Taking home the lion’s share

The first few days of the hunting safari we spent in a smaller concession where we often came across fishermen or shepherds with small herds of goats out and about – but this was not the case in the second concession we visited. Here, it is a special privilege for hunters to be able to go into the bush, as none of the locals are in any doubt about the punishment for moving into the area: death!

These harsh consequences have been introduced to stop poaching in this big game concession, and are crucial if the game here is to have a chance. With us in the 4X4 we therefore had, in addition to a few trackers, a state-employed officer armed with a fully automatic rifle and a license to kill. Our hunt organiser, Rasmus, also has license to kill, but ‘only’ for buffalo and elephant. It is these highly prized (and priced) licences that help to pay for the game officer’s equipment, salary and training.

For the last two days we had been driving mile after mile, hour after hour on dusty mountain roads under a setting sun without