Hunt In Africa - South African hunting safaris and big game hunts | Regulation of the Southern African hunting industry

Regulation of the Southern African hunting industry

Some of the regulations which governs the hunting industry of South Africa

Trophy Hunting Industry
Legal agreements and facilities
Outfitters and Professional Hunters
Nature Conservation Contact List

Regulation of the Trophy Hunting Industry

Training of the Professional Hunter
The legal requirements to be met before a hunting outfitter or professional hunter can obtain a license are as follows:

All candidates are required to complete a comprehensive training course at a professional hunting school. These schools are private institutions and are only allowed to operate after careful screening by the nature conservation agencies. The syllabus is prescribed by the nature conservation agencies as well.

A variety of subjects which cover the full spectrum of trophy hunting are dealt with. Candidates are required to pass a written examination compiled and conducted by the nature conservation agencies. Once the professional hunter/outfitter has obtained a certificate, he/she is licensed.

Further Requirements for the Hunting Outfitter
At present the requirement to become a Hunting Outfitter comprises of the following:

Three years practical experience as a Professional Hunter
Facilities are inspected which he offers to clients
Hunting camps, trophy preparation facilities, vehicles and staff are required to conform to set standards.
Publicity material must be submitted to the Nature Conservation officials before distribution as a safeguard against misleading advertising.
Regular follow-up inspections are carried out.

Legal agreements and facilities

Legal Protection of the Client
In 1981, the four Provincial Nature Conservation Departments (Cape, Natal, Orange Free State and Transvaal) introduced legislation to control the hunting, outfitting and professional hunting industries in South Africa.

The object of the legislation was to provide protection for the foreign hunter in South Africa by setting standards that would be obligatory before a hunting outfitter or professional hunter would be licensed to operate, and to provide for the maintenance of these standards once a license has been granted.

Legal Agreements and Facilities
Further protection is provided by the legal requirement for a written agreement:

Regard to species and sex of game offered
Fees for trophies and services provided
Duration of the hunt and daily rates.

This agreement is entered into between the client and the hunter / outfitter prior to the client leaving his own country. The outfitter is legally responsible for supplying all hunting requirements once the client enters South Africa, e.g.

transport – getting to and from the hunting area, and while hunting
hunting camp accommodation, for the duration of the hunt
catering
hunting services: trackers, skinners, etc.
provision of a licensed professional hunter
skinning and trophy preparation facilities, dispatch of trophies
arrangements with landowners for hunting of game, should this be necessary
all licenses and permits required for hunting
all permits required for dispatch of trophies

Professional Hunters/Hunting Outfitters must be licensed in each province where they operate. It is important that the client checks to make sure that the operator is licensed in the province where the proposed hunt is to take place.

The introduction and enforcement of legislation in the professional hunting industry, geared primarily to protect the client from malpractice, has effectively raised standards.

The Professional Hunter’s Responsibilities
The professional hunter is the person who physically guides a client in the hunting area in order to hunt an animal to obtain a trophy.

He sees to the welfare of his client while in the hunting camp
He is in charge of the hunting camp and its personnel
He makes certain that his client is in possession of the necessary permits, licences or other documents before he allows him to hunt
He sees to it that his client’s trophies are skinned and prepared according to the correct methods
He is responsible for his client’s safety while in the camp and in the hunting area.
The Professional Hunter sees to it that his client does not hunt contrary to the provisions of the law.
He does not receive any remuneration from the client for services rendered. The client remunerates the hunting-outfitter for services and trophies, who in turn pays the professional hunter.
He does not recruit clients or offer his services to a client directly, he works for a hunting outfitter who recruits and presents services to the client.

The Hunting-Outfitter’s Responsibilities
The Hunting Outfitter recruits the client through advertisements or by other means.

He arranges and organizes the client’s hunt from start to finish
He enters into a written agreement with the client with regard to the animals to be hunted and the facilities and service which will be supplied and rendered
He is directly remunerated by the client for his services
He furnishes the hunting areas where the animals are hunted and also the camp with all its conveniences and services
He supplies the camp personnel and pays them
He supplies the camp with provisions and stores
He sees to it that the client is guided by qualified licenced professional hunters
He obtains the necessary permits, licences and other documents enabling his client to hunt legally
It is his responsibility to obtain the necessary permits to convey and export his client’s trophies and to see to it that the trophies are delivered in good shape and order.

Although the professional hunter is actually in charge of the hunting camp and sees to the skinning and handling of the trophies, and at times provides transport on a hunting trip, it does not exempt the Hunting Outfitter from his overall responsibility to his client.
In many cases the professional hunter and the Hunting Outfitter are the same person and therefore responsible for the combined duties and functions and must also be in possession of both permits to operate as professional hunter and as hunting outfitter.

Back to top

Outfitters and Professional Hunters

Outfitters
Outfitters are required by law to provide the following basic services to their clients:

The services of a licensed professional hunter.
Hunting, skinning and trophy handling and dispatch services.
Accommodation, storage, washing and sanitary conveniences.
Catering, camp staff and cleaning services.
Basic first aid services. All PHs are trained in basic first aid.
Obtain the necessary permits for the client to be able to hunt the desired wild animals for each province and game ranch. Some animals especially the Big 5 need advance permits before they are allowed to be hunted or even advertised for hunting by the outfitter.
Obtain the necessary permits for the client to convey or export the trophies from each province or the country.
Must conclude a hunting contract (or remuneration agreement) with the client, prior to the commencement of the hunt, detailing duration of the hunt and daily fees payable, services covered by the daily fee, species offered and prices thereof and clients full details.
An outfitter may not advertise or offer to a client to hunt, any species which the outfitter does not have prior permission from the owner of the land on which the animal occurs and from the relevant provincial authorities.

