My Macnam Macnab
Namibia: 2014
My Macnam Macnab
By Ken Bailey
There’s something familiar and reassuring about waking to the early-morning call of Cape turtledoves. That three-chord note immediately reminds me that I’m back in Africa. That Africa gets into the blood and stirs your soul is as true and resonant as the Dark Continent’s cooing doves. This was my fourth safari, but my first in Namibia, and I awoke that first morning at Aru Game Lodge’s Kalakwa camp with the same feeling I’d experienced the first time more than 25 years earlier. The excitement of Africa never wanes.
Zululand Monarch
South Africa: 2014 Zululand Monarch By John Mattera
“All the really big elephants are gone.” How often do we hear that?
My day job is searching for shipwrecks of a bygone era, so I’m accustomed to skeptical forecasts of men who also tell me, “All the great shipwrecks have already been discovered.”
Biggest Is Not Always Best – An African Lesson
Namibia: 2012
Biggest Is Not Always Best – An African Lesson
By Donald Roxby
I’ve made a number of African plains-game safaris over the years. After each trip, a short period of satisfaction is followed by a sudden longing to go back.
One evening as I watched a colorful sunset, I started daydreaming about the red sands of Africa and the many friends I’ve made there. I could almost feel the fingers of the Dark Continent reaching out to draw me back. I went inside and asked my wife Denise if she was ready to return. Her answer was immediate – she looked me in the eye and said, “Let’s start planning.”
Bushpigs By Moonlight
Zimbabwe: Yesteryear
Bushpigs By Moonlight
By Doctari
My book, “It Shouldn’t Happen,” contains four stories: Being Dumb, Even Dumber, Dumber Still, and Dumbest Yet. This incident also qualifies.
In the early 1980s my wife Catherine and I purchased Halstead, our Zimbabwean farm. With it came a small herd of six very wild and spookish sable antelope. Halstead lies in Mashonaland West, just outside the one-horse town of Karoi (now Chinoyi), and those of you who have ever driven from Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital, to either Lake Kariba or the nearby Zambezi Valley that lies beyond Makuti and Marongora will have passed through it. The area is described as miombo woodland and it is prime agricultural country with reliable rainfall, good soils, and an almost perfect climate.
The Shortest and Most Amazing Kudu Hunt – Ever!
Namibia: 2014 The Shortest and Most Amazing Kudu Hunt – Ever! By PH Kirk de Bod Late one evening, not too long ago, I received a phone call. The caller had a very distinguished “Queen’s English” accent.
He immediately started telling me about all about his African experiences, multiple kudu hunts all over Africa, and three times to the C.A.R., walking for a total of 63 days to get the Lord Derby eland and bongo trophies he was seeking. While he continued rambling on about his wanderings throughout Africa, I thought to myself, “This guy I have on my hands looks like he’s very picky and specific about his desire for ‘the ultimate kudu hunt.’”
Abraham’s Grin, By Brian Gallup
South Africa: 2013
Abraham’s Grin
By Brian Gallup
I’d hunted South Africa before, but this was my first Cape buffalo hunt and I was excited…
It was early spring and the morning was perfect. Laughing doves were calling all around us, and the bush was thick and green in the morning light. The sun had filled the meadows with warmth but hadn’t yet reached the deep shadows under the acacia trees.
Hunters under attack – A Response
I hunt. I do this because deep in my makeup – call it my DNA – nature intended me to be a hunter just like my ancestors, and there is a basic drive inside me to do just that. I am a law-abiding citizen. I obey all the hunting regulations in the areas where I hunt and, in addition, I have my own strict code of ethics which I set for myself and which take the parameters within which I hunt one step further than the regulations. In the areas where I hunt, the game is carefully managed by the authorities and I have never, nor would I ever, hunt an endangered species.
African Events Inc. and African Hunting Gazette join forces
After years of competing, Birgit Johnstone (host of the African Events) and Richard Lendrum (host of African Hunting Gazette’s African Hunting Expos) will be joining forces once again, hosting and organizing African Shows & Exhibitions. Initially in Canada and the USA, but ultimately launching in other regions of the world, the stage is set.
Q&A with PH Alex Thomson (South Africa) – From farm boy to professional hunter…
African Hunting Gazette: Great to talk to you, Alex. Our readers are always keen to meet the PHs. Tell us about yourself and your family…
Alex Thomson: I was born in Pietersburg (now Polokwane) on 8 March 1980. I grew up in Polokwane, and the holidays were when my brother and I spent our time…
Africa’s Legendary Professional Hunters
From the home of big-game hunting and, undoubtedly, the home of the original safari, Africa’s Legendary Professional Hunters has a story to tell.
Ebola and Bushmeat – the Deadly Duo
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said it had recorded 4 293 cases of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in five West African countries as of 6 September 2014. The death toll from the worst Ebola outbreak in history had reached at least 2 296, the WHO said three days later, adding that this figure was likely to climb considerably when more information was available from Liberia.
Hollywood’s impact on the environment
Lights, camera…conservation? That’s right – often, behind their glitz and glamour, Hollywood movies have a strong environmental message. And, if you think about it, what better way to get a lot of people to take note of an issue than by making it the star of the show?
Pangolins in peril – more muthi myths
For those who watch Come Dine With Me, you’d know that serving pangolin foetus soup as your starter probably wouldn’t score many points. However, this dish is considered a delicacy throughout south-east Asia and China, and has partially led to the decline of all four Asian pangolin species.
What contribution does wildlife ranching make to biodiversity conservation?
Management techniques vary widely, with one end of the spectrum being intensive single species production systems, and the other end being extensive, free-roaming systems. Intensive systems fall under the game farming category, and generally involve high-value species such as Sable, held in small fenced camps, where they are protected from predators and provided with all their food, water and veterinary requirements.
Canned hunting is illegal, say professional hunters
Canned hunting is illegal in South Africa and people should immediately report suspected incidences to the police or wildlife authorities, the Professional Hunters’ Association of South Africa (PHASA) said today.
Recognise hunting as a conservation tool
The inaugural World Wildlife Day (3rd of March) is an ideal opportunity for international conservation organisations and authorities to publicly acknowledge the role that big game hunting plays in the conservation of species and their natural habitat, the Professional Hunters’ Association of South Africa (PHASA) said today.
Kenya: A Contrarian View
Africa’s wildlife is being loved to death. Kenya’s much-praised ban on hunting, in fact, has had an impact opposite to its intent: wild animals are disappearing at an accelerating rate.
WWF Supports China’s Ivory Destruction
The WWF issued the following statement regarding China’s destruction of ivory: The world’s biggest consumer of trafficked ivory – most of which comes from elephants illegally killed in Africa – destroyed more than 6 metric tons of seized elephant ivory today.
Phasa Appoints New President
On 20 December 2013 the Professional Hunters’ Association of South Africa (PHASA) announced that it has appointed Hermann Meyeridricks as its new president.
Phasa Responds to Criticism
PHASA has been criticized by prominent hunters such as Gerhard Damm and Peter Flack for its stance on the hunting of captive bred lions.
Tanzania Undecided on Ivory Stockpile
Tanzania is yet to decide on what exactly it should do with its own ivory stockpile.
RSA 2013 Rhino Losses
According to statistics issued by the DEAT the rhino poaching figures are as follows:
Black Rhino Hunt Furore
The decision by the Namibian Department of the Environment and Tourism to have a permit for the hunting of a black rhino auctioned off caused an international outcry.
Rhino Auction – Conservation Example
“Some people have a problem with hunting, but I have to be open – people have to understand that hunting is part of our conservation programme” – the words of Namibia’s former Minister of Tourism and current Minister of Foreign Affairs, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah at the opening of the recent World Adventure Travel Summit in Namibia.
PHASA offers assistance with temporary firearm imports
The attention of international hunters are drawn to the assistance PHASA offers international hunting tourists via a co-operation agreement with Bangy Travel.
PHASA Medals for Clients
The Professional Hunters Association of SA is busy promoting the fact that foreign and local clients who hunt with PHASA members have the opportunity to enter their trophies for PHASA Medals and Certificates.
Zimbabwean Ranger Killed
A 49-year-old Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority ranger was killed by an elephant while on patrol at Rifa Education Camp in Chirundu during early December.
Namibia explores technology to protect game
The Namibian Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) has begun exploring innovative ways to protect its wildlife assets.
Elephant News
A report produced by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)…
Tanzania plans to have 32% protected forest cover
Tanzania’s policy to maintain at least 32% of the country under protected forest cover has been lauded in the international media.