Bringing In Animal Taxidermy Mounts

[maideepuchai]

Hello All,

I'm selling off junk in preparation for next year's move to LOS. I have several animal mounts (cape buffalo heads, deer, elk, bear skin, elephant tusks,etc.) of animals that I have killed over the years.

Do any of you have any knowledge or experience in bringing these in as personal effects (household goods, etc.)

Thanks.

BTW Have they started selling the Newcastler Brown Ale in Phuket yet?

[steve@thaib]

Elephants in Colorado . Seriously, I would watch it with some of those items. Maybe you should donate them to a museum? Though if they are legit (not shot last week) they might be quite valuable.

Can you put stuff like that on Ebay?

[Mav]

Originally Posted by maideepuchai

buffalo heads

Well half the BM's have these.....so u should be ok

[marc26]

Originally Posted by Mav

Well half the BM's have these.....so u should be ok

actually
the baht they have sent only could buy half the buffalo
so some just have buffalo asses!!!

[les1999]

Originally Posted by maideepuchai

Hello All,

I'm selling off junk in preparation for next year's move to LOS. I have several animal mounts (cape buffalo heads, deer, elk, bear skin, elephant tusks,etc.) of animals that I have killed over the years.

Do any of you have any knowledge or experience in bringing these in as personal effects (household goods, etc.)

Thanks.

BTW Have they started selling the Newcastler Brown Ale in Phuket yet?

you've several animal mounts - or do you mean you have 'mounted several animals'
personally I would leave them all at home cos after the tg's have finished with you they might have your 'head' mounted.....and it aint the one on yer shoulders.....!!!!!!!!!!

[maideepuchai]

Originally Posted by steve@thaib

Elephants in Colorado . Seriously, I would watch it with some of those items. Maybe you should donate them to a museum? Though if they are legit (not shot last week) they might be quite valuable.

Can you put stuff like that on Ebay?

I actually shot the elephant in Zimbabwe in 2003. All the creatures were shot quite legally with required paperwork, etc.

A conversation with a US Fish&Wildlife Inspector says (from the USA perspective), all of the mounts can be exported legally, after inspection here and some paperwork.

Some of the mounts are worth a great deal of money and I could sell them on e-bay, but their value to me is not in terms of money. (The ivory however, worth ~$30k USD, cannot be sold per the CITES export regulations!)

I do appreciate your reasonable reply, though.

As far as the poster who confuses "animal mounts" with "mounted animals", my guess is he must be a "sheep man" from down under. Hey, but each to his own.


BTW I have visited Thai friends who have "European-type" mounts of barking deer and such in their homes, so it is not exactly a "Thai trait" to hate people who hunt.

Cheers!

[steve@thaib]

Not so many elephants left in Zimbabwe these days eh? What a basket case that country became.

I possibly misunderstood the question, but I read it that you wanted to get rid of them. I guess your question was about bringing such things with you when you re-locate?

I can't say I've ever seen any stuffed animals in Thailand. I used to have a lot myself, but small birds and mammals not big game. I spent some time studying taxidermy and did a bit of my own work, again mostly birds though.

They please me to look at, though I can't imagine being pleased to see an elephants head on a wall, but they do offend a lot of people too. My estate agent was mortified to see them in my house when they were trying to sell it for me!

[LivinLOS]

I dont know if its illegal or not but the style police may be out for you..

However legal it may be I still think the killing of an elephant for sport is a scummy thing to have done.. Makes my shit list.

[steve@thaib]

Not something I would do for sure.

I used to have an arrangement with a bird sanctuary, and when one of their inmates 'fell off it's perch' they would cal me and see if I wanted it. I got quite a few kestrels and barn owls that way. I always used to think that they were such lovely animals that they were better of mounted than stuck in a hole in the ground and left to rot.

I can honestly say that I've never gone and killed something in order to stuff it.

[Caerphilly]

there are always hundreds if not thousands of elephant carvings, models and such like at shrines and Wat that I visited so I assume Elephants are held in very high regard by many Thais.

I suspect that having a stuffed Elephant head in your phuket house and being so "happy" that you killed it 4 years ago is not the most appropriate social statement you could make to your prospective neighbours

Its a pity the elephant isn't still alive - maybe sell the stuff and give the cash to the World Wildlife Fund to assist other endangered species?

