Some safaris in South Africa will be affected by the severe ongoing drought there. The Hunting Report has heard from hunters who have had operators move scheduled hunts in Limpopo to less dry areas of the country. We contacted the Professional Hunters' Association of South Africa (PHASA) to find out more. PHASA has issued the following press release on the situation there:
The Professional Hunters' Association of South Africa (PHASA) says the 2016 hunting season is going well despite South Africa having recently experienced its worst drought in a century.
Eight of South Africa's nine provinces have been declared disaster areas, with only Gauteng being the exception. Chief Executive Tharia Unwin says the association's outfitter members, especially those who are active in the north of the country, have had to seek alternative hunting areas to meet their booking obligations. "However, demand is being met, and the hunting season is going well," she says.
"We have had reports of hardship from members who are also landowners in some of the worst affected areas and as a result our Conservation and Empowerment Fund recently donated R10,000 towards BOERE IN NOOD (FARMERS IN NEED), a Facebook-driven fundraising initiative aimed at transporting feed to the worst affected areas." she says.
Hunters headed to South Africa this season will want to contact their operators to see how the drought might affect safari plans. If you have any issues on a safari, please file a report. - Justin Jones, Assistant Editor