Kruger Park News Archive
The Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism (Ledet) intends to retract its recent advertisement explaining the procedure for allocating Cites permits for next year's hunting season, in which it invites suitable professional hunters to apply for quotas for black rhino, elephant and leopard.
According to Sam Makhubele, senior manager for wildlife trade and regulation with Ledet, there were "administrative problems" with the old advert, and that some things in the advert were "sort of incorrect", leading to its imminent retraction.
Cites (Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna) permits are needed when hunting trophies, horns, tusks or hides from black rhino, elephant and leopard are taken across international boundaries.
In addition, a provincial hunting permit is also required to shoot these animals. Each province applies to the national department of environmental affairs for a certain number of Cites permits each year, backing the application up with a motivation.
The allocated permits are then issued to professional hunters who have international clients wishing to hunt the listed species and take the trophies out of South Africa. In the advertisement that will allegedly be retracted, Limpopo announced its intention to raffle the Cites permits on September 22, 2006, giving preference to hunting outfitters who lived in the province. In 2006, Limpopo received Cites permits for 50 elephant, 50 leopard and one black rhino.
Although the allocation for 2007 has not been finalised by national government, Limpopo has made application for similar numbers of animals. In comparison, in 2006 Mpumalanga received Cites permits for 15 elephant, nine leopard and two black rhino.
For the 2007 hunting season they have applied for the same number of elephant and leopard, but only one black rhino. Makhubele could give no further information on the amendments that are planned for the advertisement.
