HuntiNamibia 2019 English

1999-2019

CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE USE

ELAND HUNT AT SAAMGEWAAGD THE STARE OF A

BUFFALO

CELEBRATING

20 YEARS

We would like to thank all our clients, professional hunters, outfitters and friends for their continued support over the past year. We look forward to the 2018 season in bringing quality and service to the hunting industry in Namibia. Happy Hunting!

Wir bedanken uns herzlich bei unseren Kunden, Berufjägern, Jagdanbietern und Freunden für die wunderbare Unterstützung im Letzten Jahr. Wir freuen uns darauf, in dem nächsten Jahr weiterhin der Jagd in Namibia mit Qualität und gutem Service beistehen zu dürfen. Waidmanns Heil!

Congratulations NAPHA with 45 dedicated years of showing the way, and Huntinamibia for spreading the hunting message for 20 years.

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MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR

What will the next 20 years bring?

T

wenty years ago, when I presented the idea of an independent, but dedicated hunting magazine for Namibia to the 1998 Exco of NAPHA, I did not imagine for one moment how important this unwavering trailblazer would become for hunting in Namibia.

Little did I know that the world, to which that first Exco introduced me, would be so fascinating yet complex, so challenging yet sincere.

And how involved Venture Media would become in all aspects of the world of hunting and the journey through two decades.

For me who grew up on a farm, but never held a rifle, it has been a steep learning curve to judge the content of the hunting stories we received for publication. When NAPHA was founded in 1974 there were only a small number of professional hunting guides other than the farmers who offered hunting and trophy hunting on their commercial farms. It is a different story now, and much more complicated.

As publishers of tourism-related publications and books, our aim at the time was to also provide a platform for hunters to tell their stories.

To share their adventures and to make sure that hunters from all over the world, who read these stories, would put themselves in the boots of the writer and dream of the day when they would stalk an animal through thorn bush thickets, rest on top of a mountain overlooking the wide expanse of Damaraland, sit by a campfire when the sun sets or follow an old elephant bull for days on end. And at the end, to take an animal after an experience that is worth telling a story about.

As long as there are hunters who visit Namibia for those kinds of hunting adventures, we will tell their stories and as long as there are stories to tell, we will continue to publish HuntiNamibia. Us Namibians are obligated to treasure and protect our reputation.

understandable that people in rural areas have no tolerance for lions.

Cattle farmers have never tolerated lions and even game ranchers don’t tolerate lions. Isn’t unspoilt habitat what needs to be protected? That seems to be our biggest challenge for the future.

In an update by the outgoing Permanent Secretary of MET, Dr Malan Lindeque, it becomes clear what strides Government is making to secure the on-going success of our policies. In another article, wellrespected scientist Chris Brown elaborates on the need for sciencebased wildlife management to refute concerns internationally, by individuals or groups that advocate animal rights and lobby against the sustainable use of our wildlife, especially trophy hunting.

We thank our international partners who support our efforts to maintain our place in the world of sustainable hunting. They share their commitment in this special edition, especially for Namibians whose livelihoods depend on hunting and hunting clients. It is obvious that Namibians need to acknowledge that if we lose our credibility as an ethical hunting destination the doors will shut and we will all be on the outside. Namibia and Namibians will be the losers.

Rièth van Schalkwyk Editor

After twenty years I have come to know the people who had the vision to formalise the structures of the hunting sector back then. Who supported Government in drafting the policies that would usher in the new complicated era and who were ready to face the challenges and help push through some necessary reforms. The strong men and women in NAPHA, in Government and in the NGO sector who believe in the value of hunting as part of our cultural heritage, and as being fundamental to conservation.

But we also have an obligation to inform our readers of the realities of where we stand. Our biggest asset is the fact that we have a small human population and therefore still have space for wilderness and wildlife. It is idealistic to assume that humans would want to have predators on their doorstep. No amount of money would make up for the fact that your child could be killed on their way to school. It is thus

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Ralf Mueller

HuntiNamibia

is published annually by Venture Media in collaboration with the Namibia Professional Hunting Association (NAPHA) and with the support of the Namibian Ministry of Environment and Tourism.

Publisher Venture Media PO Box 21593, Windhoek, Namibia www.huntnamibia.com.na www.travelnewsnamibia.com Managing Editor Rièth van Schalkwyk rieth@venture.com.na Administration Bonn Nortje bonn@venture.com.na Design & Layout Liza de Klerk design@venture.com.na Printing John Meinert Printers (Pty) Ltd

Editorial material and opinions expressed in Huntinamibia do not necessarily reflect the views of Venture Media and we do not accept responsibility for the advertising content.

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Cover

Lions in the Etosha National Park are territorial and defend their prides fearlessly against other males. They may even charge cars during times when their females are in heat.

This lion in prime condition was aggressively chasing another male out of his territory.

Photo by Wynand du Plessis www.photos-namibia.com

<<< www.huntnamibia.com.na Website

HuntiNamibiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new website contains a wealth of information sourced over two decades. It is an archive of material which has appeared in the printed magazine since 1999. It also provides links to our partners and profiles on hunting operators, general information about Namibia and information regarding all aspects of hunting in Namibia.

CONTENTS 2019

FEATURES

10 A PLACE FOR LIONS

68 ON FOOT WITH JU/HOANSI HUNTERS

14 HOW I LEARNT TO LOVE THE DESERT

72 A MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE FINDING THAT BUFFALO

22 ELAND HUNT AT SAAMGEWAAGD

77 IN MEMORY OF FRANK HEGER

24 A NEW ERA FOR HUNTING

79 CONSERVATIONIST OF THE YEAR AWARD SINCE 1995

26 HUNTING NAMIBIA'S MOST FORMIDABLE SWORDSMAN

REGULAR FEATURES

35 ELEPHANT HUNTING - DRAMA AND POWERFUL IMPRESSIONS

3 EDITORIAL

40 LION HUNT IN THE RUGGED NORTHWEST 45 LION CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE USE 48 ANIMAL POTENCY: A HUNTER'S PERSPECTIVE 53 MESSAGES FROM INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS

7 MESSAGE FROM THE MINISTER 8 MESSAGE FROM THE NAPHA PRESIDENT 20 HUNTING CONCESSIONS IN CONSERVANCIES HELD

BY NAPHA MEMBERS 32 GAME SPECIES Indigenous species and their natural distribution in Namibia

58 A TALE OF TWO KUDU 62 THE STARE OF A BUFFALO 66 AGE-RELATED MEASURING SYSTEM

NAPHA INFORMATION 81 NAPHA REGISTER Hunting professionals registered with the Namibian Professional Hunting Association

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MESSAGE FROM THE MINISTER

Tried and tested methods show tangible results of wildlife recoveries Namibia has subscribed to conservation methods that are tailor-made to address our situations and benefit our people in line with our constitutional provisions. These methods have been tried and tested with tangible results visible in terms of wildlife population growth and recoveries.

N

amibia has more wildlife today than at any given time in the past 100 years, increasing from about 0.5 million in the 1960s to about 3 million today because of the enabling environment that our policies and legislation have provided, principally through the recognition of the rights that rural people and landowners have to wildlife.

From near extinction in the 1960s, Namibia now has the largest free ranging population of black rhino in the world. We also have the largest cheetah population in the world, the largest leopard population in Africa, the largest giraffe population, and our elephant population has more than doubled from a mere 7,500 in 1995 to over 22,000 to date. And we have an increasing free-roaming lion population outside national parks, the only country where lions are holding their own outside national parks.

As a result of our conservation successes that tripled our wildlife numbers, cases of human-wildlife conflict increased with animals like lions, elephants and crocodiles being the main culprits as people and wildlife continue to compete for resources and space. In this regard our National Policy on Human-Wildlife Conflict Management was developed in such a way that it addresses our needs to conserve our wildlife while recognising and respecting the rights of the people and tourism development. It is important for all Namibians to recognise that for such wildlife to be tolerated on farmland, whether communal or commercial, requires that the net benefits must outweigh the costs of living with wildlife. It is not about saving the life of every individual animal, it is about creating incentives for the persistence of entire populations.

Our critics miss the big picture of conservation on communal and commercial land, and the vital role that incentives, predator management and social acceptance play in the process. They cannot look into the future to see where Namibia needs to be in decades to come. They rather look at each lion individually. This is not a conservation biology approach, but a more western, urban and short-term animal rights approach which is counterproductive to the long-term conservation goals we aim for.

Our citizens have accepted to share their living space with dangerous predators and animals which most of the time destroy their properties and other sources of their livelihoods. In some instances human lives are even lost. For as much as we value tourism as an economic sector based on the revenue it generates, as responsible Government we will always put the needs of our people first without compromise or fail. Funds generated through hunting are reinvested in the conservation of our wildlife through the Game Product Trust Fund and the Community Based Natural Resource Management programme as well as rural development.

The Ministry regards Human-Wildlife Conflict as a serious problem that has potential to harm and destroy conservation efforts and tourism benefits for the country if not addressed appropriately, treated with the necessary understanding and respect, and managed effectively.

We put measures in place to manage the conflict in a way that recognises the rights and development needs of local communities, recognises the need to promote biodiversity conservation and we ensure that decision making is quick and based on the best available information.

It must be clear that addressing Human-Wildlife Conflict requires striking a balance between conservation priorities and the needs of people who live with wildlife. Most Namibians depend on the land for their subsistence. But the presence of many species of large mammals and predators, combined with settlement patterns of people, leads to conflict between people and wildlife. It is therefore necessary that mechanisms are created for rural communities and farmers to manage wildlife and other natural resources and benefit from them. It is here where hunting can play an important role in generating revenue to help offset losses suffered by rural people, and we will continue to use this strategy no matter how much the small minority of critics dislikes it because of their preconceived ideas about saving the life of every animal. This is an impossible and unrealistic view of the world.

We thank international organisations for supporting Namibiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s conservation efforts, our international hunting clients who appreciate our ethical and sustainable hunting practices, and our friends who disregard the advocacy against our country, who ignore inaccurate, false reports and assumptions on our sustainable utilisation practices and instead appreciate and defend us.

Namibiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s conservation is sound but by no means without challenges and the Ministry works hard to address them. Tourists and hunters alike should come and experience the beauty of our country â&#x20AC;&#x201C; from its amazing landscapes to our diverse cultures, its abundance of wildlife and our free-roaming animals on communal land, commercial farms and National Parks.

N. Pohamba Shifeta Namibian Minister of Environment and Tourism

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he Namibia Professional Hunting Association marked 45 years of existence in 2018, while this HuntiNamibia issue celebrates the magazine’s 20 years in circulation. It is an achievement to be proud of. I know of no other African hunting association or hunting magazine that has reached such a significant milestone. In human terms, turning 20 puts you on the threshold of adulthood. No birthday has ever left me feeling different than the day before, but I remember my 21st birthday installing a sense of “freedom” in me. Though it also came with more responsibilities and choices to be made.

NAPHA’s milestone is important because it speaks of our history, reminds us why we live the way we do and why we are where we are. It also reminds us to learn from mistakes and strive to become better. It helps us to understand how people and societies behave.

The past causes the present, and thus the future. Furthermore, history contributes to moral understanding, but more importantly, it shapes our identity.

Namibia’s history includes a broad repertoire of skills and interests, cultivated over years of evolution, and the concurrent shaping of culture. Hunting is an indelible part of our history and has its place in teaching us who we are. It provides us with an expansive sense of what it means to be a human being.

In Namibia hunting is an integral part of a successful conservation model which benefits communities, wildlife and natural ecosystems.

It is an indisputable fact that it provides the necessary economic incentive to conserve our wilderness areas and to justify them against the pressures of alternative use like agriculture and livestock keeping.

Twenty years ago Namibia’s total population was 1.655 million people, with a density of 2.01 per square km. Today, our population stands at 2.587 million people with a projected 3.686 million people by 2038.

Namibia is a country that still offers the marvellous wide open spaces, habitats for all species to roam freely. But more importantly it has more than enough proven its conservation efforts for all game species through responsible hunting.

Why is it then that the hunting community is facing such extreme pressure globally and on all fronts?

NAPHA, as well as our Ministry of Environment and Tourism, has demonstrated abundantly and with ample merit that conservation through hunting WORKS! Nevertheless we are faced with international bans on trophy imports, airline bans and charges on transporting hunting rifles and trophies,

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MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF NAPHA

Hunting is part of a

SUCCESSFUL CONSERVATION MODEL extreme social media uproar and aggressive anti-hunting campaigns to the extent of identifying hunters and sending them insulting hate mail and even death threats. The antihunting community likes to deceive the world and blames the decline in African wildlife numbers seen in other countries on hunting, but refuses to distinguish between legal hunting and poaching. The anti-hunting proponents don’t seem to want to understand that the real Armageddon for wildlife in Africa is the population explosion and the concurrent loss of wildlife habitat. Not to mention the over-exploitation and growing environmental footprint from overtourism. An increase in asphalt roads, electricity lines, water usage, mountains of garbage and a never decreasing list of requirements and needs to be met for the tourist wanting to observe game from already worn-out gravel roads. By contrast, one hunter seeks nothing more than unspoiled open landscapes, and wild animals unaffected by humans. Such a hunter brings the same amount of revenue into our country as roughly 20 tourists.

The knife in the back of us hunters are a handful of uninformed people in Namibia who run anti-hunting campaigns, who rave on social media about hunters who share photos of animals that have been hunted, who post ugly comments on NAPHA because of our leopard census project, who crucify our Ministry of Environment and Tourism for moving lion to bigger and more protected habitats, and for granting licenses for problem animals because of human-wildlife conflict.

Unfortunately the list goes on and on.

Hunters do not merely hunt, they are also nature lovers who strive for sustainable and ethical hunting methods that contribute to conservation strategies. NAPHA members operate responsibly within the framework of the law, within the ethics of our profession and our code of conduct, and with the aim to protect wildlife and its habitats from modern society. I cannot even imagine the cost of reclaiming and restocking a formerly

pristine wilderness area after it has been totally destroyed by poaching, overgrazing, timber cutting and overtourism. In principle any system that is self-serving is also selfmotivating and produces the best results.

No businessperson worth their salt is stupid enough to neglect the resource on which they depend.

NAPHA members play a leading role in conservation. We invest in and conduct studies and scientific assessments, and as science progresses, our members are the final implementers. However, many tend to ignore our local knowledge, which is vital in conservation.

Who are the culprits when it comes to conservation? Who are the senseless killers?

Is it those who oppose hunting or is it the poacher that kills wildlife out of poverty?

Is it me who selectively hunts old males, thereby raising money to protect all the wildlife and their habitat, or those who publish wrong information or who are raising millions of dollars to misinform the public and demonise hunting? A lie doesn’t become truth, wrong doesn’t become right, and evil doesn’t become good, just because it is accepted by the majority. Proffering baseless assertions as truth is not only immoral and unethical, it also undermines the stability of our democratic society.

Reliable information is the bedrock of any institution, be it science, government or private enterprise. If our citizens cannot tell the difference between fact and fiction, then the entire project of civilisation turns to dust.

Mainstream media outlets also ought to have a better understanding of their responsibility to the public and should refuse to signalboost these kinds of outright lies.

relationships, your marriage, your family, your country or the world – you stand up and fight. No excuses, no detours, no debates, no patience, you stand up and say, enough is enough! And this is what we will do.

One of my favourite antelopes is the gemsbok (Oryx gazella). This large and beautiful Namibian antelope has a striking appearance with its distinct coloration and long spearlike horns. But its unique adaptation to harsh conditions, where scarce water and intense heat are the norm, sets it apart from the others.

The gemsbok was chosen as Namibia’s national animal because of its courage, elegance and pride; the national coat of arms bears the image of this unmistakable desert dweller. It is Namibia’s most formidable swordsman, and so are we, the hunters – especially the ones with the NAPHA logo on their website…

Hunt hard, Danene van der Westhuyzen

With all of these onslaughts going on, our wildlife has never been more vulnerable, and our hunting community has never been more financially weak and desperate.

But I am convinced that if you want to save something – your soul, your heart, your

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A place for

Lions

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Around the middle of the nineteenth century several big-game hunters had settled in Omaruru, on the eastern slopes of the Erongo Mountains. At that time there were still many elephants and rhinos in the area and at the dry riverbed of the Omaruru, lined with reeds, buffaloes were found until about 1870. My grandfather, Godofred Gustav Rust, arrived at the Erongo Mountains in 1942. There was not as much game then as there is today. But isolated black rhinos lived in remote parts of the mountains. The last one was relocated to Etosha National Park in 1973.

Harald Rust

I

t was a time when there were still many lions in the Namib at the lower course of the Omaruru River. Old maps show an Omaruru River Game Reserve there. In the riverbed in the middle of that former reserve is a spring which does not even dry up in years of drought. In years of good rains a small stream of wonderful water seeps through the sand below the spring for a distance of several kilometres, sustaining lush vegetation on the riverbanks. This area was lion country. Right into the 1970s lions occurred there permanently, and repeatedly made forays onto farms.

In 1968 a large male lion had been causing trouble on the farm Omandumba for weeks. He had already helped himself to twelve of my grandfather’s cattle. As a result of complaints to the Nature Conservation Department the famous game warden, Peter Stark, was despatched from Etosha National Park. He tracked the cattle glutton on horseback. The lion slipped away into Damaraland, however. They simply couldn’t get hold of him. After three weeks of painstaking but unsuccessful pursuit they gave up. The authorities then granted my grandfather, Godofred, permission to kill the lion.

My grandfather was determined to bring the hunt to a successful conclusion. He took his .300 Savage without riflescope to the Hordabis Post (since then renamed Lion Post) to lie in wait at the top of the windmill. It was 14 feet high and pumped water from a depth of 12 metres. A seat was constructed up in the windmill and the torch mounted onto the weapon.

Nothing happened on the first evening. But already on the second evening my grandfather heard an animal with a coarse tongue guzzling water down below. He trembled with excitement, got ready and turned on the torch. The beam of light revealed a leopard. Nothing else stirred at the drinking trough until morning.

Six days later the lion finally came to drink. It was September 29th, 1968. My grandfather had to force himself to calm down before firing a careful shot in the dark. When he was about to get off the windmill he suddenly became worried that the lion might still be alive and thus decided to rather stay up there until dawn. The next morning Godofred climbed down to the ground. There was no lion. So he called neighbouring farmers to help track him down. They followed the spoor with dogs, which on the granite wasn’t easy. Slowly they worked their way forward on the blood trail.

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A PLACE FOR LIONS

While they had a quick cigarette break they suddenly heard a shot. My grandfather had still been looking around and had spotted the wounded lion coming from behind a rock. The second and final shot was fatal. In fact, the lion had been lying in wait behind the rock heavily wounded. Tremendous relief.

Later my father, Ehrhart Rust, took over the farm.

Livestock breeding was intensified everywhere and the lions disappeared from the lower course of the Omaruru River.

But keeping livestock in the sparsely vegetated, semidesert mountainous terrain was not profitable. Tourism became an important alternative mainstay for farmers. My parents were founding members of the Erongo Mountain Nature Conservancy (now the Erongo Mountain Rhino Sanctuary Trust), which was initiated in 1998. Over the next years black rhinos were brought back and the game populations recovered. Giraffe and black-faced impala were also reintroduced to the area.

In the years after the last lion was killed in the Erongo, from 1968 to 2017, Omandumba was used for breeding

Karakul sheep, goats and cattle. Within half a century bush encroached all over the farm. Deike and I want to help restore nature to its original state, with everything that is part of it. That also means to once again provide a little more space for animals that may be poisonous, fierce or dangerous. Mother Nature did not intend that only harmless animals should exist. We want to be part of the whole picture and also give the lion a place to live again.

In 2017 the Ministry of Environment and Tourism approached the Erongo Mountain Rhino Sanctuary Trust with the request to give a home to four problem lions from Damaraland. The Trust agreed, which caused a lot of trouble with neighbouring farmers. But there is enough game in the Erongo Mountains. The lions are shy and have not caused any damage so far.

Every now and then their tracks are seen. It was a wonderful, exciting experience for us when we found lion tracks at Omandumbaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lion Post fifty years after my grandfather, Godofred Rust, had shot the last lion there on September 29th, 1968.

This Lion spoor was photographed at Lion Post, Omandumba in 2018.

Now, my wife Deike and I are the third generation to manage farm Omandumba.

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How I learnt to love

THE DESERT .........................................

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Rooi Kuiseb was the name of a farm on the border of NamibNaukluft Park, close to the Welwitschia Plain, which even then had already been abandoned for more than thirty years. The farm was named after the main river which squeezes through a canyon of red shale faults and equally red granite boulders to finally empty into the Swakop River. The Red Kuiseb, like all the ephemeral rivers in the country, of course carries water only in the rainy season – often for just a few hours. But then it may happen that whole cars are swept away by a river in flood, and quite a few people who wanted to get home quickly and attempted to cross have lost their vehicle in the raging torrent.

Dr Christian Carl Willinger

T

he farm covered an area of 19,000 hectares, roughly forming a triangle with a side length of 20 km, and quite a varied landscape: vast grassy plains where springbok and ostriches roamed, zebra country with gently rolling hills which reminded me of the hills of Exmoor where a long time ago I used to gallop across the moor at breakneck speed, following the pack, chasing the fleeing stag – that Exmoor, stronghold of my soul, which I loved so much and where never again the bright chimes of a pack in full cry will ring out; so, same hills here, but rocky and parched. I baptised this area of the farm Little Exmoor. And then, incised by deep ravines, the uplands of leopards, klipspringers and dassies1, and finally in the low mountain range in the northeast the gemsbok country, which consisted of the Swakop River’s badlands.

It was late in the year, shortly before the end of the hunting season, and the vegetation was sparse. The yellow withered grass stood calf-high, and only the evergreens among the few bushes and trees, like the Boscia species, still sported leaves. But there are incredible survival artists in this desert landscape: numerous magnificent specimens of aloes, the quiver tree, graced the slopes and their branches and leaves were silhouetted against the deep blue sky like fans in front of velvet blue wallpaper. The blue-leaved corkwood2 with its richly toned bronzebrown bark peeling in the typical papery strips and flakes, for which it is also called paper tree, pushed through everywhere from the rocky soil and grew in the ravines, sometimes from the tiniest rock crevices and on exposed ledges, as if it had no roots at all, as if it were just glued to the bare rock.

In the valleys of seasonal rivers with subterranean water grew the lush green toothbrush bush, which Namibians call lion bush or mustard bush. Since time immemorial the twigs have been used for oral hygiene by various peoples. First you chew on one end of a twig until it is frayed and then you apply it to your teeth as if it were a brush.

1 rock hyrax 2 Trees of the Burseraceae family should not be confused with the balsa tree Ochroma pyramidale which only occurs in tropical Central and South America, although both have a light wood. Actually they are myrrh plants and secrete fragrant resin. They are not related to the South American balsam tree Myroxylon balsamum either.

The fibrous twigs contain tiny crystals which have a gentle abrasive effect. It also has anti-microbial substances and the high fluoride content hardens the tooth enamel. Thus a twig is a toothbrush complete with toothpaste, called siwak or miswak. Found from Africa to India, it was used for dental care already 7000 years ago by the Babylonians and later also in the empires of the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans and Islam. According to a study a siwak cleans better than a modern manual toothbrush.

It was not unusual to also find in the seasonal rivers a kind of tree with extremely hard and heavy wood: the lead-wood tree. Since this wood produces very hot and long-lasting coals, we always gathered the dead branches for our camp fire on which we cooked our meals and which provided warmth in the mornings and evenings. In the Herero and Owambo culture this tree is seen as the progenitor of all animals and people, which is why it is also called the ancestor tree.

A widespread acacia species is the camel thorn. Giraffe love its flowers and use their long tongues to pick them skilfully from between the large pointed thorns. The sickle-shaped, hairy pods are eaten by many wildlife species. During the dry season, the Ana tree provides game animals with large, nutritious pods.

Of course, many succulents are also found in the desert. Here, in the Rooi Kuiseb area, the most common was poison bush, a large spurge plant resembling a cactus, which grew especially on the bare mountain slopes. San hunters use the highly toxic milk to poison their arrows.

