On January 18, 2016 there was a terrorist attack on the Splendid Hotel in a coffee shop in Burkina Faso’s capital of Ouagadougou.
Thirty people were killed and at least 56 more were wounded. There were 176 hostages who were eventually released by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, who took responsibility for the terror.
Despite a minor incident in October 2015 that coincided with a presidential election, Burkina Faso had historically been one of the safest countries in western Africa. The country has gained some popularity in the past few years as being a quality hunting destination where buffalo and roan hunts could be had for a fraction of the cost in southern and eastern Africa. For these reasons, I put together a small group of American hunters to go on a short 7-day safari to the southeastern part of the country, but since we were scheduled to leave less than two weeks after the Ouagadougou attack, we all considered canceling the hunt.
After talking to our contacts in Burkina Faso and a phone conversation I had with the US Embassy there, we finally decided to go ahead with the trip. We were a group of five experienced African travellers (and my African first-timer cameraman, Lee), so we felt we could use our past experience and common sense and be OK.
I was filming for the new Cabela’s TV show INSTINCT; Expedition series, so Lee and I went a day before the other guys to get a bit of footage of Ouagadougou and the surrounding area. We did drive by the Splendid Hotel, and the carnage was bad.
Everyone arrived the next day, and Air France had left Russell Marshall’s and Jay Cohea’s rifles in Paris. They would show up two days late to camp, but it really didn’t matter.
This story is from the Issue 107 - October/November 2016 edition of The African Hunter.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the Issue 107 - October/November 2016 edition of The African Hunter.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
The Tragic - and Needless - Deaths of Claudio and Max Chiarelli: Conspiracy Theories and Lessons Learned
At around 15.30 hours on Sunday, 13 March, the well-known and well-respected professional hunter Claudio Chiarelli, holder of Zimbabwe professional hunter’s licence number 58 (1989) and his son Max died tragically - and needlessly - in a hail of gunfire in the Mana Pools National Park. Initial reports blamed poachers, but in fact it was blue-on-blue: euphemistically-named “friendly fire”.
What we can Learn from the 4 500 Year Old DNA of a Primitive African Hunter
For the first time, the complete genome of a 4 500 year-old African hunter-gatherer has been sequenced from DNA recovered from a skull recovered from Ethiopia’s highlands.
Just Exactly Who Was The Malapati Bull?
The Malapati Bull, as I have chosen to call him until a more positive identification is made, was a large elephant which was shot by a German sport hunter, guided by PH Nixon Dzingai of Sengwe Safaris, on 7 October in the Malapati Safari Area outside Gonarezhou National Park.
Burkino Faso: An Adventure from Start to Finish
On January 18, 2016 there was a terrorist attack on the Splendid Hotel in a coffee shop in Burkina Faso’s capital of Ouagadougou.
Transgenic Mosquitoes Bred to Combat the Spread of Vector-Borne Disease
Over half a century ago, the Zika virus was first detected in Africa.
Hunting The Situatunga
The hunting of the spiral horned antelopes is a noble pursuit of magnificent creatures regardless of the species, country or the environment. They're all incredible in their own way.
