National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, 2004 (Act No. 10 of 2004)

Regulations

Norms and Standards for the Trophy Hunting of Leopard in South Africa, 2023 - effective 1 April 2023

3. Quota and Permit Allocation for the Hunting of Leopard
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(1)Applications for leopard hunting quotas must be submitted to the relevant issuing authorities each year, on or before a date to be determined by the Department responsible for nature conservation, to ensure timeous allocation thereof for the next hunting season.

 

(2)The Scientific Authority must establish LHZs for the purpose of setting the annual leopard hunting quota.

 

(3)The issuing authority of a province to which a leopard hunting quota has been awarded for a particular hunting season , may allocate a quota of only one leopard per qualifying LHZ.

 

(4)If a local hunter or a hunting client intends to hunt a leopard, such local hunter or the professional hunter who will be accompanying such hunting client on the leopard hunt, must first undertake and pass a once-off approved leopard hunting examination in the presence of an official of an issuing authority in order to demonstrate his or her competence to assess the age of a male leopard,and to confirm that he or she is familiar with applicable biodiversity legislation.

 

(5)The requirement of a once-off leopard hunting examination does not apply to a local hunter or professional hunter who provides proof to the relevant issuing authority that he or she has undergone approved training in respect of the determination of the age of a male leopard.

 

(6)The hunting of a leopard must at all times be authorised by a permit issued by the relevant issuing authority in terms of applicable biodiversity legislation.

 

(7)A local hunter who intends to hunt a leopard,must, subsequent to the allocation of leopard hunting quotas, submit the following documents to the relevant issuing authority:
(a)an application for a leopard hunting permit; and
(b)the written approval from the owner or manager of the land upon which the hunt will take place.

 

(8)The hunting outfitter of a hunting client who intends to hunt a leopard, must on behalf of such hunting client, subsequent to the allocation of leopard hunting quotas, submit the following documents to the relevant issuing authority:
(a)an application for a leopard hunting permit;
(b)a certified copy of his or her hunting client's passport; and
(c)written approval from the owner or manager of the land upon which the hunt will take place.

 

(9)Multiple adjoining land properties that are suitable for the hunting of leopard may be included in a single leopard hunting application, but no individual land property may be included in more than one leopard hunting application.

 

(10)To ensure that a leopard hunting trophy can be traced to the land where the hunt took place, the hunting of a leopard must be strictly regulated by means of an individual hunting permit, issued by the relevant issuing authority in terms of applicable biodiversity legislation,and in the name of the local hunter or the hunting client. The owner or manager of the land upon which the leopard was hunted, must sign off the hunting permit immediately after completion of the hunt, regardless of whether or not the hunt was successful.

 

(11)The minimum size of undivided land with suitable leopard habitat on which leopard may be hunted, may be specified, either by the provincial issuing authority or in terms of applicable provincial conservation legislation, as the case may be.

 

(12)The local hunter or hunting client must sign the leopard hunting permit prior to the commencement of the hunt in order to acknowledge that he or she understands all of the terms and conditions applicable thereto .

 

(13)In the case where a leopard has notbeen hunted successfully in a particular LHZ after the issuance of three leopard hunting permits within the same hunting season in respect of such LHZ, the issuing authority may decide to not issue any further leopard hunting permits for that particular LHZ, until the next hunting season.