Only in Effrika

Nice place if it wasn't for some of the locals
Message
Author
User avatar
Woody
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 10244
Joined: Tue Aug 25, 2015 6:33 pm
Location: Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand
Age: 59

Re: Only in Effrika

#221 Post by Woody » Sat Feb 25, 2023 9:46 am

He’s certainly stirred up a hornets nest :-bd
Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan accused its former Chief Executive Officer Andre de Ruyter of spending too much time promoting a transition to green energy and paying inadequate attention to fixing its broken coal-burning plants.

De Ruyter spent three turbulent years at the helm of Eskom, during which he struggled to end rolling blackouts that have crippled the economy or get its shaky finances back on track. He abruptly left the company this week after giving a television interview in which he accused unidentified members of the governing African National Congress of stealing from the utility.
When all else fails, read the instructions.

TheGreenAnger
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 3286
Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2022 11:40 pm
Location: Unfashionable end of the Western Spiral

Re: Only in Effrika

#222 Post by TheGreenAnger » Sat Feb 25, 2023 12:37 pm

Woody wrote:
Sat Feb 25, 2023 9:46 am
He’s certainly stirred up a hornets nest :-bd
Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan accused its former Chief Executive Officer Andre de Ruyter of spending too much time promoting a transition to green energy and paying inadequate attention to fixing its broken coal-burning plants.

De Ruyter spent three turbulent years at the helm of Eskom, during which he struggled to end rolling blackouts that have crippled the economy or get its shaky finances back on track. He abruptly left the company this week after giving a television interview in which he accused unidentified members of the governing African National Congress of stealing from the utility.
De Ruyter was poisoned as he was coming far too close to the ANC's corrupt machinations. The country is completely screwed!
My necessaries are embark'd: farewell. Adieu! I have too grieved a heart to take a tedious leave.

User avatar
Woody
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 10244
Joined: Tue Aug 25, 2015 6:33 pm
Location: Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand
Age: 59

Re: Only in Effrika

#223 Post by Woody » Wed Mar 01, 2023 2:51 pm

A bit like putting Fred West in charge of landscape gardening :((

When all else fails, read the instructions.

TheGreenAnger
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 3286
Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2022 11:40 pm
Location: Unfashionable end of the Western Spiral

Re: Only in Effrika

#224 Post by TheGreenAnger » Wed Mar 01, 2023 5:50 pm

Woody wrote:
Wed Mar 01, 2023 2:51 pm
A bit like putting Fred West in charge of landscape gardening :((

Insane.


Listen to this mad optimist...


My necessaries are embark'd: farewell. Adieu! I have too grieved a heart to take a tedious leave.

TheGreenAnger
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 3286
Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2022 11:40 pm
Location: Unfashionable end of the Western Spiral

Only 1 frigate seaworthy. No seaworthy submarines.

#225 Post by TheGreenAnger » Thu Mar 02, 2023 6:05 pm

The majority of the South African Navy’s primary combat vessels are not operational, with the frigate SAS Mendi’s seaworthiness prioritised for Armed Forces Day and Exercise Mosi II.

This is according to an Armscor presentation to the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans (PCDMV) on 15 February, which detailed the maintenance status of the SA Navy’s frigates and submarines.

The presentation explained that the frigate SAS Amatola is currently in a Docking and Essential Defect (DED) period, but work was temporarily suspended to prioritise the SAS Mendi, which was required for Armed Forces Day operations. The Mendi took part in AFD and Exercise Mosi II off the coast of Richards Bay along with the hydrographic survey vessel SAS Protea, and the first new inshore patrol vessel, SAS King Sekhukhune I.

Work on the SAS Amatola will resume in March, with a current estimated completion date of three months after receipt of outstanding spares and subject to the completion of repairs on the SAS Spioenkop. The latter is currently undergoing “ad-hoc maintenance and repairs of the hull and structure.” Completion of this work is dependent on the SA Navy providing customer furnished spares (CFS) – maintenance will be completed within one month from the receipt of spares.

