HuntiNamibia 2018

Since 1999

2018

N$/R 40.00 incl. VAT

Henrik Lott, Erongo Mountains Namibia June 2016

Legendary Performance.

Krieghoff Classic: without any compromise for hunters.

Rough, wild and pure. This is how hunters experience the impressive beauty of the Erongo Mountains, home of the Greater Kudu. Hunting there is exhausting, but the experience is unforgettable. Endurance, patience and an instinctive connection with your prey will result in well-earned success.

A rifle with character is the final touch that makes the experience perfect!

T H E

O R I G I N A L www.krieghoff.de/kudu

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!

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MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR

Hunting stories, background and insights P

roduction time of Huntinamibia culminates in October each year, the month when the dry winds blow the dust and smoke into the upper layers, creating hazy skies and the most amazing sunsets. The only green dots in the landscape are the grey-green of the Shepherd’s trees. The beautiful soft blossoms of the thorn trees are blown away and there is a collective sigh of relief at the first sight of billowing clouds from the east. But we know that it will not rain.

Not more than a few drops or a quick shower just to settle the dust. Contrary to the northern hemisphere, when this season is heading for the start of the "new year”, in Namibia it is the beginning of the end of a year. The last two months of getting everything done before the country closes down for the hot summer, the last few weeks of the trophy-hunting season with temperatures rising to levels that cause man and beast to suffer.

It is also a time for reflection on what has been achieved during the year.

Have all our plans come to fruition or have the aims we set collectively and individually proven to be too ambitious and unrealistic? Did the direction we took result in a dead end, or did it open up new challenges and opportunities?

I was hoping that in this 19th edition of Huntinamibia, the best news would be the acceptance in Parliament of the new Wildlife Bill. In 1995, five years after independence, the legislation which dated from 1975 was changed to make provision for the establishment of conservancies.

Now, at last, the new bill is almost ready to be tabled. It is expected that it will be a piece of legislation to be proud of.

Nothing less is expected of a country with such an exemplary track record in managing wildlife.

As the publisher of a variety of magazines, from tourism and environment to business and lifestyle, Venture Media is exposed to a variety of opinions from all sectors and interest groups in our society. We are confronted with the effects of public opinion formed by ignorance and a lack of understanding of the real issues. Especially concerning trophy hunting. With the creation of the Lion-Human Conflict Management Plan, launched in September 2017, we will all be better equipped to spread the word. In his message on page 7, Namibia’s Minister of Environment and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta, explains the background and the expected positive results of this important plan.

If the communities who live with wildlife would take matters into their own hands and get rid of the threat to their livelihoods, all of us would lose out.

Those in the tourism sector who continue to oppose trophy hunting, those in the trophy hunting sector who continue to harm the image by engaging in unethical practices and those in the system who cover up corruption, are all hampering the sincere efforts by Government and the private sector to continue the success of our policies for a sustainable use of our natural resources, and the ever-present battle against poaching.

In the previous edition of Huntinamibia we featured an article explaining the importance of looking at conservation and the value of trophy hunting from a different perspective. Chris Brown stated that the biggest threat to conservation in Namibia and worldwide was land transformation, with the resulting loss of natural habitats and bio-diversity. In an interview in October 2017 he reminded the anti-hunting lobby that conservancies are actually tracts of land where communities farm and where they have the right to protect their livelihoods. (On the electronic version of Huntinamibia we provide a link to the entire interview.)

We invite those of you who have a story to tell, to share it with us. Let us join forces to solve the inherent problems in even the best developmental policies for the benefit of us all.

Rièth van Schalkwyk Editor

Huntinamibia brings you hunting stories, but also provides background and insights. As the President of NAPHA says in her message, life in this day and age is complicated. In the 1950s, when Ingo Gladis’s grandfather shot a leopard on his farm in the desert to protect his cattle, public opinion did not exist.

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PAUL VAN SCHALKWYK

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

Cover

Cape buffalo, photographed by Felix Marnewecke, in the reed beds of the Linyanti River. What makes this very old bull spectacular is the absence of one horn after a long life of fighting, as well as the absence of hair on his face, his forehead and his back and rump.

Old bulls are clever and cunning and spend most of their time in the reeds in and around the river systems, where they are safe from both man and lion.

<<< www.huntnamibia.com.na Website

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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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 2018

FEATURES

10 UNCOVER THE HARSH BEAUTY OFF THE BEATEN TRACK

64 ARE WE MAKING THE MOST OF OUR WILDLIFE PRODUCTS?

12 ZEBRA HUNTING IN THE KHOMAS HOCHLAND

65 CONSERVATIONIST OF THE YEAR

16 THE PAST AND THE PRESENT AT THE EDGE OF THE NAMIB

67 HUAP TRUST SUPPORTS ANTI-POACHING EFFORTS

20 TRYING TO UNRAVEL THE SECRETS OF THE NAMIBIAN LEOPARD

REGULAR FEATURES 3 EDITORIAL

28 MY FIRST NAMIBIAN EXPERIENCE WITH BOW AND ARROW

7 MESSAGE FROM THE MINISTER

32 ON THE SPOOR OF A WILY OLD ROAN

9 MESSAGE FROM THE NAPHA PRESIDENT

34 THE GENTLEMAN AND THE KUDU

27 GAME SPECIES Indigenous species and their natural distribution in Namibia

38 THE ABLE-BODIED WARRIOR OF THE AFRICAN SAVANNAHS

60 NAPHA HUNTING CONCESSIONS IN CONSERVANCIES

42 ON THE SPOOR OF BUFFALO AND ELEPHANT

66 FAST FACTS ON NAMIBIA

48 EVENTFUL DAYS AT THE LINYANTI

NAPHA INFORMATION

54 THE SOULMATE OF AFRICA 62 GAME GUARDS TRAINED TO PREVENT POACHING

68 NAPHA REGISTER Hunting professionals registered with the Namibian Professional Hunting Association

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MESSAGE FROM THE MINISTER

TRIED AND TESTED: NAMIBIA'S CONSERVATION SUCCESS THROUGH SOUND SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

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s Namibia’s human population and the wildlife population increase, the demand for every diminishing natural resource increases as well. Humans and wildlife have one concern in common – survival. It is this quest for survival that leads to competition for land and resources and, ultimately, human-wildlife conflict.

This conflict has been felt most drastically with elephants and lions as the numbers of these species have increased over the years, due to our effective and innovative conservation methods that have brought about the greatest African wildlife recovery ever told. For dealing with the rise in wildlife numbers over the past decades Namibia has used hunting as a tool in conservation management, duly considering many variables in an empirical manner. We know that this led to yet another conflict as there are those who do not believe that Namibia should use hunting or trophy hunting as a conservation tool. The results obtained through sound scientific research, however, speak for themselves.

Last year I invited trophy hunters from all over the world to come to Namibia to experience a true African hunting adventure. I mentioned that their visit would make a difference to the livelihoods of people who live with wildlife and that their contribution would enable us to protect those wilderness areas and the wildlife roaming there. Thus they become part of the greatest African wildlife recovery story ever told and in turn provide incentives for communities to continue with their conservation effort.

After years of research and meticulous data collection, the Ministry of Environment and Tourism launched the Human Lion Conflict Management Plan for north-western Namibia in particular. This is an area were human-lion conflict is rampant. But this is in fact good news: good news that must make Namibia your first choice for an ethical hunting safari.

The Human Lion Conflict Management Plan makes provision for trophy hunting of lion, based on solid scientific data and setting quotas according to the CITES standard (five percent off-take), and adhering to the import regulations of the US Fish and Wildlife Service under the Endangered Species Act, which requires proof of sustainable and ethical hunting of free-ranging lion.

Sustainable off-take quotas for north-western Namibia are first calculated for the entire desert lion population and then divided between the relevant conservancies, because lions move across several conservancies and the home ranges of all the prides overlap extensively.

MET also stipulates the proportion of the funds generated from trophy hunting that is to be allocated to conservancies, to their Lion Fund and to the Game Products Trust Fund.

It must be taken into account that our conservation methods are tried and tested and have been proven to be effective. Since 1995, when the government made a bold and innovative step and passed legislation that gives the rights over wildlife on communal land to the people who live in those conservancies, the lion population increased from 25 individuals to150. Communities now have an incentive to look after wildlife and earn almost one hundred million Namibia dollars per year from trophy hunting and tourism. I can assure you that these conservancies are the best monitored areas in the country and we have proof that the wildlife numbers have increased. But at the same time

the threat to the livelihoods of the farmers on the land also increased.

All the more reason why this conflict should be managed effectively.

It may interest you to know that there are currently 450 lions in Etosha National Park. Each year this number grows by 25 to 35 individuals. As the young males are pushed out of the prides they have to go somewhere else. For that reason, and to improve the gene flow across populations, we are creating corridors for these movements in areas where the human-lion conflict can be managed. The aim is to eventually connect the corridors from the Skeleton Coast National Park with its stable lion population to Etosha National Park, via the conservancies in between.

Namibians from government, civil society and the private sector work hard to ensure that Namibia remains a sustainable haven for wildlife.

This speaks of the commitment of Namibia and her people to wildlife, her culture and her heritage.

What we have learned as a result of this commitment is that communication, coordination and synergistic implementation in a bottom-up approach across sectors is important. It is important to have the communities in the driving seat of conservation activities in their areas, it is important that service providers do not make communities depended upon them but empower them to make decisions on their own. These are the people that bear the full brunt of the cost of living with wildlife. This is the stark reality that is facing our people and as the Government we have made a commitment to sustainable development through sustainable utilization based on sound conservation practices rooted in best practice and governance. Trophy hunting and tourism are among those best practices.

It will be a terrible day when we have to say, ‘lions used to roam there’ or ‘the big five roamed here once’. That idea is unthinkable and all efforts must be made to manage human-wildlife conflict in the interest of both man and wildlife.

I cannot conclude without mentioning that Namibia has declared war on poaching her wildlife, whether fauna to flora in terrestrial, aquatic and marine ecosystems. We are proud of our natural heritage and we will guard it jealously.

We urge you to assist us to counter misguided and unfounded allegations about our programmes and activities with facts.

Namibia must be allowed to continue to utilise wildlife as an important natural resource, for the benefit of the people who make a living from the land. We will continue to manage the human-wildlife conflict effectively, because the farmers on communal land are the key to the success.

N. Pohamba Shifeta Minister für Umwelt und Tourismus

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â&#x20AC;¢ Ethical hunts on foot

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MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF NAPHA

“What is a hunter, and why do they hunt?”

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nce I skimmed through an advertisement for a vacant post, which read as follows:

Young active person interested in low and infrequent pay to play Bwana in remote bushveld. Must be proven raconteur and socialite without liver trouble, expert card player, bartender, caterer, barbecuer, philosopher and African historian. Experience in sanitary engineering, local architecture, labour relations, navigation, medicine and pharmacology, botany, zoology, ichthyology, mineralogy, entomology, butchery, taxidermy, dietetics, optics, photography and radio operation essential. Applicants should speak at least two native African languages fluently as well as English and one other modern European tongue. A solid knowledge of mechanics, driving, gunsmithing, toxicology, ballistics, tracking, marksmanship, hand loading and experience as a professional bodyguard are required.

Benefits are a twenty-four hour day, unlimited fresh air, including rain, sun and dust, no medical, dental or life insurance and no retirement benefits. Applicant should supply his own rifles.

This beautiful description, by Peter Hathaway Capstick, strikes at the heart of every hunter.

It was written at a time when hunters didn’t have to keep a low profile about their profession and before they were smeared and vilified as “scum” and “lowlifes”.

People like to say life is not that complicated, but life is very complicated. What’s uncomplicated is wanting an ice cream, a doll, or to win a game of tennis.

Uncomplicated is sitting in a well-shaded game viewer with cold drinks in the back, remarking on how beautiful Namibia is, all the while hoping for the chance to see a predator make a kill. Uncomplicated is wanting to make a difference and play a part in conservation with all your heart, but just talking about it.

Life becomes complicated when you are a hunter. Hunting, after all, is inevitably a bloody business. It reminds us that we kill in order to live: that we live because of the deaths of other beings, sentient and non-sentient. It becomes complicated because it seems that a large part of the public perceives hunters as “murderers” and “killers” Before I left home to go to university my father impressed the following on me: “Danene, whatever you think success means, I hope you'll stay open to the possibility that you have got it all wrong. That you have absolutely no idea what life has got in store for you”, he said.

“My child, you WILL make mistakes. You are NOT perfect. You WILL fail.

And when that day comes, and you figure it out, I know that you'll have the brains, the guts, and the straight up good luck to survive it…

Only different people change the world…No one normal has ever changed a damned thing”.

We have a limited number of opportunities to love someone, to do our work, to make a difference, and to change the world.

This HuntiNamibia again highlights beautifully how hunters are changing the world. We, the hunters, are more than an idea, an aesthetic. We are a philosophy, a collective, with a professional code of honour and ethics.

It is based on the principle that we bring our best, everything we have, every day, especially in a promise to the future. But with hunting come huge responsibilities.

conservation to be accepted and appreciated.

To take a stance for the rightful role of hunting within a natural environment.

Responsibility means, in essence, that we must ultimately provide answers to questions that our loved ones, our neighbours and our country ask us.

We cannot afford any failures. There are no grey areas when it comes to selective conservation hunting, and NAPHA strives to educate members in their responsibilities but also reprimand anyone who fails to share in the ethos of ethical and responsible hunting.

We as hunters should not fear to be just that: hunters. Fear is poverty of truth, and truth culminates in faith.

Thank you to our Namibian government who endures a healthy way of thinking, treasures our country’s natural resources, is always prepared to listen to different stakeholders, and understands and promotes sustainability.

Hunt hard, Danene van der Westhuyzen

In philosophy, moral responsibility is the status of morally deserving praise, blame, reward or punishment for an act, or omission, in accordance with one's moral obligations. Deciding what (if anything) counts as “morally obligatory” is a principal concern of ethics.

Now, more than ever, we as hunters need the support and praise of fellow nature lovers for the function and role that hunters play in

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Uncover the harsh beauty

PAUL VAN SCHALKWYK

OFF THE

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amibian landscapes are like a wide open story book giving deep insight into millions of years of geological history. This dramatic photo by the late Paul van Schalkwyk shows a canyon which the ephemeral Kuiseb River, with its source in the highlands around Windhoek, has eroded into the Namib peneplain some five million years ago. In places the canyon is up to 200 m deep, and it has a

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network of tributaries forming a wild, dissected terrain often referred to as â&#x20AC;&#x153;grammadulasâ&#x20AC;?.

The Kuiseb drainage is the most prominent watercourse in the central-western region of Namibia and forms the spectacular northern boundary of most of the main Namib Sand Sea World Heritage Site.

Long before the Kuiseb River, sediments were deposited in an ancient ocean in this area, and

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these sediments are today represented by the vast schists (seen on the left side of the picture), called the Kuiseb Formation by geologists. The beige rocks capping the schists are sandstones of the Tsondab Formation, which is a precursor of the modern Namib, and conglomerates of the Karpfenkliff Formation deposited by an early Kuiseb River before it started to deeply incise its bed all the way down to the schists some 10

BEATEN TRACK

to 20 million years ago. The boundary between the younger sediments and the schist embodies more than 700 million years of Earthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history!

The current red dunes of the Namib Sand Sea represent the youngest geological feature and show the continuous nature of geological processes, as their sand is blown into the canyon by south-westerly

winds, only to be washed out by the next ephemeral flood.

It was in this harsh and unforgiving landscape that German geologists Henno Martin and Herman Korn took refuge for more than two years during World War II. Their sojourn is described in the book The Sheltering Desert. Gabi Schneider

Namibia is a harsh country; at times its nature even appears unfriendly. This photo by photographer Paul van Schalkwyk, taken from his Cessna 206, which he himself flew while taking his spectacular shots, gives insight into its grandiose uniqueness - one is almost inclined to say it is the perspective from which the Creator saw the country and how he wanted it.

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Hartmann zebra are well-adapted to mountainous terrain

ZEBRA HUNTING

in the Khomas Hochland .........................................

Successful hunting is mostly a case of making the right decisions at a specific moment in time. These may include: deciding what gear and which calibre rifle to take to the hunting field; in which area to hunt; what the target species will be for a specific day; which specific animal to target in a group of animals; which approach to take to arrive at a shootable position in relation to the quarry; what stalking method to use at what point in the process; establishing which way the wind is blowing; and what distance to compensate for when finally taking a shot. The hunter does not often get the opportunity to correct his decisions. Piet van Rooyen

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e were hunting on Farm Kaujetupa in the mountains of the Khomas Highland west of Windhoek, specifically looking for mountain zebra. I was hunting with the farm owner, my lifelong friend Ben van Rensburg. I wanted a zebra for two reasons: firstly a good, prime-grade skin for a bedroom carpet and secondly a good stash of fat zebra meat for my kitchen larder.

Zebra meat is, not without reason, known as one of the best types of venison available to the discerning taste buds of a connoisseur. The late Braam Kruger – chef and cuisine-aficionado, popularly known as Kitchen Boy – rated zebra meat in his book Provocative Cuisine as the best-tasting game meat available, provided that the yellow surface fat is removed from the meat soon after skinning. Zebras also look good to eat from a distance: fat, nicely striped, well-rounded. There is a widespread belief that zebras never get thin, not even in times of severe drought. Another rumour has it that a zebra can die of hunger even when it looks well-fed, because it does not have the capacity to re-absorb its fat layers in times of need.

We disregarded several good-sized gemsbok grazing on the mountain slopes around us. Our target was a good zebra. I specifically wanted a dark-coloured skin to go with the colour scheme of our bedroom at home. Zebras have no measurable trophy characteristics and trophy hunters visiting Namibia mostly hunt them as a bonus to the normal trophy package. The skin, because of its beauty, however, remains a sought-after keepsake of a memorable African hunt. Sometimes zebras are hunted as bait for a leopard hunt, where these are available on tag.

I, however, have great respect for their wiliness and tenacity and find a great deal of satisfaction in a successful zebra hunt itself.

Hartmann’s mountain zebra (Equus zebra hartmannae) is well-known for its adaptation to mountainous areas, where it thrives in a rocky habitat. It is amazing to see where these animals manage to find a foothold between the rocks and boulders of the Khomas Hochland, often running at speed over terrain much too rough for even the best four-wheel drive vehicles to follow.

While trying to bypass the small groups of gemsbok on the farm we could see many fresh zebra tracks in the game paths around us. We were therefore sure that we were operating in the right area. It was just a case of patience and perseverance in order to find our quarry.

Suddenly, on reaching a specific mountain ridge, we could see two groups of zebra grazing below us, one group on our extreme left side and the other way down on the right. We had a problem: which one was the best group to target? A quick scan with the binoculars indicated that each of the groups had a shootable dark-skinned individual in its midst. The group to our right had a mature dark-skinned mare, and the left-hand group, although further away, had a very good stallion. From that distance I could not detect any blemishes on either of the skins.

Stallions often fight amongst one another and, in order to obtain a good skin, it is necessary to inspect the quarry very closely before taking a shot.

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FELIX MARNEWECKE - CAMELTHORN SAFARIS BIG GAME HUNTING - NAMIBIA

Camelthorn

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CAMELTHORNSAFARIS@IWAY.NA WWW.HUNTNAMIBIA.COM.NA PHONE: + 264 81 260 24 05

ZEBRA HUNTING

The author with farm-owner Ben van Rensburg and the zebra bagged in the Khomas Hochland.

Ben reckoned that we should go for the mare on our right. She was nearer to us, about 400 metres away. The wind was in our favour. If we back-tracked a 100 metres or so we could use a small kloof to approach that group. The kloof was thickly overgrown with blackthorn bushes but we would be able to wind our way through them. These would also provide some extra cover for us during our approach.

