Prices

[VolkFra]

Hello I will have my first african hunt in SA in September, I booked for a lioness hunt and I will add a blesbuck and a wartogh.
I would like to bring the skin of the lioness in my country (Italy), i sent an email to the taxidermist that the otfitter adviced me "splitting image taxidermy" asking for information but I did get answer.
I would like to know what price i should expect about for dip & pack for the lioness skin and skull and the cost for the shipping. I would like also to bring the blesbuck and the wartog skull, but the priority is for the lioness.
Thanks

 

[Pirkan]

Look up your local laws and see if you can just bring the skulls in your suitcase. I brought a wildebeest, a duiker and an impala to Sweden this way with no problems at all and they're at my local taxidermist being mounted as we speak. Also check to see if a reply from the taxidermist has ended up in your spam folder because that happened to me when I talked to some taxidermists before my trip, before I decided to only do skull mounts at home. I have no idea about the costs for the lion unfortunately but i hope this is somewhat helpful.

Boil the skulls before packing them obviously.

 

[VolkFra]

Look up your local laws and see if you can just bring the skulls in your suitcase. I brought a wildebeest, a duiker and an impala to Sweden this way with no problems at all and they're at my local taxidermist being mounted as we speak. Also check to see if a reply from the taxidermist has ended up in your spam folder because that happened to me when I talked to some taxidermists before my trip, before I decided to only do skull mounts at home. I have no idea about the costs for the lion unfortunately but i hope this is somewhat helpful.

Boil the skulls before packing them obviously.

Hello thanks for the answer!
Did you bring the skulls in the hold luggage? Can I ask you how did you process the skulls aside boiling them? And how did you pack them? May I could ask to the skinners to do that?
Did you get any document for the skulls?

My local taxidermist adviced me to contact a customs broker for the skin, because there will be the need of a veterinary authorization if the skin will be import just salted.

Unfortunately I did not received answer neither in the spam folder.

 

[Pirkan]

Hello thanks for the answer!
Did you bring the skulls in the hold luggage? Can I ask you how did you process the skulls aside boiling them? And how did you pack them? May I could ask to the skinners to do that?
Did you get any document for the skulls?

My local taxidermist adviced me to contact a customs broker for the skin, because there will be the need of a veterinary authorization if the skin will be import just salted.

Unfortunately I did not received answer neither in the spam folder.

I brought them in the checked in luggage yes. We had the skinner boil them so they were clean enough and then we dusted them in an insecticide powder and wrapped in plastic wrap. We also attached a zip tie to each skull so that they could be hung up since the Swedish authorities said that i didnt need any papers as long as they were a mounted trophy which they defined as being boiled and with a way to hang them for display. I didn't need any papers for export or import but check with your ph and Italian authorities just to be safe.

We had to use a band saw to trim the wildebeest and impala to fit but there's worse problems than your trophies being too big.

 

[VolkFra]

I brought them in the checked in luggage yes. We had the skinner boil them so they were clean enough and then we dusted them in an insecticide powder and wrapped in plastic wrap. We also attached a zip tie to each skull so that they could be hung up since the Swedish authorities said that i didnt need any papers as long as they were a mounted trophy which they defined as being boiled and with a way to hang them for display. I didn't need any papers for export or import but check with your ph and Italian authorities just to be safe.

We had to use a band saw to trim the wildebeest and impala to fit but there's worse problems than your trophies being too big.

Thanks you again Pirkan! I talked with a taxidermist here in italy and he adviced me to talk with a customs broker specilized in hunting trophies (he adviced me one), next week i will call and i will ask him if what you did is possible also here in Italy. I will ask also to the PH if will be possible to do that with the skulls!
Thank you again so much!

 

[Pirkan]

Thanks you again Pirkan! I talked with a taxidermist here in italy and he adviced me to talk with a customs broker specilized in hunting trophies (he adviced me one), next week i will call and i will ask him if what you did is possible also here in Italy. I will ask also to the PH if will be possible to do that with the skulls!
Thank you again so much!

No problem at all, I'm happy to help. I contacted the authority that regulates that kind of stuff here directly myself and asked if it'd be possible and they were very helpful. For some reason it's the agriculture authority that regulates it here but it can't hurt to look up who decides that in Italy and writing them an email.

 

[VolkFra]

No problem at all, I'm happy to help. I contacted the authority that regulates that kind of stuff here directly myself and asked if it'd be possible and they were very helpful. For some reason it's the agriculture authority that regulates it here but it can't hurt to look up who decides that in Italy and writing them an email.

I think the customs broker will know what authority here in Italy deals about that, because I really don't know.
But according with what I am reading on internet I think that bringing the skull of the lion in my luggage will not be possible because lion is in the CITES list, so it will need a CITES document to come along...
And according for what the taxidermist told me, in SA will be issued a CITES paper for export the lion (and it will need time?) and Italy will issue a CITES paper for the import (this is what I understood)

 

[SETH RINGER]

LIFE-FORM TAXIDERMY IS ANOTHER GOOD S.A. TAXIDERMIST, THEY HAVE ALWAYS ANSWERED MY EMAILS PROMPTLY.

 

[DieJager]

Hello I will have my first african hunt in SA in September, I booked for a lioness hunt and I will add a blesbuck and a wartogh.
I would like to bring the skin of the lioness in my country (Italy), i sent an email to the taxidermist that the otfitter adviced me "splitting image taxidermy" asking for information but I did get answer.
I would like to know what price i should expect about for dip & pack for the lioness skin and skull and the cost for the shipping. I would like also to bring the blesbuck and the wartog skull, but the priority is for the lioness.
Thanks

I would use First class trophy in Denmark. They will deliver it to your doorstep in Italy. They have an exact calculator on their site so you will know the exact price. PM if you want more information. They will talk you though the CITES process.

 

[VolkFra]

LIFE-FORM TAXIDERMY IS ANOTHER GOOD S.A. TAXIDERMIST, THEY HAVE ALWAYS ANSWERED MY EMAILS PROMPTLY.

thank you I'll try to inquire!

 

[DieJager]

Also they have their own partners in South Africa for that end so much easier

 

[VolkFra]

I would use First class trophy in Denmark. They will deliver it to your doorstep in Italy. They have an exact calculator on their site so you will know the exact price. PM if you want more information. They will talk you though the CITES process.

Thank you for the advice! Can you send me more information trough PM? I am trying to understand what could be the total cost of my african safari. I think it will be so much more of what I expected.
There is people that talk about thousand of dollars of gratuities, trophy mounts that will cost the double of the safari price, etc
I am not rich and I am triyng to understand what could be the total price and to make the things paying the less as possible.
For example my first idea was to have a full body mount with the lioness skin, but I inquired some taxidermists here in italy and the better price for a full body mount is 4000€! SO now I turned for a shoulder mount that will cost abpout 1000€.
Someone told me to try to mount the lion myself, because I am an amateur taxidermist, but, I work only on birds and I if I will try to mount a lion I am sure it will come out looks like a yellow baboon at best.

Another mistery is how much will be the dip and pack and the shipping to italy.

 

[DieJager]

I will PM you.