The fourth and final frigate, SAS Isandlwana, is currently undergoing ad-hoc maintenance and repairs of the mast and flight decks. Armscor stated that the masts will be completed within six months. “This is part of the continuous refurbishment activities to keep the sub-systems serviceable, as the vessel will be in a perpetual maintenance phase.”

With regard to the submarines, the SAS Mantatisi is currently undergoing Docking and Essential Defect (DED) maintenance, which is due to be completed in March subject to successful approvals of all post-maintenance trials.

The SAS Queen Modjadji is currently undergoing preservation and pre-refit planning activities, in preparation for a refit. The procurement process for services is currently underway, with a requirement received from the Navy on 6 February 2023. Armscor estimates the contracting process will take approximately 140 days.

Funding to complete the refit of the SAS Charlotte Maxeke is available and the submarine is currently “in refit process” with Armscor providing project management. “Armscor Dockyard is currently going through a procurement process to contract a local supplier for support services. Bids are currently being evaluated and contracting will be completed within the next month.”

The latest defence budget vote, released in February, showed that the Maritime Defence component of the SANDF is getting R4.9 billion for the 2023/24 financial year, as well as in 2024/25, and R5.2 billion in 2025/26. Of the R4.9 billion allocated for 2023/24, just R1.45 billion is going towards Maritime Combat Capability, with the remaining on logistics support, human resources, base support etc. but the majority of funds (R2.3 billion) is allocated to salaries.

The defence budget allocation states that the SA Navy will defend and protect South Africa and its maritime zone by providing three frigates, one combat support vessel (the SAS Drakensberg), two offshore patrol vessels, and three inshore patrol vessels per year as well as two submarines a year. The Navy will conduct four coastal patrols and spend 8 000 hours at sea a year.

Budget cuts mean there is no funding for mid-life upgrades/refits of the SA Navy’s three submarines and four frigates. These vessels will have to wait until at least 2033/35 before sufficient funding becomes available for this.

Due to limited funding, only one of four frigates (SAS Amatola) was partially refitted in 2014/15 and one of three submarines (SAS Manthatisi) was refitted in 2013/14. Funding for refitment of the remaining three frigates – SAS Isandlwana, SAS Spioenkop and SAS Mendi and for submarine SAS Queen Modjadji I – has not been available since this work became due, according to the Department of Defence (DoD).

According to the DoD, the average cost estimate for a frigate refit is R687 million with a submarine refit costing R660 million.

Pending the conduct of the outstanding refits, the SA Navy is currently focused on prioritising essential maintenance and repair of the frigates Spioenkop and Mendi, the combat support vessel SAS Drakensberg and submarine Manthatisi to ensure operational availability.

In August 2021, the Department of Defence told the PCDMV that for the 2021/22 financial year, the SA Navy’s vessel refit as well as maintenance and repair full cost requirement of R1.470 billion was only 53.4% funded, with R786 million allocated.

Defence minister Thandi Modise, in response to a question on SANDF maintenance backlogs from the Economic Freedom Fighters, stated in a recent parliamentary reply that, “within the SA Navy environment, the frigates and submarines of the SA Navy are being maintained in accordance with the available budget. Maintenance contracts to enhance maintenance on these vessels are extended as and when funding becomes available. There is currently a delay in availability of the logistic supply vessel of the SA Navy as a result of unavailability of spares and non-performance by the appointed maintenance contractor. These delays have been addressed and mitigating steps have been implemented.”
https://www.defenceweb.co.za/featured/o ... rviceable/
My necessaries are embark'd: farewell. Adieu! I have too grieved a heart to take a tedious leave.

User avatar
Woody
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 10244
Joined: Tue Aug 25, 2015 6:33 pm
Location: Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand
Age: 59

Re: Only in Effrika

#226 Post by Woody » Sat Mar 04, 2023 5:35 pm

The latest jet fuel supply crunch at Cape Town International Airport has seen some improvement over the past 24 hours after talks that continued late into Friday night between fuel suppliers and airlines, Airports Company South Africa said on Saturday.


A major fuel supplier has also since advised that production of Jet A1 has improved over the past 24 hours, and additional product has been prioritised via imports and road tanker to supplement local production.

The impact on flights was currently likely to be minimal, ACSA said, but advised travellers to keep a close eye on flight schedules.


