Lion hunts and trophy imports

[Nyati]

@Bill Thom , a professional videotape would be an option, you could have a good hunt with a serious company like De Klerk Safaris, plus a copy of the skull.

Experience, memories, and not break the bank.

 

[Bill Thom]

@Bill Thom , a professional videotape would be an option, you could have a good hunt with a serious company like De Klerk Safaris, plus a copy of the skull.

Experience, memories, and not break the bank.

interesting . but I will hope for a change in regulations and double up on my savings plans and try to get something done in 2026. cheers

 

[MarkB]

Just to clear up a few facts.
Canned lion hunting is illegal in South Africa.
The anti hunters just love to use that word (canned).
It puts the idea into readers minds that the animal is locked up in a small enclosure (therefore canned).
There is actually a court order that prohibit the press from using that word in any of their articles about captive bred lion hunting.
The reality is that the captive lion industry is very well regulated by our government.
Release dates as well as the hunting dates are monitored by the government officials.
There are minimum norms and standards regarding size of the property and how wild an area is and the amount of time a lion has to be free roaming.
It is also illegal to bait for these lions as it will make the lions dependant on the feed and will make it very easy to find the lions.
Each province (just like states in USA) in South Africa have got different regulations as to how long lions must be free roaming before they can be hunted.
The Northern Cape province require the lions to be free roaming for 2 years before they can be hunted.
The Orange Free State province requires 30 days and Northwest province 4 days for example.
At De Klerk Safaris we take the norms and standards just as a baseline and then increase the standards on every single requirement.
If the requirement is minimum 4 000 acres we make it 23 846 acres (having just added another 4 942 acres after buying the neighbours property and adding it to the game reserve).
If the requirement in Northwest is 4 days free roaming time we follow SAPA's (South African Predator's Association) as well as PHASA's (Professional Hunter's Association of South Africa) norms and standards of at least 30 days. Some of our lions will be free roaming for several months as we release a bunch in the beginning of the season so by the end of the season they might be on the game reserve for 4 months or longer.
If the requirements require an area to be wild we certainly fit the bill (240 km from the closest town, no paved roads closer than 55 miles from us, no overhead electric or telephone wires, no crops or culivated fields close to us, etc.
Our lodge is situated in the middle of the game reserve so clients start hunting the moment they leave the lodge. No gates to open or fences in sight or long drives to get to the hunting area.

I am a big hunter myself but hardly taxidermy anything.
For me it is about the experience and if I want to relive and remember it again I just look at the photos or videos again.
I would rather take the money spent on taxidermy and shipping and go on another safari.
But I can understand if a client wish to have the real trophy to show his friends and family.

But like the saying goes there are many different types of horses for different courses.
So each man (or woman) must decide himself what he wants to do.

Sincerely
Hans de Klerk

Have to say thank you to you guys. Came on here on a "normally" hot topic thread, set the record straight and defended CBL for what it is, stated the truth with no BS. That's the #1 thing I ask in all outfitters, don't want/need a moral lecture, say what you can do and do what you say you will is all I ask. You are on the very short outfitter list for my return.

Thank You

MB