Here's a short report I was e-mailed recently from Don Heath in Zimbabwe, regarding some happenings during the 2007 Zimbabwe PH proficiency examination.

It sounds like an interesting time was had by all.

Erik

Quote:

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I have just returned from the proficiency exam for prospective Professional Hunters and Guides, held in the Zambezi Valley, and had more than the usual run of excitement. On Wednesday night, an old lioness attacked one candidate, ripped the fly sheet off a tent trying to get one camp hand, and walked into a tent with another candidate sleeping in it.



It all started when I wanted one of my candidates, Dirk Mostert to set up a blind for cats. Traditionally on the exam, we get the candidates to set up a bait for Hyaena and try and shoot one. However, I had heard a lion roaring just behind camp on the three previous nights and seen fresh spoor in the road between two of the camps. I therefore decided that we should set up a “photographic” blind and try and get the lions to come to that. It is also a much better exam test than baiting a hyaena. Many people get decidedly nervous walking along a path to a blind at 4am when you know lion are around – I have often used lion at a blind to separate the men from the boys on the exam.



Anyway, Dirk set up an excellent blind 75m behind the northern most camp, and at 17:10 an old lioness pulled in. The fact that she came from behind us was unsettling. The wind was very strong and she must have smelt us. She was a big animal which is why I had mistaken the spoor in camp for a young male, but she was very thin and had what looked like a bullet wound in her left side. There was also an abscess by her tail. If I had still ben a parks officer, I would have told one of the candidates to shoot her, but as it was I set off to the parks camp just over ½ a km away to get an officer to authorise. Ray Makweh, the parks chief examiner said to wait for the Chief warden and Norman Monks, the ecologist from Mana pools, who both only arrived long after it was dark. I was just relaxing at 19:3 0 when I heard a deep grunt, followed by a scream, and then a panicked shout for a rifle, a roar, and a high pitched wail – “Somebody fetch Don Heath”

- Bugger that, there were 22 wanbe steely-eyed Killers camped around the small dam, why should an old, injured lion in the dark be my problem? Anyway, I walked over to the Rodgers camp which was about 300m from where I was staying. The Apprentice Hunter in that camp had been taking a shower when the old Lioness decided she fancied something softer than the hunk of elephant meat we had used as the bait. Clinton was nice and soft – pink with no fur, claws, horns or even teeth to speak of.



She backed off with all the commotion, and Norman Monks arrived, looked at the Photo’s I had taken of her and told me to shoot her asap.. Around Midnight she arrived at the end camp which was by the spillway- infact they had used the spillway to form a parapet in front of the PH and client tents. She went for one of the camp hands who was sleeping in a little igloo tent some distance back into the Jesse, and ripped the fly sheet off the tent, before a thrown burning brand scared her off. At some point in the night she walked into the candidates tent- Doug Gilbert never woke up and she didn’t attack, and he left at 4am to go on an elephant recovery. At 4:30 I took three candidates and Norman Monks into the Blind. I had two sets of Night Vision goggles, so I left Norman and Dirk with one set inside the blind and kept a rear watch with the other two a little further back. With daylight coming on, I switched to Bino’s, but a careful sweep revealed she had not returned to the bait, nor was she lying up at the spring 50m away. She had to have drunk, and that meant near the spillway or through one of the camps. I dug out my own rifle and organised the three candidates into a sweep line starting at the spillway. One of the camp staff from the end camp showed us the foot prints going into the tend and they said they had seen her half an hour before. I heard a bush buck bark in alarm, and knew she was close. Because I shoot left handed, I took the right of the line and the other three strung out to my left and we moved down the spillway and across the dam wall. After about 50m I has the distinct “watched” feeling – and stopped the sweep whilst we double checked behind- Norman then took two candidates towards a tangle of attaxacantha, whilst I took Doug Campbell to investigate a very thick Shepard’s bush. When we were about 20 paces out I saw a tail flick and Doug said he could see a “blazing yellow furnace” watching him. The bush was too thick and too shaded to see more. I steped up onto a small ridge and shouted at the lioness and she swung to face me. Doug shot her neatly with a “walterhog” bullet from his .416. Done deal! Allover bar the dissection that revealed she had feline Aids (FIV) a broken toe, broken teeth, an abscess at the base of her tail, and an abscess where a buffalo horn had punctured her side.



Never say that our exams are substandard



Don



Dr. Don Heath D.Sc.

Editor, African Hunter Magazine

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