Slowly we went downhill, continually testing the wind direction in the changing eddies bouncing off from the sides of the kloof. We could not see the zebra from where we were, and we could just hope that we were doing everything right for a successful approach.

Normally, I am able to focus properly on the intended quarry, but this time the image of the dark stallion kept coming back to my mind. Were we right in letting him go?

We were already half an hour into the stalk when suddenly, with a sinking feeling, we could hear the herd of zebra thundering away through the length of the stony valley. We

realised that what gave us away was the same sound effect we could hear now, on a much amplified scale: crunching down the quartzite surface of the kloof we were making such a noise that the zebra could not fail to hear us clearly. They decided to depart, not waiting to find out whether these were friends or foes noisily making their way towards them.

It was late afternoon already and we should probably call it a day, but I had a feeling that the stallion was intended for me, waiting on the other side of the ridge. “Let’s go see,” I said to Ben. He nodded in affirmation.

We slowly worked our way back. Upon reaching the top we found the earlier group of zebra, now much closer, grazing up the slope towards us. Light was fading fast and we had no clear approach to come closer to the group. The distance was some 300 metres downhill. At that moment the stallion started moving – straight up towards us.

Since I did not have a rangefinder I had to judge the distance offhand, but fortunately

I remembered not to overestimate the distance in shooting downhill. I lined up my rifle scope exactly at the point where the stallion’s neck joins the chest and slowly squeezed the trigger of my Heckler and Koch .308.

As if in slow motion the stallion fell to its knees, then slowly stood up again. The sound of the shot must have been deflected by the height above them, for the other animals were just standing around, looking at the stallion as if perplexed. The stallion walked a few metres and then slowly fell over once more, not to get up again.

Ben and I looked at each other with a sense of accomplishment. We shooed away the other zebras and walked down to the stallion. What a magnificent animal! We could carefully roll him down the slope in order to load him up at the bottom of the valley. Although we had to change our target halfway into the stalk, this was a hunt that turned out well in the end.

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THE PAST AND THE PRESENT AT THE EDGE OF THE NAMIB A visitor leaving the little mining town of Karibib in western Namibia to attend a meeting on a remote farm along the road C32, after having passed a nature somewhat disfigured by marble mining at the outskirts of the town, passes through a vast, perhaps somewhat monotonous landscape. Only some isolated mountains break the monotony of the semi-desert landscape. After a while the terrain drops towards the dry riverbed of the Swakop River. The view towards the west now becomes truly grand, the mountains in that direction more bizarre. Beyond the dry riverbed the monotony returns. Kai-Uwe Denker 16

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T

hen the visitor leaves the gravel road to, following a narrow track, cross two farms to eventually reach the border of the third – and last – of the farms on the western side of the C32, before the Namib-Naukluft Park begins.

Only with difficulty one is able to decipher the inscription on a rusty and somewhat battered sheet metal plate at the entrance gate: Farm Wilsonfontein, Nr. 110.

Only a short while later one reaches the farmstead of what today is a hunting farm, in olden times founded at this spot close to the borderline of the huge property, because of a fountain, which by now has dried up. The visitor is as yet unaware of the grandiose landscape which opens up beyond; glancing over the surroundings he registers a downright charming simplicity and plainness amidst the wide horizons.

In the backyard of the farmstead an old, time-expired Commer lorry –

spadework, along with the hot desert wind, drifts into the face of the visitor, his curiosity aroused by now.

How might the owner of this place look like; perhaps one of those PH’s with a grim moustache, clad in camouflage, usual for the trade? Unlikely, for that the grass-thatched lapa, the extensive lawn, the pool is missing – all those things, which here would seem somewhat out of place and only would indicate a waste of water in these desert surroundings.

Then one rather expects to see the wiry, weatherworn pioneering type with a sunbeaten face, wearing khaki shorts.

But then one is truly surprised.

Wearing a white shirt, unbuttoned, but rather knotted up above the waistband, thus exposing a sleeveless brown vest and an amulet dangling on his chest from a thin leather string, in long grey trousers, the grey hair bound in

a pony-tail, Ingo Gladis appears, the owner of Wilsonfontein. His glance is open and straight, his hands calloused and oil-daubed at the moment, the welcome hearty. When inside the plain farmhouse, amongst a number of photographs turned yellow over the years, an old picture catches the visitor's eye, depicting exactly that old Commer lorry from whose railing a Mauser rifle, cal. 7x57, and a big leopard is dangling.

Next to it blond little Ingo, perhaps five years old and the faithful watchdog, Nero, – this is as one learns – an old veteran, blind on both sides after fighting off a porcupine in the vegetable garden of the farm, the needle-sharp pins piercing his eyes.

The cool inside of the old house breathes subdued pioneering spirit just like the hot desert wind outside.

The photo dates back to the year 1956.

The ancient Commer lorry, returning

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home from one of countless desert trips, breathed its last after more than a million miles and was pushed into retirement in the backyard – facing west where the landscape gradually drops towards the Namib Desert in grandiose uniqueness.

The farm was founded in 1938

by Ingo’s grandfather. Amidst unspeakable hardships the early pioneers carved a living from this unforgiving desert country. Predators – lion, leopard, hyena – decimated the livestock on the farm in an intolerable way. In the year 1953 a pride of lions had killed 36 oxen within a few days, every year leopard accounted for more than 10 calves.

For this reason Ingo’s father, Berthold Gladis, conducted a nightly drive twice a week, to keep predators in check. On the back of the lorry one of his workers, searching the mountain slopes and desert plains with a strong spotlight for the gleaming eyes of predators, on the seat next to Berthold his trusted Mauser rifle.

On that night-drive of 1956, when the Commer was jolting over stony terrain, the eyes of a huge cat were suddenly gleaming down on them from a rocky slope. Berthold brought the Commer to an abrupt halt and got ready. As soon as the crosshairs had steadied between the gleaming lights the shot thundered through the nightly silence. At first blinded by the belching gun-flash, Berthold and his helper soon realised that the eyes had disappeared.

Was the leopard dead or was he just crouching behind a big rock?

They had to find out. Thus tying the spotlight – shining into the direction the cat had been – against the railing of the Commer with wire, Berthold and his helper climbed the slope with utmost care, rifle at the ready, to eventually find a big leopard with a tiny bullethole right between the eyes amongst the rocks, which they laboriously carried down into the valley.

In this way Berthold Gladis shot 42 leopard during the years to keep livestock losses within bearable limits. Today livestock is no longer kept on Wilsonfontein and it is no longer necessary to destroy predators.

In accordance with the principle of Sustainable Utilisation of Natural Resources, Wilsonfontein is now managed as a hunting farm.

The circumspect, conservative way of hunting is much more environmentally friendly and pays due tribute to the grandiose natural setting.

able to continue a third generation tradition and counter the omnipresent total commercialisation and the superficiality coming with it; highly independent, upright – somewhat of an odd fish perhaps, but authentic.

It is to be hoped that the plain, lovable atmosphere will continue.

In the natural rhythm of good and bad rainy seasons desert game, at one time competitors in grazing for the livestock, – gemsbok, springbok and zebra – moves between the farm and the NamibNaukluft Park and fills the wide plains and the rugged hillsides with mar vellous life, while the predators fulfil their natural regulator y role. Even kudu and klipspringer live in the mountains.

While on neighbouring cattle farms the campaign against the leopard continues, the sustainable hunt of gemsbok, springbok and zebra, as well as one old tomleopard per year, helps to make one of the relatively few remaining original, authentic Namibian hunting farms profitable.

In the meantime, Ingo has cleaned his oil-daubed hands. He had picked up two clients in Windhoek in the morning, thereafter had to replace an oil-seal on his hunting car. Now the rifles are to be testfired. Ingo steps up to the coffee table, where his clients, clad in spotless green hunting outfit from top to toe, have just enjoyed their afternoon coffee and says: “I don’t wear your begging-dress, but perhaps you still will come with me, we should test your rifles.”

One has to grin and senses: this is exactly the kind of man, who, by virtue of his personality, is

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Trying to unravel the secrets of the

NAMIBIAN LEOPARD ......................................... & how we should approach our conservation strategies for the survival of the species.

DIRK HEINRICH

Even in national parks leopard are not often seen. These shy and very well camouflaged cats live a very secretive life.

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NAMIBIAN LEOPARD

In bright sunlight the leopard slowly and quietly stalks up to a waterhole. He calmly sits down and watches the surrounding bush, alert and ready, his ears catching even the softest of sounds. When he spots a hartebeest approaching, the big cat slowly bends down between dry branches on the ground, camouflaging itself as a picture of placid serenity. The antelope either has not noticed the cat or is not afraid – instinctively sensing that leopards generally do not take adult hartebeest as prey. When the hartebeest bends down to drink, the leopard takes its chance and lunges forward. The hartebeest reacts swiftly and runs off. The leopard, unsuccessful at its stalk, slowly moves towards the water. A few moments later he is joined by a slightly smaller leopard. Both cats drink and watch each other surreptitiously. Eventually they move off, each in their own direction. This description by Dirk Heinrich is a sight to behold. Only a camera trap a few meters from the waterhole is witness to the encounter.

Danene vd Westhuyzen

T

he farmer sees the pictures days later and is surprised that there are two leopards in that particular area, and that they are active during daylight and early in the morning.

For any nature lover this is a sight to behold.

Many tourists and animal lovers spend hours in the African bush, hoping for that chance encounter with this amazing creature. Known as the most efficient predator in the world, the leopard is a cunning and skilful hunter, one of the big cats that play a big role in the beautiful balance of nature. Its beauty lies in its dark rosette markings on a yellow-brown pelt, in its shy and solitary movements, in its feared encounter with any man or beast, and in its deep and rumbling growl at night, drifting through the bush, silencing all surrounding movements and sounds.

But, as with most predators, life is a perilous journey and calculated risks have to be taken to be able to survive. Competition in the bush is fierce. Territories are claimed by strong and older males. Natural habitats are constantly changing because of droughts and commercial farming practices, and food

sources alter. Mostly, the leopard is threatened by its greatest predator – man. Having to share its territory with humans, whether the human is a selective conservation hunter or a commercial farmer, leopard find themselves in even more delicate settings and try to adapt, hide, and survive.

Namibia is a country which paints a picture of Africa still in its purest form – vast stretches of wild open spaces, healthy and balanced fauna and flora, magnificent free-roaming wildlife still increasing in numbers, a small human population, and a nation and people that treasures its natural resources and is dependent on it. This in itself makes it a first choice for any tourist wanting to explore unspoilt Africa.

But as is the case in all African countries, human-wildlife conflict is one of the greatest challenges that Namibia faces. Our government’s policy is refreshing, since our constitution calls for a balanced and equal land use between wildlife and the human population. Our people must utilise the land, farm and produce food, but at the same time we must also respect and realise the importance and value of our wildlife.

Our tourism industry depends on this outlook, and our responsibility for Mother Nature and the future of our children and our wildlife rest heavily on our approach and actions.

Most commercial farming practices cannot afford to tolerate the direct competition between predator and livestock.

Commercial farmers suffer tremendous financial losses each year through cheetah, leopard and other predators which operate in territories where easy prey like cattle and sheep are present. Farmers have two options: a) Eradicate all predator species on his property through various means like cage and gin traps, poison or shooting on sight, usually when caught at a kill. b) Adapt farming methods, if possible, in a way that decreases the chances and success of a leopard to catch livestock, forcing him to rather pursue game. This can be achieved, for example, by moving herds away from areas most frequently visited by the leopard, or adding extra protection to herds, like donkeys or trained dogs which warn and help to protect livestock.

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Join me for a safari of a lifetime. My family-run operation is dedicated to provide only a small number of hunters the opportunity to hunt Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dangerous game in open land concession areas in the riverine north-east of Namibia. I am one of the most accomplished Namibian PHâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, licensed to hunt Cape buffalo, elephant, lion, hippopotamus and crocodile in what used to be Caprivi, now called the Zambezi Region. I have lived in Namibia all my life and invite you to hunt plains game on my own farm and surrounding land in central Namibia and on hunting concessions in the red Kalahari.

jamy@jamyhunt.com

| www.jamyhunts.com

DIRK HEINRICH

NAMIBIAN LEOPARD

A lot of leopards in Namibia are caught in cage traps and are eventually killed because farmers see them as problem animals responsible for livestock losses.

Most measures to deal with this conflict are not always lucrative and at the end of the day conservation efforts are weakened by indiscriminate killing of leopard. And even if leopards are killed to counter conflict, it usually leaves a vacuum which attracts a new male, and so the vicious circle continues.

the value of a leopard to be at least N$50,000, farmers will see much bigger value in this divine species than when it was shot and left to rot in the veld.

causes of the perceived decline in the cheetah population, due to the fact that leopards are in the process of taking over territories that have been seen as cheetah habitats for decades.

The situation is taxing. Both the livelihood of farmers and the conservation of leopards are at stake, and to find a way for both to live together off the same land is an extreme challenge.

Hunting quotas have been established as a way to control the legal off-take of leopard, to try and ensure a fair distributed off-take throughout the country and in line with the occurrence of leopard, as well as to exercise strict control and adherence to the CITES regulations set out for Namibia.

Controlled and selective hunting practices which contribute to conservation are one possibility. They offer an incentive to the farmer. Instead of killing any leopard on sight, they combine a good farming management practice with an off-take of leopard according to a science-based quota. Through this method, the farmer at least gets compensated for some losses. Since a court recently found

As recently as 2012, the last comprehensive leopard census was undertaken in Namibia.

These findings, together with previous studies, suggest that Namibia has the highest leopard density in all of Africa. These statistics correlate with the present line of thought gaining ground in Namibia, according to which an increase in the leopard population in Namibia might be one of the primary

All this, of course, flies in the face of the commonly held belief internationally that the leopard populations in Africa are facing a steady and steep decline â&#x20AC;&#x201C; which has, inter alia, been used by the anti-hunting lobby as ammunition to promote actions to bring about the banning of leopard trophies into certain countries, as well as the proposal to list leopard on Appendix II of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS).

Given the fact that the leopard is a shy, solitary animal, well versed in the art of camouflage, estimates and notions by many uninformed parties as to population densities, habitats, habits and distribution are at best sketchy.

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NAMIBIAN LEOPARD

The Namibia Professional Hunting Association is a major role-player in the protection and maintaining of a diverse and healthy wildlife population and believes it imperative to assure the sustainable utilisation of all game species and their eco-system in accordance with the World Conservation Strategy (IUCN) adopted by the United Nations and as amended in 1991.

NAPHA therefor has, based on the 2012 and earlier studies, proactively initiated to contribute to this endeavour even further through a comprehensive, independent and non-partisan study of one of our most valuable natural resources, the African Leopard. This study will advance a full scientific background on the population within the country´s borders, help establish a fair value for the leopard, and assist the Ministry of Environment and Tourism as well as CITES to evaluate and or amend the current criteria and quota settings.

In partnership with the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, NAPHA is undertaking a national leopard census project. It started at the end of August 2017 and will continue for the next 18 months.

Various other NGOs, including the Namibia Agricultural Union, have shown their support for this project.

The gin trap, in which the right front paw of the leopard got caught, can be seen clearly. The big cat was shot by the farmer.

He set the trap because he had lost a number of his precious calves to a predator.

DIRK HEINRICH

Other sources such as commercial farmers, for example, claim that they have noticed an alarming increase in leopard populations with the resulting increase in human-wildlife conflict.These reports of a dramatic rise in livestock losses brought about by an increase in leopard activity have led to a situation where leopard populations are now possibly under threat due to human-wildlife conflict situations in Namibia. This situation has been exacerbated by the severe drought that Namibia suffered from 2015 to 2017. Vast tracts of this country have to recover fully from the effects of this drought.

DIRK HEINRICH

This results in a great many suppositions and assumptions that are currently being bandied about by ignorant “well-doers” as “proof ” of an alarming decline in leopard populations.

This in fact has a direct opposite result of what is endeavoured to be achieved by true conservationists through comprehensive studies and proactive commitments for the further betterment of the species.

Leopards are not easy to spot even though Namibia has the highest population of leopard in Africa.

To conserve large carnivores it is necessary to understand their abundance in humandominated landscapes, which is where the real conservation action is needed through an interdisciplinary and adaptive approach. It is essential that research projects should not only be multidisciplined but also be based outside protected areas, and they should not just be one-dimensional, i.e. ecology or diet.

Therefore, this project should take on a multi-disciplinary approach, inside and outside of national parks by combining ecological methodologies and social science to understand the pressures on and status of the leopard population across Namibia.

NAPHA has retained the services of Dr Louisa Richmond-Coggan to co-ordinate this project. She has excellent credentials and vast experience in this field and comes highly recommended.

We envisage this project to last at least until December 2018, with a provisional possibility of extending the study or developing it to include more species.

The cost of the project is estimated to be around two million Namibian Dollars.

NAPHA will greatly appreciate any financial support towards this project, as well as anyone who is willing to assist with valuable data.

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

Wir freuen uns auf Ihren Besuch.

We look forward to welcoming you.

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

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INDIGENOUS SPECIES and their natural distribution in Namibia Please note that game farms have not been taken into consideration. On some of these game-prooffenced farms a greater diversification and even non-indigenous species may be found. Take note that some of these species are fully protected, such as African wild dog.

01 African elephant (CITES II) – Northern Namibia 02 Black rhinoceros (CITES I) – Northern and northwestern Namibia 03 Hippopotamus (CITES ll) – Zambezi Region 04 Cape buffalo – Zambezi Region 05 Giraffe – Northern Namibia 06 Hartmann’s mountain zebra (CITES II) – Escarpment and western highland 07 Burchell’s zebra – Northern Namibia 08 Greater kudu – Everywhere, except in the Namib Desert 09 Gemsbok – Widely distributed throughout the country 10 Sable antelope – Zambezi Region 11 Roan antelope – Kavango and Zambezi Region 12 Red hartebeest – Mainly eastern Namibia

07

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Red lechwe

Burchell’s zebra

30 Sharpe’s grysbok – Zambezi Region 31 Warthog – Widely distributed in northern and eastern parts 32 Bushpig – Zambezi Region 33 Lion – Northern Namibia 34 Leopard (CITES I) – Throughout the country, except in the Namib proper 35 Cheetah (CITES I) – Central and northern Namibia 08 Greater kudu 36 Caracal (CITES II) – Throughout the country, except in the Namib proper 37 Spotted hyaena – Mainly north-eastern parts 38 Brown hyaena – Western desert regions and north-east 39 African wild dog – North-east 40 Black-backed jackal – Throughout the country 41 Side-striped jackal – Far north-eastern areas 42 Cape fox – Widespread on sandy soils 43 Crocodile (CITES I) – Northern perennial rivers 44 Chacma baboon (CITES II) – Virtually throughout the country 45 White rhinoceros (CITES I) – Only in parks and reserves 46 Small spotted cat (CITES I) – Central and southern 36 Sable antelope Namibia

13 Blue wildebeest – Patchy distribution in northern Namibia 14 Cape eland – Northern Namibia 15 Tsessebe – Kavango and Zambezi Region 16 Puku – Zambezi Region 17 Common reedbuck – Zambezi Region 18 Sitatunga – Zambezi Region 19 Waterbuck – Zambezi Region 20 Springbok – Mainly southern and western Namibia, but patchy distribution elsewhere 21 Southern impala – Zambezi Region 22 Black-faced impala (CITES) – North-western areas 23 Red lechwe (CITES II) – Zambezi Region 24 Chobe bushbuck – Zambezi Region 25 Steenbok – Throughout the country 26 Common duiker – Throughout the country, except in desert regions 27 Klipspringer – Patchy distribution in mountainous areas 28 Damara dik-dik – Northern and north-western areas 29 Oribi – Zambezi Region

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Leopard

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My first Namibian experience with

BOW AND ARROW

When his arrow flew and found its fatal mark in the forward muscle of a trophy waterbuck, I could feel the energy, the thrill of the hunt radiating from my husband in waves. Without hesitation, the desire to take up the bow and join the hunt flooded through me. I could not stop trembling… With the earthy scents of the bush blanketing me, I spent that first safari as an observer in a pit blind, constructed of sticks, dirt and buffalo dung, for 10 invigorating days. Upon my return home, the Dark Continent haunted my thoughts daily until I purchased my first bow and began to practice in earnest.

