ELEPHANT HUNTS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23486, 25 October 1939, Page 6

ELEPHANT HUNTS

THRILLS IN AFBICA ' ■ ; -\<■; - v . . NEW ZEALAND ER'S STORY #IMAL * lY 7 FEET HIGH SHOT I 1 CHIEFS ".BICYCLE BORROWED [by-telegraph—OWN correspondent] ; ' ■ ' ASHBURTON, Tuesday Experiences "in stalking herds of elephfent -in equatorial regions in Africa, during 'which he crossed the equator three I times 'in one day, shot an elephant that stood 10ft. llin. to the withers, and on one expedition lost his companion,' who later turned up riding a bicycle he had borrowed from a native chief, are interestingly related by Mr. Eric Mulligan,' of Mayfield, near Ashburton, in a letter ho has sent to his father, Mr. R. J. Mulligan. The . largest of several he has shot, . the elephant referred to had a length of 15ft. 3in. without trunk or tail; the tusks had a circumference of 15iin., showing 3ft.' Bin, with as much covered by skin. The ears had,a. spread of 9ft. nnd they were 4ft. 2in. from top to bottom. It took 12 shots to bring the monster down. "He was very sick after the first shot," Mr. Mulligan, writes, "but he was running away and it waS hard to get in an effective shot from behind. In the end I got him, and he is my third." Motoring in Mountains Mr. Mulligan went to Africa with Mr. Gerald Westenra, of Dunsandel, and their expedition appears to have been most successful. They have covered a huge tract of country and have used a car to convey themselves from one place to another, preferring the lessfrequented tracks to the tourist lanes. Motoring'tliey found to be very dangerous in some places, and the mountainroads gave them a good deal to think about. At Lake Kivu they came to a downward run, where they travelled five miles on three occasions with the engine shut, off as they coasted to the shore through scenery of great beauty." Held up at a toll gate one day, the New Zealanders, debarred by a native ■ from prossing into more profitable shooting country, produced as a last, resort a New Zealand lamb tag which th 6 native took to be some sort of official badge, for he«at once opened the gate for them to pass. , . Elephants'-Keen Scont. , Although nearly ".blind as bats," as the writer of the letter puts it, elephants /have a wonderfully keen scent land the hunters' greatest difficulty was vin getting to positions where they 5 could shoot with some chance of success. In the steaming heat of the bush 'they found hunting extremely trymg Sand-it-was on one more than usually I exhausting day that Mr. W estenra, ; separated from his friend, was faced fwith a long walk back to camp. It was fthen he found that a chief in. a near by /had a bicycle, which was borrowed to bring the New Zealander vback to camp. , . | On the., border of the Congo and the party shot several elephants ? although the. stalking of the animals i entailed walks of up to 11 miles at ra time. Trailing one herd, they came con them only 40 yards away, when 'la bull at once took the hunters scent land charged, being brought down by gMr. Mulligan with a shot in the head. ; A second shot'finished it. The tusks of Tthis elephant weighed 251b. each. Soon % after this one fell to his gun, Mr. Mulli!'gan was successful with a 35-pounder, i:using four shots. • . Pygmy Village • Mr. Mulligan tells in his letter of the ■ feasts the natives indulge in after "elephants have been shot, the natives ••coming from long distances and appear- . »inf magically out of the forest to cut k , up' the carcases. The party visited also »a. • pygmv village in the Ituri Forest, and tried out the bows and arrows, "the natives displaying much excitement when the white men hit a target. At the time of writing the New Zealanders had still a considerable area of Africa to visit.