[maideepuchai]

Actually, it's not a stuffed elephants head, it's just the tusks, cleaned and polished on pedestals.

The trouble with the perception of elephant hunting, is that people have been brainwashed by constant advertising by the World Wildlife Fund and other "animal rights" groups.

Do a little research and you'll find out that the WWF and other like-minded groups are a billion USD business. In 2005, the head of the WWF had a salary of $500,000.00 USD (as a "non-profit" orginization they have to provide this information to US government in order for the donations to be considered non-taxable). Add in travel expenses etc, and you can see why it is in their best interest to tug on the people's heartstrings (and wallets) to protect the poor, lovable creatures like elephants, etc.

As far as elephants in Zimbabwe, in 2003, (when I shot my elephant), there was an estimated 60,000 elephants in Zim, with another 15,000 "transistory" elephants that annually migrated in from neighboring countries. Ten percent or 1500 of these elephants were allowed to be legally hunted (at great expense I might add).

Other than the tusks, an ear, and some tail-hair bracelets, all of the meat and skin went to the tribe on whose land I killed the elephant. In addition, the safari operator had to pay several thousand dollars to the tribe to "hunt" the animal (not kill). If the elephant is not killed the safari agent loses his money and has to rebid on the elephant for the next years season.

This helps the people who need it most, the starving tribal people.

The problem with wild elephants is that they quickly destroy trees and other foodstuffs and then they start raiding (and killing as needed) the garden plots of the villagers.

In many national parks in souther africa, they have so many elephants that they perform "culling". The method used is they find a herd (usually a family group) and kill every last bull, cow, and calf in the herd. The reason they kill the entire herd, is that if even one elephant "escapes" it will join up with another herd, and from then on, whenever people are detected the entire herd picks up on the fear of the culling survivors and races off into the thick brush.

That unfortunately, hurts the eco-tour business, who pay good money to view "wild" elephants and stuff in the parks.

BTW, Just last week a woman and her 10 year old daughter were killed by an elephant that charged them on a walking eco-tour. The guide was also severely injured, but survived. The husband was unhurt (I wonder if he out ran his family and left then to die?).

Reality is often very different from perception.

[Crustasian]

Originally Posted by maideepuchai

As far as elephants in Zimbabwe, in 2003, (when I shot my elephant), there was an estimated 60,000 elephants in Zim, with another 15,000 "transistory" elephants that annually migrated in from neighboring countries.

Do they use TRUNK roads.

[urtheman]

Just dosen't seem like much of a challenge shooting an elephant.

I don't know much about "trophy" hunting but did you have to track it or did it just stand in front of you and you shoot it.



Kind of a bizarre thread.

[Bushdoctor]

I'm not saying I despise you, but I do despise the idea of killing for sport. That's just fancy wording for killing for pleasure. Killing is still killing no matter how many of a species exist. You yourself call your mounts "junk". I just can't see any sport in it, especially when using a rifle. After all, an elephant is a pretty big target, hard to miss don't you think? Personally I would rather shoot the innocent animal with a camera. Studies have shown that elephants show emotional torment and sadness when a herd member dies, sometimes the mate will hang around for days after the death. I could never kill such a majestic animal myself, but then I have a huge respect for nature and life. A no rules cage fight with a grieving elephant, now that would be impressive. Shooting it, not so much.

[maideepuchai]

Crustasion:
"Do they use TRUNK roads."

Might be a cultural thing, but I don't get it?? Sorry.

urtheman:

"Just dosen't seem like much of a challenge shooting an elephant.

I don't know much about "trophy" hunting but did you have to track it or did it just stand in front of you and you shoot it."

Actually elephant hunting can be extremely hard work (but like anything in life sometimes, you get lucky). The old guy I shot, we (the guide, two trackers, and I) actually had to run after for about 1/2 mile before he stopped and faced off with us.

After several bluff charges, I finally shot him at about 25 yards. Sounds rather easy, but like many things in life, easier said then done. Not many creatures die immediately (especially not 6 tons, of angry ellephant), so the hard part is keeping your cool and making your shot (you kind of think, do I really want to start something with this elephant, when only a few yards of thin air separates us??). Still, it is either something you understand or you don't.

Bushdoctor:

My post was rather confusing. I did mention selling off junk as an opening statement, but that was supposed to be the lead in to importing the trophies into Thailand.

Of all of my possesions, I treasure the hunting trophies most of all. They are the only things that I would really hate to leave behind.

Believe it or not, I too, have an amazing respect for nature and wildlife, but I tend to experience it in (to my way of thinking) in a more realistic and hands on method. (Make no mistake, many hunters have died and continue to die in the hunt). No offense, but unless you've faced up to a wild elephant at close range and shot at one, you are talking pure from speculation, not experience. BTW, I do agree that blood sports are ultimately about killing, but just like in a bullfight, the killing is just the end game, there is much, much, more than that.

If you want to attribute emotional torment and sadness to animals then what about the wild goose. Many of them mate for life. Elephants are intelligent, but like bears they are very unpredictable and go into fits of rage, attacking not only other animals (including man), but each other.

If I weighed 11 or 12k lbs, then perhaps your one-on-one fight with an elephant would be sporting.

If I ever get my tusks into Phuket, I'll invite any and all for a look-see, a few beers, and an interesting conversation!

Cheers!

steve@thaib:

BTW, most of mounts were done by Jonas Brothers of Denver. I am sure you would appreciate the artistry involved.

[les1999]

personally I think this thread should be closed before I throw-up....!!!!!!!!

[Crustasian]

In UK we refer to a busy main road into a city as a trunk road.

[dbcooper99]

I'll leave my personal feelings about hunting for sport aside, but you should be aware that the elephant is a very highly respected animal in Thailand. If you do end up getting your tusks here you may want to keep them in your closet. db

[jay ozpom]

BTW Have they started selling the Newcastler Brown Ale in Phuket yet?[/quote]

Oh, i hope not...

[steve@thaib]

Originally Posted by les1999

personally I think this thread should be closed before I throw-up....!!!!!!!!

And then stand by for a gazillion posts about over moderation and censorship

[visa2003]

Just to back the possibly loosing side on this one, I lived in Africa for a short while, and while not going hunting, I talked to many people who did.
Most of you have been saying how easy it would be to shoot an elephant..... well nothing could be further from the truth!!! Even going to game parks, you learn to respect these animals and see how well adapted to their environment they really are!!!
Leaving a hotel on an island in Lake Kariba (ZIM) the driver of the land rover suddenly stops, for what we thought was no reason, and points out an elephant happily munching on some trees all of 5 meters away!!! while we sat and watched, the bloody great thing made no sound except for breaking branches!!!
Don't tell me these things couldn't sneak up on you in the bush!!!
Also had family living in ZIM and one of my cousins used to enjoy what they called "Jack Lighting" ......... which is hunting elephants , in the dark, with a torch and a gun, by yourself!!!
You can't say that, that doesn't even up the odds!!!!!!
I am not into hunting for sport but have had to hunt for food on occasion!!!

[maideepuchai]

Crustaisian:
In UK we refer to a busy main road into a city as a trunk road.
__________________________________________________ __

I don't know if they use the "trunk roads", but they damn sure pack
their trunk everywhere they go!

visa2003:

What part of Africa did you live in? ZIM? As steve@thaib stated, that country is really going down the tubes. It's a real shame. Millions are
starving and that old lunatic mugabe only cares about staying in power.
I'm not a religous person, but if there is an afterlife, I expect there will
be a special place in hell for mugabe and the likes of him.

If you still have family in ZIM, I hope your relatives are doing okay. Many of the white Zimbabweans are giving up everything they've worked for and leaving for RSA or Australia.

Nothing like a cold Castle after a long, hot day under the African sun, heh?

Regards.

[visa2003]

The 18 months straight i spent in Africa was in SA (Jo'Burg) but I had several trips, as a tourist before hand. Visited Namibia, Zim, Botswana and all over SA.
Yeah... the number of Castle hangovers I had, I would prefer not to remember!!!
Many of the family (around Hippo Valley) are trying to hang in there (why??? I have no idea)

Good thing that Mugabe is Paranoid because there really are a lot of people out to get him!!!!