It is unclear at this writing why the government would take the unusual step of notifying operators by letter, rather than publishing the list of successful operators in the newspaper. Almost certainly, though, it indicates general uneasiness about what will happen when unsuccessful operators get the bad news that their bids on areas were turned down. Will inside pressure lead to some kind of new jam-up?
Until more is known, here at The Hunting Report, we prefer to focus on the positive news that Zambia appears to be reopening hunting after a two-year closure. E-Mail Extra subscribers can count on continuing updates in the next few days. (Go to www.huntingreport.com for information on how to upgrade your subscription to E-Mail Extra). We will publish a list of successful companies and the areas they got shortly.
Zambia, of course, has many important game animals, including some of the best lions in all of Africa, plus sable and lechwe. There is sure to be somewhat of a rush to book this country, too. Our advice is to go slow. It will be several weeks or more before it is clear just who has what. Then, there is some ambiguity about game numbers in some areas. Two years is a long time for hunting to be closed. Some areas are sure to have been poached heavily.
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