On Friday, News24 reported that the largest supplier of jet fuel had been unable to meet demand as a result of technical issues caused by load shedding. ACSA sent a notice in this regard to airmen on Friday afternoon.

On Saturday, ACSA said airlines had been asked to talk to suppliers and make contingency plans in light of the shortage.

"Airports Company South Africa can confirm that discussions were held with fuel suppliers and airlines until late last night (Friday, 3 March 2023), when airlines were given their allocation of JET for the next few days," it said.
Hopefully I’ll get stuck on my next visit :-bd
When all else fails, read the instructions.

User avatar
Woody
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 10244
Joined: Tue Aug 25, 2015 6:33 pm
Location: Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand
Age: 59

Re: Only in Effrika

#227 Post by Woody » Sun Mar 05, 2023 10:46 am

This isn’t going to be good for TGA’s blood pressure :-o

https://www.news24.com/fin24/economy/es ... t-20230302
When all else fails, read the instructions.

User avatar
Ex-Ascot
Test Pilot
Test Pilot
Posts: 13096
Joined: Mon Aug 24, 2015 7:16 am
Location: Botswana but sometimes Greece
Gender:
Age: 68

Re: Only in Effrika

#228 Post by Ex-Ascot » Mon Mar 06, 2023 7:45 am

Law enforcement officers are looking for a man aged 29 years who fled a Mochudi courtroom at 11:50am in on Monday.

Mochudi Police Station commander, Superintendent Joel Masilo said in an interview that the Zimbabwean national, Tafadzwa Sibanda escaped custody of prison officers while his trial was underway.

According to the police, the accused managed to escape after the restraints were removed from his legs, a requirement under law during any trial proceedings.

He said the accused claimed to be needing to use a toilet, but when the officers tried to put back the restraints, he ran for his dear life.

The accused was appearing for commencement of his trial that involved a car theft and had been imprisoned at first offenders’ prison in Gaborone since last year.

Supt Masilo appealed to public members to be vigilant as the accused, who is dark in complexion, short and slender, might resort to violence.

“We urge the public to be vigilant and exercise extra caution because this man can be dangerous,” he said.
From our extensive experience of our court case never understood why they took them out of chains in court.
'Yes, Madam, I am drunk, but in the morning I shall be sober and you will still be ugly.' Sir Winston Churchill.

User avatar
Woody
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 10244
Joined: Tue Aug 25, 2015 6:33 pm
Location: Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand
Age: 59

Re: Only in Effrika

#229 Post by Woody » Sat Mar 18, 2023 7:51 am

When all else fails, read the instructions.

PHXPhlyer
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 8239
Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2018 2:56 pm
Location: PHX
Gender:
Age: 69

Re: Only in Effrika

#230 Post by PHXPhlyer » Sat Mar 18, 2023 3:33 pm

Woody wrote:
Sat Mar 18, 2023 7:51 am
Is two years long enough?

https://www.africaninsider.com/news/pic ... 4242sfoegb
They could install a phone in his box so he could call them to dig him up if the two years weren't long enough. :ymdevil:

PP

User avatar
Ex-Ascot
Test Pilot
Test Pilot
Posts: 13096
Joined: Mon Aug 24, 2015 7:16 am
Location: Botswana but sometimes Greece
Gender:
Age: 68

Re: Only in Effrika

#231 Post by Ex-Ascot » Tue Mar 21, 2023 11:49 am

Clinic last week. And this clock is kind of working it keeps changing times. The front and the back show different times. Neither make any sense.
Attachments
Clock.jpg
Clock.jpg (35.79 KiB) Viewed 3862 times
'Yes, Madam, I am drunk, but in the morning I shall be sober and you will still be ugly.' Sir Winston Churchill.

User avatar
Woody
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 10244
Joined: Tue Aug 25, 2015 6:33 pm
Location: Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand
Age: 59

Re: Only in Effrika

#232 Post by Woody » Tue Apr 04, 2023 9:43 am

When all else fails, read the instructions.

