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JB and Luc’s hunt.

I am posting this on behalf of Buzz who has dropped JB and Luc off at the airport after their second half of their safari in Mozambique and is now off with fellow AR member Paul Machmeier for a double tuskless hunt in Chewore South.

As many of you have heard there was an unfortunate incident with an elephant cow that charged and knocked down Luc on JB’s elephant cow hunt in the Omay. We are grateful to those of you who did know, from refraining from posting until JB and Luc had returned to France and have had a chance to tell friends and family what actually happened and for them to see that they were fine. Below is Buzz’s factual account of what happened....

We were hunting double tuskless cow with JB . It was a bow hunt. The first day we followed a herd and no opportunity presented itself. The second day we followed a large herd for a couple of hours before catching up to them. There was a single tuskless that we intended to shoot. She was however on the left side of the group as they moved up a gully. We were on the right side, down wind and were stalking parallel with them hoping the tuskless would eventually come to the left side and into bow distance.

A tusked cow then spotted us and charged. I shouted her down at about 10 metres and she stopped and ran off, only to turn around and come again. I shouted but it was obvious she was not stopping. At about 5 meters though thick bush, I attempted a frontal brain shot, which failed to stop her. She barely missed me and JB/ trackers. I thought that she had missed us all and when she went down on her knees I thought that she was falling from the shot . She had in fact knocked Luc down and was going down on her knees as she tried to gore him and squash him with her forehead. When she lifted her head slightly I side brained her and she fortunately fell off Luc.

The incident happened at 10 o’clock. At 10:30 having made Luc as comfortable as possible I radioed Eddy who phoned Charmain in the office from my sat phone to organize MARS (Medical Air Rescue Services). Kirsty went to Avenues Clinic to make sure that a specialist was on standby for Luc and that a room was ready for him.

In the meantime I ran to the road where Eddy was waiting with several villagers who helped with cutting in a road to Luc and JB. The drive out which was 2.6 km to the hunting road in a straight line was very hard on Luc. From there was a further 2 hours to Wadzi airstrip.

On our arrival MARS were waiting for us with doctor and nurse and had everything from oxygen to blood etc. They were terrific. After stabilizing Luc, putting him on a drip and oxygen and a good dose of morphine they set off to Harare where they were met by an ambulance and taken to Avenues Clinic where doctor and rooms etc were all organized.

Luc stayed for a further 6 days in hospital. His injuries were a collapsed lung and several broken ribs. After draining 2 litres of blood from the lung and being satisfied that the lung was operating efficiently Luc was let out of hospital. Both JB and Luc had only great things to say about the medical treatment that Luc received in Avenues. So much so, that they felt that they would not have had the same even in Paris which was encouraging news for Zimbabweans.

Luc insisted on going to Mozambique for our hippo / croc hunt which was our second part of the hunt . With a make shift chair and plank to protect Luc’s ribs, he and JB shot two massive crocs (Luc 15 ft and JB 14ft) and two big hippo bulls.

I know JB will put a much more detailed report on as soon as he has time. Luc was indeed a very lucky man and if it was not for a camera strap and French passport, and the fact that she was a tusked cow as opposed to a tuskless the story may well have had a disastrous end. I will leave that to JB to explain.

Lastly I have to mention that Luc has the determination and pain tolerance of an old “dugga boy”! I certainly know of no one who had his experience and injuries who would have insisted on continuing with the safari and maintaining his sense of humour right through from just after the trampling to when I said goodbye at the airport. One comment of his comes to mind, when we were in hospital and he was told he had a collapsed lung. With a very concerned look on his face he said that “what worries me the most about a collapsed lung is that should I fall off the boat while hunting croc and hippo I may struggle to float!”

JB and Luc as always were such a pleasure and when the above happened they showed their true colours and for that I am very grateful and we all look forward to a less dramatic safari together next year.
Cheers buzz

I am going to amply report on the whole safari. A unique one indeed that was fantastic, more than money can buy .jb

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"I don't want to create an encyclopedic atmosphere here when we might be having a beer instead" P H Capstick in "Safari the last adventure."

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