Sport hunting in Tanzania

(Published in a Mexican Magazine in 2004)



Tanzania is one of the last few true unfenced and unmanaged wildernesses in Africa. Recently I attended a talk by a world-renowned expert on Lion, and was surprised to here that one third of the worlds remaining wild lion are to be found in Tanzania. The real surprise was that this famous conservationist was there to logically explain why he and his colleagues will now support controlled trophy hunting of lion when it is ethically and fairly executed. Forgive the pun! Lion in Tanzania kill more than two hundred people annually and the repercussions of these deaths normally lead to entire prides being poisoned. In areas where lions are regularly hunted for sport man-eaters are less common. The killing of mature male lion of six years and over, by sport hunters, dose not effect the lion population but ensures that the lion will have a healthy respect for people.

It has also been proved that fifteen percent of most wildlife populations can be culled without effecting the natural population fluctuations and it is believed that the increased turn over within the population renders it more vigorous and healthy. Although I have no scientific proof of this, years of watching Tanzanian wildlife in its natural environment has proved this to me beyond any doubt.

If a hunter is looking for either an easy or a cheap hunt do not look in Tanzania. This is not the ranch hunting of South Africa where the government fees are minimal and the game often managed and thick on the ground. Tanzania has approximately one third of its total land area protected in one ore more of the following ways:

National Parks include the incredible Serengeti. The only activities permitted in the National Parks are scientific research and photographic tourism. Tanzania will soon have at least ten National parks and more are planed. Several are large enough to be reasonably sized European countries. The majority of the National Parks are very under utilized at present. There is one Conservation Area, the Ngorongoro, which is also a world heritage sight. This is a failing experiment in the co-habitation of people and wildlife as the once pastoral Maasai are now tuning to agriculture and have effectively cut off the famous crater from the rest of the ecosystem. However the Ngorongoro will always remain a must see. Game Reserves that include the famous Selous Game Reserve, the larges in the world, include many of the prime hunting areas. They are offered the same protected status as the National Parks but sport trophy hunting is allowed and in most cases no photographic tourism is permitted. Forestry Reserves cover vast areas of commercially important woodland and vital green water catchments. Many of the rural communities have large traditional grazing areas that contain wildlife to varying degrees. These communities will only tolerate the presence of the animals, some dangerous and all competing with or feeding on their domestic stock, if they produce revenue for the community. These areas are either Wildlife Management Areas or Game Controlled Areas.

All wildlife belongs to the national government and the government controls the rights to wildlife. There is no prevision for private ownership of wildlife in Tanzania at present. Much of the country including all of the protected areas baring the National Parks and the Conservation Area are divided into Hunting Blocks that vary in size depending on the wildlife abundance of the area. These blocks are then leased for a five-year period to sport trophy hunting companies. Each block is allocated a quota by the Division Wildlife for the available species according to their abundance.

The hunting season starts on the first of July and finishes on the last day of December. This is generally the dry season however the rains starts in November and many of the southern and central Tanzanian hunting blocks are inaccessible in November and December. The best time to hunt is often as the rains start however most hunters seem to want to come at the beginning of the season.

Tanzania can be generally divided into two distanced biomes. The Northern third is Acacia savannah and the rest is variations of Miombo woodland interspersed with huge seasonal swamps and occasional mountain cloud forest. This variation produces variation in fauna too and most hunts, if time allows, are divided between at least two biomes to allow for a varied bag. On a lucky twenty-one day hunt as many as eighteen species can be attained with more available. The only animals that are excluded from the hunting list are the Giraffe as it is the national animal of Tanzania, Rhino, Cheetah and Wild Dog. Lion, Leopard, Elephant and Buffalo are among the most desirable species hunted here.

Hunts licences are issued for 7,14, 16 or 21 day hunts and only certain animals are available depending on the duration of the licence. Lion and leopard can only be hunted on a 21 day licence as with several other species. There are hunting companies to fit all tastes and Mexican and Spaniards are among the most regular hunting visitors to Tanzania. Some of my most enjoyable hunts have been with clients and friends from both countries.

Sport Trophy Hunting is a vital conservation tool, helping to ensure the survival of Tanzania’s threatened fauna and flora. In fact visiting Tanzania on a hunting safari is in my opinion the best way to contribute to conserving Tanzania’s incredible wildlife heritage. I was once part of the anti-hunting lobby until I saw through my naivety. I am now the best and most effective sort of a conservationist, the hunting conservationist.