One of the posters at Accuratereloading.com is Ganyana, a PH, and working in wildlife conservation. His project is to take lions that have been orphaned, train them into a pride on a game preserve, and release them into the wild.
I can't help but say these big cats are my idea of the perfect African hunting partners...
Here's a rather sad commentary if you just release them into the wild, from Ganyana:
Ah yes - rather sad end to Elsa's three cubs.
They were collared and free released into the non hunting area of Tuli Block in Botswana -right next to our tuli circle safari area... Garry larson could have predicted some of this...
One was shot by a farmer called in by the local council to deal with a lone lioness that was taking cattle in the tribal area adjacent to the tuli circle.
I shot a second one, following up on an attack on a cattle heard boy (about 10 years old) who had been mauled to death by a lion near the Botswana border. Must say the collar with name tag was a bit of a suprise. But I remembered that the bunny huggers Inc had sent a formal letter asking Zim Parks to suspend the hunting of lion in tuli circle as the three lion had been released near there.
I had kept lion on quota and sent a letter back to say they were free to buy the lion quota for Tuli and not shoot it... Got an offensive letter back charging I was not acting in the interests of conservation, and several others in a similar vein from various "activists"
Anyway, I sent the collar back with a bill for my milage (Even back then, Zim parks were broke and I didn't see why my section should have to carry the bill) and for the ammo used (2 rounds 9,3 which I had to pay out of my own pocket).
Their reply came as an official complaint about me through diplomatic channels. For which the Director gave me an increase in budget and approval to buy some 9,3 ammo on a government purchase order.
About a year later the last of the three was shot by a Botswana policeman (with a Webley revolver in .38 S&W no less) who was stalking a woman. Whether she was or just wanted an ear tickle is irelevant, the policeman acted bravely and in good faith.
The interesting feature of this sad story is that the three siblings did not stay together, nor did they join a wild pride. All hunted (and died) alone. This is one of the aspects we are looking at with our release programme- making sure that the lions released are already a stable pride able to fend for themselves.
Ganyana carries a .44 magnum, pistol, and 9.3 X 62 rifle. What caliber would you carry, considering you are hunting with lions?
Heres a link to a bunch of his writing. 'How not to hunt lions' is a very good read, and, the rabies lion stories are a bit scary as well.
http://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/487100714/m/380108868
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