Costs of
Operation
Over the course of a safari, the clients incur substantial costs
on both the landowner and the outfitter. The landowner is responsible for
covering the accommodations of the clients, as well as the salaries,
accommodations, and food of the staff who work at each concession. The staff are typically paid a salary equivalent to
approximately USD 150 per month. A medium to large sized venue will generally
employ 5 or 6 staff members, who perform the labor associated with the
operation of a ranch. However, the main costs to the landowner are in the
upkeep of the animals. With the market value for the animals running from $400
to $7000, most landowners spend a lot of time and money in an effort to ensure
that their animals are alive and healthy. Saltlicks that contain medicine for
worms as well as minerals vital to the health of the animals are put out near
most water holes. One of the more ingenious devices I have seen here for
keeping the animals healthy was a hidden pad placed on a game trail that, when
stepped on, sent a spray of tick
medication onto the belly of the passing animal. Although the animals can survive
off the grasses of the bushveld, in the recent
drought many landowners have put out feed troughs to keep their valuable stock
from dying off, and with some landowners having as many as 450 of a single
species, that is not cheap.
The outfitters have a substantial number of costs to cover as
well, ranging from taking care of their clients to paying the salaries of the
employees. When a client comes to