Binoculars

Namibia’s Ministry of Environment and Tourism has come under severe attack by one of the country’s premier tour operators for issuing 70 hunting permits to shoot Zebra, Springbok & Gemsbok in a popular conservancy. Koss Verwey cannot understand why the hunting permits have been issued in the first place, never mind in December when many of the female animals are pregnant. Verwey also noted that keeping meat for human consumption on such a vast scale poses a serious risk to the consumer.

People travelling to Africa on a Namibia safari regularly pay a visit to the Okondjombo conservancy which is why issuing a permit to kill animals in this region makes no sense at all. Verwey goes onto say that the Ministry of Environment and Tourism are making a mockery of the conservation legislation letting people hunt in a protected area of the country. He was especially worried about who would be carrying out the hunting and if they understood how to kill the animals properly without them struggling and without them running off into the bush injured.

If you are heading to Africa on a Tanzania safari it’s highly unlikely that you will come across the government issuing any sort of hunting permits, especially in conservancies and game reserves which are directly on the tourist trail. Whilst hunting does still go on in the Selous Game Reserve it’s in the more remote regions and doesn’t take place in the main tourist thoroughfares. There always seems to be corruption of some form in every African country you travel to but you don’t expect to intervene with your Zambia safari or your trip to South Africa.

Funnily enough when Koos Verwey tried to contact the official involved in issuing the hunting permits at the Ministry of Environment and Tourism they said he was absent and weren’t sure when he would be back in the office.

Tags: Botswana Safari, Namibia Safari, Tanzania Safari, Zambia Safari