WINDHOEK – A total of 79 buffaloes were sold for an average price of N$114 430 and the highest price of N$300 000 was paid for a bull at the recent game auction in the capital.
The auction raised N$10.6 million that was paid into the Game Products Trust Fund, which invests in conservation and community development programmes.
All the buffalo, eland, sable antelope and giraffe that were on sale at the wildlife auction of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, on Thursday, 31 July were sold in a catalogue auction hosted by Agra at the Safari Hotel and Conference Centre.
The buffaloes, which due to Namibian law were not for sale to Namibian farmers, were bought by three South African buyers – Oryx Management Services, André Els Safaris and MW de Jager.
The highest price paid for sable was N$90 000. Four giraffe-breeding groups of five each, a total of twenty giraffes, were sold for an average price of N$12 500 per animal.
Eland breeding groups were sold in groups of 10 and achieved a price per animal of N$5 500 for two groups and N$6 000 for three groups. The sable, giraffe and eland were not available for South African buyers and were bought by local farmers.
The Minister of Environment and Tourism, Uahekua Herunga, said the auction was held for good conservation practices. “Sale of live animals is not only one of the direct sources of income from the wildlife industry but also contributes to conservation by increasing the distribution range and creation of meta-populations across the range,” he said.
In attendance was Josue Rodrique Ngouonimba, the Minister of Tourism and Environment of the Republic of the Congo and his delegation, as part of an agreement of cooperation between the two governments to share information and expertise.
By Staff Reporter