Online auction site BidorBuy (www.bidorbuy.co.za) has launched bidorbuygame.co.za, which it claims to be the world`s first auction site for wild animals. Accredited buyers and sellers of game animals can bid on impala, zebra and rhino, among others.
Bidorbuy estimates SA now has 9 000 game farms, many of which are commercially run operations. It estimates that trade in game animals is now valued at almost R800 million per year.
Nitzan Tal, bidorbuy.co.za MD, believes auction of these animals over a Web site will solve many of the current difficulties faced by the industry. "At present, the industry makes use of two types of auction, live and catalogue. Both have their drawbacks. Live auctions generally command higher prices but require the physical presence of the animals.
"It`s generally accepted that the process of capture and transport is highly stressful for the animals and that they lose condition for about 14 days before recovering. This means that animals traded at live auctions arrive at their new homes in a weakened state with a fairly high mortality rate as a consequence."
Professor Wouter van Hoven, professor of wildlife management at the University of Pretoria, agrees. "The secret to the successful capture and relocation of game is to minimise the stress the animals are subjected to by cutting down the time they are held in captivity. Online auctions mean that this time can be cut to a minimum and should reduce mortalities and stress associated with game capture and relocation."
By facilitating the sale of animals online, bidorbuygame.co.za believes that it becomes feasible to reduce the process of capture and relocation to two or three days, thus reducing the losses currently suffered by buyers.
Share
Editorial contacts