Pioneer Hunters in Southern Africa

THERE A LIMITED accounts of pioneer hunters in southern Africa rior to Selous, most of which come from the diaries or bo ks they wrote. Sadly, many hunters never wrote of their e riences. Most who did were adventurers from Europe o rly settlers. There are no biographies of the many early Boer hunters or more experienced hunters. Two such pioneer hunters were Robert Struthers and Gordon Cum ng,, both f whom hunted only in southern Africa.

In 1855, hunters in the Zulu Kingdom provided more than 25% of the total value of ivory and hides exported from Natal. At that time England imported 16 000 tusks from all over the world for the production of billiard balls and piano keys. In addition, thousands of hippo were shot for their teeth as the ivory was finer and denser, and used for the manufacture of mathematical instruments and false teeth.

One of the early hunters in