NAPHA’S REPLY TO THORMÄHLEN & COCHRAN SAFARIS (PTY) LTD
In the Namibian and the Republikein newspapers of of 11 November 2014 was published a lengthy response was published by Thormählen & Cochran Safaris (Pty) Ltd to NAPHA’s earlier press release and related newspaper articles concerning the shooting of a pregnant black rhino cow by a hunter client of Thormählen & Cochran Safaris (Pty) Ltd in the Mangetti National Park.
The response is interspersed with scandalous and vexatious allegations concerning NAPHA and its members, which constrains NAPHA to reply thereto by way of this further press release.
NAPHA is a voluntary association of which the fundamental purpose is to enhance and maintain, by effective management, an organisational infrastructure that can serve professional hunting members, clients and other interest groups. NAPHA’s intent is to ensure and promote ethical conduct, sustainable utilisation of natural resources, and to secure the industry for current and future generations.
As regards the resignation of Mr Thormählen as a member of NAPHA during 2011, the facts are that he resigned whilst a disciplinary investigation was pending against him and NAPHA thus no longer had disciplinary jurisdiction over Mr Thormählen. The initial complaint investigated in fact concerned the shooting of a collared lion called “Big Boy” by a client of Thormählen & Cochran Safaris (Pty) Ltd and during the investigation a further complaint was laid relating to the leopard hunt which is laboriously argued in the published response of Thormählen & Cochran Safaris (Pty) Ltd. Furthermore the Chairperson of NAPHA”s disciplinary committee was not replaced as alleged. His term of office came to an end after the resignation of Mr Thormählen.
The resort of Thormählen & Cochran Safaris (Pty) Ltd to the race card is simply scurrilous. Mr Thormählen, the majority shareholder in Thormählen & Cochran Safaris (Pty) Ltd, is a white South African citizen. The application for membership of the minority shareholder, Mr H Witbooi, was made by Thormählen & Cochran Safaris (Pty) Ltd and was turned down for the reason that the company’s majority shareholder resigned as member of NAPHA whilst under disciplinary investigation. Mr H Witbooi was duly informed of NAPHA’s decision and reasons in writing and was granted an opportunity to appeal against the decision at the annual general meeting of NAPHA.
Thormählen & Cochran Safaris (Pty) Ltd then at length laud its own social responsibility achievements. Likewise, the social responsibility achievements of the more than 450 individual members of NAPHA will fill many pages of newspaper articles. NAPHA is in fact currently presenting a Hunting Operator Course aimed at empowering Communal Conservancies to form their own trophy hunting operations.
NAPHA”s succinct initial press release of 23 October 2014 was prompted by the inexcusable shooting of a pregnant black rhino cow in the Mangetti National Park by a hunter client of Thormählen & Cochran Safaris (Pty) Ltd and not by the Big Game Professional Hunter guiding the hunt as would be the norm in the event of a life threatening emergency arising. This event was condemned in the strongest terms by the international trophy hunting community and has caused severe harm to Namibia’s status and reputation as a trophy hunting destination. It is to be noted that in the whole of the Mangetti National Park there were kept at the time a number of black rhino bulls and only the one cow that was shot.
In the published response of Thormählen & Cochran Safaris (Pty) Ltd it is contended that the company was exonerated on account of investigations and admissions made in the course of a civil court case it instituted against MET which culminated in a negotiated settlement. The terms of such settlement have not been disclosed as it apparently was a so-called confidential settlement, concluded between the company and MET. However, the papers filed with the Court in the particular court case do not show that MET and the Government attorney expressly admitted that the shooting occurred in a situation of sudden emergency. What the papers do show is that MET did not place the sudden emergency allegations in dispute as the issue of sudden emergency was not crucial to MET’s statutory defence raised against the principal relief that the company sought in the court case, namely a court order that the company on contractual grounds be allowed to further hunt a black rhino bull in the Mangetti National Park. Thormählen & Cochran Safaris (Pty) Ltd is invited to make the complete video footage taken of the shooting of the black rhino cow available to the executive committee of NAPHA for viewing.
In conclusion NAPHA is and will remain a truly Namibian Association, formed and driven by qualified Namibian Professional Hunters and Conservationists who embrace its objectives of ethical conduct in Trophy Hunting and sustainable utilization of natural resources. As a truly Namibian Association, NAPHA will speak out far and loud in order not only to protect the interest of its members but that of the country as a whole and it will not tolerate anyone to jeopardize those values.
