Getting Trophies Back to the USA

American taxidermists will tell you they get frequent calls from customers anxious to get their mounts home and on the wall.  This is especially the case when they come from far away places in Africa.  The bureaucratic “red tape” and added “value” (meaning more cost add ons) are extensive and should be thoroughly explained by the North American Agent, especially to a hunter going over for the first time.  Hunters should plan a wait of one to one and one half years before the mounts are home and on the wall. 

As concisely as possible, I will here attempt to move you through the various “hurdles” we must patiently endure.  Patience is a virtue, especially in our electronic age, so be forewarned your qualities of patience and forbearance will likely be tested upon your return.  

Having been on numerous hunting safaris to several Southern African countries, I can with experience relate that here the devil is really in the details.  An otherwise wonderful hunt can be ruined by lack of diligence in trophy exportation.  Selecting a reputable and experienced booking agent and safari operator is of course most important in this regard, and because of the numerous and ever changing laws and regulations ….on both sides of the water.   The Professional Hunter cannot be expected to know the American regulations any more than you do, so his duties end with shipping the trophies to your designated Customs Brokerage firm in the states.  In the states, you can rely on either your agent or taxidermist to assist guide you through the hoops.  This process should be in place before you leave home and includes the forms you complete from the selected brokerage house.  More on that later.

Taxidermy Options:

Who and where the taxidermy is done is controversial, so it depends….  Your call… but know the options.  The most popular option is to have the capes and horns crated and shipped to your American taxidermist.  But not just any taxidermist will do.  Just because the taxidermist does good work on North American game does not qualify him for African animals.  The African specie is almost universally thin coated because of the moderate climate and takes some different mounting techniques.  Perhaps just as important is knowledge of the animals being mounted.  A taxidermist that can show to your satisfaction, good African work will take care of that concern.  But, then what quality of taxidermy do you want, competition grade or wall grade?  Once again, it’s your call but beware there is a considerable price difference and the “big hitters” in competition taxidermy may or may not be close to home, meaning more time and shipping cost.  I prefer a good quality mid-cost taxidermist that does proven good work on African animals and of course can get the work completed within a few months.

Having the trophies mounted in Africa is another viable option.  The African taxidermist does have a point when he says he knows the natural poses and colouration’s of the animal best. A valid point and probably true, and he also adds one more consideration, ease of shipping and handling.  No doubt, getting the mounts home through brokerage, tanning and taxidermy involves numerous time consuming steps that can be shortened by having them done abroad and crated/shipped direct to your door.  The issues then come down to quality of work, red tape and of course cost.  All things being the same (perfect world), this is really a great way to go and most outfitters in Africa use and can recommend a good taxidermist over there.  Seeing and pricing the craftsmanship while still in Africa is advised, however.  If you cannot, know that just like taxidermists everywhere, quality varies.  With a local domestic taxidermist you at least can visit and go over the various poses and details as the mount is being completed. 

Price Comparisons:

Getting the trophies to your domestic taxidermist vary considerably, dependant on shipping cost, which is largely based on the current price of fuel.  Over the years, I have seen some pretty good and bad deals when people opt to have the trophies done abroad.  Simply speaking, the situation is one of cheaper African labor versus the higher shipping cost due to the heavier, bulkier finished product. 

The current shipping cost alone for a typical plains game package of four animals unmounted very roughly estimated, comes to about $1,200.  You could add another $600 to $700 to have them shipped fully mounted.  This estimate excludes all other handling and taxidermy work.  Tip:  If you are hunting with a partner, try to have all capes and horns shipped under one name, in one crate, to the same brokerage and save expense.  Because of base cost crate fees, using separate names will necessitate separate crates that can cost more. 

The Process:

Use a reputable American Agent connected to a reputable Safari Operator and many of the problems relating to trophy handling will be resolved.  I did know a few hunters that were “penny wise and pound foolish” as the old English expression goes.  They did the whole process alone.  Booked with an operator at a show direct, and negotiated a “cut rate” arrangement whereby they did all the steps without any assistance.  Their problems escalated as soon as their capes and horns were received from Africa.  Numerous hours of paperwork headaches together with protracted deliveries occurred, only in the end to find out that they really saved very little by the “do it yourself” approach. 

Forms are extensive on both sides of the water.  In Africa each country has their own permitting and processing system.  The procedural process is always cumbersome and each country has unique licensing and permitting arrangements that need to be adhered to before any game animal is released.  Mess up one step and things can get downright sticky.  Numerous agencies in the United States are charged with protecting endangered species and the public from potential disease introduction.  The agencies with jurisdictional oversight are the USFWS (legally harvested and legal species for import), USDA (disease transfer to domestic animals), and CDC (disease transfer to humans).  Depending the trophy imported by classification (e.g. boars, primates, birds or endangered), all of the agencies may or may not be involved with US Customs review.  Jurisdictional and compliance disputes can occur and hunters periodically need legal assistance to work out an issue. 

CITES is an international treaty regulating the export and import of certain species into participating countries worldwide.  CITES originated in the 1960’s and is amended infrequently.  The acronym stands for International Trade in Endangered Species.  Special permitting for export or import or both are required for several species, most notably cats, certain zebra and bovine.  Before booking any hunt, you should be certain any necessary CITES permits are in place for the specific species and be aware that each permit is only good for six months so if you are booking a hunt in the future you need to make certain the permit covers the hunt time but when it will arrive at US Customs.  Consequences can be dire including confiscation, fines and even in some cases jail time.  One final note on CITES ……   Do not expect the Professional Hunter or even the African Outfitter to know what species are not allowed into the United States.  They should be expected to know which ones are exportable and have the necessary permits for their country but not the American side.  I have found that WTA and other reputable outfitters have American agents familiar with the import end to assist me with CITIES and all the other domestic regulations.

Salt, Dip and Pack:

The term Dip/Pack is term pertaining to the last preparation step in Africa for your capes and horns.  A licensed person, usually a taxidermist, does it.  Dip and Pack is most often done in conjunction with crating/export shipping and then only after being salted properly for a period of time.  Salting takes out all moisture, reducing any spoilage during shipping.  This is a very important after skinning step that should not be rushed, taking anywhere from four to six weeks in the “shed” before the outfitter taking it to the dip and pack house for that final export processing step  

Over the years I have used four different outfitters in three different African countries and they all used the American Services of either Flora and Fauna Customs Brokers (www.faunaandflora.com) or Coppersmith Custom Brokers (www.coppersmith.com).  These companies specialize in handling the crate and bureaucratic paper maze when the shipment comes into the few authorized Ports of Entry Cities in the US.  They are experts on handling and routing the crate to the proper United States taxidermist or tannery.  When I have hunted with WTA they price out both options for me and make sure all my routing paperwork is complete.  The Customs Brokers are well worth the few hundred dollars they charge, especially if there is a shipping or paperwork problem.  And believe me they do occur.

Poor attention to detail can be a heart breaker for the hunter that yearns for the thrill of hunting the Dark Continent.  In final analysis Africa will always be a part of your life dream, a journey not forgotten so why not do it right.  No matter where or who you employ in pursuit of your African experience, pre planning is of the essence.  Use a competent and experienced American agent who knows the continent and the best Safari operators.  Ask questions and get references, because in the end the planning and attention to detail will make it well worthwhile, especially when it comes to getting the trophies back home and on the wall!