OneHungLow
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 2140
Joined: Thu Mar 30, 2023 8:28 pm
Location: Johannesburg
Gender:

Re: Only in Effrika

#233 Post by OneHungLow » Wed Apr 05, 2023 9:05 pm

Janet and I studied together in the same place for a while. I didn't necessarily agree with her all the time but I admired, and still do, her for her consistency, decency, intellect and massive courage, including facing up to imprisonment and torture, let it be said.

She deserves these latter day plaudits!

https://www.iol.co.za/education/rhodes- ... 2c988b3f38
The observer of fools in military south and north...

User avatar
Ex-Ascot
Test Pilot
Test Pilot
Posts: 13096
Joined: Mon Aug 24, 2015 7:16 am
Location: Botswana but sometimes Greece
Gender:
Age: 68

Re: Only in Effrika

#234 Post by Ex-Ascot » Thu Apr 06, 2023 11:22 am

OneHungLow wrote:
Wed Apr 05, 2023 9:05 pm
Janet and I studied together in the same place for a while. I didn't necessarily agree with her all the time but I admired, and still do, her for her consistency, decency, intellect and massive courage, including facing up to imprisonment and torture, let it be said.

She deserves these latter day plaudits!

https://www.iol.co.za/education/rhodes- ... 2c988b3f38
So what is your weather like down there OHL =))
'Yes, Madam, I am drunk, but in the morning I shall be sober and you will still be ugly.' Sir Winston Churchill.

PHXPhlyer
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 8239
Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2018 2:56 pm
Location: PHX
Gender:
Age: 69

Re: Only in Effrika

#235 Post by PHXPhlyer » Thu Apr 13, 2023 7:21 pm

Ex-A's critique requested

‘I was up to my waist down a hippo’s throat.’ He survived, and here’s his advice


https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/hipp ... index.html

Paul Templer was living his best life.

He was 28 and conducting tours in his native Zimbabwe, with a focus on photographic safaris.

He had been away for a few years, including a stint in the British army. But he had returned to Africa’s bush country “and fell back in love with it. The wildlife, the flora, the fauna, the great outdoors, the space – just everything about it. I was at home.”

Templer said Zimbabwe’s guide certification program was rigorous, and there was a lot of pride among the guides who passed. He reveled in showing tourists the area’s majestic wildlife – including the water-loving, very territorial hippos.

“It was idyllic,” he told CNN Travel recently. “Life was really, really good – until one day I had a really bad day at the office.”

A good day for a river trek
The entire course of Paul Templer's life changed after he agreed at the last minute to take a group of tourists down the Zambezi River.

March 9, 1996. A Saturday. Templer learned a good friend who was to lead a canoe safari down the Zambezi River had malaria. He agreed to take his pal’s place. “I loved that stretch of the river. It was an area I know like the back of my hand.”

The expedition consisted of six safari clients (four Air France crewmembers and a couple from Germany), three apprentice guides plus Templer. They had three canoes – clients in the first two seats and a guide in the back. Then one apprentice guide was in a one-person safety kayak.

And down the famed Zambezi they went. “Things were going the way they were supposed to go. Everyone was having a pretty good time.”

Possible trouble ahead

Eventually, they came across a pod of about a dozen hippos. That’s not unexpected on the Zambezi, Africa’s fourth-longest river. They weren’t alarmed at first as they were at a safe distance. But “we were getting closer, and I was trying to take evasive action. … The idea was let’s just paddle safely around the hippos.”

Templer’s canoe led the way, with the other two canoes and kayak to follow. He pulled into a little channel waiting on the others. But the third canoe had fallen back from the group and was off the planned course. Templer’s not sure how that happened.

“Suddenly, there’s this big thud. And I see the canoe, like the back of it, catapulted up into the air. And Evans, the guide in the back of the canoe, catapulted out of the canoe.” The clients managed to remain in the canoe somehow.

“Evans is in the water, and the current is washing Evans toward a mama hippo and her calf 150 meters [490 feet] away. … So I know I’ve got to get him out quickly. I don’t have time to drop my clients off.” He yells to Ben, one of the other guides, to retrieve the clients who were in the canoe that had been attacked.

Ben got the clients to safety on a rock in the middle of the river that hippos couldn’t climb.

