The team consists of US booking agent Ron Simmons of Four Star Adventures and charter pilot Bill Neslor, who has lived in Liberia for more than a decade. Neslor is on a first-name basis with top political leaders and, by all reports, is well respected in the country.
"We are ready to go January 1," Simmons said at press time, indicating the only problem right now was an embargo the United Nations recently imposed against Liberia in an effort to stop the diamond trade that is thought to be linked to funding for the war in neighboring Sierra Leon. Simmons said he had not been able to determine if the embargo affected trophy shipment so, in the name of caution, he was postponing an official opening of hunting until next year.
The hunts next year, most of which have already been spoken for Simmons says, are pegged at $9,500, plus trophy fees on all animals of $500 each. That's for a two-week hunt, all-inclusive from Monrovia. The projected season is January through April.
The animals on offer will continue to be the various duikers that have been described in these pages before. However, there are several other animals that may prove to be of long-term interest. One is leopard. Simmons says they are so numerous in Liberia that street-side hawkers in Monrovia offer skins for sale for as little as $55. The only problem is, leopards in Liberia are on the US Endangered Species and are not currently........(continued)
