Tollies African Safaris

HUNTING & CONSERVATION – THE TRUTH

tolliesafricansafari_gkuf3n — Mon, 16 Jan 2023 07:45:53 +0000

THE TRUTH BEHIND

hUNTING & CONSERVATION

IN SOUTH AFRICA

THE GROWING

PUBLIC CONCERN

Every day, local hunting outfitters and organizations receive a number of hostile e-mails and phone calls decrying their contribution to the deterioration of endangered animal species, begging them to rather focus on animal conservation, or bombard them with threats. Is there any reason for concern?

“We pour so much money into saving large animals in the wild and here you are hunting them to extinction. Humans will not be happy until there is nothing left.”

– Teresa, Australia.

“Wouldn’t you derive as much satisfaction and money in helping to preserve endangered wildlife instead of trying to destroy it?”

– Melanie, USA.

THE COMPETITION

CAN HUNTING AND CONSERVATION CO-EXIST?

– Dr David Mabunda

what experts say

A 2011 speech by former South African National Parks (SANParks) CEO Dr David Mabunda reveals much about the South African government’s perspective on hunting, and to what extent they believe it contributes to conservation and the economy.

PRO HUNTING VS PRO TOURISM

“Hunting is an extractive part of ecotourism and it is for this reason that it is often argued by some members of the public, opposed to hunting, that photographic tourism is a non-consumptive activity and that it is, therefore, better than hunting. This is a myth. On the contrary, photographic tourism is a consumptive activity – it affects the natural footprint,” said Mabunda.

“There are people who criticize hunting, but have little knowledge of its contribution to conservation. Hunting is a component of modern wildlife management and it is often used to maintain a healthy population of animals where reserves are too small to allow natural regulation of populations or where hunting is a key part of the financial objective of the area.”

UNPOPULAR OPINION

Mabunda believes that the contribution of hunting to South Africa’s protected area network, both formal and informal, is phenomenal and that hunting is a key financial incentive that provided the initial short-term capital to build photographic ecotourism. Mabunda also echoes Kitshoff’s statement about private land ownership and its contribution toward conservation.

the take away

“Currently, more than 15 million hectares of private land is registered and set aside for conservation, and another 15 million hectares is also used for mixed wildlife and cattle farming. This means registered privately owned land is three times more than the efforts of the state.”

“[Kenya] banned hunting and currently have a huge game poaching problem, so much so that some of their species face total extinction. Case studies from South Africa have shown that, as soon as the hunting of a species is allowed, it leads to the breeding as well as conservation of the particular species,” he argues.

THE FACTS

HUNTING LAWS & LIMITATIONS

It is a tough fact that, on the African continent, anything that does not pay for itself quickly vanishes. Unless wildlife earns its keep as a renewable resource, it is doomed.

– Adri Kritshoff, PHASA

extiction remedy

It has become a controversial topic, to say the least. However, according to Adri Kitshoff, the CEO of the Professional Hunters Association of South Africa (PHASA), in South Africa, hunting and wildlife conservation have become interchangeable.

“Without hunting, there would be no incentive for investing in game, and without hunting, many species in South Africa would already be extinct or on the verge of extinction,” continues Kitshoff.

“Additionally, thanks to hunting, our sable, bontebok, wild ostrich, Cape mountain zebra, black wildebeest, and many other species have been brought back from the brink of extinction and have successfully been reintroduced into areas where they had become locally extinct.”

KENYA BOUND

“Kenya shows us what happens when there is no incentive for farmers to invest in game,” says Kitshoff. Professor Melville Saayman, an expert in tourism research in economic environs from South Africa’s North West University, similarly references Kenya when discussing hunting bans.

Kitshoff compares South Africa’s current model for sustainable wildlife conservation to Kenya, which imposed a ban on hunting in the 70s and has lost 85% of all its game.