Attempting a rescue
Meanwhile, Templer turned his canoe around to get Evans. The plan was to pull alongside of him and pull him into Templer’s canoe.

“I was paddling towards him … getting closer, and I saw this bow wave coming towards me. If you’ve ever seen any of those old movies with a torpedo coming toward a ship, it was kind of like that. I knew it was either a hippo or a really large crocodile coming at me,” he said.

“But I also knew that if I slapped the blade of my paddle on water … that’s really loud. And the percussion underwater seems to turn the animals away,” he said. “So I slapped the water, and as it was supposed to do, the torpedo wave stops.”

He was getting closer to Evans, but they were also getting closer to the female and calf.

“I’m leaning over – it’s kind of a made-for-Hollywood movie – Evans is reaching up. … Our fingers almost touched. And then the water between us just erupted. Happened so fast I didn’t see a thing.”

What happened next was nightmarish and surreal.

“My world went dark and strangely quiet.” Templer said it took a few seconds to figure out what was going on.

“From the waist down, I could feel the water. I could feel I was wet in the river. From my waist up, it was different. I was warm, and it wasn’t wet like the river, but it wasn’t dry either. And it was just incredible pressure on my lower back. I tried to move around; I couldn’t.

“I realized I was up to my waist down a hippo’s throat.”

There’s a good reason a fully grown hippopotamus can fit a large portion of a fully grown adult in its mouth. Hippos can grow up to 16.5 feet long (5 meters), 5.2 feet tall (1.6 meters) and weigh up to 4.5 tons (4 metric tonnes), according to National Geographic.

They sport enormous mouths and can open their strong jaws to 150 degrees.

Their teeth might be the most frightening thing of all. Their molars are used for eating plants, but their sharp canines, which might reach 20 inches (51 centimeters), are for defense and fighting. Their bite is almost three times stronger than that of a lion. One bite from a hippo can possibly cut a human body in half.

They’re found naturally in various parts sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in East and Southern Africa, living in or near rivers and other water sources. (And they are an invasive species in Colombia thanks to escapees from drug lord Pablo Escobar’s menagerie).

Hippos are very territorial and might aggressively attack any animal encroaching on their territory, including hyenas, lions and crocodiles.

Hippos and humans

They also kill people. That we know for sure. Many internet sources say around 500 a year, but an exact figure is still uncertain because some attacks and deaths come in very remote regions and don’t get reported.

“The question I get asked the most when people find out I study hippos is: ‘Is it true hippos kill more people than any animal?’ Rebecca Lewison, conservation ecologist and associate professor at San Diego State University, told CNN Travel in an email interview.

“I’m not entirely sure where that started but … there is no authority or reliable data. People are surprised that hippos kill people. They look slow, and they are mostly in water. There are some nonfatal interactions, but people (or hippos) tend to fare badly from interactions.”

Dr. Philip Muruthi, chief scientist and vice president of species conservation and science of the African Wildlife Fund, said the AWF doesn’t have a credible source on the number of attacks or fatalities either.

While more stats need to be collected, one study found that the probability of being killed by a hippopotamus attack is in the range of 29% to 87% – higher than that of a grizzly bear attack at 4.8%, shark attack at 22.7% and crocodile attack at 25%.

‘He spat me out’
Those were rather bad odds of survival working against Templer.

“I’m guessing I was wedged so far down its throat it must have been uncomfortable because he spat me out. So I burst to the surface, sucked a lungful of fresh air and I came face to face with Evans, the guide who I was trying to rescue. And I said, ‘We got to get out of here!’ ”

So once again, I’m up to my waist down the hippo’s throat. But this time, my legs are trapped but my hands are free.
But Evans was in serious trouble. Templer started swimming back for him “and I was just moving in for your classic lifesaver’s hold when – WHAM! – I got hit from below. So once again, I’m up to my waist down the hippo’s throat. But this time my legs are trapped but my hands are free.”

He tried to go for his gun, but he was being thrashed around so much he couldn’t grab it. The hippo – which turned out to be an older, aggressive male – spat Templer out a second time.

