I write, not for a living but I write about Africa and hunting. I write for myself and am keen to find out more about Peter Hankin.

Many of us were inspired to hunt the Dark Continent by the writer Peter Capstick, but was Hankin really the inspiration for him to write Death in the Long Grass?

Peter Hankin’s tragic death is well illustrated by Capstick but his fame is has mostly been forgotten. Born in India, on October 2, 1917 he was to become one of Africa’s great hunters and an ambassador of sport hunting.

It seems Peter had some semblance of a professional hunting career in Zambia’s early days as he started up with Norman Carr, Luangwa Safaris in 1962 from the “old” Mfuwe Lodge, the first Safari Hunting operation in the Luangwa Valley. He then showed up in Kenya with a clean hunting career behind him, but was unable to secure a permit to conduct hunting safaris, most likely due to the saturation of Kenyan born professionals at the time.

He then returned to Zambia and it is documented that he was the professional hunter of choice in the early 70’s hunting the rich and famous including the royal family of Nepal in conjunction with the then chief game warden Johnny Uys. Peter hunted King Mahendra, whilst Johnny hunted the Crown Prince Birendra with the Princess Aiswarya in tow.

As Peter Capstick stated Peter Hankin was conducting a photo safari on the Mwaleshi River when the lioness consumed him. The date was 2 September, 1974.

It was Joe Joubert who tracked the lioness that morning and shot it from the partially consumed lifeless body of Hankin; he stilled the lioness with one .510 grain Winchester soft fired from his .458 Brno. The lioness lay dead upon Hankin.

As stated, not much too really go on, but I have knelt at this Icons gravesite in Chanjuzi, the heart of the Luangwa . I have walked down that narrow path through the sausage and mango trees and felt the immense power that emanates from this monument to African sport hunting. To feel the gentle breeze carry that power and to understand its meaning, to hear the message it carries as a whisper through the long grass, one starts to understand why it continues to beckon our return.

Nganga

Nganga,

Nicely written. Will try and dig up some stuff about Peter for you. He was one of the greats.

Thanks for sharing that photo and information. I would love to hear more about Peter Hankin's life story.

Well written. I also visited the site in 2006 but didn't know much about Hankins other than the story as recounted by PHC. Thanks for the info and I look forward to more of your posts! Welcome to AR.

I found that re-reading Capstick's account of Peter's death and visiting his grave added alot to my 2006 lion safari.

The famed Norman Carr worked with Peter. Norman is now deceased but his walking safaris continue ..



1962 In partnership with Peter Hankin, Norman started Luangwa Safaris, the first hunting operation in Luangwa, from the "old" Mfuwe Lodge.

This is the Normamn car webpage link below, it has a link to some (old footage) to the Norman Carr HISTORY VIDEO which is in a download file format, it is WELL worth looking at

Norman Carr Safaris

Enjoy ...

Cheers, Peter

This is the first time that I've ever seen anything that was written by Peter Capstick corroborated with photographic evidence.

Robert,
If I read between the lines correctly, you have a chip on your shoulder about Mr. Capstick?

Nganga

No one here can say with certainty just what PHC's African hunting career was. Some think he did most of his work sitting at a bar. Others say he wrote of what he did. It IS funny though, to note that he had no such detractors while he was alive. Such is often the case; the hyenas do not approach old lions until they die. Safer that way...

Rich

quote:

the hyenas do not approach old lions until they die. Safer that way...

LOL! Well stated.

quote:

Originally posted by Nganga:
Robert,
If I read between the lines correctly, you have a chip on your shoulder about Mr. Capstick?

Nganga

That wouldn't make him an orphan around here.

Some on this forum seem to have an almost pathological dislike for PHC.

Weird.

quote:

Originally posted by John Frederick:

quote:

Originally posted by Nganga:
Robert,
If I read between the lines correctly, you have a chip on your shoulder about Mr. Capstick?

Nganga

That wouldn't make him an orphan around here.

Some on this forum seem to have an almost pathological dislike for PHC.

Weird.

Your right, I read some old posts about him. They claim all sorts of things.

Nganga

Nganga,

Contact IPA Manning who was working in the Game Department along side Hankin and by all accounts intoduced PHC to the Luangwa.

You will probably find that PHC was conducting safaris as an operator working along side a Zambian PH. A common trait nowadays. Note most who are advertising Zambia we have never heard of here?

A very good friend and mentor of mine hunted with Peter Hankin in the Luangwa area in the early 50s. Norman Carr was then still with the Zambian Game Dept. but he apparently ran some safaris as a PH on the side. My friend took a 50 lb ele, big bull buff and several PG species. Interestingly Peter sent him out for several days with just a tracker. He killed his buff then.

465H&H

Think the trackers name was Dime and he was a game scout. Note there was not a white hunter in the country that could match him. His history is also being written up and soon to be published.