Never having experienced even the most minute desire to hunt, that 2014 South African safari sparked a fire in my soul that would not find full flame until a trip to Namibia. Paula Stephenson

O

ur two-day journey from Texas to Damara Dik-Dik Safaris in Namibia’s central north took three jets and two different land vehicles. As we neared our final destination, we watched our first Namibian sunset as the sun dipped below the peak of one of the many mountainous ranges that surrounded our hunting area. African sunsets are indescribably vivid. As that massive glowing orange ball dwindled to a sliver and then faded to a luminescent sheen, darkness blew in on a crisp chill that tickled my senses.

My husband and I woke every morning to a rooster crowing in the distance. It was not an annoyance as it gave us extra time in the day – you don't want to sleep Africa away! I always watched the sunrise from the private balcony of our chalet, often wrapped in a starched white duvet while enjoying the day's first cup of coffee. Charged by the sounds of Africa, we then took a short stroll over to the main lodge for more coffee, breakfast and that day’s planning meeting. I love piano music, strong coffee with real cream, and a

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room with a view. So, every day, with piano music playing in the background, I poured a fresh cup of creamed coffee and sat down on the end of a brown leather couch next to a huge picture window to soak it all in.

Located on the side of a mountain, the lodge was surrounded by outcrops of massive boulders and luscious flower beds dotted with colour.

But, where the mountain gave way to flat land, Namibia turned wild! As I escaped into the shadows as they grew shorter and shorter across the open bush, my mind drifted to the hunt ahead and my desire to harvest a springbok.

Who would ride inside when you could ride topside? The high seat mounted in the bed of the range vehicle is always my perch of choice as the jaunt to and from the hide each day is one of my favourite experiences of the hunt. It's like one of those big bags of mixed candy: you don't know what you will pull out of the bag, but you know it's going to be something your senses will delight in. As the vehicle approached, female warthogs often darted from their holes

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with frantic piglets trailing behind enveloped in a billowing cloud of dust. One afternoon two ostriches bolted from the bush and scurried clumsily to and fro in front of the vehicle for what seemed like a mile before slowing and craning their long necks with attitude as we eased by. We often traversed trails so heavily littered with rocks that the grinding orbs seemed to reach out and tug at the tyres. During these treks I often spotted massive herds of springbok pronking coquettishly in the distance.

You've got to remember that I'm not all that experienced of a huntress. So, when I asked my husband why PH Julio Lopes, was always going around kicking his feet in the dirt, he dipped his chin to better see over the top edge of his sunglasses and gave me that "my little rocket scientist" look that I've become accustomed to over the last 27 years. A most informative lesson on hunting mountainous areas, rising thermals during the heat of the day and the challenges of swirling wind ensued. It seems Julio, with his German hunting terrier Jessie obediently at heel, was constantly checking the wind direction.

Weighing 113 pounds, my 5'1'' frame is considered petite by most standards. It is a constant struggle for me to maintain enough upper body muscle mass to effectively handle the 45 pound draw of my Bowtech Carbon Rose bow. Lifting small hand weights daily has been a game changer with this challenge.

However, my heart still beats so wildly at the sight of game and the rush of adrenaline is so forceful that I find myself extremely weak and often can't break my bow over. Yes, I was afraid the perfect springbok would present and find me incapable of making the shot. But as the hours spent at several different waterholes increased, I gained valuable mental training.

Would it be enough?

Each waterhole has its own personality. A 15-foot ladder ascent into the spacious Kudu stand on our first hunting day was par to the course. Constructed of metal, the stand was stable and sported a low pile carpet to assist with noise reduction. Since we'd enjoyed an informative video session that morning on shot placement for the African species and spent time target shooting to make sure our bows hadn't sustained any damage during the trip, we were near the heat of the day when we finally settled into the stand. It didn't take long for me to peel away my outerwear; sweat trickled down my back. With a low moan the breath of Namibia sporadically blew in our faces, akin to a temptress.

This was my husband's third trip to Africa in search of gemsbok, so when several fine

specimens made a stealthy approach to the waterhole we gave each other a hopeful eye.

I was surprised when Julio whispered, "All young males." Then, exploding from the bush, the indisputable herd bull entered the scene. What a sight! The striations of his bulging neck muscles, the heavy bases of his horns and his "get out of my way" attitude towards the other males made it obvious he knew he was "the man". As young males scattered, Julio gave my husband the go ahead. I love watching my husband shoot!

He is confident, fast and accurate. With my binoculars zeroed in on the vitals, I didn't have to wait long for a flash of Lumenok as the arrow passed through the gemsbok. The Ramcat broadhead that Julio had suggested my husband try performed perfectly as the blood trail lay like a red ribbon. One down – maybe my springbok would be next.

My heart had not yet slowed its pace when Julio tapped my arm and motioned for me to make ready. "Good springbok," was all I heard. You guessed it, my heart began to beat a wild cadence and I could not slow it! A hushed conversation guided my shot placement. Thankfully able to pull my bow back, I took aim only to have that grand springbok gently turn and slip away. The same scenario repeated itself on two other occasions that afternoon. Frustrated as I was by the third encounter I came to realise that the repeated attempts had spawned in me a new level of control. Though still excited, I had risen above the rushing adrenalin and could now ease into the flow.

“ The bow is our

weapon of choice as it allows us to get "up close and personal" with the game we seek."

Though the animals provide a constant parade of activity, there are a lot of tranquil moments in the stand that lead to interesting conversation and the occasional nap. Afraid I wouldn’t pull enough poundage to make a humane kill, I had never allowed myself to dream that big. It didn't take long for Julio to convince me that I was up to the task. If the opportunity presented itself, I would take the shot.

We headed for an afternoon at the Leopard Waterhole. It also had a spacious elevated stand which overlooked the mountain zebra's habitat of choice. Its three shooting windows offered a magnificent mountain view: powdery sand gave way to a rocky path that crooked and crawled upward. With my binoculars focused on the path, I was the first to see him as he crossed at the head of the trail and then meandered down through the bush.

He picked his steps through the outcrops of boulders with care, the clicking of his hooves a gentle cadence. When he finally halted his advance he stood some 50 yards away to the left of the stand - if I stretched forward and craned my neck I could catch a glimpse of him silhouetted against the setting sun. Julio had a full-on view at right; my husband was completely blinded at back-centre, having already moved his chair back in preparation for the shot. As he pawed and postured, his two broodmares preened in the distance. His bobbed black and white mane jutted upward atop his head and flared down the peak of his thick neck, reminiscent of a plumed Roman centurion's helmet. I mouthed to my husband, "He is grand!"

The bow is our weapon of choice as it allows us to get "up close and personal" with the game we seek. Often they are near enough to see, smell, hear, sense… you. At times these intuitive animals just know something isn't right and retreat to the safety of the bush. That is what this grand old stud did.

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BOWHUNTING On two consecutive mornings before sunrise the men revisited the Leopard hide to no avail. My husband's only vision of that zebra comes from my telling him about it.

That zebra was never seen again.

Following one of those morning zebra hunts we switched gears and headed back to the Warthog Waterhole to continue my quest for springbok. Game flooded from cover so quickly we barely had a chance to settle in. Two brazen kudu bulls locked horns in mock combat some 30 yards away at the edge of the brush. Focused on the kudu, I didn't notice an approaching group of springbok. At Julio's urging, I quickly prepared in case a shot opportunity presented itself. It did! A mature male drank from the waterhole and then turned to the salt lick. He presented quartering away with his head down at the lick. I was to shoot just behind the front leg in the crease. I aimed a little low, taking my slower arrow speed into consideration and the possibility that the springbok most probably would jump my string. Confident in my aim, I gently squeezed my release. For some strange reason, the springbok did not react as expected. My arrow passed between the two front legs and under the belly. It was a clean miss. The group stirred for a moment then settled with the dust, detecting no further threat.

A second equally impressive male immediately presented a broadside shot opportunity at the same salt lick. Aiming my pin straight up the front leg at the muscle where the light and dark brown intersect, I squeezed my release.

My arrow grazed his back resulting in a nonfatal flesh wound. The only thing down at this waterhole was my confidence.

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Julio captures each shot opportunity on video. When we returned to the lodge that evening, we reviewed the film from the dayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hunt on the wall-mounted big screen television. It was most helpful! I was able to see the missed shots unfold in slow motion.

The first springbok never moved, therefore the adjustment did not work in my favour.

The second springbok jumped my string big time.

A few days later, we were at the Eland Waterhole on an elevated stand. Hoping for zebra or springbok, we settled in and waited. Julio lowered his binoculars. "Here comes your gemsbok," he encouraged me.

He approached so quickly it seemed I just had time to pick up my bow and the shot was upon us. A big breath drawn through my nose, a calming exhalation through my lips and I let my arrow fly. The broadside shot was perfect! I had taken a trophy I never dreamed possible. My gemsbok dropped only 18 yards away. Upon close inspection it was easy to see why the regal gemsbok serves as the national animal of Namibia.

The next morning we chose a ground-level stand overlooking an elongated waterhole named after the petite duiker antelope.

Thousands of giddy Red-billed Quelea birds perched in the nearby trees. Sporadically they formed a chirping vortex that hovered above the waterhole as they drank and preened in wave after wave. It was hypnotic in both sight and sound.

Plains zebra, a group of 50-plus impala and several warthog cleared the way for a group of male and female springbok.

There are times during the hunt that events sometimes collide and the result is

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perplexing. Had my earlier misses prepared me for success on this day?

The Duiker Waterhole is skirted by two salt licks. When Julio pointed out the shooter males in this group of springbok, I was very comfortable taking aim through opening of the centre shooting window which was 7 inch wide by 20 inch high. As the dust kicked up, offering visual proof of the perfect wind direction, it was clear the time was right. As he slightly quartered towards me at the right-hand salt lick, I finally claimed my springbok. He circled and slumped only 10 yards away. As he breathed his last breath, the cottony white hair on his back (unique to the springbok) flared to wave a sweet-scented goodbye.

When we reached the Leopard hide that afternoon, the sun was already heavy in the western sky. The conditions were a polar opposite to the morningâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hunt: it was still and quiet. The group of Gemsbok moved in with a purpose, straight down the mountain path. He wasn't the regal stud from the earlier days of our safari, but he was old, stately, proud... It was quick! He circled to the right of the waterhole at about 22 yards and quartered towards my husband's sights.

In the wake of the arrow's penetration he torqued powerfully. By sheer strength alone he made his way to the tree line 75 yards away where he gently succumbed. Our wish list was complete!

As our final Namibian sunset made its farewells, we sat perched on a mountainside precipice with sundowners in hand. Julio and his lovely wife Dollie savoured that pristine moment alongside us as we said silent goodbyes to the rare gem that is Namibia.

Kai-Uwe and Hagen Denker

- a tradition of good fair chase hunting kaiuwe@erongosafaris.com | hagen@erongosafaris.com

www.kaiuwe-hagen.com

ad

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ON THE SPOOR OF A

wily old roan

It is late November, the Christmas beetles kick up a deafening racket with their high-pitched screeching, the air is dry, the parched earth is longing for rain. The deciduous trees use their last resources to grow their foliage. In front of us lies the track of a wily old roan antelope. We are hunting this elusive antelope in Bushmanland and find the tracks of the solitary bull on the white sand of the road between Tsumkwe and the border post just after sunrise. Sigurd Hess

“T

hese tracks are probably from before sunrise or late last night”, I say to Jürgen. The excitement is tangible and we pack our kit and hide the vehicle some distance from the road in dense shrub. Tracks cross the road southward and back across the road to the north, then west.

Tracks of a herd mingle with the bull's spoor.

Finally the jigsaw puzzle is solved and off we go in search of the roan bull. As the sun travels to the zenith, its glare makes tracking ever more difficult. The two San trackers Robert and !Tuxa and my tracker Elias follow

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the spoor with perseverance for hours on end.

The bull is in walking mode and it dawns on us that he will not stop anytime soon to lie low. He hardly pauses to rest or feed, which makes me nervous. As we haven’t bumped into him yet I assure Jürgen that it is still a level playing field and not all the odds are stacked against us. We compose ourselves and push on. But our breaks are getting longer and more frequent, necessitated by lapses in concentration, thirst and heat. Time flies and soon it is close to 2 p.m. The north-easterly wind prevailing in the morning has subsided

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and soft swirls are now coming from all directions. This is worrying as we climb onto a dune with a dense Terminalia pruniodes thicket. The rustling leaves are blown from left to right, front to back. A carpet of dry leaves makes it impossible to move as silently as we should.

Suddenly Robert squats down and vigorously points forward. The fatigue, thirst and frustration vanish in a split second and are replaced by excitement, a racing pulse, hunger and the urge to bag

the desired animal. The bull has bedded down at an angle 60 yards away. I grab Jürgen by the arm because all we need to do now is crawl five yards to a termite mound and reward our hard work with a spectacular trophy animal. Ever so cautiously we peep over the termite mound. The place where the roan was lying is empty, as if he had never been there.

“The darn wind spoilt it”, I dejectedly say to Jürgen. All hopes crushed, the pulse returns to normal. The thirst and the sense of fatigue and desolation returns. Questions crowd your mind and block out everything else. Were we too slow? Why didn’t it work out? Was it just not meant to be? Just bad luck?

Our water supply is finished but we decide to try once more after giving the bull and ourselves an hour to relax. While we were lying there, the time ticks by slowly. The afternoon wind is hot as if out of a furnace, a reminder of the harsh conditions with which animals have to cope on a daily basis season after season. As a hunter you want your quarry and the hope, determination

and willpower return in tiny increments.

Giving up is not an option.

After the painful hour has passed we get up rather groggily, discuss how to continue and decide that we will try only once more because our energy levels are low and no water is left in the canteens. With renewed determination we pick up the track where the roan thumbed his nose at us. Silence and concentration must reign supreme.

After just 1000 yards all hell breaks loose and our roan, which had calmed and lain down again not far from us, jumps up and runs through a recently burnt area to stop and face us at about 175 yards. Instinctively Jürgen is on the sticks and finds his aim on the roan still facing us. A couple of seconds go by and as the bull turns to run, the rapport of the 375 H&H shatters the silence. The bullet finds its mark on the shoulder and with his roan “death squeak” the bull goes down after a few steps.

Walking up to the bull, feelings of elation, sadness, joy, humility, calmness, satisfaction and empathy overcome you as a true hunter.

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The Gentleman AND THE KUDU The evening at the campfire becomes even cosier when you can take stock of the experiences you shared during the day. And sometimes you just sit there with a smile on your face, immersed in your own thoughts. It is always an honour for me to join Divan, my husband, on a hunting adventure with one of our guests.

I enjoy the togetherness on a hunt: stalking through thorn bush, identifying tracks in the red sand of the Kalahari, cheering up one another when the sun, the dust and the dry air torture the skin and when the feet are sore.

Julia Labuschagne

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t so happened that I was able to join the hunt with Werner from Germany who has turned from client into a good friend of ours. Werner had a special reason for this particular visit to Namibia. He wanted to spend his 60th birthday with us and his dearest wish was to bag a mature kudu bull.

Werner arrived in February just as the sun was rising over Windhoek. It was a joyful reunion and the three-hour drive to the farm passed in a flash. Werner has a completely captivating

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way of recounting stories and occurrences that makes you feel as if you had been right there. I find it particularly fascinating that after hunting for so many years he is still able to show his emotions and sincerely pays his respect to each animal that he bags.

His latest stay with us provided an exciting new story which connects us even though we are 12 000 kilometres apart.

We remember it fondly: the story of the gentleman and the kudu.

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For me, hunting kudu is one of the most exciting antelope hunts, second only to the thrill of stalking eland. The kudu is called the ‘grey ghost’ for good reason. A hunter may roam the bush for days to catch only fleeting glimpses of this majestic animal, let alone get a chance to take aim. We had warned Werner of this but he was determined to give it a try. “I am prepared for anything”, he said firmly.

On the big day we all got up early, I even a little earlier to make breakfast and pack some

provisions because we wouldn’t be back in time for lunch. From experience I knew that this was going to be a long day.

The equipment was taken to the vehicle and our hunting companions – Blitz, the Jack Russell, and Tyson, the Terrier – were already raring to go. Soon enough we were on our way: tracker Jonny, the essential member of any hunting party, Super PH Divan (as Werner calls him since that day), Werner and I.

We drove to an area which according to Divan is favoured by kudu. It continues to fascinate me that professional hunters are able to ‘read’ the natural environment, even though it has been three years since I moved from Germany to Namibia to marry Divan.

It didn’t take long to find the spoor of a big kudu bull and five females. Let the stalk begin!

Almost without a sound the four of us move across the red sand and through many

thorn bushes, known as ‘wait-a-little’ in the vernacular. The thorns hook our skin but the pain simply has to be ignored on a hunt. The temperature is rising to 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit).

The stalk drags on as we follow a fresh and promising spoor. The kudu is nowhere to be seen yet, but we pass several warthog, a jackal, springbok and gemsbok. We even avoid a black mamba slithering away up a tree. Apparently it had noticed us long before we noticed him.

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THE GENTLEMAN AND THE KUDU The atmosphere is still totally relaxed as we walk quietly along. If the animals we pass take flight they will alert the kudu. The wind is in our favour.

I support Werner in this tense, emotionally charged moment. Divan and Jonny walk over to the kudu, giving us time to cope with our thoughts and tears.

Divan gets down on one knee and signals us to come closer. He points at the spoor and says in a very low voice that we are now very close to the kudu and must move on even more cautiously and without a sound.

After a little while we heard Divan say “oh dear”. Werner asked if something was wrong, but Divan just repeated “oh dear”. With his charm and sense of humour Divan always succeeds in making us smile again to release the tension. Werner and I went over to the kudu and Werner’s first reaction was awe-struck silence. Then he also said “oh dear”. He had never seen a big kudu trophy like this one.

That is easier said than done because all the concentration and exertion already send the adrenaline levels rocketing. We have been stalking for seven hours now. Our feet are hurting and we (Werner and I) are not able to walk any faster anyway.

Around the campfire that night Werner said that this was the point where he could have been knocked down with a feather. He was so tired, but his head and his heart told him that he hadn’t reached the end of his tether yet.

That was fortunate because just a few moments later things started to happen.

Fresh kudu droppings and heavily browsed twigs. Divan and Jonny intensify their search. They know the kudu must be close. Werner and I spot him at the same time. I feel an icy shiver running down my spine: there he is, the huge kudu bull in all his splendour, browsing on thorny shrubs some 120 metres away. Don’t move, don’t talk. There is only one chance and that is NOW. Divan gingerly sets up the shooting sticks for Werner. “Go for it, now”, he says under his breath.

Werner takes position, cocks the gun and takes aim. Time stands still for a split second. Then the silence shatters as the shot rings out. It is spot on.

Werner is a hunter with heart and soul. He has been hunting for more than 40 years but he explains that when it is time to pull the trigger he still hears his heart pounding, and after the shot his limbs are shaking and he feels the release in his head.

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With congratulations on the good hunt all around and tears of joy in our eyes we stood reverently next to the old bull, each of us briefly lost in our own thoughts. Then we paid our last respects to the beautiful animal and started the arduous process of carrying it out.

