African Hunting Gazette – July 2019

http://www.africanhuntinggazette.com 65

I

vividlyremembertearsrunningdownmy
cheeks while standing on thenorthern
bankontheZimbabwesideofKipling’s
“great, grey-green,greasy, Limpopo River”,
thinkingthatI mightneverbeabletoreturn.
Vervet monkeyswerescoldingmypresence,
seeming to take delight in my imminent
departure.Itwasattheendofmyfirstand
long-anticipated “once in a lifetime safari”
toa landthatI haddreamed aboutfroma
veryearlyage.I hadbeeninfluencedbythe
television series, The American Sportsman,
and Wild Kingdom. I had just ended 14
whirlwind days of delight, adventure, and
romance.I hadfalleninlovewiththeidea
ofAfricamany yearsbefore,butnowI had
finallyrealizedthedream.
Inmystateofself-pityI couldnotimagine,
or foresee, themany futurehunts forlion,
buffalo, crocodile, hippo, elephant, lechwe
and bushbuck, along rivers with evocative
nameslikeZambesi,Luangwa,Munyamadzi,
Kafue, Angwa, Okavango, Gwaai,
Umzingwani,andsomanyothers.
ThiswasintheAugustof1982.I wasin
mylatetwenties,andhad borrowedmoney
forthetripfrommymotherwhohadbeen
widowedwhenI wasalmosteightyearsold.
MyMom,havingworkedthreejobstoraise
fourchildren(I amtheoldest)mortgagedher
housetoprovidethemoneyformydream.
Shehadinstilledinherchildrena supreme
workethicanda commitmenttointegrity.I
wasneverlatewithpaymentsinthefollowing
36 months,whileat thesametimewondering
howI couldeveraffordtoreturntoAfrica.
Importantly, there would friendships,
friendshipsthatwoulddeeplyenrichmysoul
inmanyways.Therewouldbe themeeting
ofa kindredspirit,onewhowouldenlighten
metothetruefortunesofAfrica,givingand
sharingwithmethegreatestgiftI haveever
received.Kismet?
Maybeit wasthetearsthatblurredmyvision
fromseeingacrosstherivertotheRepublicof
SouthAfricaandthosefuturesafaris.Safaris
foralltheEasternCapeantelope.Therewould
bethehuntsalongthesouthernbankofthe
LimpopointheTransvaal,themanylandings
inJohannesburg,andsixexplorationsofthe
famedKrugerNationalPark.
I wouldbeoneofthefirstAmericans- if
notthefirst- tolottery-drawa placeona foot
safarialongtheOlifantsRiveraccompanied
by a ranger from theKruger Park. It was
cameras only,but a safarinonetheless. The
experience would put me within spitting
distanceofa full-manedginger-coloredlion
pancaked in short grass, reluctant to flee
becauseofporcupinequillsimbeddedinhis
left front paw. He was, however, able to roar,

thereverberationssendingchillsupanddown

myspine.I capturedhimonvideo,andfrom

thatmoment onI knew I had to find the

meanstohuntlion.

YearslaterI wasenjoyingbreakfastatthe

SeaCliffHotelinDar-es-Salamwaitingfor

transfertomycharterflightsouthandwestto

theKilomberoregionand theSelousGame

ReserveofTanzania,formyfirstlion hunt.

This wasEast Africa, thebirthplaceof the

modernsafari.Pukuantelope,theubiquitous

prey species were too numerous to count,

yet the Game Department only allowed

one trophy on a 21-day safari!There were

herds ofbuffalostretchingformore than a

kilometer,withtheever-presentwhitecattle

egretscirclingorridingthebacksoftheblack

bovines,and thesame licenseallowedthree

buffalo,a lion,anelephant,twozebra,plus

other species. I joked thatStevie Wonder

couldshoota pukuthere.

TheLuangwaRivervalleyinZambiais a

magnificent ecosystem. The river has one

of the largest populations of hippo and

crocodile on the continent. Thornicroft’s

It is almostimpossible

to rank the vistas of

the African bushveld

in terms of sheer

beauty or significance.

Tanzania: 2005

giraffe inhabitsits forests,and mangotrees

areeverywhere.Fascinated,I watchedpeople

of the Senga tribe dismember my hippo

trophy with precision and efficiency, every

edible portion happily utilized. Fishing for

and eating the delectable flaky white flesh

of thehuge catfish,Vundu,wasa welcome

break from prolonged chewing of tough-

as-leather Capebuffalosteaks. Collecting a

Chobe bushbuckwith18¼inchhornswas

gratifying,andmakinga 93-meterbrainshot

ona 13footcrocodileonthefarbankofthe

riverwasimpressive.

TheroadtripacrosstheNorthernCapefrom

JoburgtoWindhoekprovidednewnamesfor

my African vocabulary. Names likeHotazel,

Brey,Tosca,andKuruman,a prosperouscattle

andminingareaontheGhaapPlateau.There

wastheoasisoftheKalahari, DieOog(The

Eye),a placeofpermanentwater,thecrystal-

clear mineral water almostgin-like. I drank

my first distinctly South African Pinotage

at the Molopo Hotel near the entrance to

the KalahariGemsbokNational Park.Itwas

a wine a cross between a Pinot Noir and

Cinsaultgrape.I feltasthoughI hadreached

Nirvana. I remember toastingthose French

Huguenots for remembering to bring the

vines.I rememberopeningtheboot(trunk)of

theMazda sedantoretrievemy suitcaseand

marvelingat theheavylayerofmicro-finedust

thathadinfiltratedduringthe 350 kilometers

sincewehadleftthetarroad.

This1800-kilometertrekwouldintroduce

me to Kalahari bushveld and camel thorn

trees, acacia thorn,Tsama melons,gigantic

nests built by sociable Weaver birds, Cape

Tanzania buffalo in the Kilombero Valley, 2005.