Euphorbias seem like green octopuses reaching upward with their thorny arms, but when they die they look like a miserable little heap of greyish black steel wool, as if an evil witch had withered into a skeleton of spines.

What we saw on our first exploratory trip through the area, in addition to all of the above plants, were gemsbok, mountain zebra, klipspringer and dassies, which seemed to slide across the steep rock faces like a swarm of shooting stars in the night sky. When we approached they scurried just as quickly over the smooth rock and disappeared in holes and niches as if they had never existed.

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We, Hartwig von Seydlitz, Bippas the trackers, Muvi the cook and me, pitched our camp on the edge of a ravine in the vicinity of a borehole. The water was very brackish, but at least there was water. Good drinking water is extremely rare in this area.

On one of the following days, after I had already bagged a big female gemsbok, we set off for an extensive stalk in the hills between the two branches of the Rooi Kuiseb close to the so-called Baboon Post. We came across a small herd of young springbok, saw gemsbok on their way in the distance and repeatedly heard the distinctive, frog-like call of Rüppell’s Bustard, the well-footed one, or the high-pitched delicate voice of the Namaqua Sandgrouse. At noon we checked our bait, which we put up the day before and found dozens of gemsbok and

mountain zebra at the waterhole. Days before we had happened upon a leopard kill: a zebra foal that was mortally wounded but still alive. I put it out of its misery and we left it as bait, not with the intention to shoot the leopard but as an opportunity to possibly observe it. Unfortunately the leopard did not return. Perhaps he even had perished as a result of being kicked by a zebra or perhaps he was badly injured, otherwise he would not have left the foal just like that.

After feasting on the gemsbok’s heart, liver, kidneys and intestines the previous evening, we now had a very special delicacy for lunch: boiled udder with sweet potatoes in a tasty, creamy sauce. What can be more delightful than enjoying skilfully prepared culinary rarities?

"Oh! that the Desert were my dwelling-place" - Lord Byron

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Siesta in the tent. It was hot. Even the strong gusts of wind blowing through the large insect screens, were a fiery breath of heat. Yes, it was really hot, wonderfully hot. And I was happy.

Because I find nothing more dislikeable than the cold.

Only at five in the afternoon – at this time of the year the sun drops at a quarter past seven – we passed through the main mountains to the Rooi Kuiseb and from there to the southern plains to look for springbok. Far in the west we saw a group of seven taking flight. We drove on to get an idea of the land. But game was nowhere to be seen.

All of Little Exmoor and the vast plains were deserted. Finally we returned to the area where we had previously spotted the herd and began to stalk. First we climbed a small rock formation and scanned the

HOW I LEARNT TO LOVE THE DESERT sprawling, gently undulating terrain below with our binoculars.

The small herd now stood half a mile away, to the north. The wind was favourable and, covered by a tallish hill, we worked our way forward. The springbok were grazing on the opposite slope, moving over the hill. We followed. But when we reached the ridge we saw the herd even further away in the next valley. We could have moved on, to a rocky crag rising to the left, but dusk was already setting in. And with open sights one is much more limited than with a scope. So we enjoyed the view for a while and then retraced our steps.

The dawn rose over the mountains again. As soon as the day becomes brighter, crickets start to rev their engines. One of them sat right above my tent. First it had to turn the ignition a couple of times before it got the engine going. Zzz... Zzzzz... Zzzzzzz.

Once it was running the cricket stepped on the accelerator and steadily increased its speed: one thousand hertz, three thousand, five thousand, seven thousand, nine thousand... it is nerve-wrecking.

You simply have to turn over in bed and forcefully keep yourself from listening. But in any case Muvi already brought a jug of hot water and set it down on the table in front of the tent. Instead of limiting my morning wash to brushing my teeth, as I do on freezing winter mornings in the desert, I enjoyed the pleasant warmth and took time for washing properly.

Blue-leaved Corkwood

After breakfast we repeated our walk in the mountains at Baboon Post. In the afternoon we sat on watch right there before we started the long march back to camp. It had been overcast all day, with dark clouds gathering in the east. Every now and then there were flashes of lightning in the distance, and the deep rumble of thunder heralded rain. But it was only a few drops. Just a faint shower for several minutes.

The next day Hartwig sounded the reveille an hour before sunrise.

We wanted to set off early and drive to Little Exmoor to scan the plains with our binoculars. But only dead silence everywhere.

Around eight we randomly started to stalk through the flat hills west of Little Exmoor, close to where we had spotted the small springbok herd two days earlier. We passed a rock cave from prehistoric times, in which we found an old grinding stone, and then continued to walk from hill to hill, always against the wind, until we happened to come across the faded skull of a springbok with extremely good horns. I picked it up, took it with me and while I still mused over it I almost bumped into Hartwig and Bippas who suddenly stood there as if rooted to the spot: our little herd was grazing in the shallow depression in front of us – a mature ram with two young males and five females.

Cautiously we withdrew and walked around the hill to get closer.

Again we saw them, but in the meantime they had moved on and were still too far away. Another detour, longer than the first one.

When we peeped over the next crest the herd stood in a sloping depression, but again it was damn far away. The springbok had also noticed us and doubtfully tested the wind. We had to act. In anticipation of a long shot I had shifted the visor a notch higher before we rounded the hill, and that was to pay off now.

Poison Bush

Hartwig positioned the shooting sticks, and I took aim. At first the ram stood looking towards us, his head just a white dot which I barely recognised with the iron sights. When at last he turned, a female pushed past. But finally he was clear and stood broadside, seeming larger to me now, with his contours clearly visible. The sights were trained at his shoulder, or at least they more or less rested there. Then they had found their aim. My finger knew how to deal with that four-kilogram trigger. The shot rang out and the springbok collapsed.

“Keep aiming”, Hartwig called while I reloaded, “he might get up again”. But with the spine severed by a high shoulder shot the springbok stayed down.

Hartwig asked for my Geovid and measured the distance: “234 metres, fantastic, well done!” he exclaimed and slapped me on the back.

Inside, however, I felt ashamed that Lady Luck had favoured me like that.

It was ten o'clock. After two days of cloudy skies we had glorious sunshine again, just in time to take a few pictures.

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AD 7.5 - Makadi

www.makadi-safaris.com

Diethelm & Katja Metzger Tel: +264 (0)62 503 732 katja@makadi-safaris.com â&#x20AC;&#x153;We offer two very different hunting areas with very different species and hunting experiences: Kamab - situated in the central parts of Namibia on the Highland Plateau, with its moderately cool climate, open plains, fertile basins, picturesque riverbeds and rolling hills has an unusual abundance of game.

IlalaHUNTNAMIBIA - tucked away in .COM.NA the rugged, scorched mountains at the edge of the Namib Desert, has deep 18 WWW. ravines and breathtaking views and offers an exclusive and exceptional wilderness experiences.â&#x20AC;?

HOW I LEARNT TO LOVE THE DESERT My philosophy had been confirmed once again: in order to hunt well, to really go hunting, you don’t need any high-tech.

But if Hartwig would have told me before that it would be a shot of more than two hundred metres, I would have given him the thumbs down. In spite of all my good luck: with open sights this no longer conforms to the principles of sportsmanship. Nevertheless, I was pleased beyond all measure.

We spent the rest of the day with a trip to a remote part of Rooi Kuiseb, where an elongated nameless ravine with bizarre rock formations and sparse vegetation cuts through the mountains. It was only accessible from neighbouring properties.

In the evening a chilly, almost cold westerly wind blew in from the sea, so that you had to put on a jacket, and at night I snuggled up in my sleeping bag. Temperatures are so variable in the desert! At midday forty-five degrees in the sun, on a windy night maybe seventeen. Desert is always extreme. I am still lost for the words that would do justice to the surreal beauty of this landscape, its grandeur, its sublimity, the vast expanse, the hills, mountains, canyons and rock towers, the light, the colours, the flat glistening harshness of noon, the deep powerful reds of the evening, the soft pastels of the morning, the whole rough sparseness in all its diversity.

For supper there had been all sorts of springbok delicacies: the testicles as amuse-bouche, followed by heart, liver and kidneys. For the next day Muvi prepared the rumen with great care, and indeed it turned into superb tripe in a tasty sauce. Our field kitchen, by the way, became a meeting place for very special guests: numerous scorpions sought shelter among the large boxes. But such trifles definitely wouldn’t ruin my appetite!

For a few minutes the pronk of a springbok stays open, then collapses.

When the others turned in that evening I remained outside for another quarter of an hour and savoured the silence. I looked at the infinite dome above me with its unfathomable number of stars shining brightly from the night sky, unaffected by the lights of cities and villages, unclouded by polluted air. The Milky Way and Scorpio were high above, the Southern Cross was on the horizon, but the darkness of the nights decreased constantly because the moon was waxing and finally its light was so brilliant that it spread a silver veil across the land.

Translated from: C. C. Willinger (2013): Good Sport & Fair Chase – Weidwerk im Geiste ritterlicher Jagdkultur C. C. Willinger (work in progress): Durch Wüste und Savanne – Ursprüngliches Jagen zwischen Namib und Sambesi Published in 2018 by the same author: Auf Leben und Tod – Ein Kulturjagdreisebuch

The author with PH Hartwig von Seydlitz at one of the rare natural springs of the area

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HUNTING CONCESSIONS

IN CONSERVANCIES HELD BY NAPHA MEMBERS

- Namibia's conservation success story The sustainable use of wildlife, especially trophy hunting, has played a critical role in the development of communal conservancies. Prior to 1998, there were only four hunting concessions operating on Namibiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s communal lands, with none of these concessions providing meaningful engagement with or benefits to resident communities. Today there are 46 trophyhunting concessions operating on communal lands, with the conservancies being empowered as both the benefactor and custodian of these hunting concessions.

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Hunting Concessions held by NAPHA members Communal Conservancies National Park

Here is where NAPHA members hunt: 1 - Orupembe - A. Esterhuizen 2 - Uukolonkadhi Ruacana - L. van Zyl 3 - Otjikondavirongo - L. J. van Vuuren 4 - Sesfontein - L. J. van Vuuren 5 - ≠Khoadi-//Hôas - G Utz 6 - Torra - Jurgen Schlettwein 7 - !Khore !goreb - Jaco Oosthuizen 8 - Eiseb - J Blaauw 9 - Nyae Nyae - Stefan Jacobs 10 - George Mukoya - Drikus Swanepoel 11 - Muduva Nyangana - Drikus Swanepoel 12 - Kayramcan Association - James Chapman 12 - Kayramcan Association - Karl Stumpfe 13 - Kwando - Jamy Traut 14 - Mayuni - Jamy Traut 15 - Sobbe - Karl Stumpfe 16 - Wuparo - Dawid Muller 17 - Dzoti - Falco Schwartz 18 - Sikunga - Karl Stumpfe

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Eland Hunt at

SAAMGEWAAGD

All senses alert, I move slowly through the bush, rifle at the ready. The art of hunting eland requires to always move slowly, keenly observe with all your senses and never to relax. In this thick bush one cannot see far. This is eland territory, the large antelope are at home here, the hunter is an intruder and, therefore, at a disadvantage. Hilmar vor Lieres

I

am hunting on Farm Saamgewaagd, Peet Vermaak’s farm in the far east of the Otjozondjupa Region. The terrain is flat and thickly wooded, mainly bush at shoulder height, with here and there a bigger tree in between: camel thorn or sweet-thorn. The hunting area consists of so-called “dunes” and “streets”, although the “dunes” are not perceivably higher than the “streets”, but they are thick sand with a different type of vegetation, mostly apple-leaf trees. The “streets” consist of lime soil, with patches of ghabba bush, blackthorn bush and raisin bush. All of them are difficult to move through and they make it impossible to see further than a distance of thirty metres or so. Here and there you will spot the green sprouts of the notorious poison leaf, a plant that for many years prohibited farming in this area, but allowed the well-adapted game animals to prosper.

dunes and along streets, for hours. From my previous eland hunts in this same area I knew that I had a good chance of finding my prey if I managed to keep on the spoor.

Getting a clear shot, however, is not so easy.

These animals often hear the hunter coming before you even see them. Only the crackling bush hints at a running eland – and a lost opportunity. Then the tracking process has to start all over again.

I am now moving slowly down such a street.

The big tracks led me on since daylight, over

Is it my imagination or did I just hear a noise in the bush in front of me? It may be a hoof

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Eland stop feeding from around eleven in the morning and look for shade under a big tree.

There they are very difficult to approach, as they stand looking downwind, while the scent of any danger is carried to them from upwind.

They stand listening closely for any suspicious noise. Normally it is only possible to catch them unawares early in the morning or late in the afternoon when they are feeding again.

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stepping on leaves, or a branch breaking. I cannot be sure, but it is definitely something big. I stand stock-still and listen intently. The bush is as thick as ever and my vision is limited to about thirty metres. I stoop down and try looking through the bushes from underneath.

Nothing. Then, there it is again: I hear movement. It can only be the eland bull that I have been tracking since morning. There are no cattle here, and the ever-present giraffe I would have seen towering over the surrounding bush.

The sound of this movement is too heavy for a gemsbok or a kudu. Right in front of me I see the branch of a bush moving. Was it a bird or an animal? The eland I am after?

Now I can see the tips of two horns flashing in the sunlight. It is the eland. He is feeding on the tender leaves at the tip of the branches.

I consider moving to a better position, but fear that he will notice me. What should I do? One wrong move and the hunt will have to start all over again. I do not want this to

happen after three days of searching and tracking and trying.

The next moment the bull makes his move.

I see him walking towards a clear patch in the bush. I think I will get my long-awaited opportunity now. I know the bull by now. I have walked on his tracks since dawn. Those were big tracks. Now I can see the horns clearly.

They flash in unison as he feeds, the shiny black surface and the sharp tips show against the hazy backdrop of the bush. And now I see the dark grey body, too, moving behind the brush.

The elandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s head appears in the open, I see the thick tuft of hair on his forehead. I hear the click-click of his leg joints as he moves forward.

Buck fever takes hold of me. My rifle is at the ready, but the sights keep swaying disturbingly.

I try to calm myself. The moment has come. If he detects me now he will take flight and keep running without stopping soon.

I can see all of him now. For a moment he is fully in the open. He stops abruptly and looks straight at me. My sights anchor on his foreleg.

I press the trigger. The rifle bucks against my shoulder. I hear the shot as if from afar. I see the big animal stumbling, then running. I know with a sense of accomplishment that this is his final run. He crashes straight through the bushes, not around them, breaking branches in his fear and agony. I hear him running for a hundred metres or so, then all goes quiet.

I do not go after him immediately. I force myself to wait. This is a moment of contemplation, of retrospection and rest.

I replay the shot in my mind. It looked good. I did not flinch or pull the shot. The distance was close enough to allow for a good margin of error. I tested my rifle on a target when I arrived on the farm. It was still good. The run of the animal sounded promising. I think I have him! I sit down, take an apple out of my backpack and slowly munch on it, savouring the sweetness and the moisture of the fruit. It amazes me how good a simple fruit like an apple tastes in the bush, when you are tired and where the air is clean and nature looks benevolently down on the hunter.

My rifle is resting across my knees. I look at it and think back to the hunts we did together, me and my trusty 9.3x62 mm Mauser with its dark wood, its black barrel and its wellfunctioning BRNO-action. I feel a sense of comradeship towards the well-used piece of equipment. It never failed me. Together we walked on many tracks before, successfully pursued many a prey animal.

I walk up to him in awe. He is huge, a massive body and large horns. I am happy. I tell myself that I earned my success. It was a hard hunt.

Three full days of hunting, of walking, of following the spoor. Today I have got him. He is mine. I hunted like a real primitive hunter: alone, without vehicle back-up or helpers, using only my senses and following my instincts.

I take out the stomach and guts and place fresh branches over the body. It will take some time before we recover the animal. First I will have to walk all the way back to the farmhouse to report. I mark the spot with my GPS and start walking back. I am tired but happy. A sense of accomplishment fills my mind. It was a good hunt. To hunt eland in this way to me represents the ultimate hunt. I cannot get enough of this and will come back year after year for this experience. Although I may often return empty-handed, moments like this compensate for all the rest.

After waiting for ten minutes I get up and start walking on the running tracks. The place from where he took off on his run is clearly defined in the soil. From there his tracks form a straight line through the bush. I soon find blood. The drops of blood lie to the left of the spoor, a sign that the bullet did not penetrate the huge body but mushroomed inside it.

Slowly I follow the blood drops. After sixty metres of tracking I see him lying on his side in the low shrub. He doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t move.

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A new era FOR HUNTING

Government takes the reigns for the future

The global resistance to hunting, and the tendency of non-Namibian hunting professionals to disregard our best practice and thus threatening Namibia’s 45-year old reputation as an ethical, self-regulating hunting sector, necessitated Government to become involved and provide recourse to deal with these challenges. Dr Malan Lindeque, outgoing Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET), recounts the successful process and how far Namibia has come with respect to the implementation of some necessary reforms and developments.

T

he first and very effective move from Government’s side to stand up to international pressure after the Cecil incident in Zimbabwe, was to declare that “Namibia bans all bans on hunting”, showing the world how strong the Namibian government’s support of the hunting sector is. Following that gesture, Cabinet gave MET a mandate to reposition hunting in order to safeguard the industry and the practice of hunting, acknowledging that hunting is part of our cultural heritage, and that it is fundamental to nature conservation in terms of the use of land in communal conservancies and on commercial farmland. Importantly, agreement was reached to move away from the emphasis on trophies by rebranding hunting in Namibia as conservation hunting, not trophy hunting.

The mandate further included redrafting of the laws and regulations on professional hunting and the creation of a regulatory body to ensure that those who break the law or behave unethically are held accountable.

Cabinet mandated the Ministry to review the qualification requirements for professional hunting guides and to create a system of Citizen Hunting whereby young Namibians would have the opportunity to hunt dangerous game in order to register as professional hunters. Even though Namibia is already regarded as one of the countries with the strictest hunting guide stipulations, the curriculum, qualifications and training of professional hunters will be reviewed and updated to be in line with the standards in the EU and US.

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With the mandate from Government and buy-in from the hunting sector and international organisations and NGOs, discussions followed about sustainability, ethics, hunting models for conservancies, a code of conduct and how to penalise non-adherence, as well as the social and economic value and the value chain associated with hunting.

Guided by these discussions, a framework was created for sustainable and ethical hunting in Africa. African hunting associations including NAPHA, partner organisations, specifically WWF Namibia, initiated drafting of a Charter for Hunting, Wildlife Conservation and Habitat Protection in Africa, with support also provided by the IUCN. Namibia’s government was the only government involved from the beginning of the talks but others soon joined. Under the leadership of Namibia, negotiations to create the charter continued among the southern African trophy-hunting countries. Four governments – Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Mozambique – are ready to sign, while Tanzania and South Africa are still consulting. Ultimately it is expected that Uganda, Ethiopia and Cameroon, or any other African country that engages in hunting, would consider joining this charter. The US and European hunting associations have already accepted the envisaged charter.

With more research and insight into the regulatory systems of other hunting countries, the process was moving forward

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at a remarkable pace. European hunting countries do not suffer the same resistance against hunting, because of well-established systems, structures and procedures. In the US there is an understanding of the link between hunting and conservation, which is also the case in Namibia. Therefore some of the EU and US practices have been incorporated in the new approach to hunting in Namibia.

In the meantime work started on developing a Best Practice Guide for Hunting in Namibia, which will include the charter, the new Namibian legislation and regulations, the code of conduct and a new age-based trophy measurement system.

This is a joint effort by the Ministry, NAPHA, WWF Namibia, the Namibia Chamber of Environment and the Namibia Nature Foundation.

Valuable additions to the new regulations will be compulsory training courses in ethics and sustainability for registered hunters in Namibia in order to retain their registration.

In the past, hunters could not lose their registration because of unethical behaviour.

They could merely lose their membership of NAPHA, but retain their registration as a PH. With the new regulations, all registered hunters will be obliged to attend these courses and will have no excuse of being unaware what ethical and sustainable practices are under the law.

Another step forward is the reintroduction of the Nature Conservation Board. The board will review complaints and make

recommendations based on the law which will then be presented to the minister for action. A regulatory body for the hunting profession is also under consideration as part of the drafting of the new Protected Areas and Wildlife Management Act. With the minister’s approval NAPHA also initiated a pamphlet with social media guidelines which will be distributed to all visiting international hunters in order to advise them on respectful and acceptable posting of their hunting experiences in Namibia.

NAMIB TAXIDERMY CC Qualität für Ihr Geld! / Quality for your money!

Wir freuen uns auf Ihren Besuch.

We look forward to welcoming you.

Currently the income from hunting permits and concession fees is paid to treasury. The cabinet also directed the ministry to develop a system that will strengthen the link between hunting and conservation. One option is to adopt something similar to the American system which requires hunters, in addition to having the usual permits, to buy a stamp or token for each animal taken down.

The income from such stamps or tokens will be directed to habitat protection of the species concerned.

A big concern, which will soon be addressed because existing contracts run out, is the way in which hunting concessions are awarded and managed. MET concession contracts will be reviewed and augmented to ensure that contract conditions are met.

Conservancies will in future co-sign contracts with MET, to ensure that the conditions are met by both the operator and the conservancy.

One of the arguments against trophy hunting is that the best genetic material is removed from the gene pool when an animal with a big trophy is killed. This should not be the case when old animals, past their prime, are hunted for trophies. To this end, MET and NAPHA are collaborating with international experts to introduce an age-related measuring system, developed as the Erongo Register for all African game animals. The value of trophies measured in this way does not depend on size, but on the age of the animal (see article on ART on page 66).

While some work still needs to be finalised, e.g. on the citizen hunting provision and the completion and signing of the charter, considerable progress has been made in the repositioning of hunting in Namibia, thanks to the good cooperation between MET, NAPHA and other partner organisations.

P.O.Box 486 Omaruru, Namibia Tel: +264 64 57 0729 • Fax: +264 64 57 0739 namibtaxidermy@africaonline.com.na www.namibtaxidermy.com

savannah

Dr Malan Lindeque, outgoing Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism.

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HUNTING NAMIBIA’S MOST FORMIDABLE

Ralf Mueller

swordsman

Daybreak finds us sitting close to the camel thorn fire, for the morning air is chilly. Soon the kettle boils and coffee is brewed. Another day on the arid hunting grounds awaits. My hunting friend Lance and I have pursued many animals with some success, but it is the gemsbok, Namibia’s most formidable swordsman, which Lance so dearly longs to track, test his skills against, and hunt… Danene van der Westhuyzen

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T

savannahs and jungles. But the Kalahari and Namib deserts are regions defined by drought, and they test survival on a daily basis, of man and beast alike.

It is a land often overlooked: when Africa is conjured up in the mind, many see lush

Lance and I have left camp early, grateful for the blessed coolness of morning which his frame, through years of a semi-sedentary life, has been unable to cope with without discomfort and irritation. The gentle, refreshing hand of the dew made for a brisk and hopeful walk along the landscape that consists of vast plains, haunted by mirages

he gemsbok has grazed throughout the night to escape the heat of the desert’s scorched lands. It now stands in the direct sun, with burning sand under its hooves, shifting its weight ever so often. It hasn’t had water on its blackened tongue for weeks. It has maintained its diet by scenting out roots and bulbs, and digging them out of the sand with its strong, sharp, heavy hooves, quenching its forgotten thirst by lucky finds of moisture.

and as level as the sea, arid mountain ranges – usually mere piles of bare rock – and sand dunes, massed and tangled. But soon the greedy sun claims the last drop of moisture from the air and sands. We push on and pass some bustards and snakes, and golden spots of springbok in the distance.

On reaching a small dune we climb to the top, lie down on our stomachs and carefully scan the plains from east to west. A faint breeze swirls gracefully over our perspiring bodies. While we lie prone, a jackal shambles

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HUNTING NAMIBIA'S FORMIDABLE SWORDSMAN up the steep slope of loose sand and meets us, face to face. The creature regards us with bewilderment for a second and then dashes back with a yelp of dismay. Lance gazes my way quickly and searches my face for a reaction but I just smile while scanning through my binoculars, and we share this moment without exchanging a word.

