Global Rescue assistance in remote area of southeast Cameroon

[Global Rescue]

Lieutenant Colonel Rick Steiner is a retired US Army Special Forces commander with 19 years of military experience. For the past 10 years, Steiner has relied on Global Rescue to be his “back up team” whenever he heads out on his hunting or fishing expeditions. “I’ve been to Afghanistan, Somalia, Uganda, Cameroon, Tanzania, and British Columbia, so having a rescue organization standing behind me that has the capability to come get me anywhere I might be is not a ‘nice to have’ -- it’s an absolute necessity,” said Steiner.

Steiner’s hunts take him to very remote areas. “All of the photos here are taken in the Sangha River area of southeast Cameroon, south of Lobeke National Park,” said Steiner. “On the other side of the river is the Central African Republic. We hunted the entire region as my outfitter there, Faro Lobeke Safaris, has over 500,000 hectares in two hunting blocks.

“The entire area is triple canopy jungle with a few villages and logging camps. There are no paved roads --only logging trails maintained by the logging companies. Local fauna includes lowland gorillas, forest elephant and buffalo, bongo antelope, forest sitatunga, various duikers, leopards, a wide variety of monkeys, chimpanzees, and assorted snakes and insects. Daytime highs in May are around 100 degrees F, with 85% humidity, and it rains about every other night. The local people are baka tribesmen, also known as pygmies,” noted Steiner.

“It's a very tough place to hunt. I've taken just about every species available on two separate hunts there. You can only see 20 yards or less in the jungle, and you’re wet all the time -- sweat, rain, or a combination. But it's incredibly rewarding to hunt the place. Needless to say, there are a lot of hazards -- food, water, the gorillas, elephant, buffalo, snakes, car accidents -- so it's very important to be good at personal health management, risk management, and also to have a good medevac plan.”

This past spring, Steiner turned to Global Rescue for assistance when he was feeling feverish while traveling. “I called to get advice on dosages for medicine I was taking. What I got from Global Rescue was a level of follow up and service that approached family practice doctor level of engagement. Totally great.”

Steiner concludes: “Global Rescue is the only service provider of its type that has earned my confidence. I simply won’t go on a hunting or fishing expedition without the peace of mind that comes from having a Global Rescue membership.”