PRIVATE LAND VS STATE-OWNED PARKS

According to the latest statistics provided by PHASA, South Africa currently has an estimated 20.5 million head of game (approximately 16 million on private land and the rest on state parks), meaning that the off-take through trophy hunting in 2013 was a negligible 0.002% of South Africa’s total wildlife population.

South Africa’s complete wildlife population is growing at a rate of 30% per annum, according to Wildlife Ranching South Africa (WRSA). Fifty years ago, the headcount of all the game in the country would have numbered around 500 000.

SOUTH AFRICA VS BOTSWANA

South Africa’s present situation is the complete opposite of Botswana, where large tracts of wilderness and national parks are spread over most of the country.

South Africa’s national parks and game reserves have a limited amount of space, while human settlements continue to expand. If trophy hunting were to be banned in South Africa, as the Botswana government has decided to do in their own country, private landowners would stop investing in wildlife and divert their interests to cattle, crops, or more financially viable endeavors.

Effectively, banning hunting in South Africa would contribute more to the decline of certain animal species than it is currently widely believed hunting does.

effects of hunting bans

Commercially, game numbers have surpassed cattle, which now amount to only 14 million. Substantial tracts of land unviable for photographic safaris have been reclaimed from livestock-rearing and farming use for wildlife conservation. The status of South Africa’s wildlife today is astonishingly comparable to 100 years ago, and conservationists maintain that this unparalleled development is highly attributed to the impact of trophy hunting.

“It just goes to show how sustainable trophy hunting is in South Africa and how well our natural resources are being managed,” says Kitshoff. “Besides creating incentives for our people to look after our animals by negating our competition with wildlife for land, it also injects much-needed spending and creates job opportunities in remote areas not considered part of the mainstream tourism circuit.”

crunching

the numbers

a closer look

Amongst the Big Five, prices are quite steep. This means that there are not hundreds of people standing in line to shoot these animals. With the exception of buffalo, which breed as well as domestic cattle, the other members of the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, and rhino) may only be hunted in South Africa under a permit.

Permits are issued by the government, through continuous research and current statistics, including recommended quotas and data obtained from CITES and IUCN, which strictly monitor population numbers and the impact of hunting. If data suggests there is a decline in population numbers, the government simply issues fewer permits during the following year.

financial facts

Hunting tourists spent a conservatively estimated R1.072 billion in South Africa in 2013, an increase of 32% on 2012’s R811 million, according to the latest statistics from the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA).

The DEA statistics show that 7 638 hunts by overseas hunters took place in 2013 (2012: 8 387), during which 44 028 trophies (2012: 40 866) were taken. Income from species fees (the fee a hunting outfitter pays a landowner to harvest an animal) amounted to R757.6 million (2012: R574.0 million) and income from daily rates (the fee a client pays a hunting outfitter) came to R314.4 million (2012: R237.0 million) for a total of R1.072 billion.

“South Africa’s wildlife and conservation success story remain unparalleled anywhere in the world, and it’s almost entirely due to the safari hunting industry.”

– Adri Kritshoff, PHASA

a resounding conclusion

These numbers discount typical tourism spendings, such as accommodation, dining, transport, shopping, and additional sightseeing activities. Research conducted by the North West University on the 2012 hunting season revealed that, when these additional expenses are factored in, the economic value of South Africa’s trophy hunting industry increased by more than 50% (from R811 million to R1.24 billion in that year).

PHASA believes that the substantial amount of revenue is largely owed to South Africa’s unmatched diversity of wildlife.

“Today we have more international hunting tourists traveling to South Africa each year than to any other country on the continent. We have an unrivaled diversity of species, more than 45 major plains game species, and all of the Big Five can be hunted here,” says Kitshoff.

take action

CONSERVATION ACTIVIST

For more information on how the hunting comunity protects wildlife please follow the links below. Tangable progress is being made daily with the support of the hunting and safari community.

