Fauna & Flora Trophy Shipments

(This report contained the most up-to-date information available at the time it was published. It has been left in its original state in the interest of keeping an accurate historical record of what we published. For the latest information on this subject, contact us. Our contact details appear at the bottom of this page).

Ocean Shipping: A Breakthrough For Hunters

by Barbara Crown

Geographic Focus of Article: Africa | South Africa |

Issue: April, 2003 | Article ID: 1153

Here at The Hunting Report, we kicked off a series of reports last month on the many problems hunters are having with trophy shipments. Our report last month focused on the shipping delays that are occurring in South Africa and on the need for hunters to buy cargo insurance on all their trophy shipments. This month, we focus on some good news - namely, the emergence of to buy cargo insurance on all their trophy shipments. This month, we focus on some good news - namely, the emergence of ocean-shipping as a way of reducing the cost of getting your trophies home. At this point, the shipping can only be done from South Africa, utilizing a single company. And only mounted trophies are involved. But who knows - perhaps this is the start of a major good-news trend. Managing Editor Barbara Crown filed the report.)

If you have hunted overseas recently and shipped any trophies home, you know all too well that the cost of shipping trophies internationally by air is skyrocketing. Rising fuel and security costs point toward even higher costs in the future. But hold the phone. Some good news is emerging on this front, at least in South Africa, thanks to New York-based cargo broker, Fauna and Flora, and South African shipping company, Safari Air Cargo. Together, they have put together a deal that allows them to transport fully mounted trophies from South Africa to the United States at least 50 percent cheaper than they can currently be shipped by air. Their secret? They have ironed out all the details to permit bulk shipping of trophies via ocean vessel.

The cost of shipping one kilo of what's called chargeable mass via air is $3 or more. That same kilo by ocean is only $1.50. And that is not the only advantage of containerized ocean-shipping of trophies. For one thing, crates shipped this way are handled, packed and unpacked only by Safari Air Cargo and Flora and Fauna personnel, who are more likely to treat them carefully than airline cargo and baggage handlers. Also, because the entire shipment is made up of mounted trophies, the crates have similar weights and densities. That means you don't have to worry about having heavier boxes stacked on top of your trophy. Finally, the crates don't get offloaded from the vessel until they reach their final port destination. That means they can't be misplaced, left out in the elements or otherwise mishandled at a stopover.

So, why didn't someone think of this before, and why isn't it more widely used? Well, it's actually not such a simple thing to do. Several government agencies must be involved, and we're told it took a lot of negotiating on both sides of the ocean to get this program accepted. The way it works is that Safari Air Cargo packs a 40-foot container with trophies that have been inspected and approved by South Africa's conservation department, who must be present to seal the container. The container is then loaded on the vessel under deck, where it is safe from water and salt air, in a temperature-controlled environment until it arrives at the port in New York City 21 days later. There, Fauna and Flora has made special arrangements with Customs, US Fish & Wildlife Service and the US Department of Agriculture to allow the container to be offloaded and taken directly to Fauna and Flora's bonded warehouse, where the three agencies are present to break the seal on the container and inspect the contents.

Obviously, one key to the success of this program is having enough cargo to fill entire containers on a regular basis. Right now, Safari Air Cargo says it is able to fill and ship one to two containers every two weeks. In fact, according to Fauna and Flora's John Meehan, they have indeed been moving this number of containers since last October. So what are the downsides? Well, right now this method of shipping provides the most savings for US hunters who live anywhere between the East Coast and perhaps Arizona. Hunters living on the West Coast will not see as big a savings on their shipping bill, and the reason has to do with shipping charges from New York to the final destination. The farther away from the port of entry, the more it will cost for the final leg of your trophy's journey. Also, this program is currently only available for shipments between South Africa and the US. Moreover, it is limited to mounted trophies.

So how can you get your trophies shipped via ocean freight? All you have to do is ask your South African taxidermist to look into ocean-freight consolidated shipping. Safari Air Cargo's Gideon Visser says most South African taxidermists have worked with Safari Air Cargo before and know they are providing this service now. You can get a hold of the principals in this shipping operation by calling John Meehan at Fauna and Flora; or Gideon Visser at Safari Air Cargo.

	TROPHIES
	HUNTING REPORT ARTICLE

HOME