The day has now returned in full force and flung us to the lions of the sun.

Temperatures must be around the 40s. But the desert doesn’t care. She is too strong to have sympathy, too majestic to be moved by grief or touched by any regret. The sun is beating down fiercely and the sand over which we trudge burns through the soles of our shoes. If desert plants can feel and think, how they must long for the night – for the miracle of cool moisture. “Let’s push on and forget about the heat”, I try to motivate my friend.

On the right, rising from the empty scenery, a small thicket of black sticks becomes visible. Irregular groups of them, standing at various angles, they appear clear and distinct through the transparent air. The rest of the gemsbok is out of sight, nothing is visible but their long and straight horns. But soon the trembling of the earth betrays us, and the thicket of “black sticks” becomes agitated. It breaks up, scatters and regroups in smaller thickets. Then the herd of gemsbok swings away at a gallop and speeds upwind, leaving a long trail of dust to mark its course and finally melting into the mirage.

Far off, ahead of the heard, the aristocrat of the desert, the lone bull, is resting in the midday gloom under the scant shade of a tree, surrounded by miniature pyramids of dry gemsbok droppings, the moisture fully depleted by his own body before marking this area as his territory. He has left the herd months ago, not at all bothered by leaving the females to their fate. They have their own lethal set of horns to defend themselves and their young. He is old and tired, and the natural instinct to pass on his genes for future herds is long lost. He faces the slight breeze, pants, inhales and exhales rapidly through his nose; a nose lined with capillaries, a network of small blood vessels that are cooled by the air pulled into the nose to ensure that blood enters his brain at a lower temperature.

Lance and I don’t escape our share of hardship: the sun is scorching and the sand is extremely hot under our feet. Water is unobtainable as a rule, except for the supply we carry with us and that previously cool refreshment has now turned to high tea temperature. Even so we wash it down eagerly, soothing our dried throats. The heat reflecting off the ground and stones is a burden and almost a misery, yet we are able to endure it while in motion. But the stillness of the desert and the glare from the surroundings are weighing Lance down.

“Shade – coolness – where are they to be found”, he asks as he looks at me dejectedly.

“Even darkness will be a relief.” I realise that something approaching despair seizes him, and I feel close to calling it a day and turning back.

But then, as if the mirage were playing a trick on my eyes, I spot a tree in the distance towards the west. As Lance turns towards the slight breeze that plays through my hair, he regains some enthusiasm and puts my thought into words: “Wind in your face, sun at your back.” With renewed hope we turn westward and head for the luxurious tree. Suddenly, and with our sights set on the shady tree in the distance, three gemsbok calves rise at a distance of about sixty metres and look at us fixedly.

About three to four months old, they are a most extraordinary sight. Their necks, chests and flanks are covered with long hair in a vivid hue of red. They have shaggy red manes and big, black, muzzles; their ears are enormous. Lance mistakes them for lion and becomes worked up with terror until I am able to persuade him of the true nature of the animals. Eventually, after the adrenaline rush through his body subsides, we are able to continue. The gemsbok calves gallop off in confusion, sweeping left and right, and finally speeding towards the direction where we last saw the big herd disappear and drop off the end of the earth. I admire their agile movements in the rocky terrain, which poses no obstacle for gemsbok, and contemplate the divisions of their hooves, connected by a strong membrane of muscle, expanding widely and stretching apart when they tread on a stone, the membrane serving as a supporting spring.

And then, as we direct our gaze back to the longed-for tree with its inviting cool,

I spot the slight movement of a white underbelly from below the tree, and whisper excitedly to Lance to look at it through his binoculars. In his attempt to lessen the burden of the ever increasing weight of his rifle and binoculars slung over his left shoulder, he has moments before moved the binoculars to the other shoulder. Now the slings are so entangled that he cannot lift the binoculars high enough to align it with his eyes, so eager for a good view of a possible magnificent bull. Finally, with sweaty fingers slipping and sliding over the warm binoculars, Lance lays eyes on the striking beast. Together we goggle at the black and white pattern around its legs and underbelly, the famous facial markings, all of these serving to deflect the heat, but making the gemsbok so admirably beautiful – the crowning result of a long period of evolution – developed by unrestricted Nature for the all-wise end of making him attractive in the eyes of the females of his species. He is a mere 200 metres away, still facing away from us.

Lance and I swiftly move closer, his back arched low, my head bent downwards, hoping that the gemsbok will not awake from his slumber or sense us closing in on him. But when at 120 metres away from the gemsbok I raise my head to take a quick look, it is as if he had read my mind – the famous 6th sense of gemsbok has already kicked in. He is facing us now, his black and white face an expression of solitude and strength. He stands still as a statue, defying his enemy. His wire-like hair erect and quivering; his red nostrils, shaped like a trumpet, seem to exude defiance; his shoulders and flanks heavily striated with muscle fibre. My eyes are drawn to his deadly weapon, the long, slim, pitch-black horns shimmering in the sun, and a quick thought plays with my sub-conscience… that the gemsbok, without breaking his stride, can sweep his formidable horns as quick as lightning and impale anything within a metre on either side of his hooves.

He is a noble brute – a leader among the gemsbok. And at this moment I am not eager for Lance to shoot. Suddenly I am content to gaze at the enthralling, impassive face; to admire that quality in it which a hunter lacks most – the steadfastness and endurance. I, the hunter, who so much longed to take this

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This could be you...

This could be you...

Dirk de Bod Safaris Namibia is one of Namibiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s select hunting destinations, boasting over 48 500 acres of private game reserves with 31 different species available.

+264 (81) 124 0838 kudu@africaonline.com.na www.safarisnamibia.com

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HUNTING NAMIBIA'S FORMIDABLE SWORDSMAN

formidable swordsman with my friend, now want to revere and love him – not for his fleeting beauty but because my resilient soul finds him loveable and strong. The hunter’s instinct is the one which is most deeply rooted in the mind of man. It is among those patterns of behaviour which persist after the conditions which triggered them have disappeared.

As Lance slowly lifts his rifle to his shoulder – a second too late, a deliberate moment too long spent scrutinising the beast before us – the gemsbok turns and trots off, as if challenging us to follow. Lance follows him only through his scope, dropping the rifle while the gemsbok pauses on top of a dune, catching the evening breeze, and gazes down on us one last time. I realise that Lance had the same fleeting emotion pass through him.

Ralf Mueller

The desert is in one of its moods of tenderness now – the air full of soft and subtle scents that are sweeter than lavender, more gratifying than wafts from a garden of greenery. A feeling of sadness pulls at our heartstrings. We aren’t immediately sure why, but both Lance and I cannot avoid glum anticipation of what would be coming again too soon – that fierce passion which would cause the sand to turn red-hot under our soles again tomorrow. This anticipation almost destroys our physical pleasure. It is this kind of thing that places man at a disadvantage. Animals, by comparison, live in the immediate present.

No matter how beautiful the desert flowers or how rich the fruits of the present may be, a threatening hand stretches out from the future

and touches them with destruction. And the farther the eyes of man penetrate the future, the more frightful will be the things revealed.

This both the gemsbok and us hunters know: the great art of the noble sport of gemsbok hunting lies in careful endurance, skill and sense, so as to prevent the animal from taking the only course on which his powers will come to full play.

Day faded from the sky and the dome of stars seemed to be drawn around us like a curtain.

How intensely still it was, how utterly peaceful. The world of men, with its fierce and futile struggles, its crowded and ever-changing image, seemed but a dream. Could it be that in other regions of the world, a world which right here seemed so straightforward, so sinless and so ordered, people were struggling in industrial cities? For this night, however, the desert was the only reality. Where Lance and I seemed to have reached Nirvana…

Footnote: The gemsbok has several interesting peculiarities.

Namibians think so highly of the gemsbok, Oryx gazella, that the national coat of arms depicts two of these magnificent animals on either side of a shield covered with the national flag – representing courage, elegance and pride. If you see these antelope in their desert surroundings you will immediately understand their prominent place in the hearts of Namibians.

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Hennie Victor

Helge Denker

Paul van Schalkwyk

Paul van Schalkwyk

Black-faced Impala

Greater Kudu

Blue Wildebeest

Roan Antelope

Status of different wildlife species in Namibia DEFINITIONS

Indigenous – where the species occurs naturally without any human intervention. This refers to the species’ actual distribution, not the countries where it occurs. For example, Waterbuck and Lechwe are indigenous to the wetland systems of NE Namibia – they are not indigenous to the whole of Namibia.

Similarly, Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra are indigenous to the western escarpment and central plateau of Namibia, but not to the Kalahari.

Endemic – where an indigenous species has a naturally restricted range. Thus, a Namibian endemic means that the species occurs naturally only in Namibia. We therefore have a special responsibility for its conservation. A Southern African endemic means that the natural global distribution of a species is confined to south of the Kunene and Zambezi rivers.

Near-endemic – where about 80% of the natural range of a species is confined to the specified area. For example, the Damara Dik-dik is a near-endemic to Namibia, with just a small part of its range extending into southwest Angola.

Exotic – where a species originates from another part of the world and has never occurred naturally in Namibia, e.g. Nyala, Blesbok, Black Wildebeest.

Peripheral – where a species just enters the very edge of Namibia, with most of its distribution occurring elsewhere, e.g. Puku, with a tiny population on the Chobe floodplains but most of its population in Zambia.

Conservation Status – IUCN global conservation assessment (see www.iucnredlist.org - not the Namibian status); and the CITES Appendix status.

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Common name

Scientific name

Distribution status

Conservation IUCN & CITES

Notes on distribution

Cape Rock Hyrax

Procavia capensis

√

Southern African near endemic

Secure

Distributed across central and southern Namibia

Kaokoveld Rock Hyrax

Procavia welwitchii

√

Namibian near endemic

Secure

Kunene region of Namibia and into SW Angola

Bush Hyrax

Heterohyrax brucei

√

Peripheral indigenous

Secure

Extreme NW in Kunene River valley

African Bush Elephant

Loxodonta africana

√

Indigenous

Vulnerable (CITES II)

Historically occurred across all of Namibia except Namib sand sea

Aardvark

Orycteropus afer

No

Indigenous

Near Threatened

Widespread across Namibia except for extreme west

Chacma Baboon

Papio ursinus

√

Indigenous

Secure (CITES II)

Widespread across Namibia except extreme west

Vervet Monkey

Chlorocebus pygerythrus

No

Indigenous

Secure (CITES II)

Confined to northeast and Orange River valley

African Wild Dog

Canis pictus

No

Indigenous

Endangered

Historically occurred across all Namibia except for extreme west

Side-striped Jackal

Canis adustus

No

Indigenous

Secure

Northeast Namibia

Black-backed Jackal

Canis mesomelas

√

Southern African nearendemic

Secure

Widespread across Namibia

Bat-eared Fox

Otocyon megalotis

No

Southern African endemic

Secure

Widespread across Namibia

Cape Fox

Vulpes chama

No

Southern African endemic

Secure

Widespread across Namibia except for extreme west and northeast

Ratel

Mellivora capensis

No

Indigenous

Secure

Throughout Namibia except for extreme west

Lion

Panthera leo

√

Indigenous

Vulnerable (CITES II)

Historically occurred across all of Namibia

Leopard

Panthera pardus

√

Indigenous

Near Threatened (CITES I)

Widespread across Namibia except extreme western Namib sand sea

Serval

Leptailurus serval

No

Indigenous

Secure (CITES II)

Historically across northern and eastern Namibia

Caracal

Caracal caracal

√

Indigenous

Secure (CITES II)

Widespread across all Namibia

Cheetah

Acinonyx jubatus

√

Indigenous

Vulnerable (CITES I)

Widespread across Namibia except for far west

African Wildcat

Felis sylvestris

No

Indigenous

Secure (CITES II)

Throughout Namibia

Black-footed Cat

Felis nigripes

No

Southern African endemic

Vulnerable (CITES I)

Across Namibia except for far west, northwest and northeast

Brown Hyaena

Hyaena brunnea

x

Southern African endemic

Near Threatened

Across all Namibia

Spotted Hyaena

Crocuta crocuta

x

Indigenous

Secure

Historically across Namibia except for extreme west

Aardwolf

Proteles cristata

No

Southern African nearendemic

Secure

Across Namibia except for extreme west

Plains / Burchell’s Zebra

Equus quagga burchelli

√

Southern African endemic

Near Threatened

Across Namibia except for extreme west and northeast

Plains / Chapman’s Zebra

Equus quagga chapmani

√

Indigenous

Endangered

Northeast Namibia

WWW.HUNTNAMIBIA.COM.NA

√

Namibian endemic

Vulnerable (CITES II)

Western escarpment and central plateau (mountainous rocky terrain)

Black Rhinoceros

Diceros bicornis bicornis

√

Indigenous

Vulnerable (CITES I)

Historically across Namibia except for extreme west

White Rhinoceros

Ceratotherium simum simum

√

Southern African nearendemic

Near Threatened (CITES I)

Historic range across Namibia above about the 250 mm rainfall isohyet

Bushpig

Potamochoerus larvatus

√

Indigenous

Secure

Northeast Namibia

Desert / Cape Warthog

Phacochoerus aethiopicus aethiopicus

No

Southern African endemic

Extinct

Extreme southern Namibia – Orange and Fish River valleys

Common Warthog

Phacochoerus africanus

√

Indigenous

Secure

Widespread across Namibia except for far west and south

Common Hippopotamus

Hippopotamus amphibius

√

Indigenous

Vulnerable (CITES II)

Historically occurred in all perennial river systems in Namibia

Giraffe (Angolan Giraffe)

Giraffa camelopardalis angolensis

√

Indigenous

Vulnerable

Historically widespread across all Namibia except for extreme west

African Savanna Buffalo

Syncerus caffer

√

Indigenous

Secure

Historically widespread except for far west and southern Kalahari

Nyala

Tragelaphus angasi

√

Exotic

Secure

Occurred naturally in northern KwaZulu-Natal and Kruger NP Lowveld

Greater Kudu

Tragelaphus strepsiceros

√

Indigenous

Secure

Widespread across Namibia except for extreme west

Bushbuck

Tragelaphus scriptus

√

Indigenous

Secure

Northeast Namibia

Sitatunga

Tragelaphus spekii

√

Indigenous

Secure

Reedbeds in north-eastern perennial rivers

Common Eland

Taurotragus oryx

√

Indigenous

Secure

Historically throughout Namibia except for far west

Common / Grey Duiker

Sylvicapra grimmia

√

Indigenous

Secure

Throughout Namibia except in far west

Sharpe’s Grysbok

Raphicerus sharpei

√

Peripheral indigenous

Secure

Extreme eastern Zambezi Region

Steenbok

Raphicerus campestris

√

Southern African nearendemic

Secure

Throughout Namibia except in extreme west

Damara Dik-dik

Madoqua kirkii damarensis

√

Namibian near-endemic

Secure

Central, north-central and north-western Namibia

Springbok

Antidorcas marsupialis

√

Southern African endemic

Secure

Throughout Namibia except in north-eastern woodlands

Oribi

Ourebia ourebi

√

Peripheral indigenous

Secure

Eastern Zambezi Region

Rhebok

Pelea capreolus

No

Peripheral indigenous

Secure

Huns Mountains in Namibia’s extreme south

Southern Reedbuck

Redunca arundinum

√

Indigenous

Secure

Perennial rivers in north-eastern Namibia

Puku

Kobus vardoni

√

Peripheral indigenous

Near Threatened

Extreme eastern Zambezi Region – Chobe floodplains

Southern Lechwe

Kobus leche

√

Indigenous

Near Threatened (CITES II)

River systems in northeast Namibia

Waterbuck

Kobus ellipsiprymnus

√

Indigenous

Secure

River systems in northeast Namibia

Klipspringer

Oreotragus oreotragus

√

Indigenous

Secure

Hilly, rocky & mountainous areas of southern, central and north-western Namibia

Common Impala

Aepyceros melampus melampus

√

Indigenous

Secure

Historically across central-eastern and north-eastern Namibia

Black-faced Impala

Aepyceros melampus petersi

√

Namibian near-endemic

Vulnerable

Northwest and southwards to northern central plateau

Bontebok

Damaliscus pygargus pygargus

√

Exotic

Vulnerable (CITES II)

Occurred naturally only in the Western Cape coastal fynbos, RSA

Blesbok

Damaliscus pygargus phillipsi

√

Exotic

Secure

Occurred naturally only in South Africa’s grassland Highveld & Karoo

Tsessebe

Damaliscus lunatus

√

Indigenous

Secure

Northeast Namibia

Red Hartebeest

Alcelaphus buselaphus caama

√

Southern African endemic

Secure

Kalahari and thornveld savanna ecosystems in Namibia

Blue Wildebeest

Connochaetes taurinus

√

Indigenous

Secure

Historically widespread, except in the west & extreme south

Black Wildebeest

Connochaetes gnou

√

Exotic

Secure

Occurred naturally only in South Africa’s grassland Highveld & Karoo

Roan Antelope

Hippotragus equinus

√

Indigenous

Secure

North-eastern woodlands of Namibia

Sable Antelope

Hippotragus niger

√

Indigenous

Secure

North-eastern woodlands of Namibia

Southern Oryx

Oryx gazella

√

Southern African endemic

Secure

Throughout Namibia, except for Zambezi region

Gerhard Thirion

Paul van Schalk wyk

Sable Antelope

Elzanne Erasmus

Equua zebra hartmanni

Jofie Lamprecht

Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra

Plains / Burchell’s Zebra

Cape Buffalo

Springbok

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Elephant Hunting Drama and Powerful Impressions Uliâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s safari was slowly nearing its end, when we had taken up the trail of a group of six bulls at the Klein Dobe Waterhole.

We came up with the bulls at noon, when they were resting in a thicket. From out a tree I was able to see the bulls as good as at all possible, and noticed that amongst them there was an old bull with a prominently rounded forehead. The tusks I could see shadowy only, as they were concealed in the shrub, but could make out that they were evenly matched and not very long, but they appeared relatively thick. I was still hoping for a better view, when a swirling breath of wind carried our scent over to the elephants, which immediately made off in a big cloud of dust.

Kai-Uwe Denker

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35

W

e followed until we could see from the tracks that they had calmed down again, moving on leisurely now. As they most probably soon would stop somewhere in the shade, we held a siesta, and only took up the spoor again, when the wind had stabilised in the afternoon. Late in the afternoon we came up with the bulls once more, which also had been standing in the shade for a long time, and now moved out into a silver cluster-leaf shrub-thicket, feeding leisurely and completely at ease.

Here and there we could see the back of a bull surpass the shrub.

In ever same routine I climbed the only suitable tree in the vicinity, a double-stemmed shepherd’s tree, somewhat unpractical for the purpose, and was able to stabilise my position, wedged in between the two stems, by pressing my right foot with drawn up knee against the one stem, practically sitting on my right calf, propping myself up with the outstretched left leg against the other stem.

When I had broken off some twigs obstructing my view, the preconditions were set, to very calmly have a look at the elephants and – almost even more so – savour the atmosphere.

It was this time of day, when, together with the low sun, a purple hue moves into the silver cluster-leave thickets. In great calmness the elephants fed around, exposed the roots of the terminalia shrubs with their forefeet, pulling long strips of root from the ground with their trunks to chew off the bark, and throw the yellow fibre down again, moved hither and thither, taking up cool sand with their trunks to throw it over head and shoulders – all in all an endlessly tranquil and peaceful atmosphere.

Looking through my binoculars I soon had glanced over the six elephants and identified two bulls as being of interest. One of the two was a very long-tusked bull with impressive ivory, shining white, which however was still much too young; nevertheless I time and again looked at him full of fascination.

In ten or fifteen years’ time this could be a truly big tusker if he would stay alive long enough. The other one was the old bull with the rounded forehead. This one was very difficult to judge. The tusks appeared not

36

exceptionally thick nor were they very long, but still they were harmonically rounding off a big old bull.

For a long time I looked at this bull without being able to make up my mind, and as the elephants were feeding completely at ease and as there was still an hour until sunset, I did not feel pressured either.

Suddenly I heard rustling footsteps in the grass to my rear left, turned in my look-out post and saw two spotted hyaenas nearing, one of them moving directly towards our tree.

Soon she became aware of my companions waiting underneath the tree, stopped for a moment with head raised, the round ears cocked and then fled in a fright to the side, taking along the second hyaena, and, thumping away in a clumsy gallop, they ran directly towards one of the elephants feeding widely dispersed.

The bull swung round and for a moment stared into the direction of the oncoming racket, turned and ran towards the other elephants in panic. It did not matter any longer that the hyaenas turned in a fright as well when the bull crashed off and, accelerating with tail tucked in between the legs, ran into the opposite direction.

Crowded together in a clump and raising a big cloud of dust, the elephants disappeared in the distance.

Now that he was gone it appeared to me that the bull had been very big, and I regretted having dallied around unnecessarily. Climbing down from the tree, I went over to the spot where the big bull had last fed and made a sketch of his foot imprint, then we marched back to Klein Dobe.

Walking in from Klein Dobe next morning, we took up the spoor again. Until we had reached the place where the bulls had been frightened by the hyaenas, however, it was mid-morning, becoming warm already.

The elephants had run away in remarkable panic and had not calmed down for many miles. When we had not cut on their lead during the hot midday hours – quite contrary, the elephants had not yet calmed down here at dusk of the previous evening – and moreover I by now had started to get

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doubts again as to the trophy quality of the bull, we broke off the pursuit.

Two days later, when actually on our way to the south, we came onto the tracks of a group of elephant bulls, which had crossed the Sikereti Road towards the northwest.

When inspecting the tracks, we realised that an old bull was amongst the group.

Following on this spoor for a while, we reached a spot, where the imprint of one hind foot was clearly depicted on the ground.

I produced my notebook – it was the bull with the rounded forehead.

Now I finally got the feeling that the bull with the rounded forehead – this characteristic was of some meaning, as bulls with a bulging form of the head generally have bigger tusks reaching far into the skull, than bulls with a flattish head – was ordained for us.

I now was determined to track down and shoot this bull. We snatched up our gear, the San distributed the loads, while I parked the Toyota under a tree next to the Sikereti Road, and off we were.

The bulls had moved purposeful towards the northwest, therefore we made speedy progress on the trail. Soon we realised that the thirsty elephants were on their way to the Klein Dobe Waterhole again; we reached the waterhole, many elephants had been here during the night, amongst them two other bulls with prominent, furrowed tracks, which once more made me doubtful as to the correct estimation of our bull, and lead me into the temptation to take up a new spoor, but I wiped the temptation away – time was running out and one cannot jump around all the time, I had made a decision – and, after we had deciphered the mix-up of tracks at the waterhole, we fixated ourselves consequently onto the tracks of the six bulls, crossed the N’homa Road to the northwest and eventually caught up with the bulls, which we could hear in a thicket ahead, in early afternoon.

Because of the wind we outflanked the elephants, I climbed a camel thorn tree and from up there could see the backs of some of the bulls.

It appeared nonsensical to try and stalk the bulls during the midday heat inside the thicket. The wind was not stable, we did

ELEPHANT HUNTING

An old elephant bull in threatening pose in front of a heat-shimmering salt pan - embodiment of the grandiose African wilderness

not know where the old one was standing, it would become a back and forth amongst the elephants, sooner or later one of the bulls would notice us, and the dance would start anew.

I climbed down onto the ground, we ate our sandwiches in silence and drank a lot of water, then I sent !Xao up the tree; he should watch the elephants and wake me once they started to move again. I somewhat cleaned the ground in the shade of the spreading treetop and lay down in a feeling of expectant, relaxed tension, difficult to describe, to have a short nap.

While only the wind whispered in the treetops and through the grass, there was a great, wide quiet all around. Now and then subdued click-sounds reached my conscience when one of the trackers, leaning against the tree trunk, said something and slowly I drifted off.

I had just reached a short, reviving slumber, when !Xao called my name. I looked up into the tree and !Xao indicated with a gesture of

his hand that the elephants were starting to move. The hunt was on!

I got up, beat the dust from my clothes, alerted Uli and gave instructions to the trackers to gather up our gear, while I climbed the tree once more to gain a first-hand impression.

