Camp Sherman man leads armchair safari

With the dark and cold winter evening settling in on Camp Sherman, stories of African safaris warmed the heart and soul on Thursday night. Rich Clayton, a part-time Camp Sherman resident, hosted an informal gathering to talk about the logistics of going on a safari and the social implications.

Clayton brought a professional hunter from Africa to embroider his tales.

Clayton is a somewhat familiar face in the area, although he lives in Camp Sherman only part of the year. He is here every month as he escapes the hustle and bustle of the bay area of California. He often makes the trek to Camp Sherman for a weekend, sometimes several times in a month.

Clayton is an avid hunter, going on several hunts each year. He grew up in the Midwest and said, "Hunting was my life." Clayton hunts big game and birds in the states, often going several times per year. However, he has always had a burning desire to travel to Africa and hunt the game there. It was an itch that would not go away, and he finally decided to commit to a safari with a professional hunter.

Thus began his friendship with Martin Van Niekerk, a professional hunter and safari guide. Van Niekerk was born in Rhodesia (now called Zimbabwe) before the war and the subsequent granting of independence in 1980. His family's land was eventually confiscated by the new government, and his family fled to South Africa. Van Niekerk grew up in South Africa with a strong respect for nature and a love of the land.

He decided that he wanted to become a professional hunter and safari guide and now has a company that provides professional safari services to Namibia, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Van Niekerk's hunts cover a broad range of species, primarily plains animals but also the safari big five of lion, buffalo, rhino, leopard and elephant.

Not knowing exactly what to expect when he arrived on his first safari, Clayton was mildly concerned about safety, although he had been assured that there was no need for worry. Clayton anticipated the beautiful scenery and majestic animals but was most taken with the peoples of Africa.

"The people are just spectacular; they take you by surprise," he said.

Language was not a problem that surfaced for Clayton. He reported: "They all speak English, and you get talking to them; they will tell you their whole life story - show you their home, take you into their home, meet their family. It is wonderful."

Safaris are big business, bringing in more than $11 billion per year to destitute economies, according to Van Niekerk. Unfortunately, a large portion of this money goes into the black hole of corruption and governmental inefficiencies that are endemic to most of the continent. Very little of this vast amount of money does anything to feed a starving population far removed from the cities.

Villages in the countryside are worst affected in the impoverished countries. Many struggle to survive, and thus began a strange alliance between the fortunate who can afford to travel on a safari and the destitute villagers who scrape out an existence on pennies a day. Diets are historically protein deficient, and this is where a safari can make a difference.

It is the custom of the modern safari to donate the meat from the kill to the surrounding villagers. The hunters only take what they need for their immediate meals. The rest is given to the local population. Van Niekerk commented: "Nothing is wasted. They take and use everything. When the villagers leave, there is only a blood stain on the ground."

Van Niekerk illustrated the point by describing a successful elephant hunt that he arranged. Van Niekerk told the hunter the villagers would use it all, but the hunter was skeptical as the animal weighed more than three and a half tons. Five hours later, there was nothing more than a blood patch on the ground where the elephant had lain. Van Niekerk said, "There were tears streaming down the face of the hunter."

Another custom of the modern safari is to leave everything behind. Clayton said, "I only bring home my rifle and the clothes I am wearing."

He leaves behind his boots, knives and clothing. Describing a gift of his boots that he made to a tracker, Clayton said, "He wouldn't have been any happier if he had been given a new car."

Clayton takes his wife, Suzanne, with him on the safaris. She is a dedicated vegetarian, yet loves to go to see the appreciative villagers as they receive the meat.