Official Leopard & Cheetah Hunting Announcement by NAPHA

[AfricaHunting.com]

Official Leopard & Cheetah Hunting Announcement by NAPHA

It's finally official the announcement from Namibia Professional Hunting Association (NAPHA) for Leopard and Cheetah hunting in Namibia.

Attached please find the Amendment of Regulations relating to Nature Conservation: Nature Conservation Ordinance, 1975 sent by NAPHA.



MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT AND TOURISM
Windhoek, 14 January 2010

SCHEDULE

Definitions

1. In these regulations, “the Regulations” means the Regulations Relating to Nature Conservation, published under Government Notice No. 240 of 1976, as amended by Government Notices Nos. 256 of 1976; 112, 248, 302, 314 and 364 of 1977; 114, 190 and 247 of 1978; 10, 50 and 56 of 1979; AG.8 of 1981; AG.41 of 1982; 23, 49 and 61 of 1983; 72 of 1984; 3, 36, 101 and 121 of 1985; 122 and 242 of 1986; 81 of 1987; 89 of 1988; AG.37 and AG.44 of 1989; 152 of 1993; 304 of 1996, 83 of 1997 and 59 of 2009.


Insertion of certain definitions in Regulations

2. The following definitions are inserted in the Regulations after the definition of “Naukluft Mountain Zebra Park”:

“’predator’, in relation to regulations 114A, 114B and 114C, means a cheetah, leopard or lion;

“trophy hunting guide” means a hunting guide, master hunting guide or professional hunter;”.


Insertion of regulations 114A, 114B and 114C in Regulations

3. The following regulations are inserted after regulation 114 of the Regulations:


“Leopard trophy hunting quota

114A. (1) Only a trophy hunting operator registered with NTB and the Ministry may apply for leopard trophy hunting quota.

(2) A person who wants a leopard trophy hunting quota must apply by fully completing the application form in Schedule E.

(3) An applicant may only be allocated a maximum of two leopard trophy hunting quotas per trophy hunting season in a form of leopard trophy hunting quota tag, which tag -

(a) is issued by the Permit Office;

(b) reflects the trophy hunting quota Number; and

(c) is valid for a specific trophy hunting season.

(4) The Ministry allocates leopard trophy hunting quotas based on the size of land (2500ha is the cut off limit) and any relevant scientific information available such as estimated population size, trophy size and trends, hunting success rate, density and habitat, and communal conservancies and hunting concessions on State land are not included.

(5) Applications for leopard trophy hunting quotas for the following trophy hunting season end on 30 September in each year.

(6) Leopard trophy hunting tags are allocated and handed over to successful applicants from 31 October until 30 January.

(7) The cost for a leopard trophy hunting tag is as set out in Schedule D paragraph (d).”.


Application for predator trophy hunting permit

114B. (1) A person who wants a predator trophy hunting permit must apply by fully completing the application form in Schedule F.

(2) Only fully completed application form for a predator trophy hunting permit is processed, and it is the duty of the applicant to ensure that his or her application form is completed in full.

(3) An application for a predator trophy hunting permit must be submitted to the Permit Office of the Ministry 14 days before the hunt commences.

(4) When applying for a predator trophy hunting permit for a leopard, an applicant must have a leopard trophy hunting quota tag available.

(5) A copy of the passport or identity document of a trophy hunter must be attached to the application for a predator trophy hunting permit.


Conditions of predator trophy hunting permit

114C. (1) A trophy hunter, trophy hunting guide and trophy hunting operator must read and acknowledge and sign the predator trophy hunting permit conditions before the hunt commences.

(2) A predator trophy hunting permit must be obtained before the hunt for a predator commences and must be in the physical possession of the trophy hunting guide while the predator is being hunted.

(3) The trophy hunting operator concerned must give notice of the predator hunt to the regional office of the Ministry seven days before the hunt commences.

(4) A predator trophy hunting permit is -

(a) issued to a trophy hunter;

(b) non-transferable; and

(c) valid for a period specified in the permit.