“This time when I come to the surface I look around, there’s no sign of Evans.” Templer assumed Evans had been rescued, and he tried to escape himself.

“I’m making pretty good progress and I’m swimming along there and I come up for the stroke and swimming freestyle and I look under my arm – and until my dying day I’ll remember this – there’s this hippo charging in towards me with his mouth wide open bearing in before he scores a direct hit.”

This time, Templer was sideways in the hippo’s mouth, legs dangling out one side of the mouth, shoulders and head on the other side of its mouth.

“And then he just goes berserk. … When hippos are fighting, the way they fight is they try to tear apart and just destroy whatever it is they’re attacking,” Templer said.

“For me, fortunately everything was happening in slow motion. So when he’d go under water, I’d hold my breath. When we were on the surface, I would take a deep breath and I would try to hold onto tusks that were boring through me” to stop from being ripped apart.

PP

PHXPhlyer
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 8239
Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2018 2:56 pm
Location: PHX
Gender:
Age: 69

Re: Only in Effrika

#236 Post by PHXPhlyer » Thu Apr 13, 2023 7:26 pm

Ex-A's critique requested
Part 2
‘I was up to my waist down a hippo’s throat.’ He survived, and here’s his advice


https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/hipp ... index.html

Templer said one of the clients watching the horror later described it like a “vicious dog trying to rip apart a rag doll.”

He figures the whole attack took about three and a half minutes.

Meanwhile, apprentice guide Mack in the safety kayak – “showing incredible bravery, risking his life to save mine – pulls his boat in inches from my face.” Templer managed to grab a handle on the kayak, and “Mack dragged me to the relative safety of this rock.”

The expedition was still in one hell of a mess, though.

People living near hippo territory are more likely victims of attacks than tourists, said Lewison.

“Most of the attacks happen in the water, but because hippos raid crops on farms, there are also attacks on people trying to protect their crops. There are some tourists, but largely the attacks are happening to local residents,” Lewison said.

Human encroachment from Africa’s booming population makes matters worse, increasing the chances of deadly interactions, she said.

Despite the encounters gone bad, sub-Saharan Africa depends on hippos.

“Hippos are important ecosystem engineers of the ecology of freshwater areas they inhabit. This is through nutrient recycling from dung (they consume large amounts of vegetation),” Muruthi said.

“Hippos attack not to eat people, but to get them the hell away from them,” Lewison said. “I don’t think hippos are particularly aggressive, but I think when under pressure, they attack.”

Stuck on a rock and in a hard place
Back on the rock in the Zambezi, Templer asked Mack where Evans was. Mack said, “He’s gone, man, he’s just gone.”

Templer knew he needed to come up with a plan to get them off the rock and to the riverbank, but “first I needed to settle myself down.”

He assessed the situation: One man missing. The first aid kit, radio and gun all gone. Six scared clients, two canoes and one paddle left. And his own body was shattered.

“My left foot was especially bad; it looked as if someone had tried to beat a hole through it with a hammer.” He couldn’t move his arms. One arm from elbow down was “crushed to a pulp.”

Blood was bubbling out of his mouth. They realized his lung was punctured. Mack rolled Templer over and could see a gaping hole in his back and plugged it with Saran Wrap from a plate of snacks.

Templer made the call: No matter the risk, they had to get off that rock.

He was loaded into a canoe. Ben paddled. The hippo kept bumping the canoe. He went from being terrified to calm on that ride back.

He described “a profound spiritual experience in which I had this incredible sense of peace and realization this was my moment of choice. Like do I go, or do I stay? Do I close my eyes and drift off, or do I fight my way through this and stick around?”

It was so intense I thought I was going to die, and when I didn’t, I kind of wished I would.

Paul Templer on the pain after the attack

“I chose to stick around, and as soon as I made that choice, it was more pain than I could ever imagine I could endure. It was so intense I thought I was going to die, and when I didn’t, I kind of wished I would.”

Ben and Templer made it out of the river, but without finding Evans. His body was found three days later. They concluded he had drowned because he didn’t have any signs of animal attack on him.

“Evans did nothing wrong. The fact that he died was purely a tragedy.”