We finished just before dark and arrived back home completely worn out. But we didn’t go to bed early because we were still overwhelmed by this special hunting experience and as all hunters do, had to recount every little detail.

The following day we had a picnic in the bush to celebrate Werner’s birthday.

This kudu trophy takes pride of place in his living room and brings back great memories for the three of us every time we visit him in Germany.

Usually, hunting guests are asked what they expect of the outfitter and the professional hunter. When it comes to the guests, however, I also have certain expectations.

When I first arrived in Namibia as an intern I was highly critical of hunting. Now I am an outfitter myself. Hunters should apply themselves with passion, with heart and soul. They should also appreciate our natural environment and our wildlife and treat both with the greatest possible respect. That is what I expect from our hunting guests – guests like our friend Werner.

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THE ABLE-BODIED

WARRIOR

WILLEM MOORE

OF THE AFRICAN SAVANNAHS An endlessly fascinating game animal

Wherever an open, permanent body of water is found on the huge African continent, with sufficient grass in the surroundings â&#x20AC;&#x201C; even very hardy grasses â&#x20AC;&#x201C; an extremely successful wild animal is apt to have made its home there. The African buffalo is an endlessly fascinating game animal and the imposing boss of the Cape buffalo, i.e. the savannah buffalo type of southern and eastern Africa, is possibly the most coveted trophy to be bagged in Africa. Kai-Uwe Denker, Translated from Erongo Verzeichnis 1/11

T

his can be explained by the fact that the coarse, sweeping boss of the Cape buffalo harmoniously completes the picture of an almost indestructible animal which is well equipped to defend itself. Whereas other subspecies have smaller, less sturdy horns because they mostly or even exclusively prefer dense vegetation where they find shelter if need be, the Cape buffalo has conquered

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open grasslands as well, even though he also enjoys dense vegetation. Out on the savannah he relies on his physical strength, complemented by the enormous horns, as well as the protection provided by the herd, his courage and grim determination.

The dangerous nature of this usually placid bovine should not be dramatised, but there can be no doubt at all about this fact. If

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you have ever approached a large herd of buffalo in open savannah on foot, you will have experienced that the bovines repeatedly face you as a compact phalanx of muscular bodies. Some bulls usually take a few steps towards you, the troublemaker, and shake their massive heads in a threatening pose.

There is also no doubt about the sense of community among Cape buffalo. In times

of danger they help each other. The grim determination of a provoked buffalo is often discarded as a hunter's cock-and-bull story. But it really exists â&#x20AC;&#x201C; as the following experience, carefully authenticated and told

by Mervin Cowie, illustrates.

In 1960 a group of Tsavo rangers had pitched their camp on the floodplains of the Galana River, in an area where four buffalo bulls were seen daily. One night a pride of nine lions appeared and killed one of the bulls in a noisy battle. The following morning the rangers watched the lions at their kill and they also noticed that one of the remaining three bulls left the area a few hours later. The other two, however, a younger bull and an old behemoth, remained in their home territory. A week later the rangers observed a single male

lion attacking the young buffalo bull and toppling him over by leaping at him unexpectedly. When the bull on the ground started to bellow in desperation, the old one lunged at the lion and tossed him in the air with his head. The lion sustained a deep wound on his side and fled with a limp. In the meantime the younger bull got back onto his feet and together with the old one began a relentless pursuit. Still on the open grassland, they briefly managed to corner the glowering big cat crouching there, but then the lion was able to escape and hide in a small clump of shrubs. The two buffaloes then attacked the hiding place with their hooves and thrusts of their horns and demolished the shrubs to such an extent that the lion had to leave and fled into the open again. With terrific tenacity the buffaloes resumed their pursuit

of the lion and in the same manner again attacked the small clumps of shrubs where the cat sought refuge. Fleeing from cover to cover the desperate lion headed for the tree from where the rangers were watching, but noticed them and swerved towards the river. Briefly diverted by the presence of the rangers, the buffaloes lost sight of the lion but then continued the chase. The lion had fled into the water and walked a short distance downstream before getting out on the same side of the river. This tactic proved successful: the buffaloes lost his spoor for good. Confused as they were they doggedly searched for it nevertheless and thereby found the rest of the pride. They attacked them with incredible fury and the big cats scattered in all directions. At that point the rangers felt so uneasy in the tree that they retreated. Even though they abandoned

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their amazing observation it still showed the tenacious determination with which buffaloes turn onto adversaries once they feel provoked beyond measure.

Buffaloes usually live in mixed herds of up to several hundred animals, sometimes even as many as two thousand. Older bulls are often solitary or form small groups. Bulls fight serious battles among each other during the rut.

Buffaloes have to drink every day and often frequent a body of water twice a day for extensive wallowing. Usually they are accompanied by oxpeckers and Cattle Egrets. In dense bush and reeds these birds are a tell-tale sign of the presence of buffalo.

While the lumbering bovines' stoic behaviour towards human beings seems a little pointless in open grassland, this view changes immediately and drastically as soon as the buffalo hunt relocates to thick bush or even clumps of tall reeds or thickets of papyrus. In my opinion

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the latter biotope, found in large parts of Mozambique, Botswana and Tanzania, is by far the most disagreeable place for hunting buffalo.

A classical buffalo hunt consists of finding the spoor of an old bull or a group of dugga boys and follow it, often on the water, to the places where they rest.

Under normal circumstances an encounter with buffaloes will hardly result in a dangerous situation. But just one characteristic form of buffalo behaviour is enough to make your adrenaline level shoot up: when a buffalo smells trouble he raises his head and with his nose stretched forward takes a few steps towards the disruption, all the while grimly looking at you from beneath his horns, now pointing backward – it is the sort of look that Robert Ruark once described as: "He looks at you as if you owe him money".

But then, since the buffalo is not injured and not provoked, he will without fail turn around and flee.

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“ No other hunt offers that combination of elemental sensations, potential danger and a massive, striking trophy. "

Careful shot placement is possibly the most important part of a buffalo hunt. Placement should be chosen in such a way that the projectile can penetrate the heart lung complex. One should resist the temptation to take neck shots at too much of an angle, otherwise one might end up like Tony Challis – or worse.

GAME PROFILE Views differ on this question as well and somewhere else in this magazine you may find a different opinion. Personally, if circumstances allow, I prefer a position at a slight angle to shoot diagonally through the heart lung complex and also hit the deeplying spine or at least the nerve centres on it. When hit like that, a buffalo will collapse immediately and the diagonal shot through

the heart lung complex will cause a quick death. The shot must be placed where the neck meets the shoulder. In case of deviations it ultimately doesn't matter whether the buffalo standing broadside was hit in the paunch or the quartering buffalo was hit too far in the back and penetrated diagonally.

A projectile with deep penetration power is always a must, however.

To the well-known quote 'in every man, there is a child' I would like to add '…but in every man, there is also a man'.

And that man's 'dearest child' – even though in the age of emancipation and political correctness the man in the man is no longer in demand – is buffalo hunting.

CAPE BUFFALO Sincerus caffer caffer Shoulder height:

150 to 165 cm

Weight:

700 to 820 kg

Life expectancy:

18 to 20 years

Diet:

Grass

Mating period:

From September to December.

Due to the very long gestation period, mating as well as calving coincides with the rainy season.

Gestation period:

11 months, 1 calf

Distribution:

Southern and eastern Africa

Identification:

Bull is larger, bulkier, distinct ram nose, clearly visible penis sheath, more or less marked boss. Females have thinner horns without boss.

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On the spoor of

BUFFALO AND ELEPHANT

in the Zambezi Region of Namibia

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Approaching the landing strip at Mpacha Airport at Katima Mulilo it was clear that this normally lush region was also severely affected by the drought that has been devastating most of the African continent for some time. While majestic baobab, African mahogany, jackalberry and knob-thorn trees amongst others still graced the flat and seemingly endless landscape, the undergrowth and grass now appeared scorched with only the main channels of the big rivers retaining some water. With the temperature already approaching the high thirties well before noon, upon stepping down from the plane we intuitively knew that for the next week we wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t only be up against two of the most dangerous members of the Big Five, but also against the harsh and unforgiving realities of the African continent. Willem Moore

A

s always, we were welcomed by hundreds of Yellow-billed Kites hovering over the town, and by our laidback PH, Dawid, who on the way to his hunting concession also pointed out the severe effects of the lingering drought on the local communities. However, these sad impressions soon gave way to the welcoming smiles of Dawidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s camp staff, the familiar calls of Arrow-marked Babblers around the lapa and the aromas of lunch drifting towards us from the kitchen as we arrived at his hunting lodge, nestled among riverine vegetation and overlooking a slowly whirling side-channel of the Kwando River.

A brief indaba with Dawid and his game scouts and trackers revealed that the extremely dry conditions also had an impact on the movement of buffalo and elephant in the area and that hard work lay ahead in the coming week. Not only the boundaries of the vast and completely unfenced concession area, but also the long-known hideaways and crossing channels of buffalo and elephant on and between the various islands would have to be scanned daily at dawn and at dusk to detect any movement of individuals or herds of buffalo and elephant. When we retired to our reed bungalow after lunch for a siesta in the sweltering early November heat, it was evident that the next few days would be no mean feat.

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BUFFALO HUNTING

While our daily patrols through the concession area revealed no buffalo and only small breeding herds of elephant, we encountered amid occasional veld fires, an amazing variety of predators and plains game – lion, leopard, hyena, black-backed jackal, roan, Chapman’s zebra, kudu, blue wildebeest, waterbuck, lechwe, impala, bushbuck, duiker and steenbok.

In addition, the regular sightings of Fish Eagles, Tawny Eagles, Verreaux’s Eagleowls, Lanner Falcons, Saddle-billed Storks, Spur-winged, Egyptian and Pigmy geese, Knob-billed, Fulvous and White-faced duck, Red-billed and Swainson’s spurfowl as well as Coqui and Crested francolin brought a welcome variation to our otherwise monotonous patrolling of the concession area. These sightings provided wonderful food for thought and conversation as we gathered around the campfire towards evening to relax and enjoy the marvellous sunsets of the region.

Our hopes for an elephant bull flared up on only one occasion in the course of the week.

Tracks of a breeding herd of elephant crossed

our own in the loose white sandy soil of the mopani forest to the north and among the tracks of cows and calves were those of a much bigger elephant – a bull? With the sun mercilessly beaming down and amidst the tremendous silence of the African bush in mid-morning, we started following the tracks in the hope of locating the herd somewhere in the dense thornveld. However, upon catching up with them, the big tracks turned out to be those of a huge tuskless cow, towering above the rest of the herd and glaring down at us almost contemptuously.

After another sweaty and restless night our last day had arrived. Once again we were awakened by the generator throbbing far way and had coffee and rusks in the lapa at the crack of dawn while listening to the flute-like calls of White-browed Robin-chats piercing the morning air. Yet again our early morning patrol yielded no fresh signs of buffalo or elephant movement and on top of that we ran out of fuel on our way back to the lodge for brunch. It was while waiting for assistance to arrive that Dawid’s chief game scout called. He had just located three dugga boys along one of the side-channels of the Kwando

River and asked us to come immediately.

With brunch forgotten, adrenalin rushing through our veins and sweat streaming from our bodies, we set off over the now mostly dry flood plains scattered with deep tracks of elephant, buffalo and hippo, and along the way through some of the smaller sidechannels of the Kwando River.

Upon wading through one of these channels, Rian's and my eyes met in the exhilaration for a moment, as Dawid’s command to chamber a solid and put our rifles on safe coincided with the exuberant and ringing call of an African Fish Eagle.

It wasn’t long before we caught up with Dawid’s game scout, Hendrik, who enthusiastically urged us to crouch as we started following his lead.

Hendrik stealthily guided us through increasingly dense vegetation and up to a knob-thorn tree from where Dawid and Rian commenced their final stalk towards the dugga boys, restlessly moving around behind a clump of bird plums a mere hundred metres ahead of us.

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BUFFALO HUNTING A full hour ticked away before we almost unexpectedly heard the crack of Rian’s .375 H&H, followed by the deeper report of Dawid’s .470 NE. With warblers, weavers and little White Egrets exploding from the reeds, the dugga boys took off along the side-channel. They scattered, but it was evident that one of them was hit, as it soon dropped behind and took refuge in a clump of dense undergrowth. Its death bellow amid the deafening sounds of cicadas and the alarm calls of a number of Go-away Birds brought some relief and confirmation, but still required an extremely cautious follow-up into the thicket. However, with nothing more than an insurance shot required, we could join in the exuberance of Dawid’s guides and trackers, as with a deep feeling of reverence we kneeled next to the fallen dugga boy.

Amid swirling flocks of weavers returning to the reeds along the channel, Rian and I were on our way back to the lodge feeling a quiet gratitude towards Dawid for a truly African experience through which we could also make a contribution to the Namibian Game Products Trust Fund and to the livelihood of the local community.

The author Willem, in the centre, with his brother Rian, and PH Dawid Muller

With the recent ban on hunting on state land in Botswana and the gradual deterioration of hunting opportunities in many other parts of Africa, due to poaching, corruption, illegal wildlife trade, commercialisation, terrorism and other factors, Namibia has indeed become a hunting destination of choice for many from all over the world.

This sentiment is to be understood against the background of a number of important factors.

Namibia is not only the youngest and arguably the most peaceful country in Africa, but with a population of only 2.3 million it has the lowest density of people per square kilometre on the continent.

The country’s 13 regions extend from the Namib and Kalahari deserts in the south and the vast savannah landscapes in the centre to the lush areas bordering on the Okavango and Zambezi rivers in the north. Its flora and fauna

include 14 vegetation zones and 200 endemic plant species, the Big Five, 200 mammal and 676 bird species – a combination that creates an almost irresistible attraction to tourists, photographers and hunters.

The protection of this splendid natural environment is enshrined in Article 95 (1) of the Namibian Constitution and is reflected in respectively 46% and 17% of the country’s 824 268 square kilometre surface area being dedicated to some form of conservation management and to National Parks that also include the country’s 1 570 km of coastline.

Within this context, hunting in Namibia is strictly regulated and largely free of corruption and the abuse of wildlife. No hunting is allowed on land smaller than 1 000 hectares, and in practice hunting occurs on much larger and often vast areas of unfenced land. Furthermore, hunters generally regard Namibia as a ‘rifle

friendly’ country since only the importation of pistols, revolvers and automatic or semiautomatic weapons is prohibited. Also of great importance is the fact that hunting in Namibia is firmly connected to the country’s very successful Community Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) initiative through which an important link between conservation and the development of rural communities has been established.

It is through this initiative that rural communities annually derive direct income from selling hunting opportunities to hunters and that my brother, Rian and I, recently again had the opportunity to follow the spoor of buffalo and elephant in the Zambezi Region of Namibia. This time our permits allowed for two buffalo bulls and an elephant bull that, apart from making a substantial contribution to the Namibian Game Products Trust Fund, would also provide us with a truly African experience!

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Eventful days at the

LINYANTI

In September 2016 I guided a buffalo hunt for my friend and colleague Felix in the Bamunu Conservancy. The Bamunu Conservancy in Namibia’s Zambezi Region (formerly known as the Caprivi) is normally a biome that consists of a network of wetlands and floodplains interspersed with islands where trees and shrubs grow. The core conservation and hunting area borders on the Linyanti River, at the same time forming the national border to Botswana; the Linyanti is a relatively shallow river that in times of good rains floods the plains surrounding it. Usually hunting takes place by navigating the channels and side arms of the Linyanti with a boat in search of buffalo, reedbuck, hippo and crocodile. In 2016, however, rains were very poor in the region; the drought caused rivers like the Linyanti and parts of the Kwando to dry up. This had already been fatal for many hippos and many more were left stranded and crammed in a few quickly drying “hippo” pools inside the hunting area. These pools are also frequented by large numbers of buffalo and elephant, moving in from the overpopulated Botswana. The drying of the river has caused a massive influx of Burchell’s zebra, also roan, sable, eland and common impala that start to move into the area again. All this a reminder that a drought has its place in a natural system and has positive effects as well. In this case it helped restore some of the original biodiversity that had been pushed out when crops were still grown and cattle instead of buffalo roamed the burnt reed fields until five years ago. Hagen Denker

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s I lay in the open bungalow, listening to the sounds of the night; the ‘laughing’ of the zebra grazing on the fresh green, the occasional lonely howl of the hyena and the ever-present, continuous alarm-like call of the Rufous-cheeked Nightjar, I slowly fall into a lucid waking dream, reflecting on the events of past days.

The hunting guests have left camp and I want to go for a last walk before I too leave for home. We make our way on foot in this dust and smoke laden atmosphere, past the “boat tree” where the hunting starts in times of a flooding river. Now the river and floodplains are dry and we can quickly cover the burnt reed fields. About halfway to the ponds in the side arm of the Linyanti we notice a herd of elephant moving in from Botswana; they are likely to cross our path and we decide to take a slight detour. Our detour turns into an unpleasant fight through thick reeds until eventually we find a hippo path, which we follow for a while until it bends away into the wrong direction. We now follow smaller paths, often underneath a canopy of reeds – I cannot help but imagine what would happen if we suddenly come across a lion or grumpy buffalo bull in this thick hell!

Every now and then when the reeds open up a little, I balance on one of the reed ‘stumps’ to try and look ahead for the river. Sometimes I suspect the river but then again I am unable to see the elephant that we hear moving in the reeds to our left.

Soon though, we reach the dry river and follow its course, every now and then looking ahead from the riverbank.

I am in high spirits in these beautiful surroundings; flocks of weaver birds pass above us, beginning to settle into the reeds for the night; here and there fresh elephant tracks cross the riverbed, amongst them the impressions of a decent bull. A marsh mongoose scurries away into the river brush as we surprise it on its stroll along the riverbed.

We are close to the small ponds now and from the higher riverbank I take a look around. The left – southern – side of the river is framed with reed, while north of the river the reeds are burnt down, allowing for a view far into the distance. A few hundred yards away in the northwest I can see an elephant bull slowly making his way through the floodplains, swirling

up a small cloud of ash with every step.

Beyond him in the distance the huge dust cloud of the big buffalo herds making their daily trip from Botswana to the hippo pools. Glassing further to the left I notice a movement – I can see the horns and head of a stately roan bull moving along in a small gully or hippo path.

My soul is at peace and my thoughts wander off into the distance, where lions still roam and old battled buffalo bulls find a last refuge near these muddy ponds that are too small to support the big herds.

On our way back to camp we come across a very good reedbuck ram and although we didn’t see the two impressive buffalo again, I feel lucky and happy to have hunted here.

When Felix took over the concession, buffalo only moved into the area to feed on the crops and antelope like reedbuck, waterbuck and roan were seldom if ever seen. Due to the good relations that have been built with the traditional leader, crops are not planted anymore in this area and even eland, warthog and the scarce bush pig have reclaimed this amazing habitat.

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It is still early and we continue our stalk in an easterly direction. On one of the islands I climb a tree to look ahead. In some distance behind the next island I spot some buffalo and we decide to take a look at them. On our way through a field of about hip-high grass, something suddenly jumps up in front of us. Through the binoculars I see that it is a serval – what a rare sighting!

I try to snatch a photo of the elusive predator but he has already disappeared in the grass.

We stalk on and eventually can make an excellent approach on the buffalo herd, using a shallow gully for cover. We are quite close to the herd in a patch of reeds, while the buffalo are on the edge of the reeds. It is a mixed herd with one bull that may be old enough, but we cannot get any closer unnoticed and therefore decide to leave them in peace.

The occasional lion prides patrolling here and the howling of the spotted hyena at night make this a true wilderness area that should deserve the protection from any other use than the occasional hunteradventurer bagging an old trophy, like we had done a few days earlier.

of hyenas or lions soon. These are the tough – yet necessary – sides to a drought; over the course of the safari we came across a number of hippo carcasses and there will be many more to follow. Only the strongest will at some point leave the hippo pools in search of other waters and only return when the floods return.