(5) Predators may only be hunted for trophies under the following conditions -

(a) only free roaming, self-sustaining and adult predators may be hunted as trophies with a minimum skull measurement of 27cm for a cheetah, 32cm for a leopard and 52cm for a lion;

(b) a female leopard may not be hunted as trophy;

(c) a predator may not be shot in any form of confinement or in a trap or in an area which is smaller than 1000ha;

(d) a predator may be baited, but a live animal may not be used as bait;

(e) a predator may not be shot within a range of 1km of any other predator kept in captivity in any form;

(f) a predator may be stalked, tracked or ambushed, but dogs or horses may not be used for that purpose or for hunting;

(g) predator trophy hunting may not take place during the period between 30 minutes after sunset in any day and 30 minutes before sunrise the following day and artificial light is prohibited;

(h) a predator may not be shot from a moving vehicle or chased in any way with an aircraft;

(i) a predator may not be hunted unless it belongs to a wild and sustainable population (It exists as a naturally interacting member of a wild and sustainable population in an area large enough for it to breed, forage and hunt freely and where there is a natural state of balance between forage, predator and prey);

(j) a predator bred in captivity may not be trophy hunted;

(k) a predator to be hunted may not be drugged in any form;

(l) a canned hunting (any restriction of an animal’s natural movement for the purpose of trophy hunting) in any form is illegal;

(m) a predator may only be hunted in areas as specified on the predator trophy hunting permit;

(.n) once the predator has been killed, the following must occur -

(i) the following photos must be taken immediately after the hunt, at the location where the predator was killed -

(aa) the predator lying on its right showing the feet;

(bb) the predator lying on its left showing the feet;

(cc) a close-up photo from the front showing the face of the predator, clearly depicting facial features: nose, eyes, and mouth, and a visible leopard hunting quota tag number, in case of a leopard; and

(dd) a photo of the trophy hunter and trophy hunting guide posing with the predator, with all four legs of the predator stretched out for clear visibility; and

(ii) the trophy hunter and trophy hunting guide must sign all the photos on the reverse side;

(o) the recording sheet of the predator trophy hunting permit in Schedule G has to be filled in, in permanent ink, immediately after the hunt;

(p) the trophy hunter and trophy hunting guide must sign on the reverse side of the predator trophy hunting permit with the following statement:

“We hereby individually and collectively declare that the predator recorded and photographed was hunted, shot and killed by us in full accordance with all the predator trophy hunting permit conditions.”;

(q) a telephonic report must be given to the staff member responsible for the predator trophy hunting permit register in the Permit Office in Windhoek within 72 hours of the predator being killed, and full details of the predator trophy hunting permit must be provided;

(r) an unsuccessful predator hunt has to be reported to the Permit Office in Windhoek within 72 hours after the trophy hunting permit has expired;

(s) no application for subsequent predator trophy hunting permit from a trophy hunting operator may be processed if the Permit Office has not received the report on the previous permit issued to his or her client (trophy hunter);

(t) the original predator trophy hunting permit with full details as described in paragraph (u) must be handed in to the Taxidermist or shipping agent with the trophy;

(u) an application for a permit to export a predator trophy must be handed in at the Permit Office in Windhoek and must be accompanied by -

(i) a copy of the passport of the trophy hunter and of a page thereof with an immigration stamp indicating the date of entry;

(ii) the original predator trophy hunting permit;

(iii) the trophy hunting quota tag, in case of a leopard;

(iv) the recording sheet; and

(v) the photos referred to in paragraph (.n); and

(v) export permit may not be issued if the conditions in paragraph (u) have not been met.


Any contravention or non compliance with any regulation or permit condition is dealt with accordance with the Nature Conservation Ordinance, 1975 (Ordinance No. 4 of 1975), especially sections 84(5), 86, 87, 88 and 89.


Amendment of Schedule D to Regulations

4. Schedule D to the Regulations is amended by the substitution for paragraph (d) of the following paragraph:
“(d) Issue of permits and quota tags:

Type of permit & Fees

Night Cropping Permit N$100

Import Permit N$100

Export Permit N$100

Export Permit for carcass or raw meat of game or wild animal:
• Cloven-footed animal as big or smaller than springbok (per whole
carcass or portion or raw meat) N$12
• Cloven-footed animal bigger than a springbok (per whole carcass or portion or raw meat) N$25

Biltong Hunting Permit N$100

Trophy Hunting Permit N$100

Any other Permit N$50

Leopard Hunting Quota Tag N$5 000


See document for trophy hunting quota, hunting permit & record sheet forms.

