As we have mentioned before, the need to re-bid on all hunting areas caught this country's hunting professionals entirely by surprise. As recently as the last Safari Club International Convention, you'll recall, officials were saying areas would simply be rolled over to current leaseholders unless there was some provable reason not to do so. Having to re-bid at this time and on such short notice, has put everyone on edge and spawned dozens of troubling rumors. In all, nearly 250 bid applications were requested and paid for, we understand, many by foreign companies.
We plan to cover this reallocation closely in coming issues, as the future of a major hunting country hangs in the balance. In the meantime - fair warning! If you have a safari booked into Zambia for 2001, or beyond, your operator may or may not be in business and/or able to conduct the safari you bought in the area you wanted. Stay tuned.
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