Anyone used Amara Taxidermy in South Africa?

[R.M.C.]

Hello everyone just wondering if any of you have had any dealings with Amara Taxidermy? They were recommended by an outfitter but other than their website I haven't found much info on them. I will be getting mostly euro mounts done but will have blue wildebeest , wart hog, and bush pig shoulder mounted if I am fortunate enough to bag them. I would greatly appreciate any help you guys could provide.
Thanks
Rich Cole

 

[Cam Moon]

Hey Rich. Are they outside of Thabazimbi?

 

[buck wild]

Rich- I don't know squat about them so take what I say as a very general observation. Based on the warthog mount on thier website, I'd say they are maybe a 4 out of 10. the lifesize bushpig appears to be a better mount but can't see the detail very good based on size of the picture and angle. For whatever reason, I never see decent swine mounts from South Africa (insert all of Africa here). In the US we have access to reproduction noses and other items that benefit swine taxidermy. I don't see those things with African swine particularly the noses and warts tend to be really shriveled up. Just IMO and 2 of your 3 possible mounts are swine

 

[R.M.C.]

Hey Cam yeah they are outside of Thabazimbi. Moretla recommended them.

Thanks buck wild!!! I agree!!! I am really trying to avoid paying dip and pack, then have the swine shipped to usda certified taxidermist, then shipped to me etc etc ....
Not positive what I'm gonna do yet.
Thanks for the input!!!

 

[R.M.C.]

Would it be possible to have an African taxidermist wet tan the wart hog and bush pig capes and ship them that way?
Then it could be shipped to my house with the other euro mounts and I could have my local taxidermist mount them. I'm reasonably sure he could do better than the African guys or at least equal to them.
Just throwing it out there.

 

[Cam Moon]

Your trip is in 2022, right? I have some critters there right now, and when I get them back I'll give you my honest feedback. I do agree that the Warthog on their website doesn't look quite right, but it's so hard to tell from a picture.
I find them friendly and professional. The work they did for me was completed before the work at a different taxidermist from a previous hunt six months earlier.

 

[R.M.C.]

Thanks Cam! I'm going in 2022 so I've got time to do some research.
I realize mounts aren't gonna be perfect every time and I could definitely live with a wart hog mount that looks a little off if the alternative is paying a couple thousand dollars of extra shipping and stuff. The one picture of the full body mounted bush pig looked great but the shoulder mounted one looked a bit off. Thank you for your input!

 

[buck wild]

Would it be possible to have an African taxidermist wet tan the wart hog and bush pig capes and ship them that way?
Then it could be shipped to my house with the other euro mounts and I could have my local taxidermist mount them. I'm reasonably sure he could do better than the African guys or at least equal to them.
Just throwing it out there.

yes it's possible but I wouldn't recommend it. The African tans are quite a bit different that the US ones and not sure a "wet" tan is even possible to get here from there without issues, mainly drying rock hard anyway. I know a few guys that have had luck with SA tanned capes but the majority of stories I hear are huge failures. I'm working right now with a guy trying to save his lechwe and nyala that were tanned in SA.
Swine skulls are still going to have to clear USDA anyway

 

[R.M.C.]

Thanks buck wild. Do swine and primate skulls have to go straight to a usda certified taxidermist if they are cleaned and bleached like a euro mount or do they just do the customs stuff at port of entry? Thanks for the help!!

 

[buck wild]

Unfortunately swine and primate still have to go to USDA after clearing Customs even if they are euro only.

 

[R.M.C.]

yes it's possible but I wouldn't recommend it. The African tans are quite a bit different that the US ones and not sure a "wet" tan is even possible to get here from there without issues, mainly drying rock hard anyway. I know a few guys that have had luck with SA tanned capes but the majority of stories I hear are huge failures. I'm working right now with a guy trying to save his lechwe and nyala that were tanned in SA.
Swine skulls are still going to have to clear USDA anyway

Are you a taxidermist?

 

[R.M.C.]

Thanks for the info!

 

[R.M.C.]

Unfortunately swine and primate still have to go to USDA after clearing Customs even if they are euro only.

So do I just have them shipped to a certified taxidermist and pick them up there? Do they just have to look them over? I've got a certified tannery about a two hour drive from my place.

 

[Ryan]

So do I just have them shipped to a certified taxidermist and pick them up there? Do they just have to look them over? I've got a certified tannery about a two hour drive from my place.

Swine skulls do not have to go to a USDA approved taxidermist if they are in a finished mount as long as they were properly cleaned. You can look it up in the USDA Animal Products Manual that's online under trophies. Basically it said something along the lines of clean with no remnants of flesh as a trophy was good to go. I had a bush pig skull on a plaque go through inspection a couple weeks back and all they did was the usual inspection by the CBP Agriculture Specialists at San Fran. Ag Specialists do the USDA inspections of trophies. As for primates, they need a CDC inspection since they can have diseases we can contract. CBP Ag usually lines that up with their inspection or USFWS gets with them.

 

[buck wild]

Yes Ryan is correct in his research but I have found every Customs agent has their own definition of finished. I think the plaque certainly helps “the look” but if you are going to mount anyway, not sure what extra charge the SA taxidermist will charge for a finished euro looking skull vs dip and pack (cost analysis required ).

 

[buck wild]

Are you a taxidermist?

Enough to stay involved in the business side of things

 

[R.M.C.]

Swine skulls do not have to go to a USDA approved taxidermist if they are in a finished mount as long as they were properly cleaned. You can look it up in the USDA Animal Products Manual that's online under trophies. Basically it said something along the lines of clean with no remnants of flesh as a trophy was good to go. I had a bush pig skull on a plaque go through inspection a couple weeks back and all they did was the usual inspection by the CBP Agriculture Specialists at San Fran. Ag Specialists do the USDA inspections of trophies. As for primates, they need a CDC inspection since they can have diseases we can contract. CBP Ag usually lines that up with their inspection or USFWS gets with them.

Thanks Ryan!! So all the inspections are done at the port of entry as long as the skulls are cleaned properly? Thanks for the input!

 

[Cam Moon]

My UNDERSTANDING (so don't take it as fact) is that if you import a finished trophy, be it a full mount, shoulder mount, or just a euro mount, you're good. BUT if it's not "finished" or "completed", then you'd have to have further inspection.
But I'm Canadian, so what the hell do I know?

 

[Ryan]

Thanks Ryan!! So all the inspections are done at the port of entry as long as the skulls are cleaned properly? Thanks for the input!

All CBP Agriculture inspections are done at the first port of entry. USFWS may do it at a second port. As an example, my first two trips to Namibia were both inspected in Atlanta by CBP Agriculture and then USFWS did their inspections in Anchorage Alaska where I cleared it with Customs. Then my last trip, which had to be brokered, hit San Francisco first, where again CBP Ag did their inspections, the broker did the Customs clearance paperwork and lined up further transportation. And apparently USFWS preferred to do their inspection when it arrived at Seattle before it was shipped up to me in Alaska. Don't ask me why.

Agriculture checks it for insects and conditions, is it finished, unfinished and properly prepared, etc. USFWS checks the license with species in the box and any other paperwork like CITES. Customs is Customs, just entry paperwork.

 

[R.M.C.]

All CBP Agriculture inspections are done at the first port of entry. USFWS may do it at a second port. As an example, my first two trips to Namibia were both inspected in Atlanta by CBP Agriculture and then USFWS did their inspections in Anchorage Alaska where I cleared it with Customs. Then my last trip, which had to be brokered, hit San Francisco first, where again CBP Ag did their inspections, the broker did the Customs clearance paperwork and lined up further transportation. And apparently USFWS preferred to do their inspection when it arrived at Seattle before it was shipped up to me in Alaska. Don't ask me why.

Agriculture checks it for insects and conditions, is it finished, unfinished and properly prepared, etc. USFWS checks the license with species in the box and any other paperwork like CITES. Customs is Customs, just entry paperwork.

Thanks Ryan! I appreciate the info.