 

[safari hunter]

Looks like that N$ 5,000 price per tag for Leopard is just outrageous. What is that a $ 1,000 US? When the African government sees how lucrative hunting is they always have to get their fingers in the pie.

 

[AfricaHunting.com]

safari hunter, It's actually about US$ 670.00 at today's exchange rate. What is more concerning is the increased bureaucracy surrounding Leopard and Cheetah hunting if you read the notice thoroughly there are phone calls to be made if a leopard is taken or not within 72 hours, extensive photographs to be taken, signing of the photographs by all involved parties and submission within a certain time frame... the list goes on.

 

[ctulpa]

Hi Jerome,
Is this the new regulations or is it just the proposed regulations that are being published for comment?

After reading the regs, it will be a little more challenging and time consuming to apply and get the necessary permits. While it is unfortunate to have to do more paperwork, phone calls and photos, it is great to have leopard hunting re-open again in Namibia!

The photos and phone calls are somewhat different than we see in a lot of the hunting quota areas.
But we always run into a lot of reporting on limited quota tags in other areas of the world: Alaska for Brown Bears, Dall Sheep, Mt. Goats and also on limited tag drawings; Marco Polo sheep; Polar Bears, etc. If the hunter fails to file the successful or unsuccessful post-hunting reports with state and/or federal authorities, he will be banned from future hunting and/or charged with a crime.

And if we have to take several specific photos and contact the wildlife authority office upon a kill, then we will have to do it to keep our leopard hunting open and available. It will create a lot of additional recored keeping for Namibia. And that increases costs for the program.
The bred leopards with cage face marks are going to be evident in the photos.

Additional data on leopard kills is helpful in the management of the species. It can also lead to additional tags if reporting shows that more tags can be issued without a detriment to the sustainable populations.

Although on the surface N $5000 (seems high, it really is not excessive considering what we pay in other parts of the world to hunt the large predators.

Brown and Grizzly Bear tags are similar to Alaska; Polar Bear import tag to USFW is US$1000 (N $7,600) when they allowed them. Leopard and Lion are much more costly than that in Tanzania, and most other areas of Africa. If Namibia can realize revenue from the leopards, they will also be much more involved to keep it going.

They have to start somewhere. And this is much better than an outright ban on leopard hunting!

Cliff

 

[Dinsdale]

Hmmm,looks interesting,going to take a season to shake out for most I think.

The 4 photos tying an individual cat with its markings to a specific hunter I think would be great.Easy to check for export and import I would think.

The fee is not that big IMO,it costs $315 US , just to hunt a whitetail in Texas,for an out of state person.


114A (4) will be interesting....how many places have the game studies to back up application requests?

Since those app's are for Oct 31 to Jan 30 is this year in question?

I'll echo ctulpa...gotta start somewhere....

 

[enysse]

I don't like all the new regulations. All we need is more government involvement. What happens if you do one thing wrong in the permit process...I'll admit...I think a lot of mistakes will happen.

Hopefully they run a study if these regulations are doing any good in a few years. What happens if the population increases because the bait hunters aren't killing enough....is it back to SOS. At least when there were dog hunts there was super value to the hunts. That is something, a lot of hunters liked. I know the bait and spot and stalk hunts there are crap shoot.

Anyway I have my doubts, even if the season is reopened now, I don't think this was well thought out.

How do you measure a skull of cheetah and leopard for the minimum size and then shoot it?? I gotta laugh, I realize they want adult males shot....but this is funny.

 

[AfricaHunting.com]

Cliff,

This is not a new regulation but an amendment to the regulations relating to Leopard and Cheetah hunting in Namibia. This is not a proposal, these are the newly amended regulations published by the Namibian Ministry of Environment and Toursim (MET) in the Government gazette and just announced by Namibia Professional Hunting Association (NAPHA).

Hunting clients will not be too burdened by this new regulations, on the other hand the hunting outfitters will have to comply with many new rules and requirements.

