Over in Zimbabwe, The Hunting Report has learned that a wide-ranging US Fish and Wildlife Service investigation is underway into hunts being conducted in that country by a South African company called Out of Africa Safaris. If you have hunted with this company in the last several years in Zimbabwe and you have been contacted by US Fish & Wildlife Service Special Agents, please let us know, as we are trying to determine whether we should issue a cautionary bulletin, and, if so, what kind.
At this writing, all we know is, several subscribers have been contacted by federal agents, who asked them about lion hunts they had taken with Out of Africa. Before leaving, the federal agents issued the subscribers subpoenas, demanding that they either produce all their banking and other records relating to their dealings with Out Of Africa or appear in court in California. It is worth noting that the federal agents told one Hunting Report subscriber that they had been asked by the Zimbabwe government to investigate Out of Africa.
Here at The Hunting Report, we do not know what the US and Zimbabwe governments are looking for, and we do not know if hunters, as well as Out of Africa, are in any jeopardy. We do know such investigations are dangerous, as they can lead to allegations of Lacey Act violations. If you are contacted by a Fish and Wildlife agent, we recommend that you immediately contact an attorney. Make sure he (or she) is present at any interview. More details as they become available.
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