We had to do some shopping in the morning in Katima Mulilo, and after picking up hunter Uwe and his wife at the airstrip, I am glad that we can finally exchange the crowded, though strangely captivating town on the verge of the Zambezi River, for the bushveld at the Linyanti River. We arrive in camp – which is beautifully set on and around an island – and first of all greet the team of trackers, game guards and camp staff, as well as Danita, who will look after our well-being, and PH Wanjo who is doing his big game apprenticeship here. We take it slow for the rest of the day, going for a walk after the usual test shot.

We step up to where the hippo had first been and stand above a small muddy pond in a pit in the river. There are tracks of a big buffalo bull from earlier today – immediately my heart beats faster: this feels exactly like the place an old bull would seek, spend the days in the impenetrable reeds near the river and come to water late in the afternoon. It is too late for action today, but in anticipation of what the next days could bring, we return homewards.

We immediately get into a shooting position; the bull is still down in the pond and we have to wait for him to get out. After a while he turns around and we can now see the top of his head – he has a most impressive set of horns above his hairless, scarred face – this is a truly ancient bull.

The horns are short, with blunt worn tips; the boss has large chunks broken out and is worn smooth as can be – what a buffalo!

As I suspect that the buffalo bulls will most likely come to the muddy pond in the afternoon, we head towards the hippo pools the next morning. We are in a diverse area with fewer reeds, and rather high thick-stalked grass with islands of trees and the odd palm tree here and there. We have worked our way towards a herd of buffalo but cannot make out a decent bull. I decide to get a bit closer to the herd to have a better look. The buffalo slowly move past me, more and more of them appearing out of the high grass. I can see only young bulls and soon the first buffalo have almost gone around me; they get my wind and the whole herd stampedes away in a huge cloud of dust.

At this moment another bull appears out of the pond and moves onto ‘our’ side, where he stops for a short moment and looks into our direction. It is also an old bull with a magnificently long right horn and incredibly broad boss. The left horn is broken off with only the boss remaining. He makes his way onto the opposite riverbank and then disappears in the reeds. We let him pass, as Uwe would like to bag a bull with even horns.

The ancient bull also gets going now, but does not follow the other bull, instead moving directly into the reeds without presenting the chance for a shot. I know that buffalo bulls like these will only come along a few times in life, especially together like these two,

In the afternoon of the second day we decide to stalk toward the Linyanti River. After a while we reach a side arm of the Linyanti and walk in the dry riverbed for a bit. As we come around a bend I notice something lying in a sort of hole in the river. Through the binoculars I can only make out a grey lump. We slowly stalk on and as we come closer the grey lump gets up and turns into a young hippo, trotting off in the riverbed. The hippo must have gotten lost from the herds when they were grazing at night and will most likely become the dinner

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The afternoon sees us at the muddy pond again.

As we come around the bend I get up on the riverbank to look into the depression where the hippo was the day before, and immediately see the back line of a buffalo. Through the binoculars I can make out its hairless, scraggy back and shoulders – without even seeing the rest of the animal I know that this is an old bull!

EVENTFUL DAYS AT THE LINYANTI and therefore Wanjo and one of the game guards move into the reeds on the other side of the river to try and push out the two bulls.

They however, know this game and disappear deeper into the reeds. I am truly shaken by these two bulls and just hope that we will find them again.

We are stalking along the sidearm the following afternoon in search of the two bulls. As we get closer to the dry Linyanti River, the sidearm fans out and becomes relatively flat. We stay on the northern riverbank, stopping here and there to glass ahead. Suddenly we hear a reed cracking in a patch of thick reeds some eighty yards from us in the wide riverbed. We stop to listen, and the cracking repeats every few minutes. The trackers are sure that this must be a buffalo, most likely a single bull. We move into the cover of a termite hill and wait for the buffalo to appear. For ten or fifteen minutes we just hear the occasional cracking of reeds. I decide to get up onto the termite hill and hopefully have a better view.

Not before long the head and shoulders of a male lion appear out of nowhere in the reeds.

I am completely taken aback by this as I was expecting a buffalo, and quickly make the others aware of the lion. We had seen lion tracks before, but I would not have expected to see a lion, especially not this close. The lion stares intensely at us and a strangely uncomfortable feeling spreads in my body.

Encountering a truly wild lion in such wilderness is always an incredible experience; after taking a few photos we decide to make our way back along the river.

The game guard walking at the back suddenly stops us as he has seen a few buffalo in the distance, coming out of the dry open forest in Botswana. I can see three or four bulls just disappearing into the reeds framing the Linyanti. We quickly make our way along the sidearm past the muddy pond; the buffalo will pass the sidearm further to the east. As we hurry past a steep part of the riverbank I hear a hissing sound coming from the bottom of the bank. The bank has a slight overhang with the roots of the reeds hanging just above the ground. Behind this natural curtain we can make out the contour of a small crocodile, which upon our approach disappears in a narrow cave behind the root curtain – incredible how this prehistoric reptile has decided to try and wait out the drought until the floods return, probably snatching a bird or small mammal every now and then.

On we walk in the river to cut off the buffalo bulls. The river makes a sudden sharp bend to the right and sixty yards onwards we find a second muddy pond, this one holding more water than the other one.

I reckon that the best chance of seeing the bulls is if they come to this pond and we therefore decide to wait here in cover. The sun is setting quickly and, other than birds, nothing appears at the water. The buffalo have either gone another way or will only come to the water at night and we have no option but to try again the next day.

Like the afternoons before we head to the side arm of the Linyati that still has some water ponds in it. One of the game guards and a tracker check and wait near the second pond, while we stalk to the other one. We haven’t really settled in yet, when I hear whistling from the direction of the second pond. Looking over to where the whistling is coming from, I can see the tracker excitedly waving and gesticulating.

We immediately get up again and quickly move over to the game guard and tracker, who have indeed seen a buffalo.

The pond is around the next bend of the sidearm and I decide to first take a look around the “corner” and see what the bull looks like.

The buffalo is standing above the water on the riverbank on the fringe of a reed thicket. It is however a young bull. I intensely glass into the reeds in the hope of spotting another bull in there somewhere, but cannot see anything. Due to the course of the river, we are on the same side of the river as the young bull. To the left and in front of us there is a clearing free of reeds, all on the opposite riverbank. The dry riverbed bends around the clearing to the left and then disappears in the reeds to the northeast.

I glass back to the young bull and immediately notice a movement at the bottom of my view field in the binoculars – the shoulder line of another buffalo! He is down in the pond – which I realise now is on a much lower level from our position than the rest of the riverbed.

Although I cannot see much of the buffalo, he seems more mature as his back appears to have less hair, yet I cannot really size him up.

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EVENTFUL DAYS AT THE LINYANTI He doesn’t move much for a while, so I first retrace my steps back to Uwe and let him know what I have seen. I suggest that we move across the riverbed, using the bend of the river as cover to get to the opposite riverbank.

Uwe, Wanjo, game guard Niklas and I stalk through the dry riverbed, while Uwe’s wife and the rest of the team stay behind in the cover of the reeds. The bank of the river is some six feet above the riverbed and my hope is that we may be able to get a shot over the edge of the bank when the bull moves across the clearing – if he does. As we reach the bank, I indicate to the others to crouch down behind the bank, while I peek over and see whether the bull has moved. As I look over the edge, the buffalo moves across the river towards our side of the river – it is a good mature bull. He is still in the riverbed – which is higher on the other side of the bend – but is coming towards us at an angle, which will bring him within fifty or so yards of us. We must be extra careful when getting into a shooting position over the bank’s edge.

We have to take a few steps along the river so that we can walk up the bank and position the shooting sticks. Time is of the essence and we quickly get into position, still crouched in cover. Wanjo sets up the shooting sticks and we get Uwe behind the rifle to get ready. As we rise above the edge, the old bull is coming out of the riverbed onto the clearing; he must have noticed a movement because he stops dead still and

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glares over to us from underneath his boss – these are intense moments as we may not move and cannot shoot, with the buffalo still at an angle towards us.

The young bull is already across the clearing and there is another bull ninety yards behind the old one, beyond the river. I am standing slightly behind Uwe to the right, rifle at the half-ready. Nobody dares to move, while I whisper to Uwe to wait until the buffalo relaxes – hopefully – and take a shot when he is broadside. After a few long moments the bull lowers his head, takes a step forward, and presents his complete broadside.

Uwe does not hesitate and lets fly. The buffalo shows no reaction to the shot and takes off. As I am not sure where the bull is hit, I immediately put a round into the running buffalo. He is aiming for a thick patch of reeds – I am not going to let him get away, run in a semicircle after him to get a better view and put myself in danger of bullets from behind. The bull disappears in the reeds but luckily reappears on a small reed-free patch where he acquits my next shot onto his spine, breaking into the reeds to his right. We hear a few stalks cracking, followed by dead silence – and then the moaning deathbellow brings an end to the hunt. We wait for a while, nervous laughter and relief filling the cool evening air as the tension ebbs off.

As I walk back to fetch the hunting vehicle, I for the first time in days can truly stride out and freely breathe the fresh air. We have

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brought this hunt to a satisfying and safe end – something one can never be too sure of when hunting dangerous game. Uwe has been able to fulfil his dream to hunt for a good buffalo and what remains are the good memories in one of the few spots remaining in the Zambezi Region that gives a feeling of wilderness. As we pull up to the camp later that evening, the trackers and game scouts are singing of a successful hunt on the back of the pickup, Goose bumps run down my spine as I am reminded of how natural and raw this life can be.

I drift off to sleep, looking forward to coming here again and hunting buffalo, maybe some day bagging a bull myself – an old bull like the ones we saw on that third day.

Although the contract runs out this year, Felix is confident that he can renew it, as he maintained the good relations with the local community.

Three months later Felix tells me that the conservancy committee had a change of mind and the concession is likely to go to a businessman.

Later I hear that seemingly the traditional leader, out of protest, apparently has started planting crops again and soon, when the river is in flood again, fishermen will probably also return. With that the dreams of young hunters have come to an abrupt end.

What remains then are memories.

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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The soulmate of

AFRICA

The lion is probably the world's most efficient hunter. He does not waste his skills: he kills to eat or to protect himself.

There is nothing frivolous about his killing capabilities. And the Ridgeback knows this.

Danene vd Westhuyzen

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I

accidentally stumbled upon the Rhodesian Ridgeback 15 years ago when I was living in Windhoek. My neighbour often visited with her lustrous red hound with its fantastic character and charming intelligence. I was sold on him, mostly by his character and gentle nature, but also because of the smell of his protective presence that lingered in my house.

Years later, when my husband and I moved to the farm permanently, our ideal picture wasn’t complete without the red dog at our side.

Needless to say, we bought our first Rhodesian Ridgeback female. We named her Shiza, which is Swahili and means “she who walks like a lion”. She became our constant companion, and, like many childless couples do, was reared as the child in our house. Merely by chance we became aware that she had an incredible natural instinct whenever someone was on the track of a wounded animal.

The first time this became apparent to us, the novice dog handlers, was when one of our hunting clients unfortunately wounded a springbok. It was mid-March and we felt the humid heat even bounce off from the grass. We followed the track for quite some time, with all signs indicating that it was a gut shot. The springbok was running with a herd of more than 150 animals and we knew that the day would get longer and warmer as we continued on the track. Shiza was happily trotting along

obediently, with all her discipline training paying off, but she kept darting from one shady spot to the next, which caused me to make some embarrassing excuses to the client, and I kept a close watch on Shiza.

At some stage I lost sight of her. I turned around to see if she was behind me waiting in the cool shade of a shepherd’s tree again, but she was gone. One of my trackers directed my eye forward, to where the herd of springbok was scurrying away from us. At that very moment the back of the herd started to run at full speed, and that was when I noticed the agile red dog at their heels. I stared in awe and watched the first of many such pursuits.

She was weaving her way through the herd of springbok, faster and faster, with long leaps that made her hind legs almost touch her ears, but without a sound or grabbing at any of the springbok. And then, right in the middle of the herd, as if in slow motion, she reached towards one ram, slapped at its ankles, and down he went with a cloud of dust gathering around the action. And there she was, baying him, without taking notice of all the others that rushed past them at full speed, all the while barking and barking.

The Rhodesian Ridgeback is one of only two registered breeds indigenous to Southern Africa. Its ancestors can be traced to the former Cape Colony in South Africa where they were crossbred with the early pioneers’ dogs and

the semi-domesticated dogs of the indigenous people. The Boers used many of the breeds they brought with them to crossbreed with the Khoi dogs, or Hottentot Hunting Dogs, as they required a dog that was resistant to local diseases and more suitable to frontier life.

In 1879 Reverend Charles Daniel Helm brought two dogs from Kimberley to his mission station near Bulawayo in southwestern Zimbabwe. These two bitches are regarded as the origin of the breed that became known as the Rhodesian Ridgeback.

A hunter by the name of Cornelius van Rooyen, who operated mainly in Matabeleland, mated these two rough-coated, grey-black dogs with his pack and the famous ridge on the dogs’ back emerged.

Cornelius van Rooyen crossed several breeds with the Hottentot Hunting Dog: the Bloodhound/Pointer (for a good nose), the Greyhound (for speed), the Bulldog/ Bullterrier (for courage and tenacity), the Airedale and Irish Terrier (for dash and spirit) and certainly the elegant Deerhound and Staghound (for stamina). The dog's usefulness far outweighed its looks or adherence to any particular type, but it was noticed that the ridge of the Hottentot dog manifested itself in many of the offspring from mating local with European dogs. As a dominant gene it recurred generation by generation.

A Ridgeback is a creature of grace and dignity, loyal to the end.

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And so "the game is on" and one of nature's potentially most unequal contests takes place successfully as a result of the intelligence and cunning, and the speed and power of the dog.

These lion hounds would hunt ordinary game silently, picking up the scent and following it until the quarry came into sight. When the hunter caught up, the stalk would begin.

Hunting mainly in groups of two or three, it was a case of attack, feint, dodge, worry, snap and retreat, but above all confine the beast, allowing the hunter to get into position for a good, clean shot. Only the very fittest and most skilful dogs lived to pass on their qualities to the next generation.

The most common misconception about Rhodesian Ridgebacks is that they actually kill lions. Nothing could be further from the truth. No dog, no matter how courageous, can kill a lion.

To obtain a better understanding of these magnificent animals, it is firstly necessary to appreciate their multi-faceted nature, their flexibility and adaptability, their excessively affectionate and sensitive disposition, their highly developed intelligence, but, most importantly, their firm adherence to pack law. The latter characteristic results in bonding very strongly with the pack as a whole to insure mutual survival. They are prepared to sacrifice their lives in defence of the pack. When placed in the company of us humans (when living with us) they will bond with us and, having done so, behave in accordance with their nature which entails defending the family unit, or pack, to the fullest extent of their abilities.

Having bonded with you (and one cannot over-emphasise the tremendous importance of this bonding experience in how they will

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evaluate their position), you have gained the friendship and affection of a truly loyal companion for the duration of his or her life. It is a relationship which is fully experienced by the human as well and it is probably this quality alone why all of us who have successfully bonded with these fine, brown-coloured, everlasting friends hold the Rhodesian Ridgeback in awe and respect.

My friends multiplied over the years. Tau, meaning “lion”, was our next Rhodesian Ridgeback, and we had four litters come from Shiza and Tau. We kept one male from the first litter and named him Kondo, which means “war” in Swahili. Two years ago we bought another female from a different breeding line and called her Hatari which means “danger”.

It is one of my greatest joys each year, when we visit Swakopmund on the Namibian coast during our December break, to take my Ridgebacks for a run every morning.

Having mentioned the very strict discipline and bonding methods which I enforced diligently, my Ridgebacks are able to run alongside me for more than 10 km every morning, enjoying the fresh sea breeze, without as much as a collar or leash. Older ladies will quickly gather their muchloved Poodles and Jack Russels into their arms merely at the sight of me with four enormous looking red beasts coming their way, while waving an admonishing finger at me and demanding a leash on the big hounds. Yet every time it fills me with extreme gratification to have these pack dogs run alongside me without a wrong

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movement or even the slightest sign of contemplating to break away and go after the yapping sounds. They stop at any red light, and follow again obediently as soon as I softly say kom (come).

On a few occasions, while out on a run on the farm, the two males would all of a sudden run a little distance ahead of me, and even though I would strictly demand their return in a huff-puff voice, they would continue for about 200 meters, stop, and block my way. That was when there were cheetahs slowly jogging ahead of us, every now and then turning their gaze towards us.

The dogs wouldn't give chase, they would only stop me in my tracks until it was safe to give the go-ahead.

Their character and temperament are dignified and they have an independent mind – they can evaluate a situation and act accordingly without instructions. Though naturally obedient and easily trained, you will never get that instant submission you see in working breeds. Ridgebacks are partners… not servants! They have a sense of humour, are aloof and stand-offish with strangers, but show no aggression or shyness. A Ridgeback is a creature of grace and dignity, loyal to the end.

The behaviour of the Rhodesian Ridgeback towards children is legendary. They, the children, are the weakest members of the pack and must be defended with particular vigour. Rhodesian Ridgebacks are very conscious of those "soft" targets and make a greater effort to protect them.

SOULMATE OF AFRICA If they must take action they will be most gentle with the child (they have an emotional appreciation of the young and adjust their responses accordingly). If need be they will retreat from the child’s path, usually after a gruff bark.

Our three beautiful children grew up with Rhodesian Ridgebacks. To me the most impressive and spectacular trait every single one of our Ridgebacks has shown, is the extreme patience they have had with each of the children, and their beautifully soft mouths. Tails were pulled, open wounds were explored by tiny fingers and ears were bitten many a time, believe me, but at the most our dogs, when at the very end of their patience, would just get up and leave.

Another event I remember very vividly was when Tau was recuperating at my parents’ house from another stitch-up operation at the veterinary in Windhoek after a gemsbok rammed its horn into his side. Every day for about two hours he would disappear from my parents’ yard, nowhere to be found. We were puzzled about his whereabouts, even more so because the area was electrically fenced. After a few days one of their neighbours came to ask whether we owned a red dog.

“Yes”, replied my mother, “but he disappears every afternoon and majestically reappears after a while.” The lady informed my mother that every afternoon this dog would come into their house and, as if it were his own, move straight into the room of her ailing husband, dying of cancer, and lie at his feet.

I can recall many other snippets and stories of this impressive dog, but the most significant to me is that the Rhodesian Ridgeback has proven to be a most formidable hunter.

They were carefully and specifically crossbred with well-known breeds of dogs to perform a specific function, which was to hold a lion at bay. Baying entails distracting the "object" in such a way that it remains in that one spot for as long as it takes to complete the exercise, which usually meant that someone would shoot at the "object" from extremely close-up, with the very ineffective rifles of those times. Hence the need for keeping the “object" at bay.

The Rhodesian Ridgeback is equipped with enough power to cope with most bush-related situations. One should never forget, however, that he was bred to BAY lions, not bite or kill them, which in any event is a ludicrous notion at the best of times. This dog is equipped with great intelligence and physical power. Add to that his extreme sensitivity to the mental posture of others which gives him the advantage to assess the intentions of his adversary well before such adversary has had a chance to move. When overfaced he must use his considerable physical attributes to escape, but this of course hinges on his pack loyalties and responsibilities at the given time.

His success at baying, and escaping, depends upon his strength, his manoeuvrability, his feinting tactics, but more importantly upon his ability to make the correct survival decisions. He has a strong forechest because that is his primary strike weapon. I have observed very robust tactics while at play and how a dog can very audibly crash into the other.