The N$ 5,000 (approximately US$ 670.00) is for the Government Leopard Hunting Quota Tag and is obtained by the trophy hunting operator registered with NTB and the Ministry. This cost will certainly be passed on to the client and will be in addition to the trophy fee to be paid to the outfitter. In Namibia, Leopard trophy fees range between outfitters and can vary from US$ 3,000 to 4,500. I believe that most hunting outfitters in Namibia will charge their clients for the Government Leopard Hunting Quota Tag while on a Leopard hunt whether they got their Leopards or not as there will only be two allotted per year per outfitter.

Further than the Government Leopard Hunting Quota Tag, the hunting outfitter will also have to obtain for their leopard hunting clients a predator trophy hunting permit at least 14 days before the hunt commences.

 

[Dinsdale]

Correct me if I'm wrong but an outfitter has to arrange for a license for plains game already?

And specify what is being hunted also?

On the clients end;no tag availible=no license granted.

Ask to see the license and the outfitter has none=you don't drive around pretending they are hunting for you.Stops from selling the same quota over several times on the show circuit and making a play...yes/no?

Sorry,but Namibian outfitters who hunt cats had to see this coming(?)

Been playing fast and loose with the CITIES #'s for a while.Every outfitter from Namibia I have ever got talking has said that it was just a matter of time.Not just NAPHA board members,but some who really don't have a vested interest in cats for hunting.

Maybe with a solid control here it bolsters the fight to challenge the status of Black Face Impala and Cheetah for potential import to the US(?)

 

[ndumo HUNTING SAFARIS]

The regs are just a little more than we used to have to do anyway, so I really do not see a problem for the hunting client at all. (We had to take photos in the past as well, we had to report back on succcesful hunts of all CITES 1 & 11 animals within 48h previously, we had to sign the permits and the photos, and record the location and size of the cat before anyways.)
What is new, is trying to tie that specific cat to a specific trophy hunter, by taking better/ more specific photos, making copies of the passport, (incl the entry date), tying the tag to a specific cat by adding that to the photo.

As to the N$5000 tag fee, it is high time that leopard are valued more in Namibia, and this might help in that regard. I think most outfitters will either build this fee into their trophy fee, or ask their first client for that fee, and if unsuccesful in his/ her hunt for a leopard, I suggest the outfitter refunds it if he can resell that tag in that year.

As an example: if someone wants to come hunt a leopard in May to July (the best time on farmland areas IMO), and is unsuccesfull, the outfitter may be able to sell his tag again for that year, and so refund the original hunter the tag fee upon sale of the hunt to another trophy hunter.
If the trophy hunter only wants to come in say October, he/ she is running the risk that the hunt will not be sold again for that year, and he may end up paying for a tag even though he might not be succesful.

Whatever of the above systems is used, I think most of us will be open for sugesstions as to how to manage these tags.

 

[gillettehunter]

I hate the idea of additional gov. regulation; but, if thats what it takes to get the hunting back open, then so be it. As to $670 for the tag. I'm sure it will be built in to the visiting hunter to pay. Just part of the cost of going to a foreign country. I always hate to pay more than I have to, but that fee isn't that bad. Heck, a non resident to WY pays around $590 for a elk liscense. Focus on the good news. Its back open.

 

[AfricaHunting.com]

Correct me if I'm wrong but an outfitter has to arrange for a license for plains game already?

And specify what is being hunted also?

On the clients end;no tag availible=no license granted.

Ask to see the license and the outfitter has none=you don't drive around pretending they are hunting for you.Stops from selling the same quota over several times on the show circuit and making a play...yes/no?

Sorry,but Namibian outfitters who hunt cats had to see this coming(?)

Been playing fast and loose with the CITIES #'s for a while.Every outfitter from Namibia I have ever got talking has said that it was just a matter of time.Not just NAPHA board members,but some who really don't have a vested interest in cats for hunting.

Maybe with a solid control here it bolsters the fight to challenge the status of Black Face Impala and Cheetah for potential import to the US(?)

Dinsdale, You are correct, Namibian hunting outfitters have to get a plains game hunting permit for their clients at least 4 days prior to the commencement of their hunt. This hunting permit for plains game costs the hunting outfitter N$ 100, and the cost is irrespective of the number of species listed. The species to be hunted by the client needs to be listed as well as the number of them. In Namibia a maximum of two trophies per species may be harvested per hunting permit and per hunting client, however some outfitters will restrict the query for some species to only one for their own game management purposes. If you intend on taking more than one animal per species, I would recommend that you check with the outfitter that he will allow it and that he has the quota for that particular species.

