>From "Rain Forest Memories" by Adam Redford, about his recent trip to
the Congo, from the December 1999 issue of Bow Hunter magazine.

The Pygmies butcher their wild game in a manner that is guaranteed to
shock American hunters They chop the animal to pieces on the ground
without gutting or skinning first. Liquids from the internal organs
get all over the meat, as do the flies, bees and beetles. Wild Pork is
not cooked well-done before they partake. Meat is kept two to three
days un-refrigerated. I refused to eat meat any way they prepared it,
except when boiled on the day of the kill. With all the restrictions I
placed on myself, I ended up losing 15 pounds on a frame that held no
fat at the beginning of the safari.

In the end, though, it's the little things that really challenge you.
No shower or decent bath for three weeks. Every little scratch gets
infected. Nothing but purified water to drink, Speaking a foreign
language you're not very good at, and no English for the entire time.
The insects and parasites that all want a piece of you (which includes
the two-legged variety). The humidity that can cause your shoes to
rot, your clothes to mildew and metal parts to rust.

All of this leads one to ask, "Why do this?" Good question. Part of
the answer is you can hunt big-game animals, some of which have never
been taken by a modern archer -- like forest sitatunga, bongo, giant
forest hog, red river hog, dwarf red buffalo and a wide variety of
duikers. I managed to take one of these duikers -- a bay duiker -- by
calling him in. This is a fascinating, and at times, hilarious way to
hunt. There are about 10 different species ranging from a full-grown
weight of 10 to 150 pounds.

The Py mies make a sound similar to the wounded rabbit call we use to
call predators in America -- except it is more nasal and it is mixed
with grunting. Some duikers come sprinting in and often come extremely
close. On more than one occasion, they actually leaped over the
Pygmies who were sitting quietly, causing great confusion. The target
may be close, but they are usually moving and the brush is very thick.
Many innocent trees were wounded in the cross-fire.

In addition to the huntable species in the Congo, you will interact
with large, potentially dangerous animals rather than simply observe
them in a zoo. The rapidly vanishing culture of the Pygmies remains
intriguing -- from their songs to their intimate knowledge of wild
edibles. There are still large sections of uncut, old-growth rain
forest with huge trees and all the fascinating flora and fauna that
dwell there. An encounter with the legendary dinosaur Mokele Mbembe is
possible, or so a few civilized men who claim to have sighted him
believe. You will be on your own, completely self-reliant, with your
life on the line.

If, as Peter Capstick once said, "An African safari is the greatest
adventure modern man can indulge in legally," then a trip into the
Congo is the greatest of the great.
--
[log in to unmask] (Liza May)