GETTING STARTED

PLAN YOUR HUNT

HUNTING INFORMATION

All the information you may need to start planning your trip & frequently asked questions about hunting with Tollie’s African Safaris.

HUNTING PACKAGES

Take a look at our popular hunting packages, featuring over 30 different species. Choose your favorites or create your own ultimate hunting package.

The post HUNTING & CONSERVATION – THE TRUTH first appeared on Tollies African Safaris.

SPIRAL-HORNED ANTELOPE OF SOUTHERN AFRICA

tolliesafricansafari_gkuf3n — Tue, 10 Jan 2023 13:26:06 +0000

SPIRAL-HORNED ANTELOPE OF SOUTHERN AFRICA

POPULUR OPINION

THE FAVORITES

If you are hunting spiral-horned antelope in South Africa, your options are bushbuck, nyala, greater kudu, and common eland.

CLOSE UP

meet the tribe

Handsome, unique, and sought-after by hunters, meet the antelope of the spiral-horned family. The spiral-horned antelope of the African continent fall under what is known as ‘the bushbuck tribe’, or tragelaphine.

Members of the tribe include the bushbuck, sitatunga, nyala, mountain nyala, lesser kudu, greater kudu, bongo, common eland, and derby or giant eland.

Trangelaphine antelopes come in three different models: all, of course, are distinguished by the spiral shape of their horns.

The forest-antelope model

Characterized by a narrow body, deep chest rounded back, and hindquarters being more developed and higher than forequarters.

the broken-ground jumping model

Which is tall and lean with long, equally developed limbs and a level back.

the oversize ox model

A massive animal more like an ox than an antelope, which makes it a slow runner but a great jumper.

The bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus), part of the forest-antelope model, is a colorful, sizable antelope.

THE

BUSHBUCK

OVERVIEW

character

The bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus), part of the forest-antelope model, is a colorful, sizable antelope that hides in patches of woody vegetation all over the continent. With a rounded back and powerful hindquarters.

The horns are nearly straight, with only one twist. Their coats are individually and geographically variable, with eastern and southern forms (as you would encounter in South Africa) being yellower with fewer markings.

Although bushbucks do not herd together, up to a dozen may feed peacefully in the same clearing in the late afternoon. Bushbucks from the same neighborhood are all acquainted and often greet one another in a friendly manner.

It would be more accurate to call this animal loosely and casually sociable, kept separate by feeding and anti-predator strategies that favor the separation of individuals.

HABITAT

From sea level to mountain moors at 10,000 ft (3000 m) and the edges of rain forests to patches of gallery forest and bush near water in the sub-desert regions, bushbucks inhabit any wild areas of sub-Saharan Africa where there is enough cover to conceal them.

They depend on this concealment to avoid predators, and tend to only venture into the open at night to feed. A bushbuck is not only effectively camouflaged while standing in cover, but also while lying down in the open at night.

diet

You will almost always find the bushbuck near water since the dense cover where it spends its days is most abundant along water courses.

Both grazer and browser, the bushbuck eats tender green grass but mainly browses herbs and foliage of shrubby legumes.

Fond of fruits and flowers, it often forages under trees where monkeys and hornbills are feeding.

The nyala (Tragelaphus angasii) is also part of the forest-antelope model and carries a bushbuck ‘body plan’, but with more extreme gender differences.

THE

NYALA

OVERVIEW

character

The males boast longer, shaggy coats, including a dark fringe from their throats to their hindquarters, and the longest spinal crest in the tribe.

Their upper bodies and limbs are dark, charcoal grey, with tan-colored lower legs. They have fewer stripes than the females, or occasionally no stripes at all.

The basic social unit is a female with her latest and next-to-latest offspring. Herds consist of two or more units. Only females guarding hidden calves stay alone.

Although herds appear temporary and fluid, daughters tend to stay home and continue their association with their mothers after becoming mothers themselves.

