out of African outfitters and PHs??

Fuss? They provided an update to their members through their website. Sounds pretty standard to me.

SCI on AR: Damned if they do; damned if they don't. I'm really not interested in creating another shit storm. I was just pointing out something that SCI had done for Buzz and DAPU that was worthy of our congratulations, no more, no less. OOAR.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Use Enough Gun:
$8,900.00. It's in the article. [/QUOTE

Agreed that $9,000 (rounding for convenience) as a contribution to the cause is better than nothing provided there a many more similar (and constant) contributions that will effectively make the project work.

Anti-poaching units cost money to operate and for them to be effective there obviously have to be more than one; each group has to be properly equipped: vehicle + fuel, communication equipment and sufficient supplies to keep them in the field for at least 2 weeks at a time.
We are looking at deployments of between 7-10 per group and depending on the area which needs to be patrolled, may require 3 or more groups, one of which rotates to relieve the other and guaranteeing continuity of 2 groups being constantly active.

A properly executed anti-poaching exercise gentlemen costs money, serious money and $9,000 will not go very far.
Wanting to, SCI has more to offer, as in the form of "buying in" to the DAPU project and participating as a "benefactor" who will respond when the going gets rough.

Failing this, DAPU will always be out looking for alms to keep their project alive which is a great pity as it has proved itself in its commitment in containing poaching in the area and being stuck for financing may bring operations to a standstill, giving leeway and respite to poachers to continue with their activity.

AWESOME AND WELL DESERVED. CONGRATS ALL ROUND.

quote:

Originally posted by fujotupu:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Use Enough Gun:
$8,900.00. It's in the article. [/QUOTE

Agreed that $9,000 (rounding for convenience) as a contribution to the cause is better than nothing provided there a many more similar (and constant) contributions that will effectively make the project work.

Anti-poaching units cost money to operate and for them to be effective there obviously have to be more than one; each group has to be properly equipped: vehicle + fuel, communication equipment and sufficient supplies to keep them in the field for at least 2 weeks at a time.
We are looking at deployments of between 7-10 per group and depending on the area which needs to be patrolled, may require 3 or more groups, one of which rotates to relieve the other and guaranteeing continuity of 2 groups being constantly active.

A properly executed anti-poaching exercise gentlemen costs money, serious money and $9,000 will not go very far.
Wanting to, SCI has more to offer, as in the form of "buying in" to the DAPU project and participating as a "benefactor" who will respond when the going gets rough.

Failing this, DAPU will always be out looking for alms to keep their project alive which is a great pity as it has proved itself in its commitment in containing poaching in the area and being stuck for financing may bring operations to a standstill, giving leeway and respite to poachers to continue with their activity.

I fully agree. A five year grant of 25k with earmarks based on success would have been more realistic. 9k is better than nothing but it does not go very far. If SCI wants to be first for something, be first for the hunters and anti-poaching they provide.

Jeff

Congrats but nine grand does not go far in anti poaching. Especially when vehicles are in the mix.

You guys are right . However, I am quite confident that if one asked Buzz, he would rather have the $9,000 than nothing.

Sometimes an initial grant can lead to subsequent grants too, even regular annual grants . . .

Thanks for the comment guys. The donation by SCI is truly appreciated by us ,as are all donations, big and small. The truth is $9000 is the cost of the maintenace to the DAPU vehicle to get it back on the road which was completed yesterday so it has been essential especially as I am not sure we could have been able to pay the bill. It is one of my old cruisers with nearly 500 000 km on the clock!! Ideally we need a newer cruiser as a vehicle that old will cost that annually but we are not in a position to be able to do that.

Bottom line as many pointed out - Anti poaching is expensive. It costs us close to
$100 000/year of which about half is from incredibly generous donations from individuals ( many of them on them on the AR here!!!) and from a 1% levy we had to apply to clients hunting with us. The other half is paid for by myself and Myles.

The truth is with the US ban on lion and in particular elephant combined with increases in every department, we are not able to keep up. Unless DAPU becomes self funding this year we will have to decrease from 22 scouts to 11 which will be a crying shame. DAPU is one of the few privately funded anti poaching units that is TOTALLY credible in that we can, and do, account for every cent spent and there are no stupid fees such as "consultant fees" that go with many other shady donor operations.

Once again guys thanks for the comments and for the donations many of you have sent us! Cheers Buzz

Buzz-
Add $500 to my bill again this year, for DAPU.

quote:

Originally posted by Marty:
Buzz-
Add $500 to my bill again this year, for DAPU.

This is what I would say is a generous donation!

An individual hunter doing what he can to help an outfit that has taken on the poachers, as many are already doing according to Buzz.

There are a number of outfitters in Africa who are fighting poaching, and they all deserve our support.

Has SCI supported any of them?

I doubt it.

Now they did something, they make such a bloody fuss about it blowing their own trumpet!

For years now we have been asking where is the money to help problems in Africa from SCI??

We get all sorts of excuses, but never any specific sums paid to specific projects as they did here.

This is one of the major reasons many members are fed up with the clowns running SCI.

Hi Guys

Saeed your comment is right on Marty so Marty thank you very much indeed - that is very generous of you and goes a LONG way in Dande- thankyou. Looking forward very much to a different sort of hunt this year!!

Ps Saeed _ have sent you a PM pse check- thanks Buzz

Buzz,
Keep up the good work.

SCI demands that every exhibitor "donates" a hunt or product every year.

It will be interesting to know how many millions of Dollars worth they have forcibly made to "donate", and how much has actually found its way back to do any good in Africa.