I do not believe that such changes in regulation will affect the current CITES status of the Black-Faced Impala or the Cheetah.

 

[AfricaHunting.com]

The regs are just a little more than we used to have to do anyway, so I really do not see a problem for the hunting client at all. (We had to take photos in the past as well, we had to report back on successful hunts of all CITES 1 & 11 animals within 48h previously, we had to sign the permits and the photos, and record the location and size of the cat before anyways.)
What is new, is trying to tie that specific cat to a specific trophy hunter, by taking better/ more specific photos, making copies of the passport, (incl the entry date), tying the tag to a specific cat by adding that to the photo.

As to the N$5000 tag fee, it is high time that leopard are valued more in Namibia, and this might help in that regard. I think most outfitters will either build this fee into their trophy fee, or ask their first client for that fee, and if unsuccessful in his/ her hunt for a leopard, I suggest the outfitter refunds it if he can resell that tag in that year.

As an example: if someone wants to come hunt a leopard in May to July (the best time on farmland areas IMO), and is unsuccesfull, the outfitter may be able to sell his tag again for that year, and so refund the original hunter the tag fee upon sale of the hunt to another trophy hunter.
If the trophy hunter only wants to come in say October, he/ she is running the risk that the hunt will not be sold again for that year, and he may end up paying for a tag even though he might not be succesful.

Whatever of the above systems is used, I think most of us will be open for sugesstions as to how to manage these tags.

Karl,
What I am still unclear about and maybe you can shed some light on for me, I have made several calls but have yet to hear anything back yet, when is Leopard or Cheetah hunting open?

The new regulations, as well as the letter from NAPHA, do not state when Leopard and Cheetah hunting can resume in Namibia.

I read the following from the new regulations:

(5) Applications for leopard trophy hunting quotas for the following trophy hunting season end on 30 September in each year.

(6) Leopard trophy hunting tags are allocated and handed over to successful applicants from 31 October until 30 January.

Unless there are some exceptions set in place for this year, it looks as if there will be no Leopard hunting in Namibia this year? What about Cheetah, we have not received any news from NAPHA concerning Cheetah?

Here below is the excerpt from a post I did after returning from the SCI Convention:

Although official announcement has yet to be made, I have information on good authority after meeting with members of the Namibia Professional Hunting Association (NAPHA) and CITES people from the Namibian Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) during the SCI convention that Leopard and Cheetah hunting in Namibia has been approved by Cabinet and will be reopened during the 2010 hunting season. It is expected that the reopening will take place in June or July of 2010.

I was told by CITES people from the Namibian Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) during the SCI convention that Leopard and Cheetah hunting in Namibia was set to reopen in June or July of 2010. Do you know anything about this?

If I understand and please clarify this for me if I am wrong, Namibian hunting outfitters will not only have to get a Leopard trophy hunting quota tag (N$ 5000) but will also have to obtain a predator trophy hunting permit for Leopard (N$ 100)? So if on the plains game / Leopard combo hunt, outfitters will have to get both hunting permits?

Thanks Karl for your input in this matter.

 

[ndumo HUNTING SAFARIS]

If I understand and please clarify this for me if I am wrong, Namibian hunting outfitters will not only have to get a Leopard trophy hunting quota tag (N$ 5000) but will also have to obtain now a predator trophy hunting permit for Leopard (N$ 100)? The hunting permit for plains game does not suffice anymore, so if on the plains game / Leopard combo hunt, outfitters will have to get both hunting permits?

That is correct Jerome. But we have always (the last 5 or so years anyway) needed 2 permits for plains game and cats separately.
It think the CITES people / MET/ NAPHA indicated after June/ July 2010, as it will take some time to allocate the first year's tags, but I will find out that for you. Also remember, there is a few of us with Leopard on government / concession land, and I presume these would be more straight forward to get the permits quicker than before June/ July 2010.
So yes, 2010 will be an exception on the dates, but from then on, it will be as on the new regs.
The best time to start bait hunting them is from May onwards anyways, IMO.

 

[AfricaHunting.com]

Thanks Karl. Do you have any news for us regarding Cheetah hunting? Is Cheetah already open or do you know when it will be opening?

