Comments on: Discovering a Lost Genre: Safari Stories

By: ARB

ARB — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 17:57:18 +0000

Chris Hutcheson,

You seem to have left out two of my very favorite safari works:
Death in the Long Grass, by Peter Hathaway Capstick, and

Safari, A Chronicle of Adventure by Bartle Bull.

Otherwise, fantastic post. And for the hunting haters, consider this: whether you personally enjoy hunting or not, the best way to ensure the continued survival of animals is to put a commercial value on them. It’s not romantic, but it does align people’s interests with the animals’. Appeals to altruism are much less reliable.

By: Peter O'Reilly

Peter O'Reilly — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 15:32:18 +0000

Having been on safari before, I have to admit that it alright, but not really that great. In the Massai Mara plains of Kenya, Africa, we went out on Land Rovers and sought out cheetahs, lions, elephants, hippos, crocodiles, water buffalo, giraffes and hyenas. Not to mention tons of zebra, impala, warthogs, ostrich, and tons of other prey animals. It was a lot of fun the first day or so. By the end of the second, it was just like being at the zoo. After all, how long can you really look at animals for? That said, I’m really happy to have had the experience, but I wouldnt do it again. I had much more fun interacting with the people in the towns and cities of Kenya.

By: Steve

Steve — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:16:28 +0000

My sentiments are very much in line with Charles. This is not about the “PC crowd” thinking they know best for all, some of us simply find this genre of literature to be dated and simply not very inspiring or ‘manly’ in the 21st century. I don’t think hunting is such an appalling act at all, but personally consider the thought of killing a magnificent animal such as a lion or elephant to be very tragic and doubt I could be inspired by literature about the subject. OTOH I love baby back ribs, and it’s a common assertion that pigs are smarter than dogs- what does that make me? (I don’t know if it’s true or not, but have heard it a few times.) Most animals hunted down in the wild have still likely lived a far better life than any farm animal.

At the same time, I respect the viewpoints of others here. Let’s not bait each other and call each other names, I think this is a respectful discussion and a worthy subject. What one man considers manly is not always going to be the same as another. I also think that the concept of ‘manliness’ has become more challenging in today’s world, but that’s a challenge for us to take on.

By: Steve

Steve — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 03:17:04 +0000

Thanks for the reminder. I have read a couple of these books and they were great stories. I will find some of the other suggestions as well.

As usual, the PC crowd thinks that they know what is best for all. They fail to recognize that hunters and outdoorsmen make great contributions to the conservation movement around the world.

By: Bubba

Bubba — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 09:40:53 +0000

Read:

Crocodile Fever: A True Story of Adventure (River of Eyes) by: Lawrence Earl

By: Bubba

Bubba — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 09:25:40 +0000

I’m a licensed nuisance alligator hunter and a licensed nuisance wildlife control operator, and the next time I go on call where there’s an alligator that won’t take a line, I invite some of the crybabies here to come along and explain to me how “unmanly” it is while you are kicking mud in five feet of water trying to find an alligator that had to be shot 20 yards from the bank.

I kinda expect that my invitation will go unaccepted, if for nothing else but the fact that under five feet of water, their little silky lace panties may get wet.

Hunt hard.

Shoot straight.

Make no apologies.

By: Eric

Eric — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 06:59:33 +0000

I would love to see a similar article focused on arctic and antarctic adventures. I recently read “Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage” by Alfred Lansing (1959) and it was tremendous. I’ve done a little looking around but I haven’t yet been able to find another highly recommended arctic/antarctic story.

If anyone has any ideas, I would love to hear them.

By: Mike M.

Mike M. — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 00:57:38 +0000

There’s one other point that gets lost. Hunting represents a tremendous amount of revenue for these countries. We’re talking several hundred dollars per day – and if you’re after lion or elephant, you can’t get a license (for several thousand non-refundable dollars) without booking a full month on safari. It provides employment to the locals, sustenance for their families, and gives value to land and game. Without it, everything gets put to the plow.

Not to mention that they are fantastic adventure stories. Capstick is nothing short of brilliant.

By: maya

maya — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 18:46:31 +0000

I would just like to challenge David C’s assertion that hunting can be a form of charity for local village people in Africa. While I cant comment on the validity of the idea that the hunted animals were pushing these villages to the brink of extinction (although…seriously?), I struggle to see how using up vast tracts of land in the service of game lodges helps to sustain local populations. In South Africa, for example, many local communities have been pushed off or marginalised from their land by game lodges, who take up most of the local farmable resources as well as the water and privatize them. Additionally, thinking that the odd ‘charity’ from a foreign hunter helps to sustain these local populations is pretty condescending. Wouldnt it be more manly to allow them to regulate their own environments and be fully empowered?

Secondly, the tracking methods and mathematical modeling currently being used by those who monitor animal populations (including elephant populations) are actually now being challenged by many environmentalists. There is work being done to refine the process and bring it into the 21st century and the bad news is that elephant populations have been grossly exaggerated for quite some time now.

By: David C.

David C. — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 18:17:10 +0000

Two things:

First, very good post highlighting some fine literature. Great work.

Second, to echo what Brian said, the notion that safaris in foreign lands are conducted solely for the purpose of achieving a trophy-kill is incorrect. It is illegal to transport meat harvested in Africa back to America (and to many other countries, from what I understand). As a result, most–if not all–of the game killed in Africa is donated to the local citizens.

Many of the citizens who benefit from this are very poor, hard-working, under-nourished people who often lack the means to effectively hunt and kill large game on their own. Additionally, oftentimes the animals harvested on safari are “problem” animals who have either begun attacking humans, destroyed local crops (which are lifeline keeping many poor villages alive), or otherwise become a serious threat. Hunting these animals and donating their meat to the local population is a form of charity that helps sustain many needy people, and I consider that very manly.

So, spineless poachers notwithstanding, the literature referenced in this post + the adventure of going on safari = very manly, in my book.