Males 1.5 to 3 years old associate even more casually than females, in twos and threes, rarely up to nine males, and herd membership seldom remains unchanged for even two hours. Males become more solitary as they mature in their sixth year.

The sexes stay segregated except when an estrous female is located, or when nyalas aggregate (up to 30, rarely up to 100) on a green pasture, at water holes, or in fruiting trees.

HABITAT

Found only in south-eastern Africa, the nyala’s range has been greatly reduced. They are closely tied to thickets and densely wooded lowlands generally near water, with access to high-quality grassland.

During the spring and summer months, they spend the hottest hours in deep cover, typically standing motionless and almost invisible beside trees.

During the cooler winter days, they rest in light shade in the open. Most nyalas are inactive between midnight and dawn.

diet

Adapting to seasonal changes, they graze on fresh green grass during the rains and browse leaves, various fruits, and herbs during the dry season, drinking daily.

Much like the bushbuck, nyalas spend the day in or near cover, emerging at night to feed in grassland.

The greater kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) is the second-tallest antelope, with the most spectacular horns. Part of the broken-ground / jumping model.

THE

KUDU

OVERVIEW

Weight of 418- 693 lbs (190 – 315kg)
Height of 48 – 60 in (122 – 140 cm)
Horn sizes 2.5 (rarely, 3) twists and average 48 in, record 72 in (180 cm)
Broken-ground / Jumping Antelope
Gormet Browser

character

These antelopes are narrow-bodied and long-legged. Their coats are smooth but for the beautiful spinal crests and shaggy beards. Their colors range from red-brown to blue-grey, with males turning darker with age.

They have around six to ten torso stripes, prominent white nose chevrons, small cheek spots, and dark garters on the upper legs. Black-tipped tails with white undersides complete the handsome image of the kudu.

diet

Being a gourmet browser of sorts, the graceful Kudu eats many kinds of leaves, herbs, and fallen fruits. It may also vines, tubers, succulents, and flowers. Even sometimes varied with a little new grass.

HABITAT

Greater kudu roams much of eastern and southern Africa, from Chad nearly to the Red Sea, south to the Cape Province, west to Namibia, and north to mid-Angola.

Adept at concealment and catholic in diet, it is one of the few large mammals that thrives in settled areas (in the scrub woodland and bush that reclaims abandoned fields and degraded pastures).

Being larger than the nyala and significantly larger than the bushbuck, the kudu’s need for concealment limits its habitat choices. The kudu’s preferred habitat includes mixed scrub woodland, acacia, and mopane bush on lowlands, hills, and mountains.

Common elands are spiral-horned antelopes. Common elands live on the open plains of Southern Africa and along the foothills of the great southern African plateau.

THE

Eland

OVERVIEW

character

The common eland is the slowest antelope, with a peak speed of 40 km/h (25 mph) that tires them quickly. However, they can maintain a trot indefinitely.

Their coat differs geographically, and apart from a rough mane, the coat is smooth. Females have a tan coat, while the coats of males are darker, with a bluish-grey tinge

They eat in the morning and evening, rest in the shade when hot, and remain in the sunlight when cold. They are commonly found in herds numbering up to 500, with individual members remaining in the herd from several hours to several months.

Juveniles and mothers tend to form larger herds, while males may separate into smaller groups or wander individually.

Eland herds are accompanied by a loud clicking sound that has been subject to considerable speculation. The weight of the animal may cause the two halves of its hooves to splay apart, and the clicking is the result of the hoof snapping together when the animal raises its leg. The sound carries some distance from a herd and may be a form of communication.

HABITAT

Common elands live on the open plains of Southern Africa and along the foothills of the great southern African plateau. The species extends north into Ethiopia and most arid zones of South Sudan, west into eastern Angola and Namibia, and south to South Africa.

Elands prefer to live in semiarid areas that contain many shrub-like bushes, and often inhabit grasslands, woodlands, sub desert, bush, and mountaintops.

diet

Common elands are herbivores that browse during drier winter but have also adapted to grazing during the rainy season when grasses are more common and nutritious.

