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1st September 2008



Dear Client



This letter is a follow - on from the newsletter sent out on the 1st August. As another month goes by, Safari Operators are reportedly very busy with hunts and all seems to be going well. Some Safari hunting concessions are facing an increase in poaching activities and this is directly attributed to the situation prevailing in the country.



On the Taxidermy side, our staff are working hard to clear the backlog of trophy shipments. With regards to National Parks , most issues related to the Cites export permit have been dealt with, however, minor problems are being encountered with computer breakdowns and glitches. These problems are being addressed as they arise.



One of the burning issues that concerns clients who hunt in Zimbabwe is the question of how long will it take for trophies to be field prepared and delivered from the safari camp to ourselves for processing onward shipping to their final destination.



The following criteria needs to be considered :-

1. Trophies in Camp - What delays the transport of trophies from the camp to either Harare or Bulawayo is the drying period needed before the trophies can be moved and transport available to move these trophies. Often trophies will not be moved until there is a sufficient load to justify a vehicle going into the Safari area. After skinning, brining, salt stacking , hanging and folding, most large antelope and Buffalo skins take about two to three weeks to dry. This is also dependant on the weather, as high relative humidity will delay things. Large species such as Hippo and Elephant take considerably longer to dry .From the last day of the hunt, it is reasonable to expect it to take on average 4 - 6 weeks for trophies ( excluding large species) to reach Harare or Bulawayo.

2. Once the trophies have been delivered to the Operator's central collection point, and all the paperwork has been properly completed , only then can the trophies be accepted by Taxidermy Enterprises. When we are in possession of all your trophies and the correct documentation, will we contact you for instructions. We offer a range of options ; a full Taxidermy Service, Mounting with Dip and Pack, Shipment of raw trophies,curios as well as leather goods.

3. Dip and Pack Option - this should take 3 - 4 months for sterilization and crating and all documentation to be done.

4. Taxidermy Option - Once we receive a client's confirmed mounting order, he is placed into the system and a completion date is fixed. This should be between 6 - 8 months. Trophies will only be placed in line for finishing and packing once the final payment is recieved. Once the dimensions and weights of the crates are known, our in house clearing office will clear the shipment for export. This should take a further 4 - 6 weeks.

For both the dipping and packing and Taxidermy options, once payment for freight charges is received by the freight agent , it should take 2 - 3 weeks for the trophies to reach the final destination if shipped by air and around 3 months if shipped by sea.



In summary the time taken is as follows ;

From the end of the hunt to Delivery operator Harare or Bulawayo 4 - 6 weeks

From Operator to Taxidermy Enterprises 1 - 2 weeks

Dipping and Packing option 12 - 16 weeks

Taxidermy Option 24 - 32 weeks

Finishing , Packing and export clearance 4 - 6 weeks

Despatch of Trophies to final destination - by Air 2 - 3 weeks

Despatch of Trophies to final destination - by Sea 12 weeks



Therefore from the time the trophies leave camp to when they arrive at their final destination , can be as follows ;

Dip and Pack option (by Air) - 5 to 7 months

Dip and Pack option (by Sea) - 7 to 9 months

Taxidermy option (by Air) - 9 to 12 months

Taxidermy option (by Sea) - 11 to 15 months



There are many other factors which can influence the delay in a client receiving his trophies and these are as follows ;

*Badly treated skins which may result in hairslip and failure in tanning.

*Insect damage to Trophies held in Safari camps for too long.

*Incomplete and incorrect documentation supplied by the P.H or Operator.

*Breakdown in communications between TE and the client ( power cuts, phone outages, etc).

*Delays in payment.

*If a Client chooses to have leatherwork and curios made up , this may result in a time extension in final delivery.

*Delays with documentation from the Reserve Bank, Veterinary Dept and National Parks, *Shortages of chemicals, packaging, timber etc. Very little is available locally and so ,much of this needs to be imported. Whilst every effort is made to maintain a certain level of stock at any one time, there are times when our foreign importers let us down on promised delivery dates.



All the above do result in delays that are beyond our control, however, should correct procedures be followed the recommended time taken to deliver trophies to their final destination is fair!...Our intention is to provide a top quality service with a reasonable turn around time at a better rate offered by most Taxidermists overseas.



I will revert to you all next month with any developements within the Hunting and Taxidermy industry.Please feel free to contact us at any time if you have any queries or concerns.





Many thanks and kind regards



Daryl Meredith

Director

Taxidermy Enterprises

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