19 May 2017, 06:10
kaBuffalo and Roan in Benin
Location: Batia, BeninDates: March 24 – April 5, 2017
Booking Agent: Dennis Rollinger (Caracal)
PH: Dennis Rollinger
Species Hunted: Savanna Buffalo, Roan
Species Taken: Savanna Buffalo (2), Roan, Hartebeest, Reedbuck
Rifle/Ammo: CZ 550, 416 Rigby, Handloads with 400 gr. Barnes TSX
After many years of reading others posts, I decided to add one. I hope this post turns out right. After going thru this process I really appreciate the time others have spent posting their reports in the past.
I recently returned from a buffalo/roan safari that was offered by AR’s Caracal in Benin. After hunting many times in the past in Southern and Eastern Africa, I decided it was time for something new and West Africa did not disappoint.
I flew from LAX to Paris and then on to Cotonou via Air France and it was pretty uneventful, except at my initial check-in the LAX agent tried to tell me that my ammo container did not meet Air Frances regulations. My ammo was packaged in a locked hard “plastic” ammo box that was then also packed inside a cardboard (fiberboard) box. I’ve been through this before with Air France and it’s a good thing I always carry a copy of the airlines own policy for rifle and ammo transportation. Once the agent returned from “checking with her superiors,” I kindly offered her a copy of her own policy and the issue was resolved. In the end her comment was “that’s not what I am used to seeing.” BTW – a “plastic” ammo container is not listed in the Air France requirements, but a cardboard (fiberboard box) is. Go figure! I also had to resubmit copies of my approved Air France rifle and ammo documents with the boarding agents in Paris before I could board my flight to Cotonou. But once again, I always keep extra copies of all these documents with me when traveling with firearms, so there was no delay. On my return flights to the US, no one even asked about my firearm.
Flights arrive late in the evening in Cotonou, and Dennis had a representative there at the airport to meet me and get me thru the local customs check-in. I then spent the night at the IBIS Hotel before the next days 12 hour drive to the concession area.
Benin is land of motorcycles! There are 100 motorcycles for every car in the country, and it was fascinating to see what you can transport on a motorcycle. I would never have imagined that you can get a family of 5 on a 125 cc motorcycle!
During my whole stay everything went smoothly and Dennis and the staff were always very professional and concerned that I wanted for nothing. It was also great to have Dennis there as my interpreter, since Benin is French speaking country and my only language is English. Dennis’ English is perfect and I thoroughly enjoyed hearing of his other adventures.
Some readers may recognize the camp from previous reports. While a bit dated, the camp was clean, well kept, and the staff very attentive.
Buffalo and Roan were my primary interests and I was very happy with the trophies I took. I was also lucky that Dennis had offered me a second Buff tag before I left home and I took advantage of it. This hunt was during their summer season, and it was quite a shock to the system to go from 60 degree weather at home to the 110 degree days in Benin!
Plains game numbers are limited in the area, but I was able to take a nice Hartebeest and reedbuck as well. We also saw elephant, warthog, duiker, oribi, and bushbuck.
The week before I arrived 2 elephants had been poached in the area. Unfortunately even though the Benin elephants have very small ivory, they are coming under increased pressure from poachers. It was also apparent from the stories that the local authorities are completely useless, and/or disinterested in addressing the situation.
One day we caught this poacher (he was from neighboring Tonga) not too far from the poached elephant site. He was turned over to the local authorities, but after a few days they didn’t know what to do with him and wanted to turn him loose! The camp staff was understandably very upset and actually made a trip to the police hearing to argue against this. Don’t know what happened, it wasn’t resolved before I left.
Roasted Roan Loin – delicious!! The camp chef was very good and I always looked forward to the meals.
By the 6th day I had taken all of the animals I wanted, so we took a trip into the nearby Pendjari National Park for a bit of sight-seeing. Although I was a bit reluctant at first (since we were hunting literally just outside its borders), I didn’t think it would offer much of a different view. I was wrong, and the numbers of buffalo, elephant, roan, hartebeest, warthog, and cob de buffon we saw were quite impressive. It was a very worthwhile side trip.
After returning to Cotonou, I also visited Lake Ganvie. A local village built over the lake water years ago as safety from slavers. There are over 20,000 people living in this over the water village! It was a fascinating to see such a large, unique and active community.
Benin has little infrastructure for fuel. Filling up at the road side gas stations was always an adventure.
Local Gas station
You always see fascinating sights in Africa. Check out the trailer tongue on this vehicle!
Benin is a great place to hunt and visit. After reading previous posts about West Africa I was prepared for the worst, but that was not the case. Everything went smoothly. If you with an un-rushed, and relaxed frame of mind you will have a good time. At no time did I experience any negative feelings and the people were always friendly. I look forward to returning again in the future. I can see a need for French lessons in my future...
