A veteran South African big-game outfitter has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for smuggling five hides and three skulls of sport-hunted leopards into the United States.
Jan Greonewald Swart, 58, was accused of taking U.S. clients on leopard hunts in South Africa without obtaining the necessary permits and then smuggling the hides and skulls of the animals into neighboring Zimbabwe.
From Zimbabwe, the hides and skulls were shipped to Denver taxidermist Edward Borner for preparation at Borner’s Elephant Head Taxidermy.
Federal authorities said the hunts went on for years.
According to investigators, some of Swart’s clients were from the Rocky Mountain region. As part of the plea deal, Swart has agreed to cooperate with U.S. authorities probing international poaching and smuggling.
Swart was arrested when he came to the United States to promote his big-game outfitting business in Limpopo Province, South Africa, called Trophy Hunting Safaris.
Staff writer Howard Pankratz can be reached at 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com.
