A film by Hugh Burnett
Big game hunting in Kenya is sport in luxurious style. A hunting safari is an impressive venture -highly organised, with big trucks to carry the stores and every possible comfort. The sport of hunting is often misunderstood by people who only read about it. The actual tracking, the long hours spent in a hide, getting up before dawn to look for animal tracks; all these are the necessary prelude to the hunt for a particular animal.
There are no close seasons for game hunting in Kenya. The country is divided into hunting blocks and hunting areas, and the number of animals being shot for trophies is controlled by bookings. Visitors may only hunt with a professional hunter who knows the boundaries of the hunting blocks and where the best game is to be found. As well, every hunter must have a licence to hunt. Different animals cost varying amounts of money-about 12 for a buffalo, £1 10s. for a zebra, and as little as 10s. for an impala. Special licences for animals such as the giant forest hog or the giraffe are more expensive. All types of firearms can be hired from firearm dealers, and all calibres of medium rifles are available, mostly with telescopic sights. Heavier rifles for buffalo or elephant are also obtainable.
This documentary, made on the slopes of Mount Kenya and the plains below, is the first real big game hunt to be filmed.
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