Regulations outlawing canned hunting, which were to have come into force on June 1, will now only take effect next year, Environment Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk's office said on Friday.
"After presentations by some provincial MEC's around challenges in implementing these regulations by June 1, the minister has decided will come into force on February 1, 2008," it said in a statement.
The minister's office gave no further details of the "challenges" that had caused the delay.
The new regulations, announced by Van Schalkwyk in February this year, will, among other things, outlaw the hunting of captive-bred large predators within two years of their release on a property for the purpose of hunting.
At the time of the announcement, Van Schalkwyk vowed he intended "putting an end, once and for all, to the reprehensible practice of canned hunting".
Friday's statement said no further postponement of the regulations would be considered.
"The minister would like to call on all stakeholders to ensure that they are ready for the implementation on February 1, 2008," he said. - Sapa