Seems recently several clients have complained on "Hunting Reports" about the lack of game, food and loss of hunting days to truck maintenance and lack of fuel for trucks. My friend was one that went and came back telling the same story as the persons in the following link. I listed this in case any forum members have future booking with USANGU. http://www.huntingreport.com/forum_ussangu.cfm#comments

What a total nightmare!

That's brutal, I'm sure glad that didn't happen to me.

These complaints are the tip of the iceberg. Zahir Mulla will be gone after this season and I figure him to flee Tanzania for Latvia where one of his wives lives. He has been deported from the US and can never return. I am the 38800 guy.

Jeff

I just got back today from a 21 day hunt in an area that borders Usangu. I learned a great deal about this situation and even got to meet the esteemed Mr Mulla.

The following sumarizes this info:

1- This area will not be hunted in the future. It will be turned into a national park which , when combined with Ruaha,will be the largest park in Tanzania.

2-Two different PH's told me that Usangu had taken something of a"scorched earth" approach knowing they were losing their block. The place was way overshot.

3-Usangu subbed out certain hunts to other companies. Usangu has never paid these PH's for either the daily rate or for the trophy fees. As a result, the PH's have not shipped the trophies. I completely believe his as the booking agent for one f these hunts told me the exact same story.

4-We received word via the radio that 5 PH's quit last week for non-payment of fees due them.

5-I got to meet Mr Mulla when we caught him poaching MILES inside of our area with 2 clients from Las Vegas.. I know a little Swahili. He was apologizing profusely. He offered me a crocodile in his area to compensate. I was not interested.

6-After being caught poaching, Mr Mulla was caught a second time trying to enter our area by qame scouts.

7-I spoke a little with the Las Vegas clients referred to above. They were not happy. Hunting had sucked to put it mildly. They had killed one small buff between themin 10 days. It was shot because it charged.

8-Certain PH's indicate that when Mr Mulla had a falling out with his family, he some how ended up with all of the debts. This created major challenges.

quote:

-I got to meet Mr Mulla when we caught him poaching MILES inside of our area with 2 clients from Las Vegas.. I know a little Swahili. He was apologizing profusely. He offered me a crocodile in his area to compensate. I was not interested.

6-After being caught poaching, Mr Mulla was caught a second time trying to enter our area by qame scouts.

Seloushunter

A friend of mine just got back, and he too had a mess.

For those of you reference checking for future hunts. This company was reccommended as a good outfitter on this site in spring of this year by reliable members of this site. IMO this is an example of the fall out from the fee increases. Bill Frontierhouse their US rep also had a good reputation.

Mr Fronthouse is no longer associated with them.

Stud,

You may be correct, but that was then, this is now. I had a good hunt with them in 03, but then the split in 06 between brothers abdul and zahir led to TAWICO half being sold and Zahir running amok. He also owes me 38,800 from 2006. Unless you have facts to support your opinion, please let this vet itself out as more people come forward. In the last 2 weeks, since I posted on HR, I have had calls from several individuals representing losses of over 250,000 US.

Jeff

I agree. Read the comments on the Hunting Report.

I don't see how the fee increases cause a client to show up and there be no food, fuel or even a tent.

As one of the AR members that posted previously on Usangu, all I can really say is that our hunt last year, while not without issues, went fine: we were successful in taking the trophies we were hunting and the trophies were shipped back promptly. I have absolutely no insights into what the current situation is and have no reason to dispute those that are reporting difficulties. I will say that based on the hunt last year there were cetainly indications of possible problems down the road: (i) we were scheduled to hunt in the Selous and ended up in the Usangu camp, (ii) we lost a day of hunting due to permit problems, (iii) had some equipment issues, and (iv) ended up sharing the camp with several other hunters (a father and a son) when we were supposed to have the camp to ourselves. Usangu was able to work through those issues and we had a good hunt -- and certainly never experienced any issues of running out of beds, fuel, food, etc.

As someone noted above, then was then and now is now and I certainly have no perspective on the now.

Interesting that Larry had a first hand perspective on the issue. The guy poached off of your area? Good grief. Scorched earth indeed. Sounds like he needs to sit in jail for awhile.

Assuming the poaching incident is true -- and I have absolutely no reason to dispute it -- it would really be ironic. When we hunted with Usangu, there was an incident one day when a very prominent individual from the local town was found hunting in the Usangu reserve. Zahir performed a "citizen's arrest" to use the Gomer Pyle phrase and had the fellow hauled into camp, then called the game department to come out, etc., etc. It was quite tense for awhile since the group was armed and not inclined to put their weapons down. Fortunately, I was not in the middle of this incident, my hunting buddy Russell was and he understandably found it very unnerving. So to have gone from enforcer of the game laws to violator of the game laws in one season would really be unfortunate, and ironic.

The more I hear and read about this guy the less I think of him. Remember that we are only hearing a very small percentage of what he has done wrong...I can assure you of that. I know there have been happy clients in the past but the guy's true character is showing up. It's not who you are when things are good that matters...it's in situations like these where people discover who you are.

I'd rather the guy take my money then tell me not to come rather than let me show up in camp with no food, fuel or tent. I can't even imagine.

Usangu Safaris has had their major hunt donation pulled from the SCI auction. They have had their booth cancelled at the SCI convention. Both Zahir and Abdul Mulla (Francolin Safaris) are banned from the SCI convention floor.

Jeff

Banned from the floor you say...as in they cannot even walk through? I've never heard of that happening.

That is my understanding. Besides Zahir cannot reenter the US.

Jeff

quote:

Originally posted by Bwana Bunduki:
Usangu Safaris has had their major hunt donation pulled from the SCI auction. They have had their booth cancelled at the SCI convention. Both Zahir and Abdul Mulla (Francolin Safaris) are banned from the SCI convention floor.

Jeff

Jeff,
Where did you get this information from? Is there a link?

Charlie Goldenberg of Premier Safari's has a contact in convention planning that I won't name here. There was also no sign of Usangu in the latest Safari Times. No list for major sponsor, no sponsor in the Tanzan portion and no adds.

Jeff

They have been banned from the DSC show as well for infractions concerning hunts... they won't be in Dallas next year as well.

in each issue of Safari Times there are small notices of outfitters or individual members who have been sanctioned by the ethics committee and who are forbidden from attending the convention in any manner.

Update: Libby Grimes who is head of SCI conventions has confirmed that Usangu Safari's will not be in Reno and not be on the floor. She offered the booth space to another outfitter. Sci did move on this but seemed reluctant. The ethics committee will continue to chew on all it's information for a while. I personally spoke with Zahir Mulla yesterday and he claims to be broke and penniless. He claims to missing 500K in funds and insinuates Fronterhouse is to blame without actually saying it. Other than that he has no plan to reimburse anyone. I don't see how he can continue.

Jeff