Leopard Ridge's Ross Michelson maintains his eviction from the area is illegal, and at this writing is continuing his fight to stay in control of the area. Meanwhile, the government has already put the area back up for re-allocation. The auction period closed the same day this was written October 18. The word I have is, 23 different companies bid for the area. A new leaseholder will likely have already been announced by the time you read this.
Whoever gets this area will have a gem of a concession. Hunters interested in Zambia may want to contact the new owner and explore safari options. I'll release an e-mail bulletin as soon as it is known who the new owner is.
I should note before leaving this subject that one Hunting Report subscriber has dropped me a note, complaining that Leopard Ridge has not responded to his e-mails requesting a refund of payments made toward a safari to Nyampala. I immediately wrote Michelson, asking him for a clarification. He replied as follows: Any client who is claiming to be unpaid should get in touch with my office, or contact the agent who booked their safari with us. Any agreed-upon outstanding amount will be refunded.
As this issue goes to press, we have not had any follow-up correspondence from the aggrieved subscriber. We assume all is being worked out, but our pages are open for further comment.
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