I am currently on a hunt...this morning the PH related that yesterday, Saturday, March 18, a PH and client hunting in RSA for lion got charged. Both were airlifted out, the PH lost a leg and the client an arm.

Also in Zimbabwe yesterday, hunting leopard with dogs, another charge, the client in hospital.

He told me the names of the outfitters/PHs, but I didn't write them down, and now can't remember them. I am sure this will be in the newspapers today or tomorrow. I have no firsthand knowledge, but the info was related to me just as he clicked off his cell phone from talking to a PH associated with the lion hunt. The leopard story was related to him by a PH in Zim, whom my PH hunts with up there.

Both charges were in conditions of extremely thick brush. The rains came late here, and I can verify that it is thick here. As related to me, both charges were from the bush, at a distance of about 4 yards.

Yesterday we were tracking buff in 6 foot high grass, and everything is just overgrown.

Great reasons for buying air evac insurance before going....

Not sure if things are getting a bit confused or not. Could be coincidence.

A good PH friend of mine just had a lion incident in Ethopia late last week. He and the client were hit but the lion and suffered some injuries. There is more to the story but I do not want to report until I know all the facts. Injuries to PH were to hand and arm. Many of you will know him. I will try to have details by tomorrow.

Info:

The hunter that was bitten by the lion was Clifton Walker.

They were hunting in Ethiopia when they got a request to deal with a marauding lion. The client naturally volunteered since it would be for free.
He shot it too high and it went into a sugarcane field and they had to
follow. Visibility was almost nil, and it charged them, went strait past him
and attacked the client. Cliff shot it and it turned on him and before he
killed it, it had bitten them both quite badly. The client came off worst,
both his legs are badly bitten. Cliff on one leg his one hand and arm but
they say he will be home in a few days. The client will take a bit longer to
recover. Nonsense about them loosing legs and arms !!

The leopard incident was also true. It was a hunter by the name of Bruce
Clark. They were hunting with dogs and the
leopard charged right through the dogs and bit the client. I think he is still in
hospital here in Bulawayo.

Kathi, I was going to post story when I had all details but out of respect for Cliff I have not yet. You have the story pretty correct. Lion was not free however but was given as a PAC animal for Trophy export. I have a picture of Cliff with injuries with the Lion dead. The left leg is clawed pretty good both in the thigh and calf. Left arm injured as well. There is more to the story and the photo is a good one but out of respect for Cliff I will wait for his go ahead to post. I do not know how to post a photo anyway. When you see the injuries on his leg it could have been a bad deal but SwanScan Medijet'd them out right away and all should be fine. More to come.

Cliff is one tough dude, I hope he recovers soon. I met him in Dar es Salaam several years ago.

Regards,

Terry

P.S.
BigBBear,

If you get permission, you can email the photos for posting.

Will do Terry. I feel Cliff will be ok. He is tough as you say. The lion got his claws in pretty good. Curious if the time you met him in Dar was on the same trip you and I met?

Will send it soon.

In addition to being tuff and a good Zim "boxer", I'll add that Cliff is an excellent PH and a lot of fun to hunt with. One of the hardest working PH's out there, probably as much or more days per year then anybody. He does not get mentioned on the forum much, if ever, as like a lot of guys he has a loyal following [of mostly wealthy individuals] and no problem booking years in advance.

I am willing to bet that Cliff did everything right here, and will be back in action in short order.

Good to hear that the rumors were a bit enthusiastic and that apparently all involved in both instances will be ok.

JPK

"..... Lion was not free however ...." Right, anything but. There is still a $2,000 license to be bought and the Safari Company charges. There were 2 PAC lions. This all came about just before the SCI Convention. We had one and Col. Negussie had one. We turned ours back in as ours guys were headed for Reno and we had more than we could say grace over already.
I've known of several Danakil lion attacks over the years. Those Danakil cats are tough dudes!
An aquaintance of mine that I had hunted with earlier on a PAC hunt in Maze was killed in the same area (Danakil) back in 1991. He was using too small a gun (.300 Win. Mag), wounded the cat, and it ripped open his femoral artery. Groin too for that matter. UUUgh!

Rich Elliott

quote:

Curious if the time you met him in Dar was on the same trip you and I met?

Same trip. We were staying at the Golden Tulip Hotel for a couple of days after our safari. Cliff and the PH we hunted with, Luke Blackbeard, came over for drinks one afternoon.

Regards,

Terry

Excuse my ignorance, but what is a PAC hunt?

quote:

Originally posted by yellowstone:
Excuse my ignorance, but what is a PAC hunt?

Problem Animal Control. To my understanding it usually involves a animal that is killing livestock or raiding crops.

Problem Animal Control. For elephants it would be persistant crop raiders or mankillers, etc. For lions persistant livestock killers or maneaters etc. Essentially the Gov'ts have figured out a way to get sporthunters to pay for the pursuit and killing of these problem animals rather than have to pay someone for the same. I think its a win-win.

JPK

Thanks guys. I guess that's about the only way I'll ever to be able to afford a lion hunt, and of course assuming he didn't eventually process me into kitty litter.

Sounds like 2 different incidents, as I heard yesterday that Mark Metzger, president of the local Pheasants Forever, and his PH had a run in that ended barely better for them than for ol' Simba. No details though.

This from SwanScan's office this morning:

............"Cliff will be fine and is already bored in JNB....just bites and scratches....client has broken bone in lower leg but also fine.... "

All things considered it could have been a lot worse. Some day I'll post some of my old Danakil Lion stories.
Rich Elliott

I love to read your Danakil lion stories. A few years ago I ran across a book titled "The Danakil Diary" by Wilford Thesiger. It is about his travels in Abyssinia from 1930-1934 and is pretty entertaining. He just died within the last couple of years, the last of his breed. He was a contemporary of T.E. Lawrence. If you can believe it, he was interviewed on OLN shortly before he died, still sharp as a tack and slim and trim. I remember him bemoaning the use of high tech navigational aids in our modern times. No true explorers left!! At any rate, I haven't found much literature about Ethiopia, but what shows up is very interesting. Please do regale us with your Danakil experiences.

Nickudu found this. Thesiger was picture #24 in the Who's Who post last week. Funny but I'd never run across him before.

Rich Elliott

Excerpts from his Autobiography.

I also saw the picture of the client in an RSA hospital through a mutual acquaintance in Ohio. It was as Kathi posted, shot high and went into a cane field. Harrowing story. jorge

If any of you subscribe to the hunting report Don Causey has a writeup about the Ethopia Lion incident. It is not an "official report" as it comes from a third part that was in Ethopia and went to the hospital but it is generally correct. I would try to copy and post here but I am unsure how to do so. Cliff has been back in Bullawayo now for about a week and is recovering well last I heard. Client was still awaiting for swelling in knee to subside to complete surjery.