BIG GAME IN EAST AFRICA

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 47, 13 July 1912, Page 2 (Supplement)

BIG GAME IN EAST AFRICA

Mr. D. D. Lyell, in his took on Nyassa- ] land, tells us that quite 300 sporting parties visit British East Africa an- i nually, so that if each party spends a I minimum of £3OO, that will mean a I total sum of £90,000. Most of this large sum goes into the hands of the : natives. In Nyassaland the sporting licenses are much more moderate in cost than in British East Africa. In the latter the sportsman pays £SO for shooting a very limited number of each species, and there is an extra charge of £lO for shooting one elephant and £2O for a second elephant. To shoot one giraffe there is also a special license required of £lO. Many districts are closed for certain game in British East Africa, and to find elephants one has to travel a long -way. Elephants, however, we are told, are still numerous in the wilder parts of Nyassaland, and are particularly abundant in Central and Northern Angoniland. : They are usually found in herds from four or five to over a hundred. Old males often lead a solitary existence and J wander about by themselves. These animals as a rule have the heaviest ivory. The heaviest single tusk known weighs 2351b, and the longest liftssain.y a in. Elephant shooting, in Mr. Lyell's opinion, is the hardest sport in existence, and often entails great hardships on the hunter. Lions are very common in Nyassaland, but are seldom seen owing to their nocturnal habits. In Central Angoniland they kill large numbers of natives annually. They are most dangerous on dark, rainy nights, and during the rainy season, when they find game difficult to catch; they are very fond of zebra and eland meat, but refuse nothing when really hungry. "Great care," says Mr. Lyell, "should be taken over the first shot, for it is not dangerous, as a rule, to fire at a lion in the first instance. The danger begins when it has to be followed up in the thick grass or bush. If the first bullet is badly aimed, a lion will often take a lot of killing." Leopards are described as extremely plentiful in all hilly and mountainous country in Nyassaland. "Their saw-like grunts will often be heard at night, but they are seldom seen, owing to their wary and nocturnal habits."