Meanwhile, some people on shore had realized something was wrong in the river. A well-trained Zimbabwe rescue team was able to safely ferry everyone else off the rock.

“And that was my bad day at the office.”

Next ordeal: Getting medical help
Templer was out of the river but not out of the woods.

It took eight hours to drive him to the nearest hospital. In a month’s time, he had several major surgeries. He thought he would lose one leg and both arms. His surgeon didn’t think he’d live.

But not only did the surgeon save Templer’s life, he saved his legs and one arm. The other arm, however, was beyond salvation.

He realized that in the ICU when he woke up and was feeling for his left hand. It was gone. “I just remember feeling devastated. I spent my whole life being active and it was almost more than I could bare.”

But then he was flooded with relief to realize his right arm and legs had been saved. For the next month, he was “emotionally all over the map.”

He got physical and occupational therapy in Zimbabwe and then more in the United Kingdom. He got a prosthesis “and then just started trying to get back to life.”

Templer, Muruthi and Lewison all say safe outings start with education – and avoiding trouble in the first place.

“Hippos have no interest in dealing with people. Stay away from them, and they will leave you alone. They are not hunting humans,” Lewison said.

“Do not get close to them,” Muruthi said. “They don’t want any intrusion. … They’re not predators; it’s by accident if they’re injuring people.”

Want close-up views and photos of the creatures? Instead of venturing too close, invest in good binoculars and telephoto camera lenses.

Follow the rules. If you are a tourist, and it says ‘Stay in your vehicle,’ then stay in your vehicle.

Philip Muruthi on avoiding hippo attacks

Do not walk along well-worn hippo paths, stay close to your group and don’t approach them from behind, Muruthi said.

“Follow the rules. If you are a tourist, and it says ‘Stay in your vehicle,’ then stay in your vehicle. And even when you’re in your vehicle, don’t drive it right to the animal.”

Muruthi also advised that your party make some noise in areas known for hippos. “It’s good for them to know you’re around.”

“Hippos usually come out of water late in the evening and at night to forage, so avoid trekking along the river at that time,” Muruthi said. Also stay on high alert during the dry season when food is scarce.

Warning signals

Get to know the signs of disturbed hippos, Muruthi advised, in case you wander too closely. An agitated one will open its mouth wide and yawn as aggressive display. Also watch for a head thrown back, shaking of the head, grunting and snorting.

“These are signs you should have left already!” Muruthi said.

If you’ve attracted unwanted attention, Muruthi said to always remember you cannot outrun a hippo. They may look sluggish, but they can run 30 mph (almost 43 kph). Instead, you should try to climb a tree or find an obstacle to put between you and the hippo such as a rock or anthill.

Muruthi, Lewison and Templer all said never stay between a hippo and the water. If it’s charging you, run parallel to the water source. As with so many other protective female animals, never get between a mama hippo and her young, Templer said.

What if you’re in a small watercraft?

“Typically, if a hippo is going to be attacking, you’ll see it coming way before. There will be that bow wave. … If you slap the water, the percussion 99.9 times out of 100 will turn the hippo,” Templer said. “If you’re in a canoe and a hippo knocks you in the water, get away from the canoe. The hippo is going for this big shape, getting it off its territory.”

It’s also safer to view hippos on the water in a larger vessel, which the animal would have a harder time capsizing, Muruthi said.

Once an attack is underway
Unlike attacks by some other wild animals, humans are almost defenseless once an attack by a large hippo begins.

“Once attacked, there is nothing you can do,” Muruthi said. “Fight for dear life and watch for any chance to escape.” He said you could try to poke at the eyes or any spot that might inflict unexpected pain. But given the size just of a hippo head, even that’s a tall order.

“Hippos typically hole punch you, so there isn’t much you can do if they get hold of you,” Lewison said.

Based on his attack, Templer said try not to panic “when dragged underwater. Remember to suck in air if on the surface.”

Another hippo attack survivor in this National Geographic video also was able to conserve her breath. She also grabbed the hippo’s snout, and one expert in the video theorizes that might have startled the hippo into letting her go.