The Advertising referred to in the above release:
In the Namibian and the Republikein newspapers of of 11 November 2014 was published a lengthy response was published by Thormählen & Cochran Safaris (Pty) Ltd to NAPHA’s earlier press release and related newspaper articles concerning the shooting of a pregnant black rhino cow by a hunter client of Thormählen & Cochran Safaris (Pty) Ltd in the Mangetti National Park.
The response is interspersed with scandalous and vexatious allegations concerning NAPHA and its members, which constrains NAPHA to reply thereto by way of this further press release.
NAPHA is a voluntary association of which the fundamental purpose is to enhance and maintain, by effective management, an organisational infrastructure that can serve professional hunting members, clients and other interest groups. NAPHA’s intent is to ensure and promote ethical conduct, sustainable utilisation of natural resources, and to secure the industry for current and future generations.
As regards the resignation of Mr Thormählen as a member of NAPHA during 2011, the facts are that he resigned whilst a disciplinary investigation was pending against him and NAPHA thus no longer had disciplinary jurisdiction over Mr Thormählen. The initial complaint investigated in fact concerned the shooting of a collared lion called “Big Boy” by a client of Thormählen & Cochran Safaris (Pty) Ltd and during the investigation a further complaint was laid relating to the leopard hunt which is laboriously argued in the published response of Thormählen & Cochran Safaris (Pty) Ltd. Furthermore the Chairperson of NAPHA”s disciplinary committee was not replaced as alleged. His term of office came to an end after the resignation of Mr Thormählen.
The resort of Thormählen & Cochran Safaris (Pty) Ltd to the race card is simply scurrilous. Mr Thormählen, the majority shareholder in Thormählen & Cochran Safaris (Pty) Ltd, is a white South African citizen. The application for membership of the minority shareholder, Mr H Witbooi, was made by Thormählen & Cochran Safaris (Pty) Ltd and was turned down for the reason that the company’s majority shareholder resigned as member of NAPHA whilst under disciplinary investigation. Mr H Witbooi was duly informed of NAPHA’s decision and reasons in writing and was granted an opportunity to appeal against the decision at the annual general meeting of NAPHA.
Thormählen & Cochran Safaris (Pty) Ltd then at length laud its own social responsibility achievements. Likewise, the social responsibility achievements of the more than 450 individual members of NAPHA will fill many pages of newspaper articles. NAPHA is in fact currently presenting a Hunting Operator Course aimed at empowering Communal Conservancies to form their own trophy hunting operations.
NAPHA”s succinct initial press release of 23 October 2014 was prompted by the inexcusable shooting of a pregnant black rhino cow in the Mangetti National Park by a hunter client of Thormählen & Cochran Safaris (Pty) Ltd and not by the Big Game Professional Hunter guiding the hunt as would be the norm in the event of a life threatening emergency arising. This event was condemned in the strongest terms by the international trophy hunting community and has caused severe harm to Namibia’s status and reputation as a trophy hunting destination. It is to be noted that in the whole of the Mangetti National Park there were kept at the time a number of black rhino bulls and only the one cow that was shot.
In the published response of Thormählen & Cochran Safaris (Pty) Ltd it is contended that the company was exonerated on account of investigations and admissions made in the course of a civil court case it instituted against MET which culminated in a negotiated settlement. The terms of such settlement have not been disclosed as it apparently was a so-called confidential settlement, concluded between the company and MET. However, the papers filed with the Court in the particular court case do not show that MET and the Government attorney expressly admitted that the shooting occurred in a situation of sudden emergency. What the papers do show is that MET did not place the sudden emergency allegations in dispute as the issue of sudden emergency was not crucial to MET’s statutory defence raised against the principal relief that the company sought in the court case, namely a court order that the company on contractual grounds be allowed to further hunt a black rhino bull in the Mangetti National Park. Thormählen & Cochran Safaris (Pty) Ltd is invited to make the complete video footage taken of the shooting of the black rhino cow available to the executive committee of NAPHA for viewing.
In conclusion NAPHA is and will remain a truly Namibian Association, formed and driven by qualified Namibian Professional Hunters and Conservationists who embrace its objectives of ethical conduct in Trophy Hunting and sustainable utilization of natural resources. As a truly Namibian Association, NAPHA will speak out far and loud in order not only to protect the interest of its members but that of the country as a whole and it will not tolerate anyone to jeopardize those values.
The Advertising referred to in the above release:
