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Hunting proceeds should benefit communities: Campfire
The Daily Mirror (Zimbabwe)
February 27, 2006

http://www.zimmirror.co.zw/daily/index.cfm?

PROCEEDS raked in by safari operators should be channelled towards communities from which the animals would have been hunted, the Community Areas Management Programme (Campfire), has said.

In an interview, Campfire director Charles Jonga stressed the need for transparency regarding funds raised from hunting expeditions.

"As Campfire, we are there to ensure that communities benefit from hunting transactions. Everything should be done above board, so that not only safari operators benefit, but the people from whose communities the animals are harvested also," he said.

Jonga said safari hunting was a major source of revenue and, if managed well, could boost earnings in the tourism sector.

He said it was important for Zimbabwe to maintain good quality trophies in order to compete with other countries in the region endowed with plenty wildlife.

Jonga's statements came against the background of Zimbabwean safari operators who recently clinched US$30 million deals at the 34th Safari Club International (SCI) hunting convention in Reno, Nevada, US.

Despite negative publicity, Zimbabwean safari operators at the meeting reportedly clinched deals worth billions in local currency.

National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority director-general, Morris Mutsambiwa, was quoted saying American hunters had expressed desire to hunt in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe is home to a variety of wild animal specie targeted for trophy hunting by many Europeans, Asians and Americans.

One elephant trophy can earn as much as US$2 000. Animals such as the impala, kudu and buffalo are also hunted for their meat, while leopards and lions are killed for trophies.

One of the greatest challenges of safari operators has been to capture the demand for safari hunting and translate it into tourist arrivals in the country.

This is because some hunters have, due to bad publicity on Zimbabwe especially in the West, sought residence in neighbouring countries while on missions to specifically hunt local trophy.

This has resulted in hoteliers and the tourism industry losing revenue that could be generated through bookings and transportation.

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