Professional Hunters (PH)
South Africa is perhaps the easiest country in Africa to become a registered PH. A comprehensive 14 day course from one of the hunting schools and you are qualified to lead foreign clients on a plains game hunt. There is no requirement to undergo an apprenticeship under a more experienced PH as in most of the other countries. This will change in the near future as PHASA and Nature Conservation authorities strive to institute an apprenticeship clause in the legislation governing PH's.
This has led to a proliferation of new PHs despondent with the South African job crisis and affirmative action. "An air-gun and a pick-up" seem to be the major requirements for this new wave of prospective hunter/conservationists who are creating strong competition much to the dismay of the more established outfitters and PHs. It is perhaps a natural stage in the cycle of the hunting industry in South Africa, especially with the amount of game increasing while the prices decrease.

Not permitted to escort a client unless they are in the employ of an outfitter or are themselves an outfitter (in most provinces you cannot be an outfitter unless you are a PH and visa versa).
May not escort more than two clients during a hunt unless it is for bird shooting.
Must be present at all times during the hunting of a wild animal by the client.
Must do everything within reason to make sure that the client complies with the hunting regulations pertaining to the area the hunt is taking place in.
Must report to a police member or nature conservation officer within 24 hours, if it is suspected that the client has contravened any regulations.
Is required to keep a hunting register containing each client's details, dates of the hunt, details of the ranches/land where the hunt took place and details about the species, sex and number of wild animals killed or wounded. A copy of the document must be signed and handed to the client upon termination of the hunt, and a copy is used by the outfitter to obtain export permits for the clients trophies.

In South Africa, you have to make use of a registered outfitter to organise your hunt and you have to be guided by a registered professional hunter who is in the employ of that outfitter. These are the two basic legal requirements affecting foreign hunters and probably has more to do with protecting the prospective client from unethical operators rather than to restrict them.
When applying for an outfitter's permit, the prospective individual has to comply with certain basic hunting standards and conditions before they are granted an operator's permit. For example, the prospective outfitter has to own a game ranch or prove that he has hunting rights to a suitable property. They also have to prove that the species they intend offering for hunting do actually exist on the property or other properties where they have hunting rights. Added to this, is the requirement that outfitters must apply for and hold a permit for each province they intend to offer hunting in, which means they have to own land in each province or have hunting rights in each province. This is a cumbersome and expensive task.

Naturally, this has resulted in outfitters who are specific to one province, often only hunting on the ranch they own or in the immediate region. The majority of outfitters in South Africa operate on this basis, however in recent years more and more are offering a wider variety of species in different provinces.

Back to top

Nature Conservation Contact List

NATIONAL
Dept. of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
Dr. Pieter Botha
Private Bax X447, Pretoria 0001
Tel: 012 – 310 3575 | Fax: 012 – 320 7026
E-mail: pbotha@deat.gov.za

GAUTENG
Dept. of Agriculture, Conservation & Environment
Erasmus Nkabinde
P.O. Box 8769, Johannesburg 2000
Tel: 011 – 355 1280 | Fax: 011 – 355 1239
E-mail: erasmus.nkabinde@gauteng.gov.za

EASTERN CAPE
Dept. of Economic Affairs, Environment & Tourism
Jaap Pienaar
Private Bag X0054, Bisho 5605
Tel: 040 – 609 4717 | Fax: 040 – 609 4700
E-mail: jaap.pienaar@deaet.ecape.gov.za

GAUTENG
Dept. of Agriculture, Conservation & Environment
Magdel Boshoff
P.O. Box 8769, Johannesburg 2000
Tel: 011 – 355 1404 | Fax: 011 – 355 1239 | Cell: 083 952 2334
E-mail: magdel.boshoff@gauteng.gov.za

NORTHERN CAPE
Dept. of Tourism, Environment & Conservation
Wessel Jacobs
Private Bag X6102, Kimberley 8306
Tel: 053 – 807 4825 | Fax: 053 832 1035
E-mail: wjacobs@half.ncape.gov.za

KWAZULU NATAL
KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife
Stoffel de Jager
P.O. Box 13053, Cascades 3202
Tel: 033 – 845 1654 |
Fax: 033 – 845 1462
E-mail:hunting@kznwildlife.com

FREE STATE
Dept of Tourism, Environment & Economic Affairs
Hannes Blom
Private Bag X20801, Bloemfontein 9300
Tel: 051 – 400 9518 | Fax: 051 – 400 9523
E-mail: blomhannes@hotmail.com

LIMPOPO
Dept. of Economic Development, Environment & Tourism
Abraham Matsila
P.O. Box 55464, Pietersburg 0700
Tel: 015 – 290 7000 | Fax: 015 – 295 5018
E-mail: matsilaa@ledet.gov.za

MPUMALANGA
Mpumalanga Tourism & Parks Agency
Riaan de Lange
Private Bag X11338, Nelspruit 1200
Tel: 013 – 759 5336 | Fax: 013 – 755 3787
E-mail: riaan.delange@pboard1.agric.za

WESTERN CAPE
Western Cape Nature Conservation Board
Hannes Stadler
P.O. Box 26, Porterville 6810
Tel: 022 – 931 2900 | Fax: 022 – 931 2913
E-mail: hstadler@capenature.co.za

Back to top


	Welcome to Hunt in Africa - Africa's Premiere Hunting Website