It was a case of attack, feint, dodge, worry, snap and retreat, but above all con ne the beast, allowing the hunter to get into position

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There are stories that he can hit a kudu with sufficient force to cause it to stumble and provide him with an opportunity to obtain a good throat-hold.

I have personally witnessed how a large zebra delivered a massive blow with both hind legs into the chest of Tau, which threw him back a good few meters, but as soon as his feet touched firm ground he leapt back, attempting a successful bay at another angle.

I was lucky enough to have one specific hunt on film, where two of my dogs followed the blood trail of a wounded roan.

That evening the camera man showed us a slow-motion version of the pursuit and bay. The specific shot was a bad call on my part. It was too late in the day, too far for a shot, at too bad of an angle. My hunter was experienced but I was impatient. While the sun was setting behind the mountain, both my hunter and I watched the roan look at us, its ears broadly stretched, flicking away some flies, waiting for us to call it a day. I

told my client to take the shot. The thunder of the bullet still rings in my ears, as if to remind me the virtue of patience. We both saw a slight reaction in the roan, but off it went, at a determined speed. We quickly went to the spot where it last stood, while both dogs’ muscles tinged and stressed, waiting for my command to follow up.

After inspection, we noticed traces of blood and stomach content. I was angry with myself, but with no light to spare I gave the command to the dogs to go. Only minutes after their lightning take-off, we could hear them barking. We started running towards the sound, and there they stood, less than 800 metres away. A magnificent roan, fighting off the red flashes signalling the end of its life. I put the hunter on the sticks again at about 60 metres away, called off the dogs and told him to shoot. But within that endless second the roan slipped away and ran off into the sun. I cannot recall visually what happened after that, as only a few seconds passed. I know the dogs chased after the roan again, bayed it again, and

the hunter made a calculated shot which brought the animal down immediately. It was only afterwards, in the evening, that I could fully appreciate and realise the work which both dogs had done that day with determination and incredible technique, and for that matter every time they went after the quarry. In slow motion we could see the red line of speed haring from the bottom left corner of the camera lens, making ground towards the roan, delivering an ankle-tap to one of the hind legs of the roan, and while it was falling to the ground, one dog slipped through underneath its buckling legs and stopped right in front of it, ready to bay from the front, while the other one guarded the flank.

A Ridgeback will give you ample warning of any dangers in close proximity and is unequalled when tracking down wounded animals. He is so efficient in the latter that some hunters believe he can "feel" where the injured animal is: he often tracks far from the original spoor.

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SOULMATE OF AFRICA All our dogs are so-called specialists in their field, and each of them has a unique trait when tracking. None of them was trained by us. They all work according to their own natural instinct.

After an extremely hard kudu hunt, where we walked numerous mountains in pursuit of a kudu bull for many days, another goose-bump story unfolded in front of our eyes. A seemingly good shot was taken at a thick-necked kudu bull very high up on a mountain. We followed its tracks and after some time one of our trackers spotted the bull ahead of us. Without having set eyes on it and scared that we might frighten it off into a run, we approached ever so slowly, swallowing each breath, trying to reach an opening where we could set up the sticks. When we finally came into a clearing, our thighs cringing with cramps, we desperately tried to spot the kudu. Minutes went by as all of us overexerted our eyes, with quick intervals of cleaning our binocular lenses fogged up with sweat.

And then I saw them, two mountains away

already. We could do nothing but sit and watch. In all of the few, but also very long minutes that passed, the kudu, as well as the dog outsmarted us. We watched as the dog ran a good 200 meters below the kudu, under the wind without even having sight of it, by simply following the scent, leading up to it in an arch, and finally keeping it at bay. It took us two hours to reach them, with the dog never even thinking of abandoning its task.

Yes, the lion is probably the world's most efficient predator.

But Rhodesian Ridgebacks have tremendous respect, bordering on fear, for the big cats.

And quite rightly so. A Ridgeback, physically, represents no threat whatsoever to a lion.

Furthermore, it would be very little effort for a lion to finish off this dog. And the Ridgeback is fully aware of this state of affairs.

But the lion also knows that the Ridgeback can overcome his fear and proceed to goad and terrorise him. In spite of his physical inferiority the Ridgeback represents a very real

psychological threat to the lion. And so "the game is on" and one of nature's potentially most unequal contests takes place successfully as a result of the intelligence and cunning, and the speed and power of the dog.

Fortunately the rifles of today to some extent preclude the need for the hunter to close in on a lion to within 30 metres purely because of the inadequacy of his weaponry. The Ridgeback, however, has many other qualities which guarantee him a place in all bush activities on a daily basis. It is out there, running freely in the veld, that you can witness his specialist skills in dealing with every problem the bush can throw at him. That is where he was designed to operate and that is where he reigns supreme. The African hunter’s companion, my soulmate.

A special thanks to Scotty Stewart who provided me with me with information on the history of Ridgebacks. Visit the website: www.rhodesianridgeback.org.za

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- 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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11 3 14

4

9

13

5

2

7

12

1

8

10

Hunting Concessions owned

by NAPHA members Communal Conservancies National Park

Here is where NAPHA members hunt: 1 - Nyae Naye 2 - Wuparo 3 - Kwando 4 - Mayuni 5 - Maschi 6 - King Nehale 7 - Kasika 8 - Ondjou 9 - Sobbe 10 - Eiseb 11 - Sikunga 12 - Dzoti 13 - Nakabolelwa 14 - Kayramcan Association/Bwabwata East & West 15 - #Khoadi//Hoas 16 - Ehirovipuka 17 - Kunene River 18 - Omatendeka 19 - Orupembe 20 - Otjimboyo 21 - Sanitatas 22 - Sesfontein 23 - Sorris Sorris 24 - Torra 25 - Uukolonkadhi-Ruacana 26 - Uukwaludhi 27 - Otjikondavirongo

HUNTiNAMIBIA | 2018

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HUAP/ DIRK HEINRICH

The game guards were given uniforms and they learned how to go on patrol, use modern equipment and how to handle firearms.

GAME GUARDS TRAINED

TO PREVENT POACHING The men and women quietly move through the bush. Not a word is spoken. The members of the patrol must always keep in sight of one another. The leader uses signs to direct his armed group forward. They are following the tracks of three suspicious people. While some of the group concentrate on the tracks, others look for unusual signs in the veld. Alerted by the odour of a carcass they stop, observe the surrounding bush and slowly continue forward again. They find the carcass of a kudu bull among the bushes. The team leader moves closer, careful to avoid destroying any possible evidence. He takes notes of any strange objects or disturbances on the ground or on the vegetation. Two other members of the group look out for anything strange in a wider circle around the scene. A footprint, a cigarette bud, a cartridge, broken twigs, a spent match or a piece of cloth could eventually be the clue to solve a poaching case and apprehend the culprits. Dirk Heinrich

T

he potential crime scene is secured and the police and/or the Ministry of Environment and Tourism have to be informed. In a session convened by the expert trainers from African Anti-Poaching Services the group’s performance is analysed, after which the trainees return to the farmstead that houses the Eagle Rock Academy east of Windhoek. There, the second group is ready to show what they have learnt in the last two weeks.

In June and July 2017 two groups of selected game guards from various communal conservancies in the Zambezi and Kavango regions in the northeastern part of Namibia trained at the Eagle

62

Rock Academy. The men and women were eager to learn more and improve their skills to help their conservancy and its members to prevent poaching. “We need to protect our animals from being poached so that our children can also benefit from the wildlife”, was a sentiment expressed by most of the participants in the course. “We need to stop poaching and bring the perpetrators to court. Those people are criminals who destroy our livelihood”, the trainees emphasised.

Some of the game guards who come from communal conservancies where NAPHA members hold hunting concessions, also act as fish guards to

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The poaching of rhinos and elephants, but also other animals like the pangolin, and the smuggling of the products of these protected species has become a problem in Namibia which is on the rise. Namibia has engaged the police and defence force to cope with it.

The officials benefit from the trained game guards because these men and women know their area, their animals and their people. With their new skills they can be even more effective and support the efforts of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism as well as the work of the police.

Renewable natural resources must be preserved for the sake of biodiversity, the communities and Namibia at large. Sustainable utilisation of renewable natural resources benefits thousands of Namibians, but poachers and international syndicates are destroying this important source of income.

Therefore more people need the skills to combat and prevent poaching in this country.

Map reading, working with a GPS, gathering information, the safe handling of firearms, organising patrols and ways to patrol an area, methods to man observation posts and first aid are some of the subjects which were taught during the basic course. The instructors stressed that it is very important for the anti-poaching members to know how to engage with the local community and with tourists they might encounter during patrols. Therefore the laws of the country are an essential aspect in the training of communal game guards. The trainees must know which animals are protected, what the rights of suspects are and what type of action they (the game guards) can take within the framework of the law.

More courses are to follow, some to train more game guards, others to enhance the leadership skills of some of those participants who completed the basic courses. Lastly there will be follow-up courses for trained game guards to acquire specialised knowledge.

Practical training in the bush is part of the two-week course. Here the participants can show what they have learnt.

DIRK HEINRICH

The two anti-poaching courses, held for two groups of twelve people each at the end of June and beginning of July this year, were the first courses of their kind for game guards from communal conservancies.

The training is sponsored by the HUAP Trust (Hunters United Against Poaching) and provided by the Eagle Rock Academy and African AntiPoaching Services. This company has also trained staff of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism and members of the Save the Rhino Trust. Each of the game guards already came with a wide range of skills, and the theoretical and practical training they received in the 14-day course was to unify those skills and to teach new methods of operating in the field with modern technology. The main aim of the training is to prevent poaching and not to catch poachers after they have killed precious animals. Part of the training is to preserve a scene of crime, since it is impossible to prevent all poaching. By becoming experts in gathering as much evidence as possible, the game guards help to apprehend the culprits and have them prosecuted.

HUAP/ DIRK HEINRICH

prevent fish poaching, mostly by illegal fishermen from neighbouring countries. “These people put out their nets and baits at sunset or in the cover of darkness on the Namibian side of the river. They use nets which are not allowed in our country. Before sunrise they collect the nets and the catch, and return across the border. We try to catch these people and confiscate their nets and longlines”, the fish and game guards said.

Illegal fishing equipment confiscated by fish and game guards together with Namibian and Zambian police and officials from both countries’ Ministry of Fisheries. It is an example of the close working relationship between the authorities and the communal game and fish guards.

Game guards from various communal conservancies of the northeast of Namibia in the lecture room of the Eagle Rock Academy near Windhoek.

DIRK HEINRICH

HUAP/ DIRK HEINRICH

The HUAP Trust contributes to conservation in Namibia by financing and organising these courses that equip game guards with essential skills.

Game and fish guards of a communal conservancy in the Zambezi Region confiscated this traditional fish trap and the fish. Zambians had put out the trap on the Namibian side of the river. The culprits jumped into the river and swam to the Zambian side before they could be arrested. The fishing took place in the closed season.

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ARE WE MAKING THE MOST OF OUR

WILDLIFE PRODUCTS?

I

t is estimated that Namibia has more than three million head of game, the majority of which is actually found outside formally proclaimed parks and is thus potentially available for sustainable use.

Wildlife undoubtedly has become an integral and essential part of the Namibian landscape – both visually and economically. Namibia’s rich wildlife resource already provides the basis for diversified economic development, through industries such as tourism, trophy hunting, meat harvesting, own use and live sale. In fact, it is estimated that over 80% of freehold farms utilise wildlife in one form or another, and the sustainable use of wildlife also underpins the success of the communal conservancy programme.

Indigenous wildlife species are well adapted to the naturally dry and/ or variable climatic conditions that characterise Namibia, especially when able to move reasonably freely. And if climate change models are anything to go by – Namibia’s climate will become more arid, and more variable. In the light of this, as traditional agricultural activities such as livestock production and dryland cropping become more marginal, the wildlife economy provides a viable, diversified and potentially more lucrative business opportunity. Furthermore, because it includes service elements (tourism, trophy hunting, live capture and sale) and value addition (trophy manufacturing, tanning of skins), the economic impact is multiplied several fold, as job opportunities (and career paths) are created, also in rural areas.

But the question is – are we making the most of this valuable asset? Is the full value being realised from every animal harvested?

Simply put, the answer is no, and it is for this reason that the wildlife products industries (game meat and taxidermy) were among the ten industries identified

64

They feed on grass and shrub and twig and in turn become the life source of their human counterparts, as has been the way the wheel turns for aeons past. No stone should be left unturned. No part of them unused. That is the circle of life of a wild thing. An ethos of sustainable use.

by Government to have potential for growth, and for which “Industry Growth Strategies” were developed and are being implemented. The aim is to support local value addition, product and process innovation and upgrading, as well as market diversification – and supporting forward and backward linkages along the wildlife products value chain and within the Namibian economy at large.

Namibia’s competitive advantages and opportunities

There has been a considerable increase in game meat production in Namibia since independence. However, between 2001 and 2013, exports were inconsistent, with volumes fluctuating between less than 100 tonnes to more than 2 000 tonnes per year. Then exports dramatically decreased, as a result of the cessation of exports to the EU due to contamination concerns. It is estimated that Namibia could be losing more than N$ 30 million annually alone by not exporting to the EU. And yet, Namibian game meat offers a premium product for the increasing global demand for a healthy, natural, hormone-free and ethical source of protein.

Furthermore, when compared to competitor products from other countries, it is frequently observed that Namibian game meat and meat products tend to be of superior quality in both taste and appearance. Efforts are therefore underway to address the issues and resume exports of game meat, as well as make game meat a part of every Namibian’s diet.

When it comes to other wildlife products (skins, horns, bones), although some of these are used for value addition (hunting trophies, skins),

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many of them are currently regarded by land users of little or no value and are discarded. An example is the skins of springbok hunted for own use in conservancies (and on many freehold farms). And yet, shifts have taken place that have given the industry new opportunities for growth, e.g. a worldwide trend towards ‘bringing nature back into homes’, which also includes the use of processed animals as upscale home décor items. Wildlife products are also featuring in the tourism décor space. Due to these developments, taxidermy products are used in art, fashion and design in increasingly innovative and popular ways. This trend is an opportunity for Namibian taxidermists, craftsmen/women and artists to broaden their product ranges and improve their businesses. It also provides a means to maximise the economic value from every animal harvested, by making sure that all parts are utilised.

At the Inspiration Tables event in Windhoek in September 2017, examples of value-added wildlife products were showcased and proved that the seemingly “worthless” springbok skin can actually be transformed into a tanned skin worth N$ 300, which in turn can be handcrafted into several high-quality, beautifully designed handbags with retail values ranging from 800 to several thousand Namibian dollars. Developing these highvalue end products further should ensure that some of the added value filters down to the wildlife producer, thus maximising the full value of every single animal hunted.

NAPHA CONSERVATIONIST OF THE YEAR 2017 Manie le Roux T his award is allocated by NAPHA to a person or institution that has achieved significant accomplishments in the conservation of Namibiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s habitats and wildlife, and is highly honoured and recognised. It is a tough choice each year, and even though we acknowledge an ardent person, a vast number of people in Namibia deserve this distinction. This award should symbolise those whose efforts in some way or another contribute to conservation. This year we give credit to a man who has spent his entire career in the dust and grind of Namibia.

It started with a love for Namibiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nature and wildlife and culminated in a work effort that truly makes a difference. Most hours are spent away from the family at home, assuring the sustainability and continued existence of what our country is most appreciated for, with pure sincerity for the cause as the driving force behind it. We salute Manie le Roux as a great conservationist and patriot of Namibia.

With the surge in organised crime and rhino poaching experienced in the past years, conservationists were waging a battle at the forefront that often seemed to be never-ending.

In an attempt to save an entire species from the brink of extinction, rhinos in Namibia were dispatched to new sanctuaries and dehorning strategies were implemented by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET).

Manie has participated in major rhino capture operations in the country. He holds a track record of capturing more than 500 rhinos, and has dehorned 180 in the past 12 months. Through the use of innovative tools (including grinders and routers) he has managed to refine dehorning techniques.

His presence and responsibilities stretch far and wide across the country. As the Chief Control Warden of Central Parks in Namibia he is tasked with game culling, water installations, infrastructure development and logistics at Waterberg Plateau Park, Namib Naukluft, Von Bach and Daan Viljoen. He played an instrumental role in the introduction of rhino into Namib Naukluft Park. So far he has not lost a single rhino to poaching in the areas he manages and, needless to say, he aims to keep it that way.

However, the journey has not been obstaclefree. Often he has to leave his wife and two sons behind to carry out fieldwork elsewhere in the country, including Etosha, the northeast, Keetmanshoop and Hardap. He furthermore has to deal with extreme budget constraints and limited cooperation from certain departments.

But nothing can slow down the pace that Manie has set to conserve our wildlife, which is further demonstrated by the establishment of the first Wildlife Protection Training Centre in Namibia. The school was opened by the Minister of Environment and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta, in March 2017.

It is the first of its kind and destined to train Anti-Poaching Units (APU), as well as dog handlers and horse riders.

Manie maintains the best APU in Namibia, which already includes a horse unit. Another project in the pipeline, which he intends to finish within the next 12 months, is the construction of kennels for the first dog unit in Namibia. His goal is to deploy detection dogs and tracker dogs in wildlife parks.

With 28 years of experience in the MET, Manie continues to raise the bar for conservationists. As part of the range expansion project, he aspires to introduce white rhino into two new parks. According to current plans he will dehorn another 200 rhinos in the coming year and assist at least 40 APUs with training.

If you are eager to walk in the tracks of a rhino, it is important to know that of all the MET parks, those under his supervision have recorded the most rhino sightings on foot over the last 12 months. A conservationist worthy to follow.

HUNTiNAMIBIA | 2018

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CONSERVATIONIST OF THE YEAR

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

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 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

POPULATION 2.3 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

Main sectors: Mining, fishing, tourism & 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 semi-precious stones

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

PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

FOREIGN REPRESENTATION

ECONOMY

Roads: 5,450 km tarred, 37,000 km gravel Harbours: Walvis Bay, Lüderitz Main airports: Hosea Kutako International

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

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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 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.

DRINKING WATER 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 Summer time: GMT + 2 hours from the 1st Sunday in September to the 1st Sunday in April. Winter time: GMT + 1 hour from the 1st Sunday in April to the 1st Sunday in September.

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

www.namibiatourism.com.na

HUAP Trust supports

ANTI-POACHING EFFORTS Worried about the surge in poaching in northeastern Namibia, members of NAPHA´s big game committee decided to do something against this evil. The Hunters United Against Poaching Trust (HUAP) was founded in 2015 by seven prominent figures from MET, WWF and NAPHA: Colgar Sikopo, Abe Malherbe, Felix Marnewecke, Koos Pienaar, Greenwell Matongo, Danene van der Westhuyzen and Falko Schwarz. Soon afterwards a gala dinner with an auction was organised to raise funds. It took place on 3 September that year and brought in 2.7 million Namibia Dollars. Dirk Heinrich

“W

e as proud Namibian professional hunters and concessionaires are exposed to what is actually going on out there in the rural parts of our country on a daily basis. We have an acute frame of reference of the serious nature of poaching and the threats to our fauna and flora.

In most cases it is us, the professional hunters, who find and report poached animals to MET”, Falko Schwarz pointed out at this year’s gala dinner on 31 August. “We assist MET with patrolling, transportation and reporting. A huge amount of money, time and effort is invested in trying to get this problem under control. But it is not enough”, the chairman of NAPHA´s big game committee told the audience.

An amount of N$ 137 500 was paid out to 34 informants. Their information resulted in 23 separate incidents being reported to the police, ranging from illegal pangolin trade, impala and kudu poaching, illegal possession of protected game and products of protected game species such as lion skin and 37 elephant tusks. A total of 30 suspects were arrested.

“We bought 20 drums of fuel worth N$ 65 947 for the MET helicopter to fly patrols in the affected areas”, Schwarz said. For another N$ 30 000 the HUAP Trust purchased Azaro, the purpose-trained sniffer dog, for MET. Two MET officials from Katima Mulilo, who are in charge of the anti-poaching unit in the Zambezi Region, were awarded N$ 10 000 each for their outstanding effort and commitment to duty. “Morgan Sai Sai and Francis Santambwa

never refused to investigate a case no matter if it was at night, after hours or on a weekend.

Without these two men, poaching in Zambezi would be even worse”, Schwarz praised them at the gala dinner.

At this year’s auction a life-size rhino carved out of exquisite white Namibian marble by renowned French sculptor Gé Pellini, two international hunts (one in Spain and one in Sweden), ten trophy hunts in Namibia, eight own use hunts, weekend getaways and several pieces of unique jewellery as well as various miscellaneous items including a Krieghoff Semprio hunting rifle were up for grabs.

The gala evening brought in N$ 85 5000.

Unfortunately there was no offer for the marble rhino. NAPHA and the HUAP trustees had expected it to fetch more than two million Namibia Dollars. Now the hope is that a bidder will be found before NAPHA’s AGM at the end of November.

DIRK HEINRICH

DIRK HEINRICH

The HUAP Trust has used some of the income from the first auction to train 24 community game guards in two courses of two weeks each. The total cost for transport from the Zambezi and Kavango regions to Windhoek, accommodation and meals during the course,

the provision of ammunition, basic uniforms and a kit for each trainee was N$ 704 428.

NAPHA president Danene van der Westhuyzen together with the Minister of Environment and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta, who was full of praise for the immense work done by the HUAP Trust and the support for his ministry.

The second gala dinner and auction was made possible by the hard work and organisation of f.l.t.r.: Tanja Dahl (NAPHA Chief Executive Officer), Nikita Greyling (NAPHA Administrative Assistant), Nicole Schwandt (NAPHA Executive Assistant), Maike Prickett (HUAP Trust Auction Assistant), Maria Thiessen (HUAP Trust Administrative Assistant), Falko Schwarz (HUAP Trust Chairperson), Mona Kleinschmidt (HUAP Trust Administrative Assistant) and Mirja Sasse (HUAP Trust Auction Assistant). In the background the main auction item the marble rhino by French sculptor Gé Pellini.

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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

EJ

Aru Game Lodges P 24

062 560 055

info@arugamelodges.com

Diekmann

WG

Hamakari Safaris

067 306 633

hamakari@iway.na

Ahrens

EG

R Rowland Hunting

061 238 292

info@geva-sales.com

Dietz

H

Askari Tours & Hunting

064 570 927

etendero@iway.na

Ahrens

V

Girib - Ost Jagdfarm

062 573 566

girib@mtcmobile.com.na

Döman

J

La Bips Safaris P 69

081 127 4103

johan-ivy@afol.com.na

Albat

S

Ondundu Jagd Safaris

067 307 220

ondundujagdsafaris@hotmail.co.uk

Dörnhöfer

W

Omatarassu

067 290 158

omathunt@iway.na

Alberts

CJ

Hunters Pride Taxidermy P 58

062 570 14

huntpride@iway.na

Dressel

EG

Jagdfarm Hairabib

067 240 329

hairabib@gmail.com

Arnold

JW

Wildacker Guestfarm

49 606 295 9216

arnold-erbach@t-online.de

Dresselhaus

D

Southern Africa Big Game

061 257 151

dieterd@afol.com.na

Badenhorst

C

Farm Mimosa

062 581 431

chris@farmmimosa.co.za

Dreyer

D

Sandheuwel

27 84 443 4241

Divan@vastech.co.za

Bahr

HJ

Wewelsburg Camping & Safari

067 306 646

bahrcamp@afol.com.na

du Plessis

PJ

Bergzicht Game Lodge P 44

081 128 4825

info@bergzichtgamelodge.com

Barreras

L

Na-Gumbo Lodge & Safaris

081 337 7536

ruimte@mtcmobile.com.na

du Toit

A

Quatro Hunting Safaris

063 240 777

quatro@iway.na

Bartlett

DD

Onguma Game Ranch (Pty) Ltd

067 229 125

etoshajagd@iway.na

du Toit

CJ

Omutati Game & Guestfarm

061 245 339

neels@ingplan.com.na

Basson

D

Acacia Namibia

061 229 142

dietlind@acacianamibia.com

du Toit

HA

Okarumatero

061 307 550

hadutoit@iway.na

Bastos

JL

Khomas Safaris & Guestfarm

064 204 129

kukibastos@afol.com.na

Düvel

CW

Jagdrevier Weideland

062 560 002

cduvel@afol.com.na

Bauer

AK

Aigamas Hunting

081 253 0947

bauer@iway.na

Düvel

KI

Namibia Hunting Impressions

062 560 004

kate.kurt@afol.com.na

Baumann

H

Nubib Mountain Hunting & Guestfarm

063 293 240

hbaumann@nubibmountain.com

Düvel

UV

Omambonde Tal Jagdfarm

067 240 332

omambond@iway.na

Beukes

BF

Keerweder Safaris

062 581 669

keerweder@iway.na

Egerer

M

Nyati Wildlife Art P 1

081 124 2080

nyati@nyati-wildlife-art.com.na

Binding

HW H

Kataneno Cattle & Game Ranch

062 549 088

bindings@iway.na

Eggert

B

Omatjete Safaris

067 234 465

hagen@omatjete.com

Blaauw

JN

Dzombo Hunting Safaris

081 146 4959

japsie86@gmail.com

Eggert

HB

Omatjete Safaris

067 234 465

hagen@omatjete.com

Blauwkamp

T

Dallas Safari Club

616 896 6500

tblauwkamp@superior-sales.com

Eichhoff

E

Otjitambi Guestfarm

062 518 133

elfried@iway.na

Böckmann

H

Farm Rudelsburg

067 290 109

Emmel

H

Ovita Wildlife

062 500 761

info@ovitahunting.com

Böhmcker

A

Moringa Jagd & Gästefarm

062 501 106

moringa@iway.na

Engelbrecht

TW

Engelbrecht Safaris

067 232 050

info@engelbrechtsafaris.com

Bohn

K-H

Kleepforte

062 560 000

kleepforte@afol.com.na

Engelhard

G

Jagdfarm Georg-Ferdinandshöhe

067 290 187

g.engelhard@afol.com.na

Boshoff

B

Duiker Safaris Namibia

067 232 626

bboshoff@iway.na

Engelhard

HG

Jagdfarm Georg-Ferdinandshöhe

064 400 902

Botes

RE

Aru Game Lodges P 24

062 560 049

zana@arugamelodges.com

Epler

CFG

Otjikaru Farming

081 1284845

otjikaru@iafrica.com.na

Brand

JJ

Getaway Kalahari Safari

062 571 769

info@kalahari-safari.com

Erni

EW

Hunting Farm Urusis

063 293 329

erniurus@afol.com.na

Brand

JP

Nhosab Hunting Safari

063 273 322

nhosab@gmail.com

Erpf

G

Jagdfarm Otjenga

267 302 229

otjenga@gmail.com

Bräuer, Dr

UB

Kous Farm

062 581 409

ubrauer@iway.na

Erpf

HR

Farm Otjenga

067 302 229

otjenga@gmail.com

Briedenhann

JH

Waldeck Safaris

061 235 694

waldecks@iway.na

Erpf

HW

Oase Guest & Hunting Farm

067 309 010

farm.oase@gmail.com

Briedenhann

SJ

Orthodontics and Genetics Pty Ltd

061 296 5820

jbried@joggie.com.na

Esterhuizen

A

Estreux Safaris CC

067 307 262

info@estreuxsafaris.com

Brits

J

Africa Hunt Safari

067 234 031

justus@afrihuntsafaris.com

Esterhuizen

W

Estreux Safaris CC

067 307 262

info@estreuxsafaris.com

Britz

M

Martin Britz Safaris

061 259 017

zcrbritz@gmail.com

Falk

WA

Ondjondo Jagdfarm

081 242 1146

ondjondjo@iway.na

Brüsselbach

G MW

Rosenthal Guns

061 237 210

guidomwb@gmail.com

Fechter

H

Falkenhorst Safaris

063 293 520

falcon@iway.nam

CC Kunene River

V

Kunene River Com Conservancy

065 274 002

info@kuneneriverlodge.com

Fechter

M

Falkenhorst Safaris

063 293 520

matthias.fechter@gmail.com

CC Sorris Sorris

R

Sorris Sorris Com. Conservancy

081 300 5134

sorrissorris.conservancy@gmail.com

Fechter

M

Portsmut Hunting Safaris

081 240 5364

mfph@iway.na

Fietz

A

Etemba Jagd & Safaris

061 227 440

info@etemba-hunting.com

Chapman

AC

Huntafrica Namibia P 37

062 563 700

info@huntafrica.com.na

Fischer

HH

Omongongua Hunting

062 502 993

nazimbo@afol.com.na

Chapman

JW

Huntafrica Namibia P 37

062 563 700

info@huntafrica.com.na

Fourie

I

Chapungu - Kambako Hunting Safaris

061 257 107

hunting.isabelle@gmail.com

Friedensdorf

K

Hunting & Guestfarm Ondombo

067 290 009

kfriedensdorf@iway.na

Friedensdorf

S

Hunting & Guestfarm Ondombo

067 290 009

kfriedensdorf@iway.na

Friedrich

HH

Baobab Game Ranch

067 232055

driehoek@mweb.com.na

Fug

G

Waldhausen

081 272 1172

okauapehuri@iway.na

Fuleda

H

Hunting-Flight-Service

49 2365 668 28

Hans@fuleda.de

Garbade

BT

Onduno Hunting P 71

061 231 054

onduno@gmail.com

Garbade

HH

Onduno Hunting P 71

061 231 054

onduno@gmail.com

Garbade

TBH

Onduno Hunting P 71

081 385 0399

onduno@gmail.com

Gladis

H

Ababis Guest & Huntingfarm

061 237 400

helmuth@hemconamibia.com

Gladis

IB

Wilsonfontein Hunting Safaris P 70

081 300 3857

namibhunt@hotmail.com

Gorn

MW KA

061 232 236

manfred@kgss.com.na

Grellmann

V

Anvo Hunting Safaris Namibia

062 540 423

vgrellmann@afol.com.na

Groenewald

JC

Okarusewa

062 549 010

obirann@iway.na

Gruhn

BW

Bellerode Hunting Safaris

061 236 005

pbgruhn@iway.na

Grünschloss

K

Jamy Traut Hunting P 22

067 220 335

kgrunschloss@yahoo.com

Günzel

G GT

Hunting Ranch Ovisume

061 245 170

info@ovisume.eu

Haag

AGF

Otjikoko Game Ranch

064 570 500

haag@otjikoko.com

Haag (neé Khomos)

T

Otjikoko Game Ranch

064 570 500

haag@otjikoko.com

Haase

HP

Haasenhof Gästefarm

062 503 827

haase@iway.na

Cilliers / Wildlife Manage

Con

Cilliers

W

Allan Ciliers Hunting Safaris

067 232 676

wayne@cillierssafaris.com

Clausen

KP

Okosongoro Safari Ranch

067 290 170

pclausen@africaonline.com.na

Cloete

G

Okuwira! Hunting Safaris

081 285 7104

okuwirasafaris@gmail.com

Coomber

RE

Vieranas Safaris

081 124 9324

vieranas@africaonline.com.na

Cooper

ZD

Mahonda Hunting Safaris

062 572 136

info@mahondahunting.com

Cordes

CH

Bodenhausen

081 127 2946

lococo@iway.na

Cramer

AG

Smith Safari Service

061 248 212

acramer@iway.na

Dallas Safari Club

Allan Ciliers Hunting Safaris

067 232 676

allan@cillierssafaris.com

Dallas Safari Club

de Bod

D

Deloch

HG

Deloch

HP

Delport

J

Delport

Dirk de Bod Safaris Namibia P 44

081 124 0838

kudu@africaonline.com.na

061 233 903

hanshunt@iway.na

Oryxhunt

061 235 698

oryxhunt@iway.na

Toekoms Hunting Safaris

062 570328

toekoms@iway.na

PJ

Eintracht Jagd Safaris

081 127 3832

eintrach@iway.na

Denk

HC

Jagdfarm Mecklenburg

062 560 059

denk@jagdfarmmecklenburg.com

Denker

H

African Hunting Safaris P 31

064 570 595

hagen@erongosafaris.com

Denker

K-U

African Hunting Safaris P 31

064 570 595

kaiuwe@erongosafaris.com

Diekmann

G

Jagdfarm Otjekongo

062 518 091

ecoso.gero@afol.com.na

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

68

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

WWW.HUNTNAMIBIA.COM.NA

NAPHA REGISTER Surname

Initials Operation Name

Contact Detail

Email

International Tel Code +264

Haase

RW

Wilhelmstal - Nord

062 503 977

rolfhaase@iway.na

Hakenjos

G

Hetaku Safari Lodge

062 561 441

hetaku@iway.na

Halenke

H

Hohenau Hunting Ranch

061 247 024

halenke@iway.na

Halenke

R

Hohenau Hunting Ranch

061 681 055

rainerhalenke@gmail.com

Happel

FR

Onjona Lodge

062 503 711

f.happel@onjona.com

Happel

M

Onjona Lodge

062 503 711

m.happel@onjona.com

Hauffe

WEG

Beenbreck Safaris

062 581 406

wilkohauffe@gmail.com

Heger

FJ

Otjiruse Hunting

062 503 778

frank@otjiruse.com

Heger

GE

Otjiruse Hunting

062 503 778

gudrun@otjiruse.com

Heger

N

Otjiruse Hunting

062 503 778

nikolai@tandelta.biz

Heimstädt

K-D

Game Ranch Transvaal

067 312 129

klausheimstadt@yahoo.com

Henckert

R

Rusticana Hunting

061 235 851

rusticana@iway.na

Hennig

OW

Desert Holdings

061 272 163

christo.hennig@deserthold.com

Henniges

A

Ohorongo Safaris

081 147 7434

ohorongo@iway.na

Hennings

DH

Khomas Highland Hunting Safaris

061 232 633

philip@khomas-highland-hunting. com

Hennings

SP

Khomas Highland Hunting Safaris

061 232 633

philip@khomas-highland-hunting. com

Herbst

H

Bull River CC t/a Kansimba Game Lodge

062 503 966

kansimba@africaonline.com.na

Herzog

H

Herzog Hunting

064 570 555

hubert@herzoghunting.com

Hess

S

Zighenzani-Africa Safaris P 53

062 573 568

sigurd@zighenzani.com

Hillermann

M

Blaser Safaris

062 500 590

blasersafaris@afol.com.na

Hinterholzer

KH

Erongo Lodge

064 570 850

erongolodge@iway.na

Hinterholzer

PEM

Erongo Lodge

081 252 5583

erongolodge@iway.na

Hitula

JTP

Mopane Game & Hunting Safaris

081 127 6792

pman347@gmail.com

Hoaseb

J

Namibia Safari Connection

062 570 312

namsafcon@iway.na

Hobohm

HG

Abachaus#2025

067 235 002

Horenburg

M

Wronin Business Trust

062 561 415

wronin@iway.na

Horsthemke

B

Jagdfarm Stoetzer

062 561 445

hbhorst@iway.na

Horsthemke

HH

Jagdfarm Stoetzer

062 561 445

Harald-horsthemke@hotmail.com

Horsthemke

HW

Jagdfarm Stoetzer

062 561 445

hbhorst@iway.na

Horsthemke

W

Jagdfarm Stoetzer

062 561 445

hbhorst@iway.na

Hübner

MGH

Namibia Safari Services P 18

061 227 700

weffie@iway.na

Hugo

WK

Mazabuka Investments Pty

062 503 779

kleinbarmen@africaonline.com.na

Hüning

E

Hurt

RH

Robin Hurt Safari Company (Pty) Ltd

081 620 0937

robinhurtnamibia@gmail.com

Ipinge

JA

Dzombo Hunting Safaris

081 127 8441

hafeni2@gmail.com

Jackson III

J

Conservation Force

01- 504 837 1145 JJW-NO@att.net

Jacobi

HS

Nossob Jagd

062 560 220

info@nossobjagd.com

Jacobs

FB

064-402006

leonajacobs@yahoo.co.uk

Jacobs

SM

S M J Safaris

067 232 678

smj@iway.na

Janbey

S

Osonjiva Hunting Safaris

081 124 1484

info@osonjiva.com

Janse van Rensburg

J

Portsmut Hunting Safaris

081 140 0984

jansej@tgi.na

Jansen

JAB

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

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

Jensen

JE

Bush Baby Safaris

067 243 391

info@bush-babycamping.com

Joubert

SJ

Bergzicht Game Lodge P 44

062 560049

steph@bergzichtgamelodge.com

Jupke

PJ

Web Marketing Agency

49 7251 83175

peter.jupke@t-online.de

Kaiser

P

Kuhwerder Jagdfarm

067 302 808

kaiser@iway.na

Kaiser

UJA

Kuhwerder Jagdfarm

067 302 808

kaiser@iway.na

Kibble

MW

Progress Safaris

062 560 033

kibble@progress-safaris.com

Kibble

PD

Trophy Safaris

061 234 257

trophysa@afol.com.na

Kiekebusch

HH

Jagd & Rinderfarm Hochfels

061 232 625

hochfels@iway.na

Koekemoer

A

Omuramba Hunting Lodge

062 568 880

info@omuramba.com

Africa is addictive, and so is Namibia and fair chase hunting, so join us at Namibia Safari Corporation.

The best!

Namibia Safari Corporation has been hosting clients since 2001, on our ranch of 109 000 acres. Visit our website for more information and very affordable hunting packages.

- SCI LAS VEGAS BOOTH 4319 -

Mobile. +264 81 127 0906 | Email: jaco@jsvdm.com www.namibiasafaricorporation.com

49 152 041 30207

30 000 ha hunting area Waterberg area 300 km north of Windhoek 17 species to hunt www.namibia-hunting.net | Email johan-ivy@afol.com.na Johan Döman | Tel +264 811274103

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

HUNTiNAMIBIA | 2018

69

NAPHA REGISTER

Surname

Initials Operation Name

Contact Detail

Email

International Tel Code +264

Koekemoer

G

Omuramba Hunting Lodge

062 682 026

info@omuramba.com

Kotze

DJ

Tiefenbach Bow Hunting

062 518 331

kotzedj@iway.na

Kotze

HJL

Chapungu - Kambako Hunting Safaris

081 148 3595

louis@chapungu-kambako.com

Kotzé

HR

Hugo Kotze Safaris

081 259 0770

hugo@namibia-hunt.com

Kotze (SNR)

JC

Omatako Hunting Trails

062 518 358

omatakoranch@iway.na

HUNT AMONG THE MOST BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPES IN NAMIBIA. ACCORDING TO THE ERONGO VERZEICHNIS PRINCIPLE.

Krafft

M

Ibenstein Hunting Safaris

062 573 507

mkrafft@afol.com.na

Krafft

R

Ibenstein Hunting Safaris

062 573 535

rkrafft@afol.com.na

Kratzer

E

Farm Hazeldene

067 290 006

Kreiner

HA

Ekongo Hunting & Safaris

067 687 113

ekongo@iway.na

Kretzschmar

K

Onduasu Jagd

067 290 105

onduasu@iway.na

Kronsbein

C

Apex Safaris

062 560 243

info@apex-safaris.eu

Kruger

CG

Omujeve Hunting Safaris (Pty) Ltd

081 129 3986

cornek79@gmail.com

Free-roaming game on 29 000 ha Semi-arid, granite highlands, no livestock, not a put-and-take system, indigenous game only. Authentic African feeling.

Kruger

JJN

Omujeve Hunting Safaris (Pty) Ltd

061 234 437

omujeve@afol.com.na

Laborn

E

Okandivi Hunting Farm

067 306 688

okandivi@iway.na

Labuschagne D

Divan Labuschagne Hunting Safaris

081 365 0211

huntingdivan@gmail.com

Labuschagne J

Divan Labuschagne Hunting Safaris

081 158 1040

huntingjulia@gmail.com

Lambrechts

EL

Gras Hunting Farm

063 264 141

errol@lambrechts.family

Lamprecht

H-L

Lamprecht Ammunition Manufacturers

062 560 238

hannslouis@lamcc.co

Lamprecht Jnr

J

Jofie Lamprecht Safaris

081 129 8765

jofie@jofielamprechtsafaris.com

Lamprecht

M

Hunters Namibia Safaris

081 303 3010

marina.lamprecht@icloud.com

le Roux

GL

Kassandara Hunting & Safari Ranch

064 570 858

george@kassandara.com.na

Leuschner

LI

Glenorkie Hunting Farm

062 561 435

glenorkie@iway.na

Leyendecker

HJ

49 678 190 1470

info@namibia-dreams.de

Lichtenberg

C

Veterinarian

062 563 877

lichtenberg@iway.na

Liedtke

GP

Okondura Nord Hunt & Guestfarm

062 503 983

okondura@africaonline.com.na

Liedtke

R

Okondura Nord Hunt & Guestfarm

081 780 9630

ralf.liedtke@gmx.de

LinderLozinsek

BA

Okamapu (Pty)Ltd

062 549 122

okamapu@okamapu.com.na

Lindeque

M

MET PS

Ling

RW

Die Keiler

062 581 414

cowdray@iway.na

Lopes

JF

Damara Dik-Dik Safaris P 46

067 222 754

dikdik@iway.na

Lueke

M

Blaser Safaris Ltd

062 500 590

blasersafaris@afol.com.na

Lüesse

HG

Panorama Hunting Ranch

061 257 468

hglueesse@iway.na

Lühl

HI

Karivo Hunting

081 292 6010

anivonamibia@gmx.net

Lühl

R

Jagdfarm Okuje

061 257 245

okuje@iway.na

Lung

JC

Ozondjahe Safaris

067 306 770

info@africanhuntingsafaris.com

Lüsse

D

Achenib Hunting

062 581 611

achenib@iway.na

MacKinnon

D

Aru Game Lodges P 24

081 122 1240

derek@arugamelodges.com

Manusakis

D

Omatako Big Game Hunting

062 581 444

namibia@omatako-safaris.com

Marais

S

Keibeb Safari Ranch

081 245 7721

info@keibeb.na

Marker

L

Cheetah Conservation Fund

067 306 225

director@cheetah.org

Marnewecke

F

Camelthorn Safaris P 14

081 260 2405

camelthornsafaris@iway.na

Matthaei

JFE

Namibia Safari Connection

081 124 4774

namsafcon@iway.na

Matthaei

RH

Namibia Safari Connection

062 570 312

jagd@namsafcon.com

Mc Donald

A

Concessions; "Auction"

081 128 6821

alex@namagri.com

Meiburg

JH

Vaalgras

061 238 770

vaalgras@iway.na

Meier

T

Ndandi Safaris

061 255 195

ndandisafaris@afol.com.na

Mentrup

CH

Godeis Lodge

061 308 335

mogoto1913@gmail.com

Metzger

D

Makadi Safaris P 6

062 503 732

diethelm@makadi-safaris.com

Metzger

K

Makadi Safaris P 6

062 503 732

katja@makadi-safaris.com

Meyer

PH

Safari West

062 503 363

meyer@iafrica.com.na

Michaels

R

Namib Taxidermy P 26

064 570 729

namibtaxidermy@africaonline. com.na

Michels

S

Kambaku Game Farming

067 306 292

accounting@kambaku.com

Morris

K

Byseewah Safaris

067 312 117

byseewah@iway.na

Mostert

P

Afrika Jag Safaris Namibia

067 313 620

erongofp@gmail.com

Mousley

DB

Robin Hurt Safaris

081 147 9033

danbmousley@live.com

Ingo Galadis, PH, owner P.O. Box 40 Karibib - Namibia Tel (+264) (0)81 3003 857 namibhunt@hotmail.com · www.wilsonfontein.de

The lodge is owned by an italian family

T: +264 62 682096/7 F: +264 62 682098 C: +264 81 127 2819 info@okarumutigamelodge.com www.okarumutigamelodge.com

70

malan.lindeque@met.gov.na

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

WWW.HUNTNAMIBIA.COM.NA

Surname

Initials Operation Name

Contact Detail

Email

International Tel Code +264

Muller

DA

Daggaboy Hunting Safaris

061 234 328

damuller@iway.na

Muller

G

Otjinuke Hunting Ranch

062 518 372

gmuller@afol.com.na

Muller

JR

Noasanabis Game Lodge

062 569436

justus@iway.na

Muller

LP

Okatare Safari

067 312 926

okatare@afol.com.na

MĂźller

R

Krieghoff (Inside front)

49 172 734 8753

Ralf.Mueller@krieghoff.de

Namene

RK

Boskloof

081 140 2341

rknamene03@yahoo.co.uk

Nebe

JFC

Ovita Game & Hunting Farm

062 500760

info@ovitahunting.com

Neethling

CC

Agagia Hunting

081 128 4134

agagia@afol.com.na

Neubrech

JG

Etemba Jagd

064 402 011

etemba@afol.com.na

Neumann

J

1 765 564 2587

jaegerjohann@ffni.com

Neumbo

UKG

081 120 0153

kenneth.neumbo@gmail.com

Newmarch

IA

062 500 590

iannewmarch@hotmail.com

Niel

N

43 664 414 2202

Nikolaus.Niel@gmx.at

Nietmann

G

49 4621 21820

Nolte

N

Nick Nolte Hunting Safaris CC

064 570 888

info@nicknoltehunting.com

Nyhuis

C

European Union Delegate & CIC

061 202 6000

Christian.Nyhuis@rocketmail.com

Odendaal

GH

Gerrie Odendaal Hunting Safaris

062 56 8933

gohunt@iway.na

Oelofse

A

Jan Oelofse Hunting Safaris

067 290 012

alex.oelofse@africaonline.com.na

Oelofsen (Sen)

B

Etosha View Hunting

081 127 3196

boelofsen@afol.com.na

Olivier

G

Panorama Rock Game Ranch Safaris

081 259 5612

panoramarock@africaonline.com.na

Oosthuizen

AJ

Game Trackers Africa CC

27 829 051 366

jaco@gametrackersafrica.com

Osborne

T

Tandala Ridge

081 124 5202

kori@iway.na

Otto

CK

Hunting Farm Kachauchab

063 293 512

ottojagd@iway.na

Otto

V

Ondjiviro Hunting Safaris P 46

063 240 855

info@ondjiviro.com

Pack

H

Jagdfarm Ottawa

062 570 327

ottawa@iway.na

Pape

I

Okatore Lodge & Safaris

061 232 840

info@okatore.com

Parsons

R

Safari Club International

Pauly

S

Hayas Hunting

081 268 3510

shpauly@gmail.com

Phelan

PI

Paul Phelan Safaris

27 333 302 231

mwngruma@mweb.co.za

Pienaar

JH

Huntafrica Namibia P 37

062 563 700

info@huntafrica.com.na

Pienaar

SW

African Plains Safaris

062 568 412

schalk470@gmail.com

Potgieter

C

Eureka Hunting Safaris

081 322 6221

info@eurekahuntingsafaris.com

Powel

JRM

064 404 795

jrmpowel@gmail.com

Preschel

H

Namibia Safari Services/ Smart Dip Namibia P 18

061 227 700

info@namsaf.com.na/ smartdip@namsaf.com.na

Pretorius

FK

Namatubis Hunting Safaris

067 313 061

kochp@iway.na stefanus@firstclasstrophy.com

Blaser Safaris

rick@safariclub.org

Prinsloo

S

First Class Trophy Taxidermy

49 176 84 59 02 87

Redecker

FW

Die Keiler

062 503 769

westfalenhof@iway.na

Redecker

GA

Die Keiler

062 503 769

gernotredecker84@gmail.com

Redecker

JW

Die Keiler

062 503 769

J_Redecker@gmx.de

Redecker

UG

Die Keiler

062 503 769

westfalenhof@iway.na

Reinhardt

EC

Bushman Trails Africa

081 277 6688

kalaharisonne@gmail.com

Reinhardt

PM

Bushman Trails Africa

081 258 5887

bushmantrailsafrica@gmail.com

Reiser

K HW

Reiser Taxidermy

061 264 207

reiser@iway.na

Ritter

M

Guest & Hunting Farm Woltemade

062 518 075

woltemad@iway.na

Ritter

MM

Ritter

RD

Guest & Hunting Farm Woltemade

062 518 075

woltemad@iway.na

Ritzdorf

WT

Ritzdorf Jagd & Photo Safaris

067 234 353

ritzdorf@afol.com.na

Rode

A

Rogl

A

Rogl African Safaris CC P 8

062 503 719

alexrogl@gmx.de

Rogl

B

Rogl African Safaris CC P 8

062 503 719

barbara@otjiruze.com

Rogl

M

Rogl African Safaris CC P 8

062 503 106

markus@otjiruze.com

Rogl

W

Rogl African Safaris CC P 8

081 609 6292

werner@otjiruze.com

Roodt

BF

Quality Hunting Safaris Namibia

081 124 1363

roodtbrian@rocketmail.com

Rossouw

A

Moreson

063 293 204/5

moreson@afol.com.na

Rowland

RW

RW Rowland Hunting Safaris

061 222 800

r.rowland@geva-sales.com

rode@kleinemas.de

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

Experience with us: individually, varied and successful hunting safaris. On 220 000 Ha with over 27 Game species.

Hunt by stalking, on the horse back or from a hide!

Take mature Trophies home.

We are specialized on Cheetah, Brown Hyena and Leopard hunt

Family Garbade Tel: +264 81 3850399 Onduno@gmail.com www.onduno.de

HUNTiNAMIBIA | 2018

71

NAPHA REGISTER Surname

Initials Operation Name

Contact Detail

Email

Surname

Initials Operation Name

International Tel Code +264

Rumpf

JE

Combumbi Jagd

062 561 422

combumbi@iway.na

Rusch

MU

Lichtenstein Hunting Safaris

061 233 543

eurusch@afol.com.na

Rusch

REF

Panorama Hunting Ranch

061 233 345

panorama@afol.com.na

Rust

H GW

Omandumba Hunting

064 571 086

omandumba@iway.na

Sack

B

Jagdfarm Maroela

067 234 332

maroela@iway.na

Sauber

E

BüllsPort Naukluft Guestfarm

063 293 371

ernst@buellsport.com

Savoldelli

N

Okarumuti Hunting Safaris P 70

062 682 096/7

info@okarumutigamelodge.com

Schauff

U

492 595 5993

uschauff@t-online.de

Scheidt

R

Jagdfarm Erichsfelde

062 518 383

efelde@iafrica.com.na

Schickerling

JF

Agarob Hunting Safaris

062 572 219

agarob@iway.na

Schlettwein

JC

Otjitambi Trails & Safaris P 71

067 312 138

jcsotjitambi@iway.na

Schlettwein

W

Ovita Game & Hunting

062 500 760

info@ovitahunting.com

Schlosser

GH

Rengu Adventure Safaris

061 233 501

rengu@iway.na

Schmidt

AM

Khan River Lodge

062 503 883

alanmikemail@gmail.com

Schmidt

WFR

Ombu Jagd & Gästefarm

064 570 849

ombufarm@iway.na

Schmitt

C

Okambara Elephant Lodge P 37

062 560 264

info@okambara.de

SchneiderWaterberg

H

Waterberg Game Guest Farm

081 751 4866

info@waterbergnamibia.com

Scholtissek

Y

Otjitoroa Safaris

067 290 136

y.scholtissek@otji-safaris.com

Schoonbee

DG

SMJ Safaris

062 568 069

dgschoonbee@gmail.com

Schubert

CF

Hunting and Guestfarm Aurora

062 503 728

huntingfarm.aurora@gmail.com

Schünemann H

Zighenzani-Africa Safaris P 53

062 570 312

henning@zighenzani.com

Schwalm

G

Omalanga Safaris

067 234 336

gunter.schwalm@gmail.com

Schwalm

R

Omalanga Safaris

081 277 6688

reservations@omalangasafaris.net

Schwarz

F

Ondjou Safaris P 26

081 206 0520

fowschwarz@gmail.com

Seefeldt

M

Silversand Hunting & Guestfarm

062 560 200

seefeldt@iway.na

Sentefol

R

African Shipping Services CC

061 305 821

rainer@africanshippingservices.com

Sibold

WA

Hunting Farm Hummelshain

062 503 735

siboldw@iway.na

Skrywer

B

Aru Game Lodges P 24

061 560 049

info@arugamelodges.com

Slaney

WH

Otjimbondona

061 234 157

wilfried@profilesafaris.com

Smit

DJ

Orpa Hunt P 70

067 309 012

hunting@orpahunt.com

Spangenberg J J

Gras Hunting Farm

063 264 141

info@jagdfarmgras.com

Sternagel

H

Ganeib Jagd & Gästefarm

061 244 268

ganeib@iafrica.com.na

Sternagel

W

Ganeib Jagd & Gästefarm

061 244 268

ganeib@iafrica.com.na

Stolzenberg

F

Stolzenberg Hunting Namibia

067 234 280

stolzenb@iway.na

Strauss

D

Kowas Hunting Safaris

062 58 1558

daniekowas@gmail.com

Strauss

J

Kowas Hunting Safaris

062 581 558

straussjacques20@gmail.com

Strydom

HJ

Shamwari Farming PTY (Ltd)

062 561419

shamwari@iway.na

Stumpfe

K

Ndumo Safaris

081 128 5416

karl@huntingsafaris.net

Svenblad

H

Otjandaue Hunting Farm

064 570 821

diane.svenblad@aland.net

Swanepoel

A

Aru Game Lodge P 24

081 129 5536

info@arugamelodges.com

Swanepoel

DB

Ekuja Hunting Namibia

062 561 400

ekuja.hunting@gmail.com

Thiessen

H

Otjimbuku Hunting Farm

062 549 060

lotte.thiessen@gmx.de

Thiessen

J

Otjimbuku Hunting Farm

062 549 060

otjimbuk@iway.na

Thude

S

Wild Erongo Safaris

064 570 744

hunt@wilderongo.com

Traut

J

Jamy Traut Hunting Safaris P 22

067 232710

jamy@jamyhunt.com

Trümper

B

Airport Hunting & Guestfarm

081 124 1240

max.trumper@gmail.com

Trümper

U

Airport Hunting & Guestfarm

081 128 8288

info@airportfarm-namibia.com

Tubbesing, Dr U

Veterinarian

081 128 0350

michaela@rhinoparkvet.com

Utz

G

African Safari Trails

062 682 088

african-safari-trails@afol.com.na

Utz (Snr)

W

062 500 303

wilutz@iway.na

van den Berg

WJ

Mashete Safaris

067 312 121

mashete@afol.com.na

van der Merwe

JS

Namibia Safari Corporation P 69

081 127 0906

jaco@jsvdm.com

van der Merwe

R

Otjandaue Hunting Farm

064 570 821

otjandaue@iway.na

van der Westhuizen

J

Westfalen Hunting

081 128 4011

info@westfalenhuntnamibia.com

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

72

Contact Detail

Email

International Tel Code +264

van der Westhuyzen

D

Aru Game Lodge P 24

062 560 055

info@arugamelodges.com

van der Westhuyzen

GN

Aru Game Lodge P 24

062 560 055

gysbert@arugamelodges.com

van Dyk

C

Windpoort Farm

081 207 9043

chrisvandyk@live.co.uk

van Heerden

BH

Van Heerden Safaris, Ondjou Safaris

081 127 4155

vhsaf@afol.com.na

van Heerden

CA

RL Farm

064 570 659

rlfarm@iway.na

van Heerden

PW J

Bornholm Ovisume Hunting Farm

067 248 004

jvanheerden@oldmutual.com

van Niekerk

HH

Uhlenhorst Hunting Safaris

063 265 364

hoecon@afol.com.na

van Rensburg T

Osonjiva Hunting Safaris

067 302 692

info@osonjiva.com

van Rooyen

A

Etosha Heights Game Safaris

081 149 1836

big5@rhinotrek.net

van Rooyen

Q

Portsmut Hunting Safaris

van Wyk

B

SMJ Safaris

081 268 3736

bigbenvanwyk@gmail.com

van Zyl

AJL

Track & Trail Safaris

081 244 0401

trackatrailsafaris@hotmail.com

van Zyl

M

Buitepos Hunting Safaris

063 252 424

marnus@iway.na

Veldsman

JF

Shona Hunting Adventures

081 128 3105

Hunting@shona-adventures.com

Visser

JH

081 227 5030

janmarievisser@iway.na

Vogel

IWV

064 570 925

immo.vogel@gross-okandjou.com

Vogl

M

49 899 071 34

info@pferde-vogl.de

Voigts

RW

Voigtskirch

062 540 407

voigtskirch@iway.na

Voigts

UD

Krumhuk

061 233 645

info@krumhuk.com.na

von Gossler

O

Orua Hunting Farm (Die Keiler)

067 290 119

orua@iway.na

von Hacht

FW

062 561 436

frido@iway.na

von Hacht

HJ

Okatjo

062 561 436

okatjo@iway.na

von Koenen

SA

Jagdfarm Hüttenhain

062 502 004

svkoenen@afol.com.na

von Schuman H W

Omupanda Jagd Safari CC

062 561 469

info@omupanda.com

von Seydlitz

FW

Immenhof Hunting Safaris P 53

067 290 177

immenhof@iway.na

von Seydlitz

HS

Schoenfeld Hunting & Safaris

067 290 190

schoenfeld.safaris@gmail.com

von Seydlitz

W

Immenhof Hunting Safaris P 53

067 290 177

hunting@iway.na

von Treuenfels

MJ

CIC

49 4542 841 104

michivt@t-online.de

Walter

M

Otjikoko (Pty) Ltd

064 570 364

mwfarms@iway.na

Wamback

JR

Pro Hunting Namibia

081 128 8373

proguide@iway.na

Wanke

A

061 400 423

awanke@unam.na

Wenske

H-J

Klipkop Lodge & Farming

067 307 957

klipkop@mtcmobile.com.na

Wilckens

H

Okaturua Hunting

061 231 229

okaturua@shona-adventures.com

Wilckens

S

Omateva Hunting

062 560 234

omateva@iway.na

Wilckens

I

Jagdfarm Ongangasemba (Die Keiler)

067 306 555

onganga@iway.na

Witjes

T

31 6 52502622

european@planet.nl

Wölbling

G

Hebron

067 306 527

gerd@iway.na

Woortman

D

Omatako Hunting & Tourism (Pty)

067 306 655

omatako@omatako.com

Woortman

HC

Omatako Hunting & Tourism (Pty)

067 306 655

omatako@omatako.com

Woortman

VHH

Omatako Hunting & Tourism (Pty)

067 306 655

omatako@omatako.com

Wrede

AFA

Gurus Farm No 6 Mariental

063 252 162

wredemad@africaonline.com.na

Wright

R

Okatjeru Hunting Safaris

062 540 411

info@okatjeru.com

Zander

GP

Ziller

HH

Zimny

M

Hunting & Guestfarm Gross Okandjou

info@phs.com.na

062 503 709 Haasenhof Guest Farm

061 257 107

hansziller@hotmail.com

062 503 827

michizimny@gmail.com

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

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