FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FOR THE THE LOCAL CLIENT HEADING OVERSEAS.

l WILL BE HUNTING OVERSEAS THIS YEAR, WHAT DO I DO TO SHIP MY TROPHIES HOME?

For any person hunting abroad for International game, there are two departments that must be satisfied in order to successfully import your trophies.

They are:

1. The Department of the Environment & Water Resources 
2. Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service

The Department of the Environment & Water Resources is the principle management authority which regulates the importation of those species of animals scheduled as CITES listed species.

Some examples of these species include all bears, all cats, wolves and wolverines and species of antelopes such as the Lechewe, Addax, Schimitar Oryx and Blue Duiker; as well as some Zebra and sheep species such as Barbary or Auodad sheep.

No CITES listed game species can be imported into Australia without both the export approval from country of origin, and an import approval from The Department of the Environment & Water Resources. 

For a full listing of species, you should refer to the current and complete list of CITES species. lf it is not a CITES listed species, you may have to produce proof of legal acquisition such as hunt licences and/or hunt tags from the country of origin.

AQIS is the regulatory authority charged with the responsibility for the safe importation of all forms of primary products such as flowers and fruits, fish, dairy products, woods and grains, as well as biological material such as raw skins, hides, feathers, bones, horns, antlers, etc.

Before a trophy hunter may import any such material, AQIS must be satisfied that the imported material does not pose a biological threat to the general community. Most items can be treated using available specified quarantine treatment procedures.

Before any biological material is imported into Australia, the importer should first complete an Application for Permit to Import Quarantine Material, also available by post from Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry-Australia (Canberra).                Call AQIS Biologicals unit on: (02) 6272-4578

Once the permit is issued, you will also have to ensure that you satisfy the permit conditions such as obtaining a veterinarian certificate from the country of export for the specimens to be imported into Australia.

If you are unsure of any requirements contact AQIS.

SOME PEOPLE SAY I SHOULD HAVE MY TROPHIES MOUNTED IN THE COUNTRY WHERE THEY WHERE TAKEN, OTHERS SAY SHIP THEM HOME —WHAT SHOULD l DO?

Obviously being involved in the taxidermy industry my livelihood depends upon securing international trophies for our business here in Australia. It may come as no surprise that l  recommend that all Australian hunters should endeavour to have their trophies mounted at home in Australia.

Having been involved in taxidermy for over 25 years, with what l have witnessed and with what has been experienced by other hunters, my advice to all Australian hunters is, you've paid a lot of money for that once in a lifetime International experience, now get your trophies home to Australia as quickly as possible.

There are a number of taxidermists within Australia (including ourselves )capable of producing work equal to or better than that, many taxidermists overseas are able to produce. Secondly, the anguish that hunters endure whilst waiting for the completion of mounts in a country where they have no recourse has left many people  wondering when or if they may ever see their trophies again.

The facts to be considered are-

1. Most Taxidermists including those in Africa and the Americas now charge in US dollars
2. Turnaround time in some overseas studios with high demand can sometimes be several years.
3. Shipping on completed mounts is costly, particularly where fully mounted trophies are involved.
4. GST is applicable to the VALUE and FREIGHT of a finished item.

Finally, the quicker your trophies are back in Australia where you can at least see and inspect their progress, the more peace of mind you will have.

SHOULD l INCLUDE ALL THE BACK-SKINS AND SKULLS FOR SHIPMENT?

International freight can be a costly exercise, and depending on what you intend to hunt, the net volume of trophies can add up fairly rapidly.
Hence, you need to be serious about the intentions with what you collect. If you have no serious plans for the back-skins of trophies the size of Cape Buffalo, Giraffe, or even Moose and Elk, it will be wise to exclude them from the homeward consignment to reduce some of the weight and final costs.

lt is often of benefit to split some skulls such as those of Moose and Elk in order that they may be folded one side to the other in to reduce the overall volume that a complete skull with attached set of antlers presents. The cost of having the split antlers re-pinned or wired far outweighs the expense of shipping a large Caribou or Moose rack home un-cut inside a large crate or box.