During the past few weeks several DG accidents were reported (some here on these forums).
Is it just my impression or is there a real abnormal increase on the occurrence of such accidents this year?
Can some one tell me if those accidents are being logged somewhere so we can check on previous years� data?

B.Martins

I personally do not think there is any increase in these happenings.

It is just that we tend to hear about them more today than we did in the past.

Just an idea

More hunters active (increase) ... more possibilty of accidents ??

kudu,

I've been thinking that same thing. That and perhaps a bit more pressure on the DG animals.

Plus, as mentioned in another post, better communication so we hear about it more.

Rich Elliott

Possibly also more ph's guiding DG hunts without proper qualifications and/or experience???

That's an interesting comment.

A couple of years ago, John Sharp voiced the opinion that many of the new PHs are not properly trained.

AD

mich...with all due respect, the accidents I have heard about involved reputable well known outfitters who wouldnt take the risk for their own outfits or their clients by using inexperienced PH's
it doesnt matter how good you are...how much experience you have. if things go wrong they can go wrong quickly and it can happen to the best of us.
Personally I have noticed over the last ten or so years that there sometimes seems to be a few accidents in quich succession usually later in the year...end of the dry season, animals stressed about food & water & high temperatures...you need to have an extra eye open at that time of the year. I also used to cross-examine and dissect misshaps with other guides & PH's a little too much. Then I had a misshap myself...in a situation where really I felt I had done everything right. I look back on that today and I still feel I did everything right and would take the same steps now that I did then.
Somebody else posted on the forum - it could have been another thread - but they said that DG hunting is just that...Dangerous Game...its one of the reasons we save our shillings and read every book, magazine and tidbit of safari press we can...its exciting - thrilling - when you are looking over a herd of buff and you hear your pulse in your breath...you know you are alive! Accidents are tragic, but they are exactly what they are - accidents, mishaps, freak occurrences, often with no easy explanation. Most of the time it is not his fault or her fault, although somebody can easily recreate a scene to suggest that it was one persons fault or another.
I also think Saeed hit it on the head...today the world is ultimately connected with sat-phones, e-mail and all the rest so word of accidents reaches us so much quicker. It is just a good thing that most operators are aware of that too and dont waste time getting a concise statement out to the agents and relevant authorities involved before the rumour mongerers get busy

Andy
Live to Hunt, Fish to Live

I agree that there are a lot of young PHs out their, that are farmers with PH licenses, everybody has jumped on the game wagon..Many of these guys are not qualified, many never will be more that plainsgame guides, if that..

The other side of the story is one has to start somewhere and you have to hunt DG to become a DG guide, the old timers had to make their bones, so will these new kids on the block.....

But, none of the incidents we hear about are with new inexperienced PHs...so who knows, perhaps s--t happens.

The only thing that bothers me is when a young PH starts bragging about his years of experience and expounding on his knowledge, when I know for a fact I have shot more buffalo than he has seen and I know how long he has been a PH...A lot of that is going on these days and the Safari owner should put a stop to it..It is a source of complaint from many hunters that I talk to at SCI and around the world...Just a suggestion for what its worth, not an issue.

Absolutely well stated Baboonbreeder! It is easy to be a monday morning quarterback, and say what SHOULD have been done,after the fact, but not so easy on the front side of a happening, regardless what,or who is involved!

Saeed and Russ,
That is true. If it were not for this forum, most of us who are not involved in the safari industry would never hear of these events even tho they happen regularly. When in Africa last september, a worker in a neighboring ranch was killed by a buff and when at Kruger, a leopard mauled a jeep jockey. I'm sure these incidents weren't headlines on CNN. Meaning no disrespect to anyone but that's life in Africa. It's why we've dreamed of hunting there for years and why we can't wait to go back. Hunting something that has the potential to bite back is part of the thrill, and they bite back whenever they get the chance, we just don't always hear about it.
Good luck and good hunting!