They require a high-protein diet of succulent leaves from flowering plants but will consume lower-quality plant material if available, including forbs, trees, shrubs, grasses, seeds, and tubers.

Most of their water is obtained from their food, though they drink water when available.

GETTING STARTED

PLAN YOUR HUNT

HUNTING INFORMATION

All the information you may need to start planning your trip & frequently asked questions about hunting with Tollie’s African Safaris.

HUNTING PACKAGES

Take a look at our popular hunting packages, featuring over 30 different species. Choose your favorites or create your own ultimate hunting package.

The post SPIRAL-HORNED ANTELOPE OF SOUTHERN AFRICA first appeared on Tollies African Safaris.

POPULAR HUNTING TROPHIES

tolliesafricansafari_gkuf3n — Mon, 09 Jan 2023 14:18:20 +0000

pOPULAR HUNTING TROPHIES

BUFFALO

Nicknamed “the Black Death” and “Widowmaker”, the Cape buffalo is one of the most unpredictable and formidable adversaries a dangerous game hunter can face. It is also the most popular member of the Big Five in terms of trophy hunting.

SABLE

The Sable is inarguably one of the most handsome antelope species on the continent. This large, near-horselike creature boasts spectacular curved horns and a dramatically contrasted coat of black and white.

KUDU

Revered for its spectacular spiraled horns and attractive markings, the kudu is one of Southern Africa’s most iconic antelopes and sought-after plains game trophies. These imposing animals are typically hunted in the mountains.

GEMSBOK

Gemsbok (Oryx) is widely hunted for their spectacular horns that average 85 cm (33 in) in length. From a distance, the only outward difference between males and females is their horns, and many hunters mistake females for males each year. In males, horns tend to be thicker with larger bases. Females have slightly longer, thinner horns. These animals are hunted in the open grass plains.

NYALA

Nyala is definitely one of the most beautiful animals Africa has to offer. The males have dark grey to black skin with white stripes. Nyala is also part of the spiral horn family and a client favorite to hunt at Tollie’s African Safaris.

LECHWE

The red lechwe is a medium-sized antelope exhibiting characteristic dark markings on the forelegs. His body slants forward as his front shoulders are lower than his croup. While game ranches have provided limited populations of this sought-after trophy, the sustainable herds of lechwe are found primarily in the Okavango Delta of Botswana and the Caprivi Strip of Namibia, but we offer our clients beautiful Red Lechwe in the Eastern Cape of South Africa.

VAAL RHEBUCK

The Vaal Rhebuck is considered by most as one of the most challenging South African antelope to hunt. This wonderful species occurs high in the mountains. They have a long, thin neck leading up to the head. The head is dominated by larger than usual eyes, a big rubber-like black nose, and very long pointed upright ears. The body is covered by a grey wool-like coat, similar to that of a jackrabbit. The underparts are white in color. Only the males have spike-like straight black horns that stand upright.

BLUE WILDEBEEST

The blue wildebeest (or ‘brindled gnu’) is a popular inclusion in plains game packages that cater to both beginner and expert hunters. Its image is synonymous with the Serengeti of East Africa. This bizarre-looking ‘beest’ makes a fine trophy and is typically found in habitats of acacia savanna and short grass plains.

IMPALA

The Impala is one of the most common antelope species on the continent, with a range that stretches across most of Sub-Saharan Africa. This highly successful browser and grazer are available in all the areas where we conduct our hunting safaris, ensuring an attractive available staple.

GETTING STARTED

PLAN YOUR HUNT

HUNTING INFORMATION

All the information you may need to start planning your trip & frequently asked questions about hunting with Tollie’s African Safaris.

HUNTING PACKAGES

Choose your ultimate hunting package. Featuring over 30 different species.

The post POPULAR HUNTING TROPHIES first appeared on Tollies African Safaris.