In January 2002 when I was offered the opportunity to open the U.S. office of Rowland Ward I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I was living in Virginia and few people I had met in the United States were familiar with Africa, let alone with Rowland Ward’s Records of Big Game. Imagine my surprise when I found that there were literally thousands of hunters in the U.S. who loved Africa and were excited about the Rowland Ward office opening up here.
It was an especially pleasant discovery for me because although I have lived in the U.S. for 18 years, my roots are in Africa. I was born in Nairobi, and spent the early years of my life in Tanzania where my father farmed on the slopes of Kilimanjaro. When we left Tanzania we lived in South Africa, Zimbabwe and then Zambia where my father directed projects for a large farming and mining company. One of the serendipities of opening the Rowland Ward business in the U.S. is talking to people about their experiences on safari, and many times when people call me to order a book we end up chatting about their latest trip. Suddenly Africa doesn’t seem so far away any more.
One of the things I have found out in the course of these conversations is that behind many ardent hunters – especially those willing to make the investment of a major trip to Africa – there is often an enthusiastic woman. More and more women are joining their husbands as they venture abroad, not only as a traveling companion but as a fellow hunter. Historically speaking though this is nothing new. Women have been hunting in Africa and India as early as the 1800’s. Pioneer women, whether on the plains of North America, the frontiers of Asia, or the veld and forests of Africa, carried arms to defend their families and themselves, and to add to the larder by hunting game. By the late 19th century hunting for survival had changed to hunting for sport. Fashionable women in England and Europe participated in shooting game birds, and some ventured further afield. Fanny Eden was one of them - she spent eighteen months in northern India in the mid 1830’s and took part in a tiger hunt from elephant back. The journals of her adventures were not published till 1988. Although little has been published about these women, there is growing interest in their exploits. Kenneth P. Czech wrote a book "With Rifle and Petticoat – Women as Big Game Hunters, 1880-1940" which is a fascinating look at some of the bravest and most resourceful women hunters.
When I asked my mother, who was raised in Kenya after her father came out to Africa from Sweden at the invitation of his friend Bror Blixen, which woman hunter came to mind, she told me about Rose Cartwright who was the mother of her great friend Tobina Cole. Rose was born in 1898, grew up in a privileged home in England, and then moved to Kenya in 1919. Having driven an ambulance during the Ypres Campaign in France during the First World War, she was tough and resilient. Once in Africa she fell in love with hunting and would go off for days on end hunting the shy and elusive bongo in the Aberdares. Many times she would emerge wet and exhausted, with no bongo. However over the years she shot several, one of which was a Rowland Ward record of 36 1/4 inches. Her trophy was submitted under the name Mrs. A. Cartwright and is still listed as such.
Rose and Fanny are only two of many women who braved the African or Indian bush in search of big game. Not having the advantage of light-weight safari pants and shirts like us, many of them were dressed in corsets and long dresses. It’s hard to imagine stalking an elephant in a corset but they managed. In 1909 Delia Akeley saved her husband Carl’s life when he was attacked by an elephant that he had just wounded, but after their divorce she received little recognition for her exploit. When asked how she managed to keep her cool and shoot the elephant, Delia recalled, "for a second I was petrified with horror, and then, with but one thought in my mind, I gripped my gun and pulled the trigger." (Her story and many more are in Kenneth Czech’s book.)
When American novelist Mary Hastings Bradley made her first shooting trip to Africa in the 1920’s she took along her five-year old daughter, a nanny, and clothing which ranged from "hobnailed shoes and flannel shirts and khaki knickers to white crepe and lace evening gowns" (On the Gorilla Trail, 1922). Her first hunt carried a surprise of its own. Having shot and supposedly killed a large male lion she knelt beside it with its head in her lap to pose for a photo. Suddenly the lion lifted its head and roared. Bradley leaped out of the way while a fellow hunter shot the lion again and killed it. