~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ J. Lane Easter, DVM
A born Texan has instilled in his system a mind-set of no retreat or no surrender. I wish everyone the world over had the dominating spirit that motivates Texans.– Billy Clayton, Speaker of the Texas House
No state commands such fierce pride and loyalty. Lesser mortals are pitied for their misfortune in not being born in Texas.— Queen Elizabeth II on her visit to Texas in May, 1991.
I feel sorry for his family, but in reading a news account of this mission, you got to wonder... what exactly is a new recruit (his first deployment) British soldier going to teach Africans about tracking and bushcraft? Infantry tactics, maybe, but that’s better done by a long service NCO than a new private...
Posts: 11669 | Location: Minnesota USA | Registered: 15 June 2007
Very sorry to hear of this. It makes me want to know the circumstances. Provoked or not? I suspect there was poor judgement on somebodies part and that this was avoidable.
Posts: 1982 | Location: South Dakota | Registered: 22 August 2004
This is all part of their army's continuation training, and is designed to train their guys up for operations in Africa as much as it is do anti-poaching or whatever. Great idea. The British, the US, the Russians, the French all do something similar in Africa. Perhaps this could have been because of poor orientation before he was deployed into the bush, or, perhaps, it was just his day. I've been charged by an elephant once on foot (vehicles don't count ) and I was lucky to have enough of a heads-up and enough space to lose her in some jesse. It can happen to anyone in the bush.
Condolences to his family.
Posts: 408 | Location: Zimbabwe | Registered: 01 December 2010
Our local news just reported that they were in close proximity to a herd in long grass and one or more of the herd sensed their presence and charged at close range in thick cover.
Tragic, work in defence of the scurge of wildlife.
Posts: 531 | Location: Australia | Registered: 30 June 2011
) and I was lucky to have enough of a heads-up and enough space to lose her in some jesse. It can happen to anyone in the bush.