The elephants had dissolved from the shade, but they did not start to feed around as I had expected, but had left the thicket and by now were moving out towards the southwest, into the direction of the !Kenni Kurri Waterhole. I could see the backs of the six bulls, surpassing the cluster-leaf shrub adjoining the thicket, swaying along in single file. Seemingly the bulls, still thirsty after the rush of the previous days, contrary to the usual two-day-rhythm wanted to drink again today. Hurry was called for.

Back on the ground I informed Uli on the development, snatched up my rifle, chambered a round and stepped off with big steps, as not to lose touch with the moving elephants, to flank them and to position us in their path at an appropriate moment.

While we hurried along, winding our bodies through the shrub, my eyes swerved over to the left; soon I had espied the backs of the bulls, and now tried to not lose sight of them again.

A marvellous feeling of calm, relaxed, powerful self-confidence was flooding through me, permeated by a nuance of humility, because deep down I knew that the bull was not truly big, but I could not back out from my decision after days of backwards and forwards, therefore I did not hurry along with a feverish heart, as would have been the case would we stalk a big-tusker; but rather with aloof, razor-sharp hunting expertise.

In retrospect I know, that for this reason in particular, I remember this hunt in such clear way as outstandingly good.

By now we flanked the elephants, I tried to identify the old one amongst the moving bulls; soon it was clear that he was moving in front â&#x20AC;&#x201C; this was good â&#x20AC;&#x201C; although I could not make out the tusks reaching down into the shrub, but the prominently rounded forehead, which I had noticed in this

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37

ELEPHANT HUNTING

bull right from the beginning, was enough, I now endeavoured to hurry diagonally into the front of the bulls, briefly looked back; my companions were close to my heels, looked ahead again, my eyes scrutinise the terrain, I’m looking for a suitable spot, where, once we have overtaken the bulls, I can swerve sharply in front of the old bull, to position ourselves in his path.

We now were close besides the bulls, inside me was a calm, deep determination, there was no backing out any more. Quite contrary to a few days ago, when I had approached the single-tusked bull so dangerously close without intending to shoot him, as I wanted to get a close-up impression of his ivory, this time there was no trembling, frightful excitement inside me.

reach him with one step and touch him with the barrel of our rifles.

Uli retreated a step, I placed my left reassuringly, constraining onto his right shoulder – there was no backing out here – the elephant now was besides us, out of the hook of my eye I noticed the long-tusked bull directly behind him, Uli’s shot rang out and I noted with relief that the hind legs of the old bull gave way and the trunk swung skywards; was on my way already, winding away behind Uli, rushing towards the long-tusked bull to chase him off, noticed out of the corner of my eye, that the old bull, hit in the brain, came to rest in propped up position and shouted over to Uli, “shoot again!”.

Through gaps in the brush I now registered that the long-tusked young bull was moving directly behind the old one, that also was good, because he should get a reprimand, so that in future he would be careful and stay clear from humans with his big tusks, as to allow him to grow old.

For a dramatic, grandiose fraction of a second I stood facing the long-tusked bull at a bare few paces, looking up to him – he had recoiled with ears spread wide, the long tusks piercing the air above me – I threw my left arm into the air and shouted at him, behind me Uli’s second shot at the old bulls shoulder rang out, the longtusked one wheeled round and crashed off – nothing can surpass the drama and the power of impressions of this moment of sublime elephant hunting.

The elephants were swaying along next to us with big, relaxed steps, flapping their ears, snatching a twig from a tree with their trunks in passing to push it into their mouth while moving; grey, puckered, huge.

Bent-backed now we slipped along next to them, had to make four steps when the elephants made just one, had overtaken them now, were in front of them, my eyes searched for a somewhat more open spot, found it, I swerved to the left sharply, signalled to Uli with a gesture of my hand that he should stay close to my heels, and to the San that they should lag behind a bit.

While the sounds of the remaining bulls crashing away slowly died down in the distance, I turned round again, stepped up to the slain giant and congratulated Uli. Once the elation had calmed down a bit and the boundless tension of the last minutes had ebbed off, I placed my hands around the tusks of the bull. The fingertips met each other; I was able to span the tusks with my hands at the lip – the curse of a hunt in the approaches of which the tiresome issue of evenly matched ivory had been discussed came true once more; for our standards it was not a big tusker.

Haste was called for, the big bull was almost up to us, I intended to wait for him in a small gap, motioned Uli to the front and positioned myself to his rear right, rifle at the half-ready.

I sent my companions to the nearby !Kenni Kurri Road and set out on the long march back via Klein Dobe to the hunting car, parked at the Sikereti Road.

The big bull was onto us, he just needed to move out behind a smallish bush, then he would be immediately next to us and Uli could place a side brain shot. But to our surprise the bull stopped and surrounded the bush towards our side. In his entire, grey, weather-worn, frightening, colossal bulk he was so close, that it appeared as if we could

An extract from Kai-Uwe Denker's book About the Spirit of the African Wilderness now available in English. kaiuwe@erongosafaris.com

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Lion Hunt in the rugged northwest It was October, the beginning of the hot, dry season in Namibia, when my hunting client and I drove up to the area. The whole of the northwest was still in the clutches of a severe drought. The barren red rock plains which stretched to the horizon were all but devoid of grass, and the game was sparsely distributed over this massively impressive area. An opportunity arose to hunt a trophy lion in the Torra Conservancy in northwestern Namibia. For the past years the lion population had grown in this area and the human-wildlife conflict increased as a result. The Ministry of Environment and Tourism invited professional hunters to the opportunity to hunt these problem animals, rather than taking the risk that entire prides are poisoned by communal farmers who lose their livestock. Felix Marnewecke

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Wynand & Claudia du Plussis

W

e spent the first day scouting for lion tracks, and securing bait. For this we managed to bag a springbok and a Hartmann’s zebra. While going about our business we located the tracks of two separate prides of lion – the first consisting of one male and six females, and the second group of one male and two females. We also noted a few solitary leopard tracks as well as numerous hyaena spoor, which seemed to cover every road we travelled on. Predators were in abundance, which I found surprising, considering that other game (their food source) was so sparsely available. We put up bait in two separate valleys and kept the rest of the meat for the next day, as we were planning to explore new areas and hopefully find more lion activity.

As we crested a long flat hill, we saw an animal standing on an opposite hill at roughly two kilometres from where we were. At first both of us thought it was a zebra, but as soon as I had him in my binoculars, it felt like my heart got jammed in the back of my throat.

It was a big male lion. He was staring straight at us from across the valley. We immediately dropped to the ground, in the hope that he wouldn’t run off. But this is exactly what he did. He trotted off to a clump of milk bush and lay down facing in our direction. We remained motionless lying on the ground, studying him through our binoculars. Even at this distance I could see his dark mane and the slightly bluish grey colour of his body. Due to lack of cover there was absolutely no way for us to get closer to him.

Sunrise the next day found us out and about amongst the mountains. Neither of our baits had been touched, so we pushed on into areas which we hadn’t been to yet. We came across a fountain at the bottom of a valley, surrounded by rugged mountains – a beautiful oasis in the middle of this harsh world. A lot of milk bush and salvadora thickets were scattered at the bottom of the valley around the waterhole creating ideal ambush sites for predators, and sure enough, after closer inspection we found a spot where a big male lion had wandered from one shady clump of bush to the next, to escape the heat of the day. He had moved off in a southerly direction, so we decided to carry on scouting in the direction in which he had left. It was now nearing midday, and the heat was building up steadily. We decided to find a shady tree for a short siesta, before continuing with the hunt.

While we were lying flat on the hot rocks, I started to study the surrounding terrain. There was a deep ravine separating the two hills on which we and the lion were, at the bottom of it was a singular mopane tree, which sort of stuck out like a sore thumb.

This tree was covered with Pied Crows. I pointed this out to my client, and as the lion seemed reluctant to leave the area, we concluded that he must have had a kill somewhere close by. I told my client that we should leave and return in the late afternoon in the hope that the lion would be back at his kill. This would hopefully provide us with an opportunity to pull off a good stalk.

We returned at about four in the afternoon on the downwind side of the ravine and stopped the truck about a kilometre away from the area, behind a hill. We proceeded very cautiously on foot, trying to make as little noise as possible – not an easy feat,

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LION HUNT considering that we were walking on loose rock the whole time. I kept the mopane tree in sight and moved slowly towards it. There was no sight of the lion. When we were still roughly 400 metres away from the tree, the lion suddenly bolted out from under a bush, and ran up the hill. While the lion was facing away from us we used the opportunity to find cover under a milk bush. Again we were lying flat on our stomachs on the hot rocks. The lion trotted up the hill and soon lay down again under a bush, facing in our direction. There was very little we could do, other than to continue lying on the ground, waiting for the big cat to make the next move.

We lay there for about an hour, constantly glassing the lion on the opposite hill. A jackal wandered past us with a piece of meat in his jaws, confirming our suspicion that there was a kill at the bottom of the valley. Another two jackals came down the hill and disappeared into the scrub next to the mopane tree.

This seemed to be too much for the lion who stood up and proceeded down the hill at a fast pace towards his kill. He then disappeared into the bush at the base of the tree. This was the opportunity I had been waiting for. We immediately got up and started crawling down the hill, using the scattered milk bushes as cover. By now the sun was setting and our time was running out.

We eventually reached the bottom of the hill and made our way to another small mopane tree, where I set my client up, so he could use a low hanging branch to rest his rifle on. We were about 40 metres away from the big tree where we suspected the kill to be. By now the adrenalin was pumping, I believe for both of us. We could not

see the lion. Suddenly a jackal bolted out of the scrub and trotted off. I scanned the low bush with my binoculars and eventually made out the tail of the lion which was sticking curled up from a bush.

As I pointed it out to my client, the lion moved out of the bush and walked a few metres up the hill, where he lay down again facing us.

I tried to explain to my client to shoot it in the chest, which I could see clearly from my position, but my client could only see the head.

We stood dead still. The lion seemed to be staring straight at us, an eerie feeling looking into the big orange eyes. I didn’t say anything more to my client, leaving the decision to him when to take the shot.

We stood like that for about five minutes – which felt like an hour – nerves tingling. And then the unexpected crash of the shot. The lion disappeared from view behind the rocks. I asked my client where he had aimed? He told me for the head, and that he was confident about his shot. We moved cautiously out from behind our tree and immediately saw the lion lying on its side motionless. I tossed a pebble onto its stomach. It didn’t move. We approached the lion slowly. I saw that the shot was a good one – just above the right eye. A wave of relief came over both of us, I guess the release of tension during the last two hours. The lion was a superb trophy, with multiple scars from past fights on his face and body. He was lacking in condition though, his bony spine sticking out quite prominently. My client was overwhelmed and knelt down next to the big cat, stroking its mane. I left him with his lion and walked back to the truck. The mountains around me were turning from red to purple. The silence of the desert was complete.

What a fantastic day of hunting.

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LION CONSERVATION AND

SUSTAINABLE

USE

Namibia has a population of about 800 lions, similar to the period 1965 to 1980. The main population, between 450 and 500, is in Etosha National Park, with other populations in Khaudum and Bwabwata National Park in the northeast of the country, and very small populations in Mahango, Mudumu and Nkasa Rupara. Over the past 25 years a fluctuating population in the Kunene Region in the northwest has increased from 20-30 animals to about 140-160. It is the only really significant lion population outside of protected areas in Namibia.

The rest are all contained within national parks, except for small populations in some private wildlife areas. Dr Chris Brown

M

ost farmers are not able to survive financially with a large lion population because livestock farming and lions are not really compatible. The only place where farming and lions are compatible to some extent is in large open systems where people move around with their livestock and where lion density is relatively low. In the northwest of the country, for example, part of the lion population lives in such low rainfall areas that people seldom go there with their livestock. That gives the lions some protection. Some of the farmers in that area are also more tolerant of lions than in other places in the world. They are prepared to live with lions at a reasonable population density.

When the lion population gets too large or when the wildlife numbers in the area decline – for example during droughts, when wildlife either dies and/or moves eastwards out of the area – the lions are left stranded with a very limited food supply. That is when they turn more to domestic stock, which then causes conflict with farmers.

Lions are fast breeders. Females produce litters of up to four cubs at a time. Etosha for example, with its 450 to 500 lions, produces a surplus of perhaps forty to sixty lions every year. The park cannot carry more lions because their territories and home ranges determine their spatial distribution and density. The population strategy of the lion is designed to produce excess animals for rapid population growth, because they are naturally

faced with boom and bust situations due to changing prey numbers. Also, lions often get injured or killed in their normal practice of hunting. Since the growth of lion populations is higher than natural mortality, there is a net pressure on the population for surplus animals to move out of the park and find new territories and expand their range.

This pressure mainly affects young lions.

Lions that are not able to join existing prides are usually forced, through competition and aggression, to leave Etosha, typically as many as forty to fifty lions per year. Males in particular are forced out, resulting in young lions looking for new prides and exploring new territories. Those “territories” around Etosha and elsewhere are generally freehold or communal farmland where farmers breed livestock. Therefore the lions and farmers inevitably come into conflict around the national parks.

People feel that the Ministry of Environment should simply build bigger, stronger fences.

First, that is hugely expensive. Our large national parks would require literally hundreds of kilometres of fencing to erect and maintain.

Etosha alone has a border of about 500 km.

Do we want to put Namibia’s limited financial resources on putting up fences to separate people from wildlife? A normal game-proof fence around Etosha would cost about N$35 million. But a normal fence does not contain lions and elephants. That would cost five times more. So, do we want to spend up to N$200 million to stop a few cows from being killed?

Are we that much driven by emotion and that little by rational thought? Rather, let’s invest in helping farmers to protect their livestock, generate income from wildlife, and then spend the rest on important things like education, health and access to urban land for housing.

Second, it’s very difficult to maintain those fences. A lion can jump over a ten-foot fence.

Other animals dig holes under fences, and lions crawl out. And even a reinforced cable fence is pushed over from time to time by elephants, allowing lions to leave the park. To maintain a fence in a condition that is absolutely lion proof is simply impossible and attempting to do so is enormously expensive and time-consuming.

Around much of Etosha, particularly in the south, it has happened that farmers have turned to a more appropriate and lucrative form of land-use: a wildlife-based economy that includes tourism, trophy hunting, game meat harvesting and live sales of surplus high-value wildlife species. These farmers are making much more money than they did farming cattle and they are no longer in conflict with lions and other predators. Communal conservancies on the northern side of Etosha are starting to do the same.

Any cattle farmer will tell you that farming is a tough business with narrow margins, and losses in poor rainfall years that have to be recovered in good rainfall years. Declining beef prices, increasing costs, government interference, impacts of climate change and rangeland

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degradation through bush encroachment all combine to make a farmer’s life increasingly difficult and the financial returns ever smaller. Cattle farmers’ income is based on the quality and quantity of meat (protein) that can be produced, which in turn is based upon soil quality, rainfall and management. There is a limit to what good management can do.

Our soils are generally poor, and rainfall is low and highly variable.

Everything is stacked against the farmer. The income ceiling is low – it is essentially a ceiling defined by primary protein production. So how do you break through that low ceiling? You need to move beyond primary production to include service industries. Wildlife offers three service industry components in addition to the primary production of game meat. They are tourism, trophy hunting and live sales of high-value species. In all three cases the animals are being “sold” for well above their protein value. Then the neighbouring national park is no longer an enemy, unable to contain predators, but becomes a friend, offering marketing opportunities. The park neighbour is no longer in a conflict zone, but in a mutual support zone. Thus we then have mutually friendly neighbours with far higher economic returns and with far more resilient ecological and economic systems.

Trophy hunting takes off 1% of the national herd while animals are breeding at a rate of fifteen, twenty or even thirty-five percent. You anyway have to deal with the surplus grazer and browser pressure on your land every year because the animals are breeding at this rate. Unless you want total habitat degradation and damage, you’ve got to manage those pressures on your land. Trophy hunting takes off a very small percentage while the farmer still has to deal with another up to 35% of those animals, depending on the species, to keep your livestock, your animals in your veld in balance. Trophy hunting is a very high return, low impact type of activity and essentially it’s also a service industry.

THE IMPORTANCE OF A GREEN ECONOMY A biodiversity-based green economy is one that is good for conservation because it keeps habitats natural. You keep your indigenous vegetation, all the species of wildlife, as many as you can support of those that are indigenous to that area and all the other forms of life, plants and animals, from insects right up to the bigger mammals. You keep indigenous ecosystems and the animals that live in them, right down to the smallest micro-organisms.

The more people who do that, particularly if they start linking their land into bigger landscapes and collaborate with the national parks, resilient productive ecosystems fall into place. You’ve got scale that allows a group of farmers to come together and set up an abattoir and get the value from that. You can set up a tannery and a whole range of things. Tourism and trophy hunting in bigger open systems is far more attractive from a marketing point of view than in isolation. Having a full suite of species in these ecosystems, including elephant, lion and rhino, adds more value to the total. If you get to a stage where you are outperforming conventional forms of land use by five, six, seven times and you are really getting good returns in well-managed ecosystems, it is good for the economy, good for job creation and good for conservation. Isn’t that really the direction in which Namibia should be going?

In the northwest of the country there has been increased conflict in recent years because of a growing lion population linked to drought.

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LION CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE USE The communal conservancies in that area manage wildlife and benefit from it as part of their traditional farming systems. Livestock provides their core household livelihood, but they add well-managed wildlife to that, including all the economic components that are derived from it: trophy hunting, game meat and tourism. But we must never forget that conservancies are primarily farmland where farmers have come together to form these conservancies as a supplementary form of livelihood. Livestock is their primary livelihood at this stage. So, when situations arise where lion populations increase to a critical level, prey numbers decline and lions turn to people’s domestic stock, communities understandably get upset and want to see interventions that prevent further livestock losses. While protection of livestock is part of the solution, there is no good conservation reason why lion populations cannot be reduced and managed to accommodate those realities of people living with lions. As stated earlier, lion populations have evolved to recover rapidly from population declines – that is part of their adaptation to harsh environmental conditions and the tough life that these predators face.

From a conservation perspective the most important issue for the “desert-adapted lions” in the northwest is not that their population may shrink from time to time when drought conditions prevail, but that a genetic link is maintained between this population and the lions in Etosha. The greatest risk is that this relatively small population of lions in northwestern Kunene becomes isolated, because then they will become less and less viable.

It is not a conservation threat to the lion population of Etosha if lions leave the park and enter freehold farmland to the south and communal farmland to the north, and if those lions get taken out through trophy hunting or for the protection of livestock. Indeed, we should allow the use of those lions in adjacent areas to offset people’s costs incurred by living with lions, and to encourage them to change to a wildlife-based economy. We should not get too concerned about the loss of Etosha’s surplus lions because we have a viable lion population in Etosha. Also, all the other national parks that can support lions (considering both ecological and social factors) already do. Therefore the surplus lions in Etosha are in fact a national surplus – we have nowhere else for them to go.

Our focus should be on the western side of Etosha. We need to maintain the genetic “bridge” between the Etosha and the desertadapted lion populations. Here we must work closely with farmers, communities and communal conservancies to maintain that genetic bridge. This involves creating conditions that allow people and their livestock to live with a low lion population – enough of a lion presence and movement in that area to maintain connectivity between the Etosha and the north-western lion populations.

The desert-adapted lions of northwest Namibia have a remarkable and uniquely specialised lifestyle. This is fascinating from ecological, scientific and conservation perspectives. It is also of great tourism value, a value that will grow in the years ahead.

We need to manage this lion population very carefully. The key factor is not that the population may expand and contract in wet and dry times, when prey is abundant or scarce, when farmers are tolerant or have lost patience with lions preying on their livestock – the lion population can absorb these pressures.

So how do we create the incentives for people west of Etosha to willingly live with a low density of lions moving through their area? First, we need to clearly recognise and acknowledge the challenge that farmers living with lions have to deal with, and appreciate their commitment to conservation. Second, we need to provide support mechanisms that reduce stock losses to the bare minimum.

This could involve reinforced animal kraals at homesteads as well as mobile kraals for livestock on pastures well away from homesteads, early warning systems to notify farmers that lions are in the area, and interventions to remove lions that become problematic. And third, we need to help conservancies generate as many benefits as possible from wildlife, to ensure that benefits reach the farmers that carry the greatest risks and to thereby offset their losses.

It is important to understand that lion populations bounce back effectively.

Populations can be reduced at times, if need be.

It is unrealistic to try to carry a large population of desert-adapted lions through drought cycles.

Lion numbers can be reduced to perhaps half or less of their peak population figure when their prey species have declined. Over time, provided there is interaction with the Etosha

lions, the desert-adapted lion population will build up again rather quickly when conditions are right. Historically, long before humans came into this system, lion populations on the edge of deserts were very dynamic.

Arid and semi-arid zones are highly dynamic, and wildlife has evolved to cope and thrive in these dynamic systems. It is people’s minds that have not evolved to cope well with change. We like to lock the world – including our approach to wildlife management – into fixed and stable perceptions of how things should be.

Attempting to take the dynamic nature out of nature is actually very bad for nature.

It reduces its resilience. Ecosystems thrive on dynamic change. We need to work with change as we manage wildlife, not try to work against change. Integrated livestock and wildlife management in Namibia’s arid and semi-arid systems, perhaps more than most management, requires us to really understand the ecology and evolutionary conditions. These conditions are simply not understood by most western people living in urban environments and getting upset when they hear about lion populations being reduced in number to accommodate farmers. This situation is also not understood by some of the would-be conservation organisations that portray themselves as the champions protecting lions. It may be good for the populist social media mill, but it is not good for long-term lion conservation in Namibia.

Dr Chris Brown, CEO of the Namibia Chamber of the Environment.

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ANIMAL POTENCY:

A HUNTERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S PERSPECTIVE It was a long hard day. I had been in the hunting ground since before first light. I have been stalking the big springbok ram for the last two hours, keeping track of the spoor which now ran mostly upwind. I came close once, but the ram spotted me just before I could nock the arrow and draw the bowstring. He ran fast and far. The terrain later provided more cover, open sand flats with scattered shrubs.

The wind also seemed to have turned in my favour. Piet van Rooyen

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Any visitor to Namibia should take time to view some of the “holy sites” of our hunters’ past.

A

moment ago I saw the white shimmer of his body flicker through the leaves of a raisin bush about fifty metres ahead of me. I went down on my knees and slowly and carefully shifted to the side, keeping the bush between him and me. I then went down on my elbows and with the bow held up horizontally in front of me managed to reach a bush about thirty metres from the buck. I stood up slowly, drew the bowstring and let go. Taken by surprise, the big ram spun around, stood for a few moments uncertainly on his legs and then collapsed gracefully, first on his knees, then with his back legs following buckled. Slowly the pronk on his back stood up, fanned out and was caught in the rays of the setting sun. When I walked up to the downed animal it was still breathing, but the last slow breaths soon faded away completely.

The pronk stayed open for a few more minutes, then it slowly collapsed and receded into the folds of tawny skin.

Witnessing the process of dying is loaded with powerful emotions: the onlooker is overcome with awe and incomprehension. The huntergatherers of the ancient land, now called Namibia, knew this through experience. They were especially aware of their own vulnerability in harsh and dangerous terrain, inhabited by elephants, lions, leopards, poisonous snakes and hostile human adversaries. The people who managed to stay alive in such circumstances viewed themselves as being favoured, looked upon with benevolence by the spirits, and as beings that inhabited the terrain of the outer-life and after-life. These people, the Ju’/hoansi, Nharo, Heikum, !Xu, Gwi and other “real

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people”, as they called themselves in contrast to the cattle herding or agricultural nations on the outskirts of the desert, lived their life in close community, strongly dependent on each other in order to survive.

The women gathered food, the men built up their strength and energy, listening to signs in the universe: stars, wind and weather, consulting special “hunting oracle disks” until they felt confident enough to go out in search of prey. Meat was for eating, and all animals had the same intrinsic value as food. Whether a few ostrich chicks or a giraffe, the size of the animal did not matter, as long as it could feed the community as well as possible for as long as possible.

Depending on the nourishment provided by meat, these people knew that their own survival depended on the death of another.