‘You’re the sum of your choices’

Two years after that attack, Templer said that he and a team made the longest recorded descent of the Zambezi River to date. It took three months and covered 1,600 miles (2,575 kilometers).

How did Templer find the resilience to reclaim his life?

After a particularly rough day trying to maneuver in a wheelchair, he said that his surgeon told him: “You’re the sum of your choices. You’re exactly who, what and where you choose to be in life.”

Templer said he focused on what’s possible vs. what he’s lost. “If you look for what’s possible, it generally is.”

Templer later moved to United States; got married to the sister of a journalist on the record-setting Zambezi trip; wrote the book “What’s Left of Me”; and is a speaker.

Is a safari advisable?
Should people be afraid to even go on safari – especially in hippo areas – after learning of a harrowing story like Templer’s?

Muruthi said go, but go smartly. Be sure to get advice from professional tour guides – and then follow their guidance, Muruthi said. “In Kenya, for example, contact the Kenya Professional Safari Guides Association,” he said.

Templer said his attack was an “anomaly,” and he doesn’t want anyone to be dissuaded by what happened on his 1996 river run.

“My biggest counsel would be: Absolutely go and do it. But hook yourself up with someone who knows what they’re doing out there. But by all means, go out … and experience it.”

PP

User avatar
Ex-Ascot
Test Pilot
Test Pilot
Posts: 13096
Joined: Mon Aug 24, 2015 7:16 am
Location: Botswana but sometimes Greece
Gender:
Age: 68

Re: Only in Effrika

#237 Post by Ex-Ascot » Wed Apr 19, 2023 8:44 am

Sorry PP I missed this. They are bloody dangerous things. Everyone here knows this. Yet the guides at the camps take you in a mokoro close to them. We refuse to go. We have one guide friend who claims that he can judge their behaviour. You can't judge the behaviour of any wild animal. You know how to react when faced with a situation, usually just stand still. We have had to do this with elephants many times. You can actually stare out a lion if you are unfortunate to come around a corner and come across one. But don't stare at a leopard. Just stand there. Only if charged do you run. Then you have to know the difference between a mock charge and a real charge of an ellie. Even if charged you have to find a tree to climb pretty quickly. You can't out run them. Still think that is safer to live here than in London.
'Yes, Madam, I am drunk, but in the morning I shall be sober and you will still be ugly.' Sir Winston Churchill.

Pinky the pilot
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 2510
Joined: Tue Aug 25, 2015 3:20 am
Location: Back home, looking for a bad bottle of Red
Gender:
Age: 69

Re: Only in Effrika

#238 Post by Pinky the pilot » Sat Apr 22, 2023 7:43 am

Still think that is safer to live here than in London.
Having never been to 'soap dodger land' :D Ex-Ascot, I will take your word for it, but If I were in your neck of the woods I think that I'd feel a bit more secure if I had with me that 375 H&H that one of the Guides was holding in that photo you posted way back when....
You only live twice. Once when you're born. Once when you've looked death in the face.

User avatar
OFSO
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 18599
Joined: Sat Aug 22, 2015 6:39 pm
Location: Teddington UK and Roses Catalunia
Gender:
Age: 80

Re: Only in Effrika

#239 Post by OFSO » Sun Apr 23, 2023 4:57 pm

My impression of 'danger in London' is - other than having a road traffic accident - unless you are a black teenager, you are perfectly safe from assault. And as far as theft is concerned, don't get your phone out in public or wear a Rolex. Simple rules which i observed for years walking at night around Islington and Hoxton. The most dangerous attacks from wild animals come if you rustle a paper bag when walking past trees when squirrels leap onto your shoulder and chew your earlobes.

User avatar
Ex-Ascot
Test Pilot
Test Pilot
Posts: 13096
Joined: Mon Aug 24, 2015 7:16 am
Location: Botswana but sometimes Greece
Gender:
Age: 68

Re: Only in Effrika

#240 Post by Ex-Ascot » Thu Apr 27, 2023 7:31 am

Starve yourself to death and go to heaven.

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/de ... 023-04-25/
'Yes, Madam, I am drunk, but in the morning I shall be sober and you will still be ugly.' Sir Winston Churchill.

Post Reply