Len Vaughan White Hunter, Game Warden, Northern Rhodesia

Ian Manning

AH member
Joined
Jan 13, 2018
Messages
47
Reaction score
182
Location
Canada
Media
1
Hunted
South Africa, Botswana, Rhodesia, Zambia, Tanzania, Central Africa Republic, Congo Republic
Len Vaughan White Hunter, Game Warden, Northern Rhodesia

Len Vaughan.png


Len Vaughan, who conducted hunting safaris in Northern Rhodesia in the 1920s when the country was under the control of Cecil Rhodes's British South Africa Chartered Company, is someone to note and remember. He later owned what is now the Lochinvar National Park and was the founder of the Kafue National Park when he was in charge of the southern part of the country in 1950. A great friend, he wrote me the attached letter at the age of 86, in 1986. In it, he writes about one massive hunting safari he conducted in 1922:

Len Vaughan White Hunter 1922.png



In about 1983, I was in South Africa taking my steam train trek around the country (A View From the Train) and stopped off in Joburg, where I had placed the family. Someone mentioned that Len Vaughan was working for the city council as a parking warden in the nearby Rosebank parking area. I immediately drove up there ( I had never met him before) and, as luck would have it found a tall, grey and lanky elderly man making his way in uniform between the parked cars. I introduced myself and, in the conversation, asked how he got through the rather unexciting work. "I just let the cars turn into elephant," he replied. We became instant friends, and I visited him in the small flat that he shared in Hillbrow with his wonderful wife. He left shortly after and settled on the coast. We kept up a lively correspondence as I tried to coax his life's adventures out of him. Having owned the cattle ranch on which Lochinvar National Park now stands and describing its incredible herds of game and the fearless Ila hunters who loved spearing bufffalo, it has all died with him. The park is now a disaster, with gypsum mining occupying most of it. The state, the donors, the privatizers perpetuate the disaster. The way forward is to hand over total control and responsibility for the wildlife to the indigenous people, their chiefs and spiritual guardians.

Len-Vaughan-Story-01.jpg
Len-Vaughan-Story-02.jpg
Len-Vaughan-Story-03.jpg
Len-Vaughan-Story-04.jpg
Len-Vaughan-Story-05.jpg
Len-Vaughan-Story-06.jpg
Len-Vaughan-Story-07.jpg
Len-Vaughan-Story-08.jpg
Len-Vaughan-Story-09.jpg
Len-Vaughan-Story-10.jpg
Len-Vaughan-Story-11.jpg
Len-Vaughan-Story-12.jpg
 

Attachments

  • Len-Vaughan-Story .pdf
    13.7 MB · Views: 113
  • Screen Shot 2021-05-29 at 9.46.42 AM.png
    Screen Shot 2021-05-29 at 9.46.42 AM.png
    1.2 MB · Views: 122
Last edited by a moderator:
I knew nothing about Len Vaughan. So much good information about wildlife and the Rhodesia's. Especially Northern.

Thanks for broadening our horizons Ian.
 
I knew nothing about Len Vaughan. So much good information about wildlife and the Rhodesia's. Especially Northern.

Thanks for broadening our horizons Ian.
Bwana,

It is a great pleasure.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
53,617
Messages
1,131,242
Members
92,672
Latest member
LuciaWains
 

 

 

Latest posts

Latest profile posts

Impact shots from the last hunt

Early morning Impala hunt, previous link was wrong video

Headshot on jackal this morning

Mature Eland Bull taken in Tanzania, at 100 yards, with 375 H&H, 300gr, Federal Premium Expanding bullet.

20231012_145809~2.jpg
 
Top