 

[ndumo HUNTING SAFARIS]

Thanks Karl. Do you have any news for us regarding Cheetah hunting? Is Cheetah already open or do you know when it will be opening?

Jerome, the cheetah will be handled much the same as it was before, with the more strict photographs and passport copy requirement coming in as well. They will be huntable in 2010, but as they are mostly a target of opportunity, they will issue permits as needed, or so we where told.

 

[Roy Sparks]

Mr. Stumpfe it would seem that it is still acceptable to shoot a leopard or predator for that matter for trophy purposes once it has been released from a cage or trap according to section 114c.(5) c of the new amendment. It does state that it may not be hunted in a trap or cage.Was this an oversight or for sake of convenience ?
By not allowing female leopard to be hunted as trophies can you estimate how many are going to be shot by mistake and then discarded and not reported ?

 

[Andries]

I hunted a lot of leopards in my life, all over bait. I was, and still are very interested in hound hunting.
The time that I was hunting for Ozondjahe Safaris, I had a very high sucsess rate over bait.
The bad thing is that I also made a few mistakes. This is something that clients don't want to hear.
When the light is bad, it is difficult to judge between a young and a mature one, let alone between a male and a female.
Every PH that hunted leopards know male tracks from female tracks. With hound hunting you can deside what track to take.
I think that the new regulations will need to change in the future.
The old ones were outdated and the new ones are not perfect.
We should be happy that the hunt is open again.
Lets see what happen.
Andries.

 

[ndumo HUNTING SAFARIS]

Mr. Stumpfe it would seem that it is still acceptable to shoot a leopard or predator for that matter for trophy purposes once it has been released from a cage or trap according to section 114c.(5) c of the new amendment. It does state that it may not be hunted in a trap or cage.Was this an oversight or for sake of convenience ?
By not allowing female leopard to be hunted as trophies can you estimate how many are going to be shot by mistake and then discarded and not reported ?

Hi Roy

Please understand that I did not personally draw up these regulations. I was part of the committee that gave suggestions to MET of what we thought should be in the new regs.
I can assure you that the suggestions where much more strict, to curb exactly what you mentioned. I am perhaps the only one left on that committee that is a firm supporter of dog hunting, but as you know, most of the problems where blamed on dog hunting, (rightly or wrongly is another discussion.)
If (and I am sure you have), you have ever been part of any committee, you would know that the majority's vote rules what goes out. I will never critisise the committe that I worked on, as they busted their asses to do a hell of a lot of very positive work in a very short time, but suffice to say, all decisions where not unanimous, and perhaps what was (and still is) needed, are a much better, more presentable and more representative hound hunting committee.
I would love to continue to use hounds to hunt, and suggest that this type of hunt continues, with even a higher tag fee, to accommodate the presence of a MET official on each such hunt. I am all open to work with whomever to again open hound hunting, as most of my leopard hunts in the past where shot in this way. Please note, that whatever I write on this subject on this, and any board on the internt, is my own opinion only, and has nothing to do with NAPHA or the predator subcommittee of which I am a member.

Welcome to the forum.

 

[AfricaHunting.com]

Thank you Karl for all of the information and insight that you have shared with us all. I can't really imagine how difficult and challenging this process must have been for all of the individuals involved but I am glad to know that there were people representing our interests that are as well spoken and reasonable as you are. I am sure it is a thankless job but I will thank you for your contribution.

 

[Roy Sparks]

Karl thanks for the reply I understand your position and admire you for making yourself available to serve on that committee.I feel that regardless of the fact that there are a number of Namibian hound owners that offer these type of hunts, experience and background regarding this topic is not on their side despite their good intentions.Instead of ostracising the South African hound operators that mostly offer their services to your safari operators,identify the legitimate ones,embrace them and invite them onto your side.Hunters have to stand united,you know that there are a few of us who have been in on this for the long haul and are not on the quick take.I am a NAPHA member and I am willing to serve and hereby make myself available in the capacity of a hound owner, breeder and trainer.Besides leopard of which my teams have successfully hunted 233, I have made a living out of predator control with my hounds for over 20 years.I was a founder member of the Southern African Houndsmens Association and serve on the National Damage Causing Animal forum in SA.


Yours faithfully,

Roy Sparks.