Comments on: Discovering a Lost Genre: Safari Stories

By: ARB

ARB — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 17:57:18 +0000

Chris Hutcheson,

You seem to have left out two of my very favorite safari works:
Death in the Long Grass, by Peter Hathaway Capstick, and

Safari, A Chronicle of Adventure by Bartle Bull.

Otherwise, fantastic post. And for the hunting haters, consider this: whether you personally enjoy hunting or not, the best way to ensure the continued survival of animals is to put a commercial value on them. It’s not romantic, but it does align people’s interests with the animals’. Appeals to altruism are much less reliable.

By: Peter O'Reilly

Peter O'Reilly — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 15:32:18 +0000

Having been on safari before, I have to admit that it alright, but not really that great. In the Massai Mara plains of Kenya, Africa, we went out on Land Rovers and sought out cheetahs, lions, elephants, hippos, crocodiles, water buffalo, giraffes and hyenas. Not to mention tons of zebra, impala, warthogs, ostrich, and tons of other prey animals. It was a lot of fun the first day or so. By the end of the second, it was just like being at the zoo. After all, how long can you really look at animals for? That said, I’m really happy to have had the experience, but I wouldnt do it again. I had much more fun interacting with the people in the towns and cities of Kenya.

By: Steve

Steve — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:16:28 +0000

My sentiments are very much in line with Charles. This is not about the “PC crowd” thinking they know best for all, some of us simply find this genre of literature to be dated and simply not very inspiring or ‘manly’ in the 21st century. I don’t think hunting is such an appalling act at all, but personally consider the thought of killing a magnificent animal such as a lion or elephant to be very tragic and doubt I could be inspired by literature about the subject. OTOH I love baby back ribs, and it’s a common assertion that pigs are smarter than dogs- what does that make me? (I don’t know if it’s true or not, but have heard it a few times.) Most animals hunted down in the wild have still likely lived a far better life than any farm animal.

At the same time, I respect the viewpoints of others here. Let’s not bait each other and call each other names, I think this is a respectful discussion and a worthy subject. What one man considers manly is not always going to be the same as another. I also think that the concept of ‘manliness’ has become more challenging in today’s world, but that’s a challenge for us to take on.

By: Steve

Steve — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 03:17:04 +0000

Thanks for the reminder. I have read a couple of these books and they were great stories. I will find some of the other suggestions as well.

As usual, the PC crowd thinks that they know what is best for all. They fail to recognize that hunters and outdoorsmen make great contributions to the conservation movement around the world.

By: Bubba

Bubba — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 09:40:53 +0000

Read:

Crocodile Fever: A True Story of Adventure (River of Eyes) by: Lawrence Earl