An African Game Ranger on Safari

By Don Cowie

Don Cowie is a knowledgeable naturalist who began his working life as an officer with the Southern Rhodesian Department of Customs and Excise. Stationed at Beitbridge, which lay in the heart of the country's lowveld game lands and already an experienced hunter, his name soon got around amongst the surrounding cattle ranchers who sought his assistance with problem animal control, where Don gained considerable experience in the hunting down of dangerous big game. These were the cattle killing big cats, elephant damaged water installations, and thirsty buffalo that created right of ownership problems at the drinking troughs. Although the cropping and marketing of the game products like meat and skins for profit from the rigid quotas set was perfectly legal in Southern Rhodesia, sport hunting for profit was not, which naturally excluded safari hunting and which prompted the Henderson brothers to start their own safari company in Botswana. Don went with them as their professional hunter during the six month safari seasons, returning to the ranch to continue his game cropping and marketing when the season ended. This changed in 1967 when sport hunting on a game ranching permit finally became legal after a long fight with government, when the Hendersons moved their safari operation to Southern Rhodesia. Brian Marsh was also in the safari business by this time and they teamed up to become Henderson and Marsh Safaris, the largest safari company in the country, and Don became one of the professional hunters. Readers of this excellent book will not only be entertained by Don's hunting stories but will also learn a good deal about game management in Africa's national parks and on the privately owned game ranches of Southern Rhodesia, where he was a game ranch manager for practically all his adult life.

Binding and pages: Limited signed edition with a slipcase; No 62/200; 252 pages; photographs; navy cloth with some marks on the cover.