Over a 13-month period my crew and I have made four separate trips to Zimbabwe. We have traveled by road from the Zambezi Valley in the north to the Mozambique and South African border in the south, and numerous places in between. The following is my perspective of the situation in Zimbabwe.
This is not a `snapshot' account from a single trip, but more of a mosaic view of different regions, cultural perspectives and observations over an extended period of time. While there is no doubt that conditions in Zimbabwe are tough and are likely to remain that way for some time, many of the issues facing resident Zimbabweans do not pose the same problems or to the same degree for the visiting hunter. In fact, some of the economic difficulties actually benefit the nonresident sportsman. It is simply a matter of economics.
Big game hunts are still available in Zimbabwe, but demand for these hunts has fallen because of the negative perception of the country in general. Many visiting international hunters that would otherwise have traveled to Zimbabwe have either booked other venues or cancelled their African plans altogether. Due to this lessened demand, hunt operators have been forced to cut prices to generate enough cash flow to stay in business, which........(continued)
