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Black hunter first to qualify as Big Game Professional

Written by Lienette Goosen

Friday, 27 March 2009 08:27

The career of a groundbreaking achiever is history in the making. Registered professional hunter Abiliu Hihuilepi is the first black Namibian to obtain this distinctive qualification, including being rated for the so-called Big Five, or dangerous game including buffalo, elephant and lion. Abilio succeeded where none of his peers have done it before. He fits the profile of a Professional Hunter like a glove, being multi skilled - a tracker, marksman, mechanic, chef, expert on fauna and flora and multilingual. Personal traits such as endless patience, high integrity, being steadfast in the face of danger and never losing your sense of humour add to his expertise as a Big Game Professional Hunter. Abilio’s breakthrough came when he tied the knot with Savannah Safaris Namibia as an economic partner. As Director and shareholder in Savannah Safaris Namibia, he is a prime example of how - when provided with the opportunity - a combination of natural talent and hard work leads to success. Hands-on knowledge leads to the top From herding cattle in Owambo to mingling with sophisticated guests from all over the world, he makes it look so easy. Born in Ombalantu in 1953, the 4th of 11 children, he grew up hunting with a traditional bow and arrow, acquiring his skills in tracking and knowledge of the veld. Col. Bill Williamson from Austin, Texas, wrote: “I have hunted with guides and professional hunters throughout North America, Africa and Asia. None is more knowledgeable about the flora in their area than Abiliu. He has an uncanny knack of thinking like the quarry and predicting its every mood. He is as good as they come – a real professional. I am proud to call him my friend.” As a young man, Abiliu worked mostly on farms in Angola and Namibia, before teaming up with Mr Bryan Connock. Over 30 years together as friends and partners, they caught birds for export, did commercial fishing and then got hooked on hunting safaris all over southern Africa. Connock describes Abiliu as a natural marksman and a better tracker than the San –“he can track a mouse over a tennis court”. Abiliu remembers failing his first attempt at passing the stringent examinations set by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET). Through perseverance he passed his theoretical and practical examinations to register as PH 10 years ago. Mr. Ben Beytel, currently Director: Scientific Services at the MET was the examiner. “He complained that I knew too much!” chuckles Abiliu. This was a historic breakthrough for a black Namibian who only attended school up to Grade 6. Savannah Safaris acquired one of the first trophy hunting concessions in a Namibian Conservancy area. Since 1998 they have been involved in a highly successful joint venture with the Torra Conservancy in Damaraland where trophy hunting, eco-tourism, conservation projects and the local community’s farming activities have managed to thrive together. The Torra Conservancy has received numerous awards and international recognition for successfully managing this complex balancing act. Trophy hunting and conservation in harmony. Whereas it often seems incongruous to uninformed outsiders that trophy hunting can harmonize with conservation, Abiliu regards it as most logical and natural. He believes most trophy hunters are passionate about conservation, and the beauty is that mostly older animals are removed without disturbing reproduction. Game has now become a valuable asset and his personal experience is supported by scientific surveys that game numbers in Namibia have increased significantly since his younger days. He observes a rigorous growth, not only in common plain game like Oryx and Springbok, but also the more fragile species like Cheetah, Lion and Elephant. Damaraland also has a thriving population of Black Rhino. Abiliu is proud and feels fortunate to be involved in trophy hunting and tourism industry. This is a career with opportunities, where competency is more important than luck, race or politics. Apart from his own passion for the veld and the positive effect it has on conservation, he sees hunting as benefiting Namibia as a whole. Increasing numbers of influential guests are visiting the country, creating jobs, spending money and leaving impressed and as good ambassadors. He regards Namibia as the best place in the world, although he is keen to travel more extensively. His roots are still in Ombalanto where he has land, but he also owns a house in Swakopmund where he spends the off-season with his family. Apart from his own partnership with Henk Fourie and Willem Annandale in Savannah Safaris, it has also become a family affair. His wife Johanna is the camp manager, while his eldest son Ambrosius (26) is also a PH and working for the company. The other son Ludwig (24) is a tour guide; while Beatrice (22) recently completed her IT studies in South Africa. Rosalia (20) is currently studying at Wellington, South Africa. < Prev   Next >