But the realisation soon dawned that the dead animal was not only “meat”, but that surrendering its life to man expressed something of much higher value. Only someone close to the point of collapsing from hunger understands the sense of revitalisation that eating meat can bring: the feeling of fullness, of steady recovery, almost of rebirth. The burning hunger disappears, normal senses return, limbs slowly regain their purpose and their strength, the head starts thinking clearly again, emotions of hope, vitality, gratitude flood the mind.

In life-or-death situations like these, strongly-held beliefs accumulated in the individual, reinforced by the community, and supported by the experience of many generations, people remembered and

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ANIMAL POTENCY: A HUNTER'S PERSPECTIVE

"Nowhere is the perception of a supernatural bond between man and animal better expressed than in our rock art." forgotten, the ones that were there long before the ones currently alive, those ones given essence in stories and myths.

One prime exponent of this perception was that animals and people were seen as creatures of equal value, not the one more important than the other. There was a shared life-stream connecting all creatures in a common matrix of existence. Respect for the prey animal, in the deepest sense of the word, was inculcated in the hunter and the eater. There was a clear connection between living and dying. These elements of existence were interdependent, the one the direct effect of the other, two poles of the same thing.

Nowhere is the perception of a supernatural bond between man and animal better expressed than in our rock art. Nobody can remain unaffected by the deeply spiritual symbolism of these paintings, animals and people intermingling on the rock face, the animals in most cases drawn with much more artistic intensity and reverence than the surrounding human beings. Any visitor to Namibia should take time to view some of these “holy sites” of our hunters’ past. A visit to Namibia is not complete without viewing some of our country’s rock art sites. Many of these sites are hidden away from the general tourist traffic and need a special effort, and often a substantial amount of physical fitness to reach and observe.

Remnants of this hunters’ magic still linger in the make-up of the modern hunter. This is made clear by the various “rituals” also practiced by modern-day hunters. Visitors from Europe, for example, put a green sapling in the mouth of the downed animal, others smear the forehead and face of the hunter with dabs of blood, while others have to eat a piece of raw liver as a ritual act of gratitude for the success of the hunt. Felicitations of “Good hunting!”

“Waidmannsheil!” or “Voorspoed, Boet!” even today accompany the hunter on his quest.

Photographs and trophies, to my mind, play the same role. A photograph or trophy

is a token of respect to the animal, just as much as it is a token of success and remembered experience to the hunter.

When the animal dies, the hunter is particularly aware of himself being alive.

The animal dies for him.

Respect for the animal is still of prime importance when photographs and trophies are taken. Unacceptable practices, such as the hunter standing in a posture of arrogance with a cigarette in his mouth, one foot on the animal, or sitting defiantly astride the dead animal, and other “macho” practices of the 50s in the style of the “great white hunter” glorified by Robert Ruark or Ernest Hemingway, are fortunately a thing of the past. The recent debates on social media regarding trophy pictures of dead animals are therefore to be welcomed, even only to again inculcate a sense of respect and humility with regard to the animal that was killed.

Although we are no longer dependent on animals for sustenance, we, as hunters, still have the same duty to respect and have reverence for the animals we kill; the same gratitude, reverence and respect that our forebears from “primitive” society had for the animals they killed when they were hunting for food.

In today’s Namibia we still encounter the evidence of this deeply spiritual relationship between hunter and animal. A visit to one of the surviving communities of huntergatherers in the far east of the Otjizondjupa Region, or the deep forests of the Okavango or Zambezi regions still reveals traces and remnants of this magical way of living, although the ravages of civilisation have taken their toll in many of these communities.

A photograph or trophy is a token of respect to the animal, just as much as it is a token of success and remembered experience to the hunter.

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KUDOS FOR 45 YEARS NAPHA AND 20 YEARS HUNTINAMIBIA INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL FOR GAME AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION (CIC): PRESIDENT GEORGE AMAN

F

or decades, Namibia has been demonstrating the successes of hunting as an integral part of nature conservation and human development.

The country recognised early-on that wildlife is one of its greatest resources. As a result, through community-based hunting management programs, communities have been able to harvest wildlife and through it also sustain their livelihoods. As a testament to the successes of community-led nature conservation efforts in Namibia, the country has some of the healthiest trends in lion, rhino and elephant population growth in Africa. There are certainly a number of paths that wildlife conservation has been taking over the years. Different dogmas, ideologies and practices all aiming ultimately at conserving wildlife. Many of the proposed approaches contradict each other. This results in a huge loss of effectiveness and, at times, a

lack of respect between the different actors. I sincerely hope that we are at a crossroads and that different paths can meet and converge in the same direction. Coming from the perspective of CIC, we traditionally think of two distinct paths: “pro-sustainable use” and “anti-sustainable use”. The sustainable use of nature, which includes hunting, is a widely-recognised and proven tool for sustainable wildlife management. Despite the many positive wildlife conservation outcomes that hunting has achieved, a minority of hunters continue to give hunting a bad name through their actions. This helps fuel anti-hunting lobby groups, which have a clear agenda to ban hunting whatever the cost. One simple action that hunters can take is through changes to their own behaviour.

The anti-hunting lobby groups tend to play on emotions to further their cause. Some people see photos of dead animals, shared

by lobby groups or even hunters on social media. They are appalled by them. Hunters have a responsibility and an opportunity to improve the image of hunting through the information that they share, especially on social media. Ultimately, the aim is to turn the so-called “conflict” into an opportunity to work together towards our common goal.

The CIC is a politically independent advisory body which aims to preserve wild game and hunting. To achieve this goal, the CIC is promoting the sustainable use of wildlife resources. We recognise that this is just one element within the sustainable use of nature.

From May 1-4, 2019, the CIC will hold its General Assembly in Namibia hosted by the MET. For more details CIC Headquarters: Tel: +36 23 453 830; E-mail: office@cic-wildlife.org.

SCI PRESIDENT PAUL D BABAZ

I

believe hunting in Namibia has stood the test of time, the country having embraced sustainable use conservation to the fullest extent and recognising hunting as a conservation tool to benefit wildlife. The most effective way for hunting professionals to protect their profession, which is largely dependent on international clients, is to become outspoken advocates for sustainable

use conservation and encourage their clients to do the same. Professional hunters are some of the best examples of what hunting can do for conservation as they spend every day facilitating wildlife conservation, funding anti-poaching efforts, and providing support to the local communities. It is important that hunting professionals and hunters unite and work together to fend off the anti-hunting

organisations who are trying to take away our livelihood as well as our freedom to hunt. It is vital that those of us in the hunting industry make certain we promote sustainable use hunting/conservation in the most positive light.

Hunters are THE ultimate conservationists, as no one loves and respects wildlife as much as we do, and no one wants to stop criminal poaching of wildlife as much as we do.

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MESSAGES FROM INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS

CONSERVATION FORCE:

PRESIDENT JOHN J JACKSON III

N

amibia is a biologically diverse country with the largest populations of cheetah, black-faced impala, and black rhino in existence. Those species are stable or increasing, as are the country’s lion, leopard and elephant populations, if you can imagine that anywhere in Africa today.

Conservation Force, a non-profit public conservation charity, was formed over twenty years ago expressly to complete conservation projects initiated in Namibia that were dear to me and my wife Chrissie. Our purpose has been to constructively assist Namibia in reaching its promising potential despite the many international measures that obstructed its progress. Our first work was filing a successful lawsuit against the USFWS that reduced restrictions on the import of elephant hunting trophies into the USA. The second success was the passage of the two CITES Resolutions on Namibia at CITES CoP 9 that revised Resolution 2.11 to facilitate trophy trade and fortified trophy quotas set by CoP. That was followed by the co-founding of Namibia’s Predator Coordination Group that I served

on for a number of years. We began both the Cheetah Initiative and the Black-faced Impala Initiative in partnership with NAPHA and MET, with associated national action plans, landholder compacts, and dedicated NAPHA Enhancement Funds enabled by voluntary contributions from successful American hunters. We engaged founding Conservation Force Board Member Dr James Teer to travel Namibia and organise the “Compacts” where farmers and professional hunters pledged to collect contributions from hunters and to grow their populations of cheetah and black-faced impala pursuant to national action plans which the initiatives also funded. In more recent years our conservation activities have focussed on two of Namibia’s most noted programmes: black rhino enhancement and the development of functional communal conservancies. Nearly 28 years ago the Minister of the Environment and Tourism, the Honourable Nico Bessinger, asked if I would help establish the conservation value of tourist hunting of black rhino so that those trophies could be imported into the USA to realise their full value. Today that is

a successful programme and conservation hunting by tourist hunters serves to increase the growth rate of some populations of black rhino and eliminating select “bad bulls” while generating essential revenue to control poaching and support related community programmes. Namibia’s black rhinos are under consideration for complete down-listing by IUCN (to ‘least concern’) and the USFWS recognises their hunting as enhancing the survival of the species and thus grants trophy import permits. That proof of enhancement is the ultimate validation of MET’s value-adding tourist hunting program as a force for conservation. Like black rhino, nothing in the world matches the success of Namibia’s communal conservancies. We have partnered with NACSO as well as NAPHA, WWF and MET in our support of the growth and progress of the communal conservancies. relationship with the rural people of Namibia as well as its wildlife and scenic land. We are very proud and privileged to know and share in Namibia’s unsurpassed conservation successes.

DALLAS SAFARI CLUB:

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR COREY MASON

N

amibia is one of the most forwardlooking and pro-conservation countries for a number of reasons. The actions of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism affirm the value of the Conservation through Hunting model and provide measures that safeguard the opportunity for visitors to hunt in Namibia.

Additionally, the MET proactively works with stakeholders such as NAPHA to ensure that well-founded information is used to guide decisions. Also, NAPHA is known for its high ethical positions on hunting and the need for sustainable conservation. Namibia will continue to lead on the conservation front because of a strong Ministry and NAPHA. The

emphasis on sustainability and the desire for sound science to direct conservation actions will help ensure that foreign hunters can import hunting trophies. Continued collaboration of the hunting community through NAPHA and self-enforced high ethical standards will ensure the Conservation through Hunting model remains strong and viable.

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OF THE YEAR

2017

GAME RANCHER

GREEN CATEGORY SOUTHERN AFRICA

info@bergzichtgamelodge.com · Hannes: +264 (0) 81 128 4825

www.bergzicht-hunting.com

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MESSAGES FROM INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS

FEDERATION FOR HUNTING AND CONSERVATION (FACE): CEO LUDWIG WILLNEGGER

T

he pressure on hunting internationally is increasing. NAPHA is leading efforts on increasing the sustainability of hunting, improving the image of hunting while guiding hunters on how to deal with social media. The high ethical standards of Namibian hunters and operators is recognised around the world, which is essential for securing a strong future for hunting, also internationally. The European Union is the major powerhouse in international nature conventions like CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. It is the major convention that governs international wildlife trade in endangered species and for hunters, most importantly, hunting trophies. When the European Union votes as a block with 28 votes, it can decide on importation bans

on elephants or significantly change texts with grave results for hunters worldwide.

The European Federation for Hunting and Conservation (FACE) represents European hunters in Europe and abroad. We see Namibia as one of the world’s leading examples of nature conservation and sustainable use. Not only does Namibia have a unique set of landscapes and species which attract hunters from around the world, but it also has the governance structure and support to sustain this for the future. Namibia has enshrined sustainable use in its constitution and has successfully brought multiple species (like black rhino) back to their impressive landscapes. FACE works together with NAPHA and other African hunting associations to prevent any unnecessary restrictions on sustainable hunting and biodiversity conservation. We also help

African hunters in their respective countries and where issues arise internationally. For example, when certain lobby groups or countries call for a ban on the export of hunting trophies. FACE’s membership includes a network of internationally operating hunting organisations, like Safari Club International and Conservation Force. The Namibian government is also very active in international negotiations on hunting issues and promoting sustainable use as a conservation tool. The Namibian approach to nature conservation, on private land and in communal conservancies, is praised globally and is pivotal to the future of hunting. Working together nationally and internationally will enable us to secure a good future for hunting. www.face.eu/about-face/

DSC FOUNDATION:

PRESIDENT RICHARD CHEATHAM

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amibia has done things right – particularly with regard to wildlife management and the promotion of hunting. Namibia has a conscientious professional hunting community and a professional hunting association that is, in my opinion, one of the best in the world.

Namibia’s governmental officials understand the importance of a wildlife management system that has at its core the concept of sustainable use. Namibians seem to share the traits that we Texans like to think that we have – a belief in the value of hard work, a passion for life, the outdoors and wildlife, a commitment to do what is right, and a fierce dedication to our state/country. Namibia

is a beautiful and welcoming country and it is a safe destination for foreign travellers.

Namibia’s wonderful mix of cultures makes it a special place. From my perspective Namibia has done a remarkable job, since independence was attained, of acting for the good of all of its citizens. What can Namibians do or continue to do to ensure that US hunters can bring their hunting trophies home to the US? Continue to impose and demand compliance with your high standards of ethical conduct in the hunting community. Many in the US, including some policy makers, need to be reminded periodically that the vast majority of those in the hunting industry are ethical people who care deeply about wildlife.

Continue to promote and tell the stories of Namibia’s successes with regard to its wildlife management practices. The world needs to hear more about the Namibian black rhino management policy, and the successes in your communal areas and how international hunting impacts those areas. Stories from the people who live with and work among the wildlife. Continue to develop and share scientific data regarding wildlife populations and trends. Many policy makers will demand more and more evidence of the value of hunting. We know it is critically valuable. We need to be ready to prove it to anyone who calls for evidence and to establish that hunting enhances the species hunted.

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A TALE OF

Piet van Rooyen

two Kudu

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2006 was a most unusual hunting season for me.Two of my old clients had booked a hunt with our company at the Gamsberg Ranch in Namibia. They were experienced African safari hunters from the USA: Art and Susan Carlson from Georgia and Jorge and Zoila Del Rosel from Florida. But these were bookings with a difference. They were going to be separate safaris, but as it happened, both couples wanted me to hunt kudu with their respective thirteen-year-old granddaughters!

Always happy to introduce young people into the world of hunting and conservation, I felt more than honoured to oblige. Robin Hurt

I

t soon became apparent that Jorge Del Rosel’s granddaughter Carolina was a naturally good shot who also listened enthusiastically to instructions at the rifle range. She immediately grasped the importance of trigger squeeze and impressed me (and her grandfather) by placing three shots grouped within an inch of each other, just above the target’s bull’s eye at 1:5 inches high, with her .30/06 rifle shooting 180 grain Barnes X soft nose bullets. A good start!

Carolina was particularly interested in a nice old kudu bull. It had to be ‘old’ she insisted.

Preferably past breeding. I agreed with her arguments.

Deon Swartz, at that time the manager of Gamsberg Ranch – a skilled professional hunter and a good judge of game animals in his own right – told me that he had seen a very old kudu bull which he thought would fit Carolina’s requirements perfectly. He had seen the kudu several times. Two-and-a-half curls on each horn, hooking forward.

Both horn tips, he said, were well worn exposing thick ‘ivory’ – a sure sign of age.

He described the place to me, an area I knew well, with rolling hills and lots of green Acacia melifera that kudus like so much. We decided to try and hunt for that bull.

Walking and stalking is how I like to hunt kudu. With that in mind we concentrated on the area Deon had told us about. For several days we scoured the hills, glassing the valleys. Lots of kudu, but the old bull we were searching for seemed to have an uncanny ability to avoid us. It was as though he knew we were looking for him!

One afternoon, walking the hills with the wind in our face, Simeon, the ranch foreman and our senior tracker, pointed out fresh kudu bull tracks. Big tracks! We decided to follow them.

The tracks led us into a gully thick with thorn bush. Slowly and quietly we continued. I felt the wind turn, gusting on the back of my ears. A deep grunt-like bark and crashing in the undergrowth told us that our quarry had scented us and bolted. Old kudus don’t often make mistakes – this old boy did. He turned and crossed an opening a hundred yards away, then stopped to look back at an angle, with his heavy head held in our direction. One look was enough to decide. He was the bull Deon had described. Luckily, by chance, we were in good cover, but had a window through the bush allowing a clear shot. He hadn’t seen us. Slowly, as quietly as possible, I set up the shooting sticks. Carolina carefully placed the front of her rifle in the supporting ‘V’, took aim deliberately.

“Aim at just behind the shoulder – about halfway up and squeeze”, I advised in a whisper. The shot thundered through the hills. I saw the dust fly off the bull’s skin, impacting exactly where I had hoped. The kudu staggered, crashed off through the undergrowth hitting branches and trees (a sure sign of a vital shot), over the ridge and out of sight. Leaving a bright red frothy

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Whose move next…..

Hunting area in the Wuparo Conservancy bordering the Nkasa Rupara National Park (Mamili) CAPRIVI/ZAMBEZI REGION Dawid Muller

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Professional Hunter and Outfitter | +264 81 128 1215 damuller@iway.na | www.daggaboy.com

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is managed and owned by the Lopes family who built a lodge to perfection and transformed it’s free ranging 10 000 acres into an exclusive Bow only Hunting Ranch. Hunters may choose any of our ten hides shooting up to 20 yards or ‘walk and stalk’.

Tel/Fax: +264 67 222 754 | Lodge Cell: +264 81 122 1293 | Fernando Lopes: +264 81 124 5934 | Julio Lopes: +264 81 242 6070 Email: dikdik@iway.na | www.dikdiksafaris.com | Address: PO Box 386, Tsumeb GPS: S 19 °22’7.97” E 17 °38’21.17”

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A TALE OF TWO KUDU

Piet van Rooyen

in our favour, as was our approach route. We crept up to the edge of the gully, and when we glanced over it the bull was still there – searching for movement in the direction where he had last seen us. Quietly I set up my shooting sticks for Courtney. In slow motion she placed her rifle on the rest. He was only 50 yards away. Any sudden movement would alert him.

All we could see was the bull’s neck and part of his chest. Enough for a deadly shot. Courtney slowly eased the safety catch.

spoor. Fifty yards over the ridge, there he lay. A wonderful old warrior, well past his prime, with his spectacular corkscrew-twisted, heavily broomed horns. Later we found out that both horns were just on the magic 50 inches mark. A champion old male. Jorge couldn’t have been more thrilled and delighted at his granddaughter’s success.

Art and Susan Carlson were old friends of mine. On this safari they brought along their daughter Stephanie Murray and granddaughter Courtney. Art wanted Courtney to hunt for a kudu bull. “Try not to get her a better bull than mine“, he half-jokingly enthused – after having already taken a splendid old ‘chap’ of over 57 inches! I thought this was unlikely to happen, but one should never tempt providence!

We stalked the ridges and valleys of Gamsberg and neighbouring properties, glassing the mountainsides and ravines daily. Lots of kudu.

Every day we saw males too young to hunt, and a couple of old bulls that were worthwhile but gave us the slip.

When the bull heard the slight click he turned slightly and looked directly at us. We had no time to waste. “Take him in the centre of his neck”, I whispered. Courtney was now visibly excited. And the bull was about to run. “Take your time… take your time”, I said reassuringly, not wanting her to rush the shot. “Blamb”! At the report the bull ran with his cows over the ridge and into a deep ravine. A miss! Quickly reloading, safety on, Courtney and I dashed forward to the ravine’s edge. The cows were clambering up the other side. Setting up the sticks again, indicating to Courtney to get ready. “The male will probably follow the cows – when you see him, shoot in your own good time – it will be about 200 yards – don’t aim high”. Courtney was settled now, quietly waiting for the bull to appear. Then, there he was, clambering after the cows.

“Wait for him to stop”. No sooner than the words were out of my mouth, and he did just that. At the report the bull staggered, then ran a few yards and collapsed, perfectly shot through both lungs. What a shot.

Approaching the old male I couldn’t believe the size of his horns. A perfect kudu with very long and outward flaring long tips. Truly, as I expected, the kudu of a lifetime. When Art and Susan joined us, Art jokingly said, “I thought I asked you not to hunt one better than mine!” With tears of joy clouding his eyes, he gave Courtney a huge hug as only a loving and proud grandfather could do!

Later back home we measured the horns: 59 15/16 on the one side and 59 1/2 on the other. Not quite 60 inches, but a colossal bull by any standards.

The moral of these two stories? Firstly, it’s good to encourage young hunters. They are, after all, the future of hunting as a tool for conservation.

Secondly, both of the girls hunted superb kudu bulls. I leave it to you to judge which was the better of the two trophies. In my humble opinion I rate both of them equally!

Art, by the way, had taught Courtney well in the skills of rifle shooting and she was a splendid shot with her 7 mm 08 rifle. Art had especially asked the American company Superior Ammunition to load suitable bullets, Nosler Partition 175 grains, for the hunt. I had seen her take an old male hartebeest and a gemsbok bull, each cleanly with one shot. So I had no concerns in that department!

Hunting and glassing along the edge of the badlands one evening, we startled a huge bull with a dozen cows. He stood gazing at us through the bush – great twisted horns stretching skywards. One glance was enough. I knew instantly that I was looking at a once in a lifetime kudu.

I quietly told everyone to continue in the same direction until we were able to slip out of sight in a small gully, our hope being not to spook the ‘Grey Ghost’. Leaving our companions behind, Courtney and I quietly sneaked back, keeping well out of the bull’s vision. The wind was perfect,

Grandfather Jorge Del Rosel, delighted at his thirteen-year-old granddaughter Carolina’s success on the old broomed horned kudu of Gamsberg.

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The stare of a

BUFFALO There is nothing in the world like the feeling that the stare of a buffalo sends through your whole body. In my case, not so much fear, but a high-alert, respectful steadiness, an intentional calm, and the serious resolve that such a moment absolutely requires. For his second African hunting adventure Trevor Nakka came to the Caprivi, now called Zambezi Region, one of the legendary hunting destinations in Africa. A region of lush swamps and riverine forests, endless mopane savannahs, impenetrable tall grass, deltas bordering wetlands, plains dissected by multiple perennial and seasonal rivers and ponds.

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e set out looking for buffalo on the first afternoon. I saw more herds of impala, sounders of warthog and various other plains game than ever before. We spotted random baboons, waterbuck, kudu, roan and sable, but during the next two long days of driving, walking and glassing we saw no buffalo. On the second day, we even caught sight of a big male lion. We approached him by vehicle up to a distance of less than 50 metres. He roared at us and loped away into the bush. While that was a wonderful experience, along with watching many elephants, I was a tiny bit dispirited by not seeing any buffalo yet.

On the third day I had finally shed my urban self and began to get into the rhythm of the hunt: early mornings, then a siesta,

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finally evenings around the fire. I was much more relaxed. We started out earlier, as the days were growing longer in late August, with heat increasing and the African summer approaching.

We headed out into the bush, towards a great swamp bordered by a vast, open grassy plain â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a slightly sloping, tawny-coloured plain dotted with mopane trees that is the epitome of African landscapes. We rolled along and I was thankful for my warm coat, as the airstream on the high seats outside turned out to be chillier than expected. I was lost in my thoughts and the absolute beauty of the morning and the incredible wilderness, when the vehicle abruptly halted. You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need a lot of experience of Africa to instinctively pull your binoculars to your eyes when the

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hunting car stops. In the distance, perhaps three kilometres away, we could make out a large herd of buffalo. We started driving again, slowly now, first away from the herd in order to have the wind in our favour, and then circled behind a forested bluff where we could hide the vehicle and commence our stalk back towards the herd.

After 30 minutes of quiet but purposeful stalking, striding as swiftly as we could without noise, we again spotted the herd in the distance. They were characteristically feeding upwind, and we were now parallel and cross-wind to the herd. If they were to continue in their approximate direction, they would come to a few small hillocks with short scrubby cover where we might be able to intercept an old bull. We continued to a small

bushy hump diagonal to the herd feeding up-wind, and we glassed between the branches of the thick cover for a suitable bull, hoping that our positioning and Dawid’s planning and instincts would be correct: that the herd would approach our spot, and that a mature old bull would come within range. It was a big herd, at least 300 buffalo, spread out over a kilometre.

Dawid’s guiding came to fruition sooner than I expected – the herd slowly split around our spot, and we were almost surrounded! Now we were seriously concerned that the herd would sense our presence and start stampeding.

We went into a state of absolute silence and alertness, while quietly seeking a bull through the brushy cover of our seemingly insignificant hump. I slowly edged forward to the shooting

sticks which Dawid had set up, anticipating the possibility of the herd passing that side of the hump, and very carefully I began to scan the herd through my riflescope, hoping that an old bull would come into sight.

While the herd was of course almost all cows, calves and young bulls, a very nice older bull fed closer to us, at around 50 yards, and I tensed somewhat, becoming concerned that our cover was disappearing as the herd began to feed past us. He seemed mature, his boss was good and well developed, but he didn’t have the complete, hard boss that a truly mature bull would possess. He kept feeding upwind, and I started to seek another bull, hoping that an older, bigger bull would emerge at close range as the last remnants of the herd began to pass us. I pivoted my .375

H&H Magnum on the sticks slowly, slowly, one degree at a time, towards the remaining few animals trailing within range at the back of the huge herd. I had quietly pivoted about 10 degrees when indeed the large black form of another bull emerged – bigger, older, heavier – filling my scope not more than 15 metres away!

While our cover had been effective up to this point, this was no longer comfortable. By now the herd had almost surrounded our hiding spot – any number of eyes or noses could suddenly detect us. A startled and displeased bull can charge 15 metres in the blink of an eye. This situation demonstrated once again why buffalo is dangerous game: you must get close for a clean shot, ideally within 40-50 metres, but that often means you have a herd

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THE STARE OF A BUFFALO

a fatal broadside shot. He moved another yard closer, and turned. I levelled the crosshairs on the point of his shoulder, right at the heart, and smoothly pulled the trigger.

I knew the shot was good, and David and Zana could see for certain that the bull was hard hit. The herd bolted, the bull ran with them, but I could see that a lone figure began to slow after 50 metres, and the limp of a damaged shoulder and hard shot became evident. After another 20 metres or so, the bull stopped and stood alone. The herd carried on but wasn’t panicked and began to slow after another 100 metres.

Trevor Nakka brought members of his family on a hunting safari to Namibia, being convinced that it would be safe for his children and his wife and would provide an enjoyable time for all of them. The family spent time hunting plains game with Zana Botes (left) at Aru Game Lodges, who accompanied Trevor to hunt buffalo with Dawid Muller in the Wuparo Conservancy in August, 2018.

two millimetres. It was enough to click more loudly than the occasion warranted and the bull looked up, straight at me, right into my eyes through the scope. Unflinching, I had the presence of mind to aim the crosshairs between his eyes, on his nose, a precautionary measure as I had no intention to make it a head shot. However, it might become necessary under the circumstances, so I held steady on the bull. The look of that bull will never fade from my memory. Every description of how a buffalo bull looks was brilliantly illustrated in that moment: defiant, bold, perhaps mean, certainly strong, and a bit imperious, with potentially dangerous intent.

of dangerous animals in close proximity.

A stampede or an irritated bull could kill you, and unfortunately many a hunter has succumbed to this fate. This was very serious now, and my position could turn from hunter to hunted in a millisecond. Dawid had moved to an arm’s length of my right shoulder, and I whispered to him, “He looks good, is he good?” For one of Africa’s respected buffalo PHs, who has successfully guided hunters to hundreds of buffalo, David’s response was, barely audible but brimming with excitement and anticipation, “Yes, he is good – take him when you can”.

There is nothing in the world like the feeling a buffalo stare sends through your whole body – in my case, not so much fear, but a high-alert, respectful steadiness, an intentional calm, and the serious resolve that is vitally important in such a situation. I was ready, I didn’t flinch, I was focused and more alive than ever, and in that moment I could feel my life’s experience growing. I firmly stared back through the scope, keeping my body as stock-still as humanly possible. The seconds ticked away…

I wasn’t really counting, but I could feel 10 seconds pass, then 20, then something like 30.

The bull was still grazing quietly, moving closer, to within 12 metres. For just in case that I hadn’t yet taken my safety catch off, I slowly pushed the steel slide forward, only to have it slip from my finger the last tiny

Finally the bull settled, put his head down to feed again, our cover just sufficient to avoid his further attention. I breathed steadily, slightly inhaling at the prospect that he might now offer the opportunity for

I had immediately reloaded after my shot, but I could see that it was over. The bull staggered, limped forward and fell over. The herd quietly receded and I was struck by the return to almost complete silence, the stunning beauty and morning light on the plain contributing to the emotions of the moment.

My breath was halting. A bittersweet feeling was rising in my body, the kind that comes from being satisfied that you have successfully taken your prey, while also being saddened by ending the life of a great beast. Restraining my emotions and returning to the matter at hand, I wanted death to be quick, to be humane, and we slowly approached the bull, my rifle ready.

We stood, with a combination of respect and admiration for a great bull, but also with concern about whether he had in fact expired. For reassurance I placed a final shot between the shoulders, and he gave his last, long and mournful death bellow.

He was gone, and my eyes filled with tears. They didn’t roll down, my emotion was temporary, I choked them back and I wanted to honour the old bull and the moment. I approached him and placed my hands on his beautiful aged and scarred body, and thanked him for his sacrifice. The local village would benefit from his meat, and I would cherish his great head and horns for eternity.

It was one of the greatest moments of my life. We took time to honour the great bull, alone on the plain, the morning sun now rising higher into the sky, the warmth steadily gathering, a slight breeze stirring the grass and the leaves on the mopane trees.

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Age Related Measuring System “Trophy hunting” is the one form of hunting which receives the most severe international criticism and is threatened by a general ban. The reasons for this are on the one side a wrong perception of what so-called trophy hunting is all about, and on the other side some seriously harmful and detrimental practises and trends among so-called trophy hunters themselves. A thoughtful “repositioning of hunting”, as initiated by the Namibian Ministry of Environment and Tourism in the African Wildlife Stewardship Programme, is of paramount importance.

T

he terms “trophy hunting” and “hunting trophy” seem out-dated and incorrect. What is questioned here is, if correctly applied and executed, in fact the most selectively responsible form of hunting. The term “trophy hunting” should be replaced with “selective hunting”, while “hunting trophy” should be replaced with “memorabilia of the hunt”. These terms will be used throughout this feature.

Conservation-orientated hunters and other stakeholders are increasingly concerned that the constant removal of breeding males in their prime (or even at a younger age) has a severe effect on the gene pool of the hunted species. This does not only affect the trophy potential of the species in question, but its entire genetic health. This genetically unsustainable trend is enhanced by a wrongly understood trophy cult and

in particular by the measuring systems of existing record books for African Game Animals.

The ART Measuring System aims at creating incentives to hunt truly old animals past their prime and to discourage the hunting of immature animals altogether. It furthermore aims to underline the attraction and charisma of the often worn hunting memorabilia of old animals.

It appears very important to be proactive and implement a measuring system, which is based on scientifically tangible age criteria reflected in horns, tusks and other natural artefacts which selective hunters like to keep for aesthetic reasons or as a reminiscence of their hunts. By this, institutions like USFWS, the EU or other bodies engaging in importation

of such products, as well as conservation institutions like IUCN and others are provided with non-detriment findings for selective hunting, and moreover the hunting fraternity is provided with valid and irrefutable arguments to justify selective hunting as a very effective conservation tool.

It must be emphasised that while the ART Measuring System concentrates on genetic sustainability of selective hunting, all regulated conservation hunting activities, including selective hunting, has to be subordinated to overall sustainability of all hunting via responsible quota setting.

It furthermore has to be emphasised that selective hunting is the form of hunting which, if applied correctly, has the lowest impacts on the hunted species and delivers the highest financial outcome.

HORNS AND TUSKS, CLAWS AND FANGS – THE WEAPONS AND TOOLS OF WILD ANIMALS The horns and tusks of game animals are not trophies to the animals themselves. Quite contrary, they are weapons (and to a lesser extent tools) designed to serve a very distinct purpose. This purpose is mainly to enable the carrier to fight for dominance within the same species; largely for mating rights or territories related to mating rights. To a lesser extent these horns and tusks are used to defend the individual or the herd against enemies and, in tuskcarrying species, for digging and debarking of trees.

The growth and development of horns and tusks of the animals into a fully functional weapon and tool is closely related to the physical development of the animal into sexual maturity and full physical capacity in reaching the prime stage of the animals’

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life. The physical development of ungulates into sexual maturity to some extend depends on field conditions and availability of fodder. In the same way life expectancy varies with fluctuating rainfall cycles towards the end of an animal's life.

Therefore it appears more sensible to identify age classes, rather than to work on actual age in years.

These age classes are “immature”, “prime” and “past prime”. Once the stage of “prime” is reached, the outwardly growth of horns and tusks largely comes to an end. Now the horns and tusks have developed into the weapons they where designed to be. From now on only limited secondary growth takes places, which easily can be differentiated from the primary growth, in particular in the case of the horns.

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"It is the aim of responsible selective hunting to strongly discourage the hunting of immature animals and to target animals past their prime to ensure genetic sustainability of selective hunting."

AFRICAN WILDLIFE STEWARDSHIP PROGRAMME – ART

HORNS AND TUSKS, CLAWS AND FANGS – THE WEAPONS AND TOOLS OF WILD ANIMALS

Secondary and inward growth at base in a past prime blue wildebeest

Secondary and inward growth in impala past the prime

Soft, grey, velvety base in immature springbok, though a very big trophy

Large nerve cavity in young warthog tusk (left); small nerve cavity, twisting and laminar growth at base in old warthog (right)

Secondary and inward growth, as well as heavy wear in very old oryx bull, arrow indicating stage when prime was reached

Laminar growth at tusk base in old warthog

The Art Measurement System was developed by the Erongo Verzeichnis für Afrikanisches Jagdwild and remains the intellectual property of the Erongo Verzeichnis für Afrikanisches Jagdwild, which is a registered trademark.

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On foot with

JU/HOANSI HUNTERS

The hunt starts with a search for a specific beetle that feeds on the leaves of the hairy corkwood shrub. Its cocoons are buried deep in the fine Kalahari sand around the plant.

The pupae in the cocoon contain a lethal poison, which is carefully smeared onto the shafts of the arrow and, for safety, not the arrowhead itself. This poison causes paralysis once it enters the blood stream of the prey, which means that the hunter must get closer than 20 metres to make sure that the shaft enters well into body muscle, preferably high in the neck. Wayne Cilliers

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I

was born at Otjivasandu, the first white child at the remote ranger station in western Etosha National Park. I grew up in the bush, hunting for insects with my pet bat-eared fox. I went to boarding school at a very young age, but was fortunate to go on my first bow hunting adventure with three Ju/hoansi men from a settlement called //Auru, who had promised my father before I was born that they would teach me how to hunt in the traditional way with a bow and arrow. They knew my father, Allan, when he was a senior ranger, tasked to develop the Khaudum Game Reserve which back then was known as Bushmanland. When bow hunting was legalised in Namibia in 1998, my father bought his own piece of true wilderness, far from civilisation, with a large population of indigenous species. He invited his Ju/hoansi friends from //Auru – /Gou, Tsissiba and /Xau – to become trackers on Sandveld Game Ranch. This is how I was introduced to hunting with bow and arrow, as a teenager on school holidays.

The hunters prepared the arrows and we set out into the dense Terminalia shrub looking for fresh animal tracks. After two hours /Xau whispered, “Fresh gemsbok tracks!

There are three, and they are feeding. Look, they are not walking single file and their spoor in the sand are not deep. They are moving slowly. We will track them.” /Gou told me to walk behind him and make sure that I step on his tracks to avoid stepping on a snake or sticks and leaves. The smallest noise alerts the animals, he said. After following the track for some time, the three hunters abruptly sat down and indicated to me to do the same. They pointed ahead – and there they were. The stealthy stalk started to within 40 metres when Tsissiba instructed me to stay with him and allow /Gou and /Xau to make the final stalk.

The gemsbok carry on feeding, unaware of the danger. A few seconds later we hear the faint sound of a bowstring, and the gemsbok scatter in all directions. The crashing noise they make running through the bush soon fades in the distance as /Gou and /Xau stand up, indicating that the shot placement is high in the neck. The poisoned arrow hit its mark after a shot from a mere 15 metres.

We all sit down to rest, waiting for the poison to work its way into the animal’s blood stream and take effect. /Xau says it is time for a drink, but they did not bring water. Close by he shows me a downy stem, about 20 cm tall, rising from the sandy Kalahari soils. “Dig down alongside the stem,” he says. “There is a bulb at the end of the stem.” I remove the bulb of a perennial

herb, which the San call bi. /Xau planes the bulb with his spear blade, takes the shavings and squeezes them in his hand, allowing the water to run into his mouth. “Try it, Wayne,” he says as he hands me some shavings. “It is bitter, but not too much, and it will quench your thirst.” After this lesson it is time to get going.

“You take the track once I have identified the one that was shot.” Bending down, he retrieves his arrow shaft. “See the pattern of the sinew that was used to bind the shaft at the nock? It is mine. The short shaft, which is smeared with poison and attached to the broadband, has penetrated the neck of the gemsbok. This is the shot animal’s track.

Here, you take the track.” With the help of the hunters I begin to spoor.

The San Hunters prepare the arrows with poison, above.

An old Mathew's Q2 compound bow, with which I took my first animal with guides /Gou and /Xau.

The two hunters removed most of their clothing and slowly but meticulously approached the gemsbok. “Look carefully in the direction of the gemsbok”, Tsissiba said. “You will see the head of one of the hunters peeping over the grass to see where the gemsbok is, to estimate the shooting distance, and look for a shooting lane.”

I look on in amazement as suddenly the head of one of the hunters appears above the grass.

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The moment you are longing for.....

Zighenzani Africa Safaris Henning SchĂźnemann & Sigurd Hess | henning@zighenzani.com | sigurd@zighenzani.com | www.zighenzani.com

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ON FOOT WITH JU/HOANSI HUNTERS

Soon the tracking becomes easier as they explain what I should do – look down, look up, see the tracks ahead. Eventually they point out the shortening stride and zigzag walking pattern in the spoor as the gemsbok often stops to rest. Evidence of a confused and weakening animal.

must remember this, one day when you guide bow hunting clients like your father.

Make sure they hunt in this way. One very important part of the hunt is that one must show respect for the animal. Teach your clients this one day.” A thought that has stayed with me ever since.

With respect and a sense of sadness, I approached the animal and knelt over it, caressing the beautiful red coat. My first animal hunted with a bow and arrow. We took the meat back to camp. It was enough to feed everyone. The skin and horns are still my treasure to remind me of that hunt.

Two hours later /Xau says, “He is close.

Be alert and look ahead. You must try to see him.” Just then I stop and all of them simultaneously point at a light grey shape, head down and horns distinctly shining in the midday sun. “The gemsbok is weak and confused”, /Xau says. “Come, bring the spears.” /Gou walks in front and moves in slowly. With one accurate throw the spear penetrates the lungs of the gemsbok and he drops down in the sand.

They made a leather bag from the gemsbok skin and put as much meat as possible into it. A branch was cut from a tree and the bag hooked in the middle, allowing two hunters to carry the load. Tsissiba then hung the remaining meat high up in the trees. “We will come and collect the rest of the meat in the morning.” At dusk the hunting party arrived in camp singing a hunting song and imitating the straight horns of the gemsbok with their outstretched arms. The following day we went back to the site to collect the remaining meat hanging from the trees and carried it back to camp.

Now that I am a professional hunter, I cherish and share the insights those three hunters gave me, although they did not use my language to explain it: the animal had a fair chance, and I hunted it in the bush where it belongs. They also taught me to have respect for animals.

/Xau removes the arrowhead, carefully attached to a carved giraffe bone, from the centre neck area of the gemsbok. An accurately placed shot.

Handing me one of their traditional knives, the skinning begins. We remove the skin and then disembowel the animal. We cut the meat into long strips and remove the heart and liver. They light a fire using their traditional sticks. Tsissiba cuts the liver and heart into pieces and carefully places them on the glowing coals. “Come and eat. It is your first true hunt, and this is Ju/hoansi tradition.”

While we ate /Xau explained to me that the Ju/hoansi people hunt to eat, and that they use the entire animal – the meat, the skin for clothing, quivers and bags, and the horns to make curios. Nothing goes to waste. “You

That same week we built a natural brush blind at a game path some 200 metres from a waterhole. “Take your bow”, said /Gou. “Let us go hunting. It is your turn now.”

With my old Mathews Q2 compound bow, its draw weight reduced to 55 pounds, we set off. After the second day, while lying in ambush, an adult impala ram walked along the game trail passing 20 metres from the blind. “Get ready”, said /Gou. “I will stop the animal, then you shoot.” When the impala was in range, /Gou made a faint grunt. The impala stopped in its tracks and I released the arrow. It penetrated the shoulder, the target known as the “vital V”.

Within 40 metres the impala collapsed.

Allan Cilliers, game ranger to professional hunter, with son Wayne following in his footsteps.

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A MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE FINDING

THAT BUFFALO

For any trophy hunter the Cape buffalo can be the most exciting of the dangerous species to track and take down. It is unpredictable and particularly dangerous when wounded, extremely good at concealing itself and difficult to stop at close range when it launches a head-on charge. Following in the footsteps of his legendary grandfather, Fred Bartlett, professional hunter Mike Kibble shot his first buffalo at the age of 13 and has had numerous encounters with buffalo since then. Mike takes up the story of a memorable buffalo hunt with Dale Payne in a concession along the Kwando River in the Zambezi Region, an area that became famous as the Caprivi Strip.

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“D

agga boys”, the old bulls that have been forced out of the herds by younger ones, are typically found on ‘islands’ separated by numerous channels. When I say islands, it is more like higher ground formed by termite mounds and covered in beautiful big trees.

You can see these areas were swamps in earlier days when the Kwando River flooded, but as the water receded with droughts over the years, these ‘islands’ remained.

Our hunt took us way off the beaten track and we had to use kayaks and mokoros (dugout canoes) as we made our way into unexplored territory through dense stands of reeds lining the channels. The water on the Kwando system is gin clear and we could see every leaf on the bottom and every fish swimming by. It was really beautiful and peaceful.

We had some really hairy experiences before we managed to find an old buffalo.

Paddling silently down the channels we

had the occasional hippo that would come running below us, creating a bow wave or two passing – not very pleasant. Going down an eyrie channel the client asked whether there might be some crocodiles around and I said, ‘Well, you know, if you keep your eyes open you occasionally see them lying on the bottom as you paddle over them’. As I spoke, we spotted a crocodile longer than the mokoro lying just a few feet away on the sandy bottom of the channel. It was a rather frightening experience but for Dale it was a great story to tell back home.

On one or two occasions we had to cross channels on foot as it was too far to carry the kayaks. We had to lift the rifles and kit above our heads as we waded through water reaching up to just under our armpits. We had the occasional bit of dung from elephants that had crossed the channel, water lilies and everything else floating under our raised arms.

In those areas I always tell my clients to bring

sandals so that they don’t destroy a beautiful pair of hunting boots. So you hunt in your sandals. You would have two or three pairs of those and you are in and out of boats and dugouts and onto islands.

After exploring several islands we came across three old buffalo bulls, including one that was extremely attractive. He had a very nice drop in his horn and a wide and impressive boss ... very handsome. The trouble for us was we had to go through a swamp, and trying to be inaudible in water and mud is not very easy.

When you get caught up in dense stands of reeds, lilies and other stuff and then bump into a hippo basking in the sun only four or five feet away from you, it is quite scary. And when the hippo suddenly takes off, it alarms the buffalo and the opportunity is gone.

When we finally reached the island, two of the buffalo had left. It is easy to distinguish one old bull from the other and I always take

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FINDING THAT BUFFALO careful note of the form of the head, the shape of the boss, the curl of the horns, patches of mud and where they have hair on their bodies.

Therefore I knew that none of the remaining ones were the one we were after.

With the sun beating down on us, we continued tracking until we found him feeding. I come from the old school of hunting. In my experience you walk it, stalk it and put up the sticks – a tripod used to rest the rifle on. I always try to minimise situations that could

cause trouble and end up going wrong for you and the client. I get the client as close as possible. We put up the sticks and Dale placed a fantastic shot. It was a one-shot-deal.

It was an amazing hunt that gave Dale an experience second to none – wading through water up to our armpits, gliding silently along on lily-clad channels where crocodiles and hippos lurk, appreciating the unspoilt surroundings and testing his tracking abilities. He had never experienced such a hunt before.

Adventure, hunting, nature conservation and a love for the African bush run deep in the lineage of this family.

Born in Nairobi in 1923, Fred Bartlett – in the picture above left with Alberto Bailleres – grew up on a farm in Kenya. He joined the army during WWII, and then Kenya’s Game Department as a Game Control Officer responsible for the Mount Kenya area and the northern Aberdare Range in 1949. In 1957 he became a professional hunter, a profession which took him to Botswana, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa and Namibia.

After an eventful and adventurous life, Fred Bartlett, who can justly be described as one the great hunters in Africa passed away in Kasane, Botswana, in April 2012.

The second generation hunter, Pete Kibble, was born in Kenya in 1945. He learnt the old school ethics of hunting at an early age under the watchful eye of many great hunters of the time, including his future fatherin-law. At the age of 17 he was already hunting buffalo, elephant and leopard. He married Liz, Fred’s daughter, in 1967 and later moved to Namibia where he still runs his own safari outfit with his wife.

Pete’s three sons are all qualified PH’s and photographic and fishing guides. Mike, the oldest (with him on the photograph above right), the third generation of professional hunters, was born at Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. He guided photographic safaris in his early days and qualified as a professional hunter in the late 1980s. Mike established the Progress Safari Lodge 20 years ago on the 16,000 ha family ranch near the Hosea Kutako International Airport outside Windhoek in 1998 from where he conducts hunting and photographic safaris.

Following in Mike’s footsteps and representing the fourth generation of hunters is Mike and Sonja’s son, Alec Frederick, in the photograph below. With the vast hunting experience and the African bush of his father, grandfather and great grandfather it is not surprising that Alec is following in Mike’s footsteps and was introduced to hunting at a very early age, firmly cementing the old school way of ethical hunting on foot with shooting sticks.

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NAMIBIA SAFARI SERVICES

Namibia Safari

Specialized in the shipping of hunting trophies

Services celebrates 25 years of service

It is a remarkable achievement to succeed in a world that is becoming increasingly complicated especially in the sector that you dedicate your life and work to. For Heidrun and Harald Preschel it became second nature to navigate the complexities and intricacies of shipping wildlife products from Namibia into the world. It became part of their lives to keep up with every new rule and regulation in each country they deal with in all corners of the globe, accepting that one cannot take for granted that last monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s requirement is still valid. Nothing is set in stone, because countries sometimes just introduce a temporary import regulation without warning, and the shipping agent in the country of origin is the responsible party to comply with all the rules.

But the well-respected duo, Heidrun and Harald Preschel, earned not only the support and trust of Namibian hunting operators and their international clients, they also inspired the next generation of Preschels. Their daughter Benita and sonin-law Kai Eichler returned from a nine year stint in Germany to join the ranks of the family business and are set to embrace the challenges as they come.

Harald and Heidrun and their dedicated team worked tirelessly for over two decades to provide a trusted service, shipping their clientsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; precious hunting trophies to destinations all over the world. It takes years of building a global network of partners in source markets in order to be able to find the best solution for each shipping challenge. The shipping company in the country of origin is responsible to comply with the rules and regulations of health and conservation agencies, as well as the customs requirements at the shipmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s destination. Harald affiliated the NSS to international hunting associations to make sure that his company has a connection with the hunting clients and hunting professionals whose trust it has earned over the years.

The NSS team that renders the highest professional service: Saima Johannes, Esmarie Marais, Junias Shaanika, Heidrun and Harald Preschel, Benita Eichler, Joseph Iyambo, Tully Britz, Andreas Kalola, Kai Eichler, Okkies Ockhuizen and Marion HĂźbner.

Two generations of Preschels: Heidrun and Harald Preschel and Benita and Kai Eichler steer the business into the next era.

We thank our clients, business partners and our staff for the support, trust and commitment over all these years.

Family Preschel 76

Tel: +264 (0)61 227 700

harald@namsaf.com.na

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www.namsaf.com.na

IN MEMORY OF FRANK HEGER 21.2.1960 – 7.6.2018

F

rank Heger was killed in a tragic traffic accident on June 7th, 2018 on the road between Windhoek and Okahandja after attending a two-day executive meeting of NAU, the Namibia Agricultural Union.

Not only was Frank a respected colleague, he selflessly dedicated his life's work to hunting, to tourism, agriculture and to his home country, Namibia. He became an exemplary mentor to many of those who walked with him part of his way.

Frank was elected to the NAPHA Board of Directors in 1996. The following year he already served as Vice-President and chaired the Disciplinary Committee. He was at the helm of NAPHA from 1998 to 2005, first as President and later as Executive President, and led the association confidently and extremely successfully in line with professional principles. From 2007 to 2013 Frank was a member of the NAPHA Executive Board in an advisory capacity. His competent and trendsetting leadership helped NAPHA to gain an excellent reputation that resonated at national and international levels. Thus, one can rightly conclude that NAPHA experienced a golden age under the reign of Frank Heger and blossomed into one of the most effective associations in Namibia. The confirmation of Frank's farsighted goals for the pillars of the always uncompromisingly defended principles to ensure the sustainable use of the country’s natural resources, is Namibia's currently undisputed lead in prestige and popularity over neighbouring South Africa as a hunting destination. Despite well-intentioned advice and warnings from the international and regional hunting community, South Africa has strayed from the internationally accepted standards of sustainable and ethical use. More specifically, “canned lion hunting” – later renamed “captivebred lion hunting” – comes to mind as well as selective breeding of animals for the hunting market, producing the entire Smartie collection in a range of colour mutations, and the systematic breeding of extravagant horns.

Forging contacts and building bridges were goals which Frank Heger pursued consistently and persistently: during the presidency of Ronnie Rowland close contacts were established

with PHASA, which led to NAPHA's participation in the African Advisory Board (AAB), a body that represented all professional hunting associations in southern and eastern Africa. It was a platform where they met with SCI and where pioneering guidelines were developed, such as the Code for Ethical Sport Hunting for Africa and the definition of "fair chase", i.e. ethical hunting. A visit by the NAPHA board to the first president of independent Namibia, Dr Sam Nujoma, at the State House and the subsequent membership of the President, an enthusiastic hunter, made NAPHA socially acceptable in the political arena. When Europe was hit by a recession in the mid-nineties, NAPHA started to promote Namibia, the hunting destination, at hunting fairs in the US. While Namibia saw a mere 42 American hunting guests in 1997, the number had already increased to 1500 US hunters ten years later. Both American clubs, SCI and Dallas Safari Club, have not only become generous supporters of NAPHA but also strong partners and advocates of ethical and sustainable hunting in this new market.

Frank's in-depth knowledge of club management, finances, computers, negotiations and exerting pertinent influence on various legislation with significant results regarding the MET Wildlife Act, new leopard regulations, national ethics code, statutory body = professional association, NAPHA statutes and NAPHA code of conduct, conservancies in Namibia, Weapons and Ammunition Law, VAT Legislation; discussions with various insurance companies to ensure adequate but cost-effective hunting liability insurance for NAPHA members, NTB legislation. It should be noted that Frank's negotiating success led to a once-off payment for the registration and the annual levy for hunting farms, and he was instrumental in advising and obtaining legal counsel in the dispute over land tax (valuation roll).

Frank served on various committees. Among others he represented NAPHA at the NAU Executive Board from 1998 to 2005 and again from 2010 until his death. As a member of the Advisory Commission on Land Reform he rendered immeasurable services to the farmers of this country. Especially in that capacity he will leave a gap that is hard to fill.

NAPHA President Danene van der Westhuizen at the funeral memorial service: “Frank was such a gentle gentleman. He would stand up from his chair, look you in the eye with the kindest possible gaze and with one of the most beautiful smiles I have ever seen, and greet you ever so sincerely. But then he would sit down again and put his ‘gloves’ on. He was never there to waste anyone’s time. He was always serious, always giving his everything, but most importantly, he was always right. He had the very rare ability to portray the most incredible clarity, knowledge, objectivity, and mostly, intelligence.”

The multi-cultural composition of the huge funeral congregation at a memorial service held at the Safari Hotel was evidence of how much Frank Heger was appreciated and acknowledged by his Namibian fellow citizens as somebody who was serious about his intentions to work for Namibia so that all the inhabitants of this country could look forward to a better future.

His extensive knowledge and outstanding commitment will always be remembered with gratitude and awe. (Reiner Ling) Frank served on the following commissions: LRAC Resettlement Sub Committee for Otjozondjupa and Erongo Regions May 1st, 2013 – March 31st, 2016 LRAC Resettlement Sub Committee for Otjozondjupa and Khomas Regions May 1st, 2016 – March 31st, 2019 LRAC Finance Committee Appointed as Chairman from: May 1st, 2016 – March 31st, 2019 FENATA (Federation of Namibian Tourist Associations) 1998 – 2005 Member of Exco and Board Namibia Tourism Board - NTB 2004 – 2007 Director of the Board Chairman of the Standards Advisory Committee and the Audit Committee.

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FNB Namibia supports

ANTI-POACHING INITIATIVES

and the environment

F

NB Namibia strives to contribute positively to the future of the natural environment in which we operate. Although our direct impact is relatively low, we continue to identify and partner with activities that have a positive impact on the environment.

Last year the Namibia Professional Hunters Association (NAPHA) approached FNB Namibia to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;houseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; the 4.5-ton marble Rhino sculpture at their Head Office @Parkside until a possible buyer could be found. FNB had the privilege to host the magnificent structure for several months, where it drew the attention of the public.

The Rhino was commissioned by the HUAP Trust in support of funding anti-poaching initiatives, and has since been sold and moved to its new home in Austria.

FNB Namibia wholeheartedly supports the fight against poaching and agreed to house the beautiful piece of art at its 5-Star Green Star Building to emphasise the importance of preserving our environment. The protection of the planet is one of our strategic focus areas which includes wildlife, that must be nurtured and safeguarded at all times.

Tel: +264 61 299 2222 callcentre1@fnbnamibia.com.na www.fnbnamibia.com.na

Planning and careful management of environmental resources is not the only way we remain committed to making Namibia a better place. We are proud to be a main sponsor of the Tourism Expo because it starts the important conversation around how all tourism stakeholders can come together to address some of the current challenges in the sector. From SME support in the sector to larger corporate partnerships in hospitality, from facilitating smooth payment mechanisms, to ensuring the best wheels are available on the road for tourists and our service providers, a sustainable tourism industry is in all of our best interest.

CONSERVATIONIST OF THE YEAR AWARD since 1995

2

5 years ago NAPHA introduced the Conservationist of the Year Award to acknowledge a person who has played a significant role in any field of conservation.

The first recipient was Hanno Rumpf, the first Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism who later became Namibia’s Ambassador to Germany. He played a significant role in making sure that this newly independent country’s status as an ethical hunting destination was upheld.

More than a decade later, in 2003, Ben Beytell, then Director of Parks & Nature Conservation in the Ministry, received the honour.

Frank Heger, at that time President of NAPHA, officially declared that selective hunting played a big and ongoing role in wildlife conservation around the globe and that it should be considered to be a conservation tool. But all conservation drives, Heger said, and especially trophy hunting, were dependent on a solid and detailed legal framework. Ben Beytell was the person in the Ministry who made sure that the laws, rules and regulations were interpreted the way in which they were intended, he said Other MET officials who have been recipients of the Award over the years: Dr Malan Lindeque (1997), Deputy Director of Specialist Support Services; Imelda Lombard (2001), Permit Office; Dr Pauline Lindeque (2004), Head of Scientific Services; Sem Shikongo and Kenneth Uiseb accepted the Award in 2012 on behalf of the entire Ministry; Birgit Kötting was awarded in 2013 for her work on rhino at the Etosha Ecological Institute, as the coordinator of the Rhino Custodianship Programme; game ranger Victor Katanga was awarded in 2015, the year when anti-poaching efforts intensified in Damaraland; and in 2017 Manie le Roux received the honour for his career in conservation which included capturing 500 rhino for re-location and dehorning, 180 of them in one year alone. He also established a dog unit in the Ministry, to support anti-poaching operations.

Well-known for his research on free-roaming lion in the northwest, Dr Flip Stander was the first scientist to receive the award in 1998, and Dr Chris Brown, currently CEO of the Namibian Chamber of Environment, was honoured in 2011. Chris Weaver, WWF Director in Namibia and champion of the Community Based Natural Resource Management Programme (CBNRM) was the recipient in 2003. Bennie Roman, the Chairman of the Torra Conservancy, the first communal conservancy to offer trophy hunting concessions on their land, was awarded in 2000. In 2007 John Jackson became the first non-Namibian recipient for his commitment and support of NAPHA’s conservation projects.

Geofrey Tukuhupwele was the choice for Conservationist of the year 2015 for his contribution to the anti-poaching efforts and successes in the Zambezi Region (formerly Caprivi).

Several NAPHA members have been awarded for their contributions in leading the conservation way - negotiating, lobbying, influencing – Volker Grellmann (2005), Rainer Ling (2010) and Kai-Uwe Denker (2016). Campaigner for the cause, Dirk Heinrich, is the only journalist so far to receive the award (1999), and FENATA CEO Jackie Asheeke the only tourism personality (2008).

Representatives from NAPHA’s international supporters in the US and Europe travel halfway around the world to Windhoek every year to attend the AGM in November. Over the decades, officials of Safari Club International and Dallas Safari Club have sponsored booths at their Hunting Conventions to be auctioned at the NAPHA gala earning much needed funds for NAPHA projects. Once in Namibia, local supporters of NAPHA join hands to treat these benefactors to an excursion to a special destination somewhere in the country. Last year Desert Air flew the group to Wolwedans to experience the beauty of the Namib Desert.

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GENERAL Surface area: 824,268 km² Capital: Windhoek Independence: 21 March 1990 Current president: Hage Geingob Multiparty parliament Democratic constitution Division of power between executive, legislature and judiciary Secular state—freedom of religion (90% Christian) Freedom of the press/media

ENVIRONMENT Nature reserves: 15% of surface area Highest mountain: Brandberg Other prominent mountains: Spitzkoppe, Moltkeblick, Gamsberg Perennial rivers: Orange, Kunene, Okavango, Zambezi and Kwando/ Linyanti/Chobe Ephemeral rivers: Numerous, including Fish, Kuiseb, Swakop and Ugab

FLORA 14 vegetation zones 120 species of trees 200 endemic plant species 100 plus species of lichen Living fossil plant: Welwitschia mirabilis

ECONOMY Main sectors: Mining, fishing, tourism and agriculture Biggest employer: Agriculture (46%) Fastest-growing sector: Tourism Mining: Diamonds, uranium, copper, lead, zinc, magnesium, cadmium, arsenic, pyrites, silver, gold, lithium minerals, dimension stones (granite, marble, blue sodalite) and many semiprecious stones

PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE Roads: 5,450 km tarred, 37,000 km gravel

Venture Media 2018 www.travelnewsnamibia.com

Harbours: Walvis Bay, Lüderitz Main airports: Hosea Kutako International Airport, Eros Airport, 46 airstrips Rail network: 2,382 km narrow gauge Telecommunications: 6.2 telephone lines per 100 inhabitants Direct-dialling facilities to 221 countries Mobile communication system: GSM agreements with 117 countries / 255 networks Postal service: affiliated to the Universal Postal Union

SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE

FOREIGN REPRESENTATION More than 50 countries have Namibian consular or embassy representation in Windhoek.

TAX AND CUSTOMS All goods and services are priced to include value-added tax of 15%. Visitors may reclaim VAT. Enquiries: Ministry of Finance Tel (+264 61) 23 0773 in Windhoek

MONEY MATTERS

One medical doctor per 3,650 people Three privately run hospitals in Windhoek with intensive-care units Medical practitioners (world standard) 24-hour medical emergency services

Currency: The Namibia Dollar (N$) is fixed to and on par with the SA Rand. The South African Rand is also legal tender.

Foreign currency, international Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Diners Club credit cards are accepted.

POPULATION

DRINKING WATER

2.5 million Density: 2.2 per km² 400 000 inhabitants in Windhoek (15% of total) Official language: English 14 regions, 13 ethnic cultures 16 languages and dialects Adult literacy rate: 85% Population growth rate: 2.6% Educational institutions: over 1,700 schools, various vocational and tertiary institutions

FAUNA Big game: Elephant, lion, rhino, buffalo, cheetah, leopard, giraffe 20 antelope species 240 mammal species (14 endemic) 250 reptile species 50 frog species 676 bird species Endemic birds including Herero Chat, Rockrunner, Damara Tern, Monteiro’s Hornbill and Dune Lark

Most tap water is purified and safe to drink.

Visitors should exercise caution in rural areas.

TRANSPORT Public transport is NOT available to all tourist destinations in Namibia.

There are bus services from Windhoek to Swakopmund as well as Cape Town/ Johannesburg/Vic Falls. Namibia’s main railway line runs from the South African border, connecting Windhoek to Swakopmund in the west and Tsumeb in the north. There is an extensive network of international and regional flights from Windhoek and domestic charters to all destinations.

TIME ZONES GMT + 2 hours

ELECTRICITY 220 volts AC, 50hz, with outlets for round three-pin type plugs

www.namibiatourism.com.na

Hunting professionals registered with the

Namibia Professional Hunting Association Surname

Initials Operation Name

Contact Detail

Email

Surname

Initials Operation Name

Contact Detail

Email

International Tel Code +264

Agenbach Ahrens Ahrens Alberts

EJ EG V CJ

Aru Game Lodges P52 R Rowland Hunting Girib - Ost Jagdfarm Hunters Pride Taxidermy P64

Arnold

JW

Wildacker Guestfarm

Badenhorst Bahr Bank Barreras Bartlett Barz Basson Bastos Bauer

C HJ J L DD PA D JL AK

Baumann

H

Bennett Beukes

Blaauw

A BF HW H JN

Farm Mimosa Wewelsburg Camping & Safari Oshingulu Hunting Safaris Na-Gumbo Lodge & Safaris Onguma Game Ranch (Pty) Ltd Rechtsanwalt Barz Acacia Namibia Khomas Safaris & Guestfarm Aigamas Hunting Nubib Mountain Hunting & Guestfarm Undjovo Hunting Safaris Keerweder Safaris

Blauwkamp

T

Binding

062 560 055 061 238 292 062 573 566 062 570 141 49 606 295 9216 062 581 431 067 306 646 061 233 800 081 337 7536 067 229 125 49 551 499 000 061 229 142 064 204 129 081 253 0947

info@arugamelodges.com info@geva-sales.com girib@mtcmobile.com.na huntpride@iway.na arnold-erbach@t-online.de

081 389 2797 062 581 669

chris@farmmimosa.co.za bahrcamp@afol.com.na oshi@afrcaonline.com.na ruimte@mtcmobile.com.na etoshajagd@iway.na pb@rechtsanwalt-barz.de dietlind@acacianamibia.com kukibastos@afol.com.na bauer@iway.na hbaumann@nubibmountain. com phandrebennett@gmail.com keerweder@iway.na

Kataneno Cattle & Game Ranch

062 549 088

bindings@iway.na

Dzombo Hunting Safaris

081 146 4959

063 293 240

Dallas Safari Club

616 896 6500

japsie86@gmail.com tblauwkamp@superior-sales. com

H A K-H B RE RA JJ JP UB JH J M GM Brüsselbach W CC Kunene River V

Farm Rudelsburg Moringa Jagd & Gästefarm Kleepforte Duiker Safaris Namibia Aru Game Lodges P52 Sesembo Hunting Safaris Getaway Kalahari Safari Nhosab Hunting Safari Kous Farm Waldeck Safaris Africa Hunt Safari Martin Britz Safaris

067 290 109 062 501 106 062 560 000 067 232 626 062 560 049 081 396 3988 062 571 769 063 273 322 062 581 409 061 235 694 067 234 031 061 259 017

moringa@iway.na kleepforte@afol.com.na bboshoff@iway.na zana@arugamelodges.com ruan@sesembohunting.com info@kalahari-safari.com nhosab@gmail.com ubrauer@iway.na waldecks@iway.na justus@afrihuntsafaris.com zcrbritz@gmail.com

Rosenthal Guns

061 237 210

guidomwb@gmail.com

Kunene River Com Conservancy

065 274 002

CC Sorris Sorris

R

Sorris Sorris Com. Conservancy

081 300 5134

Chapman Chapman Cilliers / Wildlife Manage Cilliers Clausen Cloete Coetzee Conservation Force Cooper

AC JW

Huntafrica Namibia P38 Huntafrica Namibia P38

081 127 3711 081 124 3299

info@kuneneriverlodge.com sorrissorris.conservancy@ gmail.com info@huntafrica.com.na info@huntafrica.com.na

AD

Allan Ciliers Hunting Safaris P64

081 129 0708

allan@cillierssafaris.com

JW KP G FJ

Allan Ciliers Hunting Safaris P64 081 236 5012 Okosongoro Safari Ranch 067 290 170 Okuwira! Hunting Safaris 081 285 7104 Otjandaue Hunting Safaris 064 570 821

Böckmann Böhmcker Bohn Boshoff Botes Botha Brand Brand Bräuer, Dr Briedenhann Brits Britz

wayne@cillierssafaris.com info@okosongoro.com okuwirasafaris@gmail.com otjiandaue@iway.na

Conservation Force

1 504 837 1145 JJW-NO@att.net

ZD

Mahonda Hunting Safaris

062 572 136

Cordes

CH

Bodenhausen

081 127 2946

Cramer

AG

Namibia Hunting Experience

061 248 212

info@mahondahunting.com cordesbodenhausen@gmail. com info@namibia-huntingexperience.com

info@napha.com.na / www.napha-namibia.com

Dallas Safari Club de Bod Deloch Deloch Delport Delport

D HG HP J PJ

Dirk de Bod Safaris Namibia P30 081 124 0838 Hans Hunt Safaris 061 233 903 Oryxhunt 061 235 698 Toekoms Hunting Safaris 062 570 328 Eintracht Jagd Safaris 081 127 3832

Denk

HC

Jagdfarm Mecklenburg

Denker Denker Diekmann Diekmann Dietz Döman Dörnhöfer Dressel Dresselhaus Dreyer du Plessis du Toit du Toit du Toit Düvel

H K-U G WG H J W EG D D PJ A CJ HA CW

African Hunting Safaris P44 African Hunting Safaris P44 Jagdfarm Otjekongo Hamakari Safaris Askari Tours & Hunting La Bips Safaris Omatarassu Jagdfarm Hairabib Heja Game Lodge Sandheuwel Bergzicht Game Lodge P53 Quatro Hunting Safaris Omutati Game & Guestfarm Okarumatero Jagdrevier Weideland

kudu@africaonline.com.na hanshunt@iway.na oryxhunt@iway.na toekoms@iway.na eintrach@iway.na denk@jagdfarmmecklenburg.

062 560 059 com 081 206 7682 hagen@erongosafaris.com 081 201 4867 kaiuwe@erongosafaris.com 062 518 091 ecoso.gero@afol.com.na 067 306 633 hamakari@iway.na 064 570 927 etendero@iway.na 081 127 4103 john-ivy@afol.com.na 067 290 158 omathunt@iway.na 067 240 329 hairabib@gmail.com 061 238 962 dieterd@afol.com.na 27 84 443 4241 Divan@vastech.co.za 081 128 4825 info@bergzichtgamelodge.com 063 240 777 quatro@iway.na 061 245 339 neels@ingplan.com.na 061 307 550 hadutoit@iway.na 062 560 002 cduvel@afol.com.na

Düvel

KI

Namibia Hunting Impressions

062 560 004

kate.kurt@afol.com.na

Düvel

UV

Omambonde Tal Jagdfarm

067 240 332

Egerer

M

Nyati Wildlife Art P1

081 124 2080

Eggert Eggert Eichhoff Eichler Emmel Engelbrecht Engelhard Epler Erni Erpf Erpf Erpf Esterhuizen Esterhuizen Falk Fechter Fechter Fechter Fietz Fischer

B HB E KU H TW G CFG EW G HR HW A W WA H M M A HH

067 234 465 067 234 465 062 518 133 061 227 700 062 500 761 067 232 050 067 290 187 081 1284845 063 293 329 267 302 229 067 302 229 067 309 010 067 307 262 067 307 262 081 242 1146 063 293 520 063 293 520 081 240 5364 061 227 440 062 502 993

Fourie

I

061 257 107

hunting.isabelle@gmail.com

Friedensdorf Friedensdorf Friedrich Fug

K S HH G

Omatjete Safaris Omatjete Safaris Otjitambi Guestfarm P46 Namibia Safari Services Ovita Wildlife Engelbrecht Safaris Jagdfarm Georg-Ferdinandshöhe Otjikaru Farming Hunting Farm Urusis Jagdfarm Otjenga Farm Otjenga Oase Guest & Hunting Farm Estreux Safaris CC Estreux Safaris CC Ondjondo Jagdfarm Falkenhorst Safaris Falkenhorst Safaris Portsmut Hunting Safaris Etemba Jagd & Safaris Omongongua Hunting Chapungu - Kambako Hunting Safaris Hunting & Guestfarm Ondombo Hunting & Guestfarm Ondombo Baobab Game Ranch Waldhausen

omambond@iway.na nyati@nyati-wildlife-art. com.na hagen@omatjete.com hagen@omatjete.com elfried@iway.na smartdip@namsaf.com.na marketing@ovitahunting.com info@engelbrechtsafaris.com g.engelhard@afol.com.na otjikaru@iafrica.com.na erniurus@afol.com.na otjenga@gmail.com otjenga@gmail.com farm.oase@gmail.com info@estreuxsafaris.com info@estreuxsafaris.com ondjondjo@iway.na falcon@iway.nam matthias.fechter@gmail.com mfph@iway.na info@etemba-hunting.com nazimbo@afol.com.na

067 290 009 067 290 009 067 232 055 081 393 9640

kfriedensdorf@iway.na kfriedensdorf@iway.na driehoek@mweb.com.na okauapehuri@iway.na

Dallas Safari Club

Corey@biggame.org

info@napha.com.na / www.napha-namibia.com

HUNTiNAMIBIA | 2019

81

NAPHA REGISTER Surname

Initials Operation Name

Contact Detail

Email

Surname

Initials Operation Name

International Tel Code +264

Fuleda Garbade Garbade Garbade Gladis Gladis

Hunting-Flight-Service Onduno Hunting P74 Onduno Hunting P74 Onduno Hunting P74 Ababis Guest & Huntingfarm Wilsonfontein Hunting Safaris

Grellmann Groenewald Gruhn Grünschloss Günzel Haag Haase Haase Hakenjos Halenke

H BT HH TBH H IB MW KA V JC BW K G GT AGF HP RW G H

49 2365 668 28 061 231 054 061 231 054 081 385 0399 061 237 400 081 300 3857

Hans@fuleda.de onduno@gmail.com onduno@gmail.com onduno@gmail.com helmuth@hemconamibia.com namibhunt@hotmail.com

061 232 236

manfred@kgss.com.na

Anvo Hunting Safaris Namibia Okarusewa Bellerode Hunting Safaris Jamy Traut Hunting P54 Hunting Ranch Ovisume Otjikoko Game Ranch Haasenhof Gästefarm Wilhelmstal - Nord Hetaku Safari Lodge Hohenau Hunting Ranch

062 540 423 062 549 010 061 236 005 067 220 335 061 245 170 064 570 500 062 503 827 062 503 977 062 561 441 061 247 024

R

Hohenau Hunting Ranch

061 681 055

Onjona Lodge Onjona Lodge

062 503 711 062 503 711

Beenbreck Safaris

062 581 406

wilkohauffe@gmail.com

Heger Heger Heimstädt Henckert

FR M W EG GE N K-D R

vgrellmann@afol.com.na obirann@iway.na pbgruhn@iway.na kgrunschloss@yahoo.com info@ovisume.eu haag@otjikoko.com haase@iway.na rolfhaase@iway.na hetaku@iway.na halenke@iway.na hohenau@namibianhunting. com f.happel@onjona.com m.happel@onjona.com

Halenke Happel Happel

Otjiruse Hunting Otjiruse Hunting Game Ranch Transvaal Rusticana Hunting

062 503 778 062 503 778 067 312 129 061 235 851

Hennig

OW

Desert Holdings

061 272 163

Henniges

A DH

Hennings

SP

061 232 633

Herbst

H

062 503 966

kansimba@africaonline.com.na

Herzog Hess Hillermann

064 570 555 062 573 568 062 500 590

hubert@herzoghunting.com sigurd@zighenzani.com blasersafaris@afol.com.na

Erongo Lodge

081 252 5583

erongolodge@iway.na

Hitula Hoaseb Hobohm Horenburg Horsthemke

H S M PE M JTP J HG M B

Ohorongo Safaris Khomas Highland Hunting Safaris Khomas Highland Hunting Safaris Bull River CC t/a Kansimba Game Lodge Herzog Hunting Zighenzani-Africa Safaris P70 Blaser Safaris

081 147 7434

Hennings

gudrun@otjiruse.com nikolai@tandelta.biz klausheimstadt@yahoo.com rusticana@iway.na christo.hennig@deserthold. com ohorongo@iway.na philip@khomas-highlandhunting.com philip@khomas-highlandhunting.com

Mopane Game & Hunting Safaris Namibia Safari Connection Abachaus#2025 Wronin Business Trust Jagdfarm Stoetzer

081 127 6792 062 570 312 067 235 002 062 561 415 062 561 445

pman347@gmail.com namsafcon@iway.na

Horsthemke

HH

Jagdfarm Stoetzer

062 561 445

Horsthemke Horsthemke Hübner

H W Jagdfarm Stoetzer W Jagdfarm Stoetzer MGH Namibia Safari Services P76

Gorn

Hauffe

Hinterholzer

Hugo

WK

Hüning

E

Hurt

RH

Mazabuka Investments Pty

061 232 633

062 561 445 062 561 445 061 227 700 062 503 779

wronin@iway.na hbhorst@iway.na Harald-horsthemke@hotmail. com hbhorst@iway.na hbhorst@iway.na weffie@iway.na kleinbarmen@africaonline. com.na

49 152 041 30207 Robin Hurt Safari Company (Pty) Ltd

081 620 0937

robinhurtnamibia@gmail.com

info@napha.com.na / www.napha-namibia.com

82

Contact Detail

Email

International Tel Code +264

Ovitoto Game and Hunting Safaris (Pty) Ltd

Ipinge

JA

Jacobs Jacobs Jagdzeit Janbey Janse van Rensburg

FB SM H S

081 127 8441

hafeni2@gmail.com

064 402 006 067 232 678

S M J Safaris Jagdzeit / Hunter's Path Osonjiva Hunting Safaris

leonajacobs@yahoo.co.uk smj@iway.na

081 124 1484

info@osonjiva.com

J

Portsmut Hunting Safaris

081 140 0984

jansej@tgi.na

Jansen

J A B Acacia Hunting Safaris

081 292 8525

acaciahunting@africaonline. com.na

Jansen van Vuuren

L

Leopard Legend Hunting Safaris

081 236 0833

info@leopardlegend.com

Jensen

GM

Panorama Rock Game Ranch Safaris

061 251 313

Joubert

SJ

Bergzicht Game Lodge P53

Jupke Kaiser Kaiser (Sen) Kibble Kibble Kiekebusch Koekemoer Kotze

PJ P UJA MW PD HH G DJ

Kotze

HJL

Kotzé Kotze (SNR) Krafft Krafft Kratzer Kreiner Kretzschmar

HR JC M R E HA K

Web Marketing Agency Kuhwerder Jagdfarm Kuhwerder Jagdfarm Mike Kibble Safaris Trophy Safaris Jagd & Rinderfarm Hochfels Omuramba Hunting Lodge Tiefenbach Bow Hunting Chapungu - Kambako Hunting Safaris Hugo Kotze Safaris Omatako Hunting Trails Ibenstein Hunting Safaris Ibenstein Hunting Safaris Farm Hazeldene Ekongo Hunting & Safaris Onduasu Jagd

Krieghoff

R

Krieghoff (Inside front)

Kronsbein

C

Kruger

JJN

Labuschagne

D

Labuschagne

J

Lamprecht

H-L

Apex Safaris Omujeve Hunting Safaris (Pty) Ltd Divan Labuschagne Hunting Safaris Divan Labuschagne Hunting Safaris Lamprecht Ammunition Manufacturers

Lamprecht Jnr

J

Lamprecht Langner

M A

gjensen@pennypinchers.co.za, jensen@ica.com.na steph@bergzichtgamelodge.

062 560 049 com 49 7251 83175 peter.jupke@t-online.de 067 302 808 kaiser@iway.na 067 302 808 kaiser@iway.na 062 560 033 kibble@progress-safaris.com 061 234 257 trophysa@afol.com.na 061 232 625 hochfels@iway.na 062 682 026 info@omuramba.com 062 518 331 kotzedj@iway.na 081 148 3595 louis@chapungu-kambako. com 081 259 0770 hugo@namibia-hunt.com 062 518 358 omatakoranch@iway.na 062 573 507 mkrafft@afol.com.na 062 573 535 rkrafft@afol.com.na 067 290 006 067 330 000 ekongo@iway.na 067 290 105 onduasu@iway.na 49 172 734 Ralf.Mueller@krieghoff.de 8753 062 560 243 info@apex-safaris.eu 061 234 437

omujeve@afol.com.na

081 365 0211

huntingdivan@gmail.com

081 158 1040

huntingjulia@gmail.com

062 560 238

hannslouis@lamcc.co

Jofie Lamprecht Safaris

081 129 8765

Hunters Namibia Safaris Omuramba Hunting Lodge

081 303 3010 062 568 880 49 40 360 219 144

jofie@jofielamprechtsafaris. com marina.lamprecht@icloud.com info@omuramba.com leuchtenberger@bargbuettner.com

064 570 858

george@kassandara.com.na

062 561 435 49 678 190 1470 062 563 877

glenorkie@iway.na

062 503 983

okondura@africaonline.com.na

081 780 9630

ralf.liedtke@gmx.de

Leuchtenberger JM

Barg Büttner GmbH

le Roux

GL

Leuschner

LI

Kassandara Hunting & Safari Ranch Glenorkie Hunting Farm

Leyendecker

HJ

Namibia Dreams

Lichtenberg

C

Liedtke

GP

Liedtke

R

Veterinarian Okondura Nord Hunt & Guestfarm Okondura Nord Hunt & Guestfarm

info@namibia-dreams.de lichtenberg@iway.na

info@napha.com.na / www.napha-namibia.com

WWW.HUNTNAMIBIA.COM.NA

NAPHA REGISTER

Surname

Initials Operation Name

Contact Detail

Email

Surname

Initials Operation Name

Contact Detail

International Tel Code +264

Linder-Lozinsek Lindeque Ling Lopes Lueke Lüesse Lühl

BA M RW JF M HG R

Okamapu (Pty)Ltd MET PS Die Keiler Damara Dik-Dik Safaris P58 Blaser Safaris Ltd Panorama Hunting Ranch Jagdfarm Okuje

062 549 122

Lung

JC

Ozondjahe Safaris

067 306 770

Lüsse MacKinnon MacKinnon Manusakis Marais Marker Marnewecke Matthaei Matthaei Mc Donald Meiburg Meier Mentrup Metzger Metzger Meyer

D SL D D S L F JFE RH A JH T CH D K PH

Achenib Hunting Aru Game Lodges P52 Aru Game Lodges P52 Omatako Big Game Hunting Keibeb Safari Ranch Cheetah Conservation Fund Camelthorn Safaris Namibia Safari Connection Namibia Safari Connection NamAgri Vaalgras Ndandi Safaris Godeis Lodge Makadi Safaris P18 Makadi Safaris P18 Safari West

062 581 611 081 127 5129 081 122 1240 062 581 444 081 245 7721 067 306 225 081 260 2405 081 124 4774 062 570 312 081 128 6821 061 238 770 061 255 195 061 308 335 062 503 732 062 503 732 062 503 363

Michaels

R

Namib Taxidermy P25

081 316 9551

Michels Morris Mostert Mousley Muller Muller Muller Muller

S K P DB DA G JR LP

Kambaku Game Farming Byseewah Safaris Afrika Jag Safaris Namibia Robin Hurt Safaris Daggaboy Hunting Safaris P58 Otjinuke Hunting Ranch Noasanabis Game Lodge Okatare Safari

Müller

R

Krieghoff (Inside front)

Namene Nebe Neethling Neubrech Neumann

RK JFC CC JG J

Boskloof Ovita Game & Hunting Farm Agagia Hunting Etemba Jagd

Niel

N

Nietmann Nolte Nortje

G N LCA

Nick Nolte Hunting Safaris CC Buccara Wildlife Reserve

067 306 292 067 312 117 067 313 620 081 147 9033 061 234 328 062 518 372 062 569 436 067 312 926 49 172 734 8753 081 140 2341 062 500 760 081 149 3838 064 402 011 1 765 564 2587 43 664 414 2202 49 4621 21820 064 570 888 27 40 555 0023

Nyhuis

C

European Union Delegate & CIC

Odendaal

GH

Gerrie Odendaal Hunting Safaris

Oelofse

A

Jan Oelofse Hunting Safaris

Oelofsen (Sen)

B

Olivier

G

Oosthuizen

AJ

Etosha View Hunting Panorama Rock Game Ranch Safaris Game Trackers Africa CC

062 581 414 067 222 754 062 500 590 061 257 468 061 257 245

okamapu@okamapu.com.na malan.lindeque@met.gov.na cowdray@iway.na dikdik@iway.na blasersafaris@afol.com.na doc.lueesse@icloud.com okuje@iway.na info@africanhuntingsafaris. com achenib@iway.na dmack@iway.na derek@arugamelodges.com namibia@omatako-safaris.com info@keibeb.na director@cheetah.org camelthornsafaris@iway.na namsafcon@iway.na jagd@namsafcon.com alex@namagri.com vaalgras@iway.na ndandisafaris@afol.com.na mogoto1913@gmail.com diethelm@makadi-safaris.com katja@makadi-safaris.com meyer@iafrica.com.na namibtaxidermy@africaonline. com.na smichels@kambaku.com byseewah@iway.na erongofp@gmail.com danbmousley@live.com damuller@iway.na gmuller@afol.com.na justus@iway.na okatare@afol.com.na Ralf.Mueller@krieghoff.de rknamene03@yahoo.co.uk info@ovitahunting.com agagia@afol.com.na etemba@afol.com.na jaegerjohann@ffni.com Nikolaus.Niel@gmx.at

info@nicknoltehunting.com cnortje@buccara.com 061 202 6000 Christian.Nyhuis@rocketmail. com 062 568 933 gohunt@iway.na alex.oelofse@africaonline.

067 290 012 com.na 081 127 3196 boelofsen@afol.com.na 081 259 5612 panoramarock@africaonline. com.na 27 829 051 366 jaco@gametrackersafrica.com

info@napha.com.na / www.napha-namibia.com

Email

International Tel Code +264

Osborne Otto Otto Pack Pack Pape Pauly Pienaar Pienaar

T CK V RU H I S JH SW

Tandala Ridge Lodge and Tours Hunting Farm Kachauchab Ondjiviro Hunting Safaris P28 Okasandu Farming Jagdfarm Ottawa Okatore Lodge & Safaris Hayas Hunting Huntafrica Namibia P38 African Plains Safaris

081 124 5202 063 293 512 063 683 499 062 570 358 062 570 327 061 232 840 081 268 3510 062 563 700 062 568 412

Potgieter

C

Eureka Hunting Safaris

081 322 6221

Powel

JRM

Preschel

H

Pretorius

FK

Namibia Safari Services P76 / Smart Dip Namibia P8 Namatubis Hunting Safaris

Prinsloo

S

First Class Trophy Taxidermy

Redecker (Sen) Redecker Redecker Redecker Reinhardt

FW GA JW UG EC

Die Keiler Die Keiler Die Keiler Die Keiler Bushman Trails Africa

Reinhardt

PM

Bushman Trails Africa

Reiser

KH W

Reiser Taxidermy

061 264 207

reiser@iway.na

Ritter

M

Guest & Hunting Farm Woltemade

062 518 075

woltemad@iway.na

Ritter

MM

49 6029 8168

marco.ritter@googlemail.com

Guest & Hunting Farm Woltemade Ritzdorf Jagd & Photo Safaris

062 518 075

woltemad@iway.na

067 234 353

Rogl African Safaris CC P12 Rogl African Safaris CC P12 Rogl African Safaris CC P12 Rogl African Safaris CC P12 Quality Hunting Safaris Namibia Moreson RW Rowland Hunting Safaris Combumbi Jagd Panorama Hunting Ranch

062 503 106 062 503 106 062 503 106 081 609 6292 081 124 1363 063 293 204/5 061 222 800 062 561 422 061 233 345

winfried.ritzdorf@gmail.com rode@kleinemas.de alexrogl@gmx.de info@otjiruze.com markus@otjiruze.com werner@otjiruze.com roodtbrian@rocketmail.com moreson@afol.com.na r.rowland@geva-sales.com combumbi@iway.na panorama@afol.com.na

Erongo Hunting Safari

064 571 086

omandumba@iway.na

Jagdfarm Maroela

067 234 332 maroela@iway.na rick@safariclub. org 063 293 371 ernst@buellsport.com 062 682 096/7 info@okarumutigamelodge. com 492 595 5993 uschauff@t-online.de 062 518 383 efelde@iafrica.com.na 062 572 219 agarob@iway.na 067 312 138 jcsotjitambi@iway.na 062 500 760 info@ovitahunting.com 062 503 883 alanmikemail@gmail.com

Ritter

RD

Ritzdorf Rode Rogl Rogl Rogl Rogl Roodt Rossouw Rowland Rumpf Rusch

WT A A B M W BF A RW JE REF HG W B

Rust Sack Safari Club International Sauber

064 404 795

R

Safari Club International

E

BüllsPort Naukluft Guestfarm

Savoldelli

N

Okarumuti Hunting Safaris P46

Schauff Scheidt Schickerling Schlettwein Schlettwein Schmidt

U R JF JC W AM

Jagdfarm Erichsfelde Agarob Hunting Safaris Otjitambi Trails & Safaris P46 Ovita Game & Hunting Khan River Lodge

061 227 700 067 313 061 49 176 84 59 02 87 062 503 769 062 503 769 062 503 769 062 503 769

kori@iway.na ottojagd@iway.na info@ondjiviro.com info@okasandujagdsafaris.com ottawa@iway.na info@okatore.com shpauly@gmail.com info@huntafrica.com.na schalk470@gmail.com info@eurekahuntingsafaris. com jrmpowel@gmail.com info@namsaf.com.na/ smartdip@namsaf.com.na kochp@iway.na stefanus@firstclasstrophy.com westfalenhof@iway.na gernotredecker84@gmail.com J_Redecker@gmx.de westfalenhof@iway.na kalaharisonne@gmail.com bushmantrailsafrica@gmail. com

info@napha.com.na / www.napha-namibia.com

HUNTiNAMIBIA | 2019

83

NAPHA REGISTER

Surname

Initials Operation Name

Contact Detail

Email

Surname

Initials Operation Name

International Tel Code +264

Schmidt

W FR

Schmidt

M

Schmitt SchneiderWaterberg Scholtissek Schoonbee

Ombu Jagd & Gästefarm

064 570 849

ombufarm@iway.na info@ram-schmidt.de

C

Okambara Elephant Lodge P74

49 551 504 297 91 062 560 264

H

Waterberg Game Guest Farm

081 751 4866

info@waterbergnamibia.com

Y DG

Otjitoroa Safaris SMJ Safaris

061 303 001 062 568 069

Schubert

CF

Hunting and Guestfarm Aurora

062 503 728

Schuetz Schünemann Schwalm

GA H G

Hefner Farming Zighenzani-Africa Safaris P40 Omalanga Safaris

061 257 283 062 570 312 067 234 336

Schwalm

R

Omalanga Safaris

067 234 336

Schwarz

F

Ondjou Safaris P53

081 206 0520

Sentefol

R

African Shipping Services CC

061 305 821

Skrywer Slaney Smit Spangenberg Sternagel Sternagel Sternagel Stolzenberg (Snr) Strauss Strydom Stumpfe Svenblad Swanepoel Swanepoel Thiessen Thiessen Thude Traut Trümper Trümper Uffindell

B WH DJ JJ UT H WK

Aru Game Lodges P52 Otjimbondona Orpa Hunt Gras Hunting Farm Ganeib Jagd & Gästefarm Ganeib Jagd & Gästefarm Ganeib Jagd & Gästefarm

061 560 049 061 234 157 067 309 012 063 264 141 061 244 268 061 244 268 061 244 268

y.scholtissek@otji-safaris.com dgschoonbee@gmail.com huntingfarm.aurora@gmail. com farmhefner@gmail.com henning@zighenzani.com gunter.schwalm@gmail.com reservations@omalangasafaris. net fowschwarz@gmail.com rainer@africanshippingservices. com info@arugamelodges.com wilfried@profilesafaris.com hunting@orpahunt.com info@jagdfarmgras.com uwe.cds@iway.na

F

Stolzenberg Hunting Namibia

067 234 280

stolzenb@iway.na

J HJ K H A DB H J S J B U AF

Kowas Hunting Safaris Shamwari Farming PTY (Ltd) Ndumo Safaris Otjandaue Hunting Farm Aru Game Lodge P52 Ekuja Hunting Namibia Otjimbuku Hunting Farm Otjimbuku Hunting Farm Wild Erongo Safaris Jamy Traut Hunting Safaris P54 Airport Hunting & Guestfarm Airport Hunting & Guestfarm Aloe Hunting Safaris

062 581 558 062 561419 081 128 5416 064 570 821 061 235 715 062 561 400 062 549 060 062 549 060 064 570 744 081 147 3816 081 124 1240 081 128 8288 061 225 961

Utz

G

African Safari Trails

062 682 088

Utz (Snr) van den Berg van der Merwe van der Merwe van der Westhuizen van der Westhuizen van der Westhuyzen van der Westhuyzen van Dyk

W WJ JS R

062 500 303 067 312 121 081 127 0906 064 570 821

straussjacques20@gmail.com shamwari@iway.na karl@huntingsafaris.net diane.svenblad@aland.net info@arugamelodges.com ekuja.hunting@gmail.com lotte.thiessen@gmx.de otjimbuk@iway.na hunt@wilderongo.com info@jamyhunt.com max.trumper@gmail.com info@airportfarm-namibia.com aloesaf@mweb.com.na african-safari-trails@afol. com.na wilutz@iway.na mashete@afol.com.na jaco@jsvdm.com otjandaue@iway.na

081 127 0400

nico@ikhanas.com

van Heerden

BH

info@okambara.de

ganeib@iafrica.com.na

NH

Mashete Safaris Namibia Safari Corporation P74 Otjandaue Hunting Farm Quadrant Namibia (Pty) Ltd / Ikhanas

J

Westfalen Hunting

081 128 4011

info@westfalenhuntnamibia. com

D

Aru Game Lodge P52

062 560 055

info@arugamelodges.com

GN

Aru Game Lodge P52

062 560 055

gysbert@arugamelodges.com

C

Windpoort Farm Van Heerden Safaris, Ondjou Safaris P53

081 207 9043

chrisvandyk@live.co.uk

081 127 4155

vhsaf@africaonline.com.na

info@napha.com.na / www.napha-namibia.com

84

Contact Detail

Email

International Tel Code +264

van Heerden van Heerden van Niekerk van Rensburg van Rooyen van Rooyen van Zyl van Zyl

CA PW J HH T A Q AJL M

RL Farm JJ Hunting Safaris Uhlenhorst Hunting Safaris Osonjiva Hunting Safaris Namatubis Hunting Safaris Portsmut Hunting Safaris Track & Trail Safaris Outpost Safaris

064 570 659 067 248 004 063 265 364 067 302 692 081 149 1836

49 899 071 34 062 540 407 061 233 645 067 290 119 062 561 436 062 561 436 062 502 004 062 561 469

rlfarm@iway.na jvanheerden@oldmutual.com hoecon@afol.com.na info@osonjiva.com avanrooyen@afol.com.na info@phs.com.na trackatrailsafaris@hotmail.com marnus@iway.na Hunting@shona-adventures. com janmarievisser@iway.na immo.vogel@gross-okandjou. com info@pferde-vogl.de voigtskirch@iway.na ud.voigts@krumhuk.com.na orua@iway.na frido@iway.na okatjo@iway.na svkoenen@afol.com.na info@omupanda.com

Veldsman

JF

Shona Hunting Adventures

081 128 3105

Visser

JH

067 290 177

immenhof@iway.na

067 290 190

schoenfeld.safaris@gmail.com

067 290 177

werner@immenhofhunting. com

49 4542 841 104 263 925 0686 064 570 364 064 570 743 064 570 743 061 400 423 067 307 957 061 231 229 062 560 234

michivt@t-online.de

067 306 555

onganga@iway.na

081 244 0401 063 252 424

081 227 5030

& Guestfarm Gross Vogel I W V Hunting Okandjou Vogl M Voigts R W Voigtskirch Voigts U D Krumhuk von Gossler O Orua Hunting Farm (Die Keiler) von Hacht (Snr) F W von Hacht H J Okatjo von Koenen S A Jagdfarm Hüttenhain von Schuman H W Omupanda Jagd Safari CC von SeydlitzHunting & Guestfarm F W Immenhof Kurzbach P70 Hunting & Safaris von Seydlitz H S Schoenfeld P70 Immenhof Hunting & Guestfarm von Seydlitz W P70

064 570 925

von Treuenfels

MJ

CIC

Walker Walter Wamback Wamback Wanke Wenske Wilckens Wilckens

CJD M JR AE A H-J H S

Cliff Walker Safaris Otjikoko (Pty) Ltd Pro Hunting Namibia Pro Hunting Namibia

Wilckens

I

Witjes Wölbling

T G

Woortman

D

Woortman

HC

Woortman (Sen)

VH H

Wrede Wright Wunderlich Zander Ziller Zimny

Klipkop Lodge & Farming Okaturua Hunting Omateva Hunting Jagdfarm Ongangasemba (Die Keiler) Waterberg Hunting Namibia Omatako Hunting & Tourism (Pty) Omatako Hunting & Tourism (Pty) Omatako Hunting & Tourism (Pty)

cliff@cliffwalkersafaris.com mwfarms@iway.na proguide@iway.na proguide@iway.na awanke@unam.na klipkop@mtcmobile.com.na okaturua@afol.com.na omateva@iway.na

31 6 52502622 european@planet.nl 067 306 527 info@waterberg-hunting.com 067 306 655

omatako@omatako.com

067 306 655

omatako@omatako.com

067 306 655

omatako@omatako.com

A F A Gurus Farm No 6 Mariental

063 252 162

R S GP HH M

Okatjeru Hunting Safaris

062 540 411

wredemad@africaonline. com.na info@okatjeru.com s.wunderlich@jagdverband.de

Haasenhof Guest Farm

062 503 709 061 257 107 062 503 827

hansziller@hotmail.com michizimny@gmail.com

info@napha.com.na / www.napha-namibia.com

WWW.HUNTNAMIBIA.COM.NA

NAKARA BOUTIQUE WINDHOEK Shop G4 Mutual Tower Independence Avenue Windhoek Tel/Fax +264 61 224 209 NAKARA SHOP WINDHOEK Gustav Voigts Centre Independence Avenue 131 Tel/Fax +264 61 231 518 Email: nakara@mweb.com.na NAKARA SWAKOPMUND The Arcade, Tel/Fax: +264 64 405 907 NAKARA FACTORY WINDHOEK 3 Solingen Str. Northern Industrial Tel +264 61 429 100

www.nakara-namibia.com

napha

namibia professional hunting association

for peace of mind - hunt with a napha member Sustainable trophy hunting is applied conservation

since 1974

NAMIBIA www.napha-namibia.com info@napha.com.na