George Adamson

[Dinosaur]

Old George Adamson, was more known for his 'Born Free' fame, but local Kenyan Hunters knew him as a Safari Hunter and later a Game Warden. He wrote an interesting book called 'Bwana Game" and many others. Regrettably he was murdered by Somali Shifta in his later years.

My father and mother knew George, like most people in Kenya, and said that he was a kind and lovable character, and would gladly tell stories of his adventures, as a game warden, a prospector, or old hunting events.

Attached is an old article which I found written by George, and is worth reading.

Enjoy

Rob

 

[John Telford]

Hi Dinosaur, shortly after George Adamson was killed , Gareth Patterson relocated his last 3 lion cubs to our Farm in the Tuli Block in Botswana. Unfortunately Gareth raised these as pets rather than release them to the wilds when they could hunt on their own. The Male called Bation was lured across the Limpopo into South Africa by a PH using recordings of lions on a kill and was shot by an American hunter who believed he was shooting a problem animal. Then not long after one of the two females attacked and killed a ranger from Mashatu that was taking a potty break ! She was shot as a man eater. The last cat Rafiki has gone on to breed well in the reserve which is a good thing as the gene pool is very small in that area. Gareth who lived with George for a year or so really tried to be a modern day Adamson even dressing the same in short khakis and no shirt.

 

[Dinosaur]

Hi Dinosaur, shortly after George Adamson was killed , Gareth Patterson relocated his last 3 lion cubs to our Farm in the Tuli Block in Botswana. Unfortunately Gareth raised these as pets rather than release them to the wilds when they could hunt on their own. The Male called Bation was lured across the Limpopo into South Africa by a PH using recordings of lions on a kill and was shot by an American hunter who believed he was shooting a problem animal. Then not long after one of the two females attacked and killed a ranger from Mashatu that was taking a potty break ! She was shot as a man eater. The last cat Rafiki has gone on to breed well in the reserve which is a good thing as the gene pool is very small in that area. Gareth who lived with George for a year or so really tried to be a modern day Adamson even dressing the same in short khakis and no shirt.

G'day John, it's nice to meet you, and what a small world it is, yet such a huge continent, and of all places, the cubs ending up in Botswana. I bet you that you that Gareth was relieved that you took on the cubs, man, what a journey.

Gareth must have had a hell of a job sorting out the place, and what to do with the remaining adult lions, after Georges death ? Prior to Georges death the Kenyan Government where giving him the run around, so the future didn't look good for his lions. I wonder what happened to the remainder??

Sorry to hear the tragic news about the two of your lions that met their demise, I take it that the cubs were adults during that period? I recall hearing that some of George's individual lions attacking some of his guests, but that is the risk that you take if approaching any large feline, pet, or otherwise.

As for the gene pool, that is great news, you have got to be pleased with that, nothing worse than inbreeding, and you will breed some prime and healthy specimens for sure.

Gareth would be an interesting fellow to meet, I am sure that he would have some stories to tell.

Do you have any pics of the cubs on your farm, or stories ??

Regards

Rob

 

[Dinosaur]

A movie was made about the last year of Georges life, it is called, 'To Walk With Lions' (1999), starring Richard Harris as George.
Someone has loaded the movie on You tube if you are interested, but it may not last long before the movie is deleted by You Tube Management.

Walk with Lions

Enjoy
Rob

 

[John Telford]

Hi Rob, Gereth did some research in the greater Tuli area on Lions prior to meeting up with George so when George died he say the opportunity and a lot of folks all shopped on to get the cubs to Botswana. As the farms in the Northern Tuli including the Zimbabwe portion is unfenced many land owners were not too happy with the cats coming to the Tuli area. The game is all free roaming in this area so it belongs to the Government of Botswana. I didn’t have any pics of those days - it was before digital and cell phone cameras! I can tell you that Gareth and his then girlfriend Julia could make a mean mopane worm Stew!

 

[Wheels]

Hi Dinosaur, shortly after George Adamson was killed , Gareth Patterson relocated his last 3 lion cubs to our Farm in the Tuli Block in Botswana. Unfortunately Gareth raised these as pets rather than release them to the wilds when they could hunt on their own. The Male called Bation was lured across the Limpopo into South Africa by a PH using recordings of lions on a kill and was shot by an American hunter who believed he was shooting a problem animal. Then not long after one of the two females attacked and killed a ranger from Mashatu that was taking a potty break ! She was shot as a man eater. The last cat Rafiki has gone on to breed well in the reserve which is a good thing as the gene pool is very small in that area. Gareth who lived with George for a year or so really tried to be a modern day Adamson even dressing the same in short khakis and no shirt.

Very interesting side story. Do the lions still come on your property.

A movie was made about the last year of Georges life, it is called, 'To Walk With Lions' (1999), starring Richard Harris as George.
Someone has loaded the movie on You tube if you are interested, but it may not last long before the movie is deleted by You Tube Management.

Walk with Lions

Enjoy
Rob

Richard Harris certainly looks the part of Adamson.

 

[Dinosaur]

Hi Rob, Gereth did some research in the greater Tuli area on Lions prior to meeting up with George so when George died he say the opportunity and a lot of folks all shopped on to get the cubs to Botswana. As the farms in the Northern Tuli including the Zimbabwe portion is unfenced many land owners were not too happy with the cats coming to the Tuli area. The game is all free roaming in this area so it belongs to the Government of Botswana. I didn’t have any pics of those days - it was before digital and cell phone cameras! I can tell you that Gareth and his then girlfriend Julia could make a mean mopane worm Stew!

G'day John, 'Mopane Worm Stew', what a classic

Honestly, I have eaten a lot worse, but I have read that it is a pretty tasty dish. So, I would love to try it

I have eaten cabbage butterfly caterpillars in soup, Grubs, and maggots, and they all appear to taste of what you were eating, or what they had been eating. The maggots were accidental, as a blowfly had blown a BBQ chicken, the maggots were in the flesh, but not visible from outside.

I was in a dark room and started gobbling up a thigh with drumstick, and didn't realize till too late that the crumbs/tiny bits of chicken dropping out of the corner of my mouth weren't chicken, that is until one started moving, when exiting my lips.

I turned the light on, shock horror the chicken was riddled with them, so I yelled in fright, and quickly drank a glass of brandy to drown what I had digested. Not that it would make a difference, as my stomach acid would have digested them either way, it just felt like the right thing.

By the way, the maggots taste like the chicken, so as long as the maggots are not from a rotting carcass, they are edible.

My mother used to also do a terrible job at cleaning silver beet, she always insisted on picking the dark green crinkled leaves which harbored all sorts of spiders, earwigs, shield bugs, harlequin bugs (push me pull me beetles) etcetera.
To save time my mum would just soak the leaves in hot salty water before cooking them. Her logic was that the creepy crawlies would climb out of the crinkles and drown, She never thought about the air pockets in the crinkles, so I learnt what a lot of things taste like the hard way.

Spiders don't taste much, but earwigs, harlequin bugs, are bitter, but worst of them all was shield bugs, so don't even attempt them.

Regards
Rob