Sanlam cancels hunting trip

March 03 2009 at 05:48AM

By Natasha Joseph

The investment giant Sanlam has cancelled a planned hunting expedition for "a select group of about five clients" after receiving complaints from animal rights organisations.

The trip was due to have been held from May 21 to 23 in Adelaide in the Eastern Cape.

Sanlam Investment Management spokesperson Claire Rabe said "a select group of about five clients" who were "regular experienced hunters" had been invited on the "client relationship building" trip.

She denied that Sanlam used policyholders' money to fund such events.

"We do not spend policyholders' money on these events," she said. "They are, without exception, funded from fees generated from within the business. Therefore, no policyholder fees have ever been used for this purpose."

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She was "unsure of what the ultimate budget would have been" because the event had been cancelled.

The event was to have been co-ordinated by East Cape Plains Game Safaris.

On the company's website, prospective clients are offered the opportunity to hunt 27 different type of animal.

These include East Cape kudu, Cape springbok, blesbok, white blesbok, bontebok, impala, red mountain reedbuck, baboons and vervet monkeys.

The website says that "in the interest of humane hunting", all hunters must "submit to a basic shooting skills test before being granted permission to enter the hunting area".

It adds: "Only ethical walk-and-stalk hunting is permitted, and the minimum calibre to be hunted with is 7mm or .270.

"Please note that we also cater for handgun and black powder hunting. The hunting area stretches over 30 000 hectares, from the Koonap River Valley at 1 500ft above sea level, to the Winterberg at 7 500ft."

o This article was originally published on page 1 of Cape Times on March 03, 2009