The nocturnal African civet, Civettictis civetta, is often called a 'civet cat'. They look a bit like a cat with an elongated snout but they are not cats in fact, but are members of the Viverridae family.
There are several species of civet found in Africa and Asia and they were popularly hunted for their perineal musk secretion which was highly valued as a fragrance and stabilizing agent for perfume. Nowadays this has largely been superceded by synthetic musk or is obtained by scraping the glands of captive animals.
African Civet Trophy Minimums
Only SCI have trophy African civet in their record book.
Where To Hunt Civet
Civet are generally hunted as an animal of opportunity while on a hunt for other species.
You can hunt a civet on a savanna hunt in Cameroon or CAR, on a 16 and 21 day licence in Tanzania and on hunts in Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia.
Since 2010, there was a moratorium on small cat hunting in Mozambique which includes civet.
Civet Hunting Prices (For Informative Use Only)
- If you want to hunt the Group C civet on your Cameroon savanna hunt the trophy fee will be between 250 and 350 Euros. In CAR the civet trophy fee is 500 Euros.
- In Tanzania, the Government trophy fee for civet is US$200 but after the anti-poaching/Community Development fees are added, you'll be paying a trophy fee of around US$450.
- If you find a civet to hunt in Zimbabwe the trophy fee can range from US$200 up to a hefty US$1000.
- In Zambia, the civet trophy fee will be around US$800 to US$900, including the licence fee where necessary.
- If you are reallykeen to successfully hunt a civet and not leave it to chance while hunting other animals, you may prefer to do a special nocturnal species hunt in South Africa, where the outfitter is geared up for the civet, possibly keeping an area regularly baited where the nocturnal anmals are used to coming. As you are not allowed to hunt at night or use a spotlight unless hunting leopard and hyena in South Africa, the outfitter will need to apply for a special permit to hunt civet at night. This permit cost may be added to your hunt price. In South Africa, civet trophy fees go from US$500 to US$950.
- Civets are not on many Namibia trophy lists but where you can hunt them, the trophy fee is around US$350 to US$450.