Controlled Hunting Areas (CHA)

CHA is one of the Wildlife Protected Areas where controlled hunting of huntable wild animals under permit allowed. The Region has six different CHAs. These CHA usually located around National parks and Wildlife Reserve. Recreational Hunting in the CHA is carried out on a quota basis which would be given for the hunting safaris every two years after survey conducted by Federal and Region Tourism and Parks Development and Utiliaztion Core Proces(TPDP)  to determine the population status of wild animals living in the hunting area.

Currently, six Controlled Hunting Areas are available in the Region. Out of these CHAs only two are functional and owned on concessions basis by the Ethiopian Rift Valley Safari. These hunting areas are located in Debub Omo Zone namely, Welishet Sala and Murule CHAs. The remaining CHAs ( include Boyo, Omo-West, Sheko-Bench and Segen are potential wildlife areas in the Region. Occasionally, hunting can be carried out under special permit in these CHAs. The sites are ready to be given for investors on concession bases to undertake controlled wild animals hunting for the benefits of the wildlife and the community living around. The Ethiopian Rift Valley Safari is the only company who operate hunting business in the Region. The company holds the two CHAs (Sala & Murule) on concession basis.

Tourist, who are coming for hunting recreation in these CHAs, have additional opportunities to enjoy the special scenic features of the Great Rift valley & Omo Valley National Parks, Lakes and Rivers.  These include Nech-Sar, Omo, Mago, Maze and Chebera-ChurChura National Parks, Hawassa, Abaya, Chamo and Turkana Lakes and Omo River. Besides, the breathtaking diverse culture, traditional practices, & lifestyles of the indigenous people found in the famous Lower Omo valley namely: Hamer, Bena, Mursi, Surma, and Bodi among other who are living surrounding these Wildlife Protected Areas.

Murule Controlled Hunting Area

It is one of the functional CHA owned by the Ethiopian Rift Valley Safari on two year concession basis. Wild animals common in Murule CHA includes lesser kudu, Gerenuk, Guenther’s dik dik, greater kudu, tiang, bushbuck, warthog, defassa waterbuck, crocodile, serval, bush duiker, golden jackal, silver backed jackal, spotted hyena, klipspringer, anubis baboon, colobus monkey .  The controlled hunting area covers an area of 900km2 and bordered with Omo River and Mago National Park.  Karo, Mugji, Ngngatom, Hamer communities are the main stakeholder who shared benefit from the activities and revenue generated from sport hunting. 
Murule CHA has one lodge, which is located on the bank of River Omo. The lodge offer accommodation services, daily laundry, dining center for sport hunters and other visitors of wildlife and cultures of the surrounding community.

Welishet Sala Controled Hunting Area

It is one of the functional CHA owned by the Ethiopian Rift Valley Safari on two-year concession basis. It is located northeast of Tama reserve or North of Mago National Park in south Omo Zone. The area is home to herds of Buffalo, Lelewel’s hartebeest, defassa waterbuck, oribi, bush duiker, serval, greater kudu, caracal, warthog, hyena, lion, bushbuck, and Mountain reedbuck. The controlled hunting area covers an area of 500km2 and bordered with Tama Wildlife Reserve and Mago National Park.  Murssi people are the main stakeholder who shared full benefit from the activities and revenue generated from sport hunting. 

Shekobench: this conservation area is found in Benchi-Maji Zone and located 1000 km from Addis Ababa. It covers an area of 5049km2. The area supports diverse smaller, medium, and larger mammal’s species including elephant, buffalo, giraffe, lelewel Hartebeest, defassa waterbuck, oribi, bush duiker, serval, greater kudu, caracal, warthog, hyena, lion, bushbuck, monkey and other lowland mammals and birds.

West Omo: this conservation area is found in Benchi-Maji Zone and located 1200 km from Addis Ababa. It covers an area of 4561km2. The area supports diverse smaller, medium, and larger mammal’s species including elephant, buffalo, giraffe, lelewel Hartebeest, defassa waterbuck, oribi, bush duiker, serval, greater kudu, caracal, warthog, hyena, lion, bushbuck, monkey and other lowland mammals and birds.

Boyo swamp: it is a wetland covering an area of 4 km2. The Lake is located in Hadia Zone. The area is known for different bird’s species some of them are globally threatened and it is one of the selected IBAs of the country

Segen : It is found in Burji special woreda cover an area of 138.5km2. Geographically the area is located with in the Segen River Valley. The river originates from highland area of Amaro-Mountains and finally drained to Lake Chew Bahir (South Omo Zone). Segen River harbor mammals like Bisa oryx, Berchelle’s zebra, greater kudu, warthog, bush pig, duiker, and different species of birds