African Indaba Articles - wildlife-baldus.com

systems of trophy measurement: the SCI method established in 1978 and the Rowland Ward method from1892. The latter is the system of trophy measurement most traditionally used by hunters worldwide. Whenscoring buffalo, RW takes only the spread of the horns into account, such that older animals may scoreequally as well as younger animals. SCI however, in an effort to produce a more all round score, includes thedepth of the curl and the width of the bosses. The use of the SCI system, with which the majority of NorthAmerican clients, who form 60% of visiting clients, are familiar, is believed to be contributing to youngerindividuals being shot whereas the use of the RW method is believed to be supportive of more sustainableoff-takes in the long term.In safari hunting adult buffalo bulls are selected for their trophy value. Sexual maturity is reached at 4-5years; however, in most cases the trophy is still considered undesirable at this stage. A quality trophy is mostlikely a buffalo bull aged between 7 and 12 years. Professional hunters have to rely principally on thecharacteristics of the bull’s horns in order to determine its potential trophy quality and a possible age for theanimal.As a trophy reaches its full potential (its prime) the boss hardens forming ridges and the fully grown hornsare curved in a hook shape. The tips of the horns are still sharp at this stage, but as the animals age the horntips are worn down and the bosses become progressively smoother. Such individuals are often found in“bachelor” groups away from breeding herds; the hunting of such groups of individuals is less likely to resultin the offtake of immature individuals.However, since these groups will join the herds for breeding purposes, being able to judge therelationship between age and trophy size on a more rigorous basis would allow hunters to make betterinformed decisions. In doing so, the offtake of immature bulls can be prevented, which in turn would bebeneficial for the sustainability of quality trophy offtake.The SCI measurement system is thought to favor younger “soft-bossed” bulls whose horns are still yet tolose their sharp tips. It is such animals that tend to make the record books but only because the measuringsystem favors animals with such attributes. Of the top three scoring buffalo bulls in the SCI record books,only one is “hard-bossed”, the other two are still “soft” (i.e. still young). Hunting buffalo at this age is likely tocut short their genetic contribution within the population.Establishing a relationship between age and trophy size using each respective scoring system wouldhopefully allow for better selection on an age basis and hence would contribute to the sustainable hunting ofhigh quality trophies. It would also shed light on the importance of scoring system use and the possible needfor adjustments. This study looks specifically at the relationship between the age of hunted bulls and theirrespective trophy sizes using, RW and SCI scoring methods. Furthermore, the age of each hunted buffalowas determined to within one year using Taylor’s age determination methods.The study area was the Middle Zambezi Valley with hunting concessions managed by Parks & WildlifeAuthority and settled Communal Land where CAMPFIRE (Communal Areas Management Program forIndigenous Resources) is operational.Dande South and Dande Communal Land are operated by Ingwe Safaris with about 45 buffalo bulls onquota out of an estimated population of 1,053 (representative of approximately ½ to ¾ of the buffalopopulation as aerial census results for the area were inconclusive). Dande North (CAMPFIRE) and DandeSafari Area (Parks and Wildlife) are operated by Swainson’s Safaris. Between the two areas there are about100 buffalo bulls currently on quota out of an estimated population of 4,037 buffalo. Buffalo populations aremoving freely between the two safari areas. Chewore North (Parks and Wildlife) is operated by Big FiveSafaris with 55 buffalo bulls on quota from an estimated buffalo population of 1,964.Th safari areas collectively hold significant numbers of large game, ranging from elephants, hippo,buffalo, and big cats (lion, leopard) to large and small antelope. The safari operators involved are highlyreputable and constitute some of the biggest names in safari hunting in southern Africa.At the start of the hunting season, I requested the operators to retain and tag the lower jaws of each shotbuffalo. Both RW and SCI scores were measured and recorded for each trophy. The mandibular molars wereextracted from the lower jaws and the age of each shot buffalo determined. I also had the opportunity todiscuss views with both clients and professional hunters. The data set obtained represents approximatelytwo thirds of the male buffalo on quota in the concession areas for the year 2004.120