Big game hunting is a lifestyle

Big game hunting in Namibia is an industry capable of bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars, and rightly so; any hunter worth his weight in ammo is sure to end up in this arid landscape at least once in a lifetime.Professional hunter and avid photographer Jofie Lamprecht from Jofie Lamprecht Safaris said by adding value to Namibia’s big game in the country’s economy results in saving them. Lamprecht said that large amounts of revenue is generated by big game hunting versus the small amount that parks generate with park revenue. “Big game camps are small, hosting up to an average of 4 guests. The environmental impact is small and the revenue generated is large.”He said this is compared to large tourist lodges that host dozens of guests.“Water, fossil fuels, produce, meat, waste are needed and are much more harmful to the environment than small hunting camps.”Lamprecht said that at the end of the day, hunters produce protein for surrounding communities while tourism is much more consumptive. “Do not get me wrong. There is a place for all of us. We all need to respect each other, respectively.”According to Lamprecht, elephant, buffalo, leopard, lion, crocodile, hippo as well as both black and white rhino are big game that are sustainably hunted in Namibia. “The biggest draw card in my opinion is buffalo.”He said that although Germany is Namibia’s largest market for big game hunting, the runner up is the second largest market - the USA.Lamprecht said that to become a big game hunter in Namibia has the second most stringent tests - behind Zimbabwe. “It takes years and for some decades for one to qualify. Namibia's hunting qualifications are excellent.”Lamprecht said that the goal of big game hunting is to hunt a post-productive male of the species that has spread his genetics already. These animals would shortly die of old age. He stressed that this is the ethos that most hunters live and operate by.“Big game hunting is a lifestyle. You generate huge amounts of revenue only to be eaten up by your overhead.”Tourism minister Pohamba Shifeta also added that Namibia is very strict with hunters complying to regulations, He said that if for instance a hunter should shoot the wrong animal they not only forfeit the money of the hunt, but may face a hefty fine. Should they then choose to hunt again, they must pay again for a hunt. Lamprecht has been a professional hunter for 23 years and a professional big game hunter for 20 years.

Big game hunting is a lifestyle

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Republikein 2025-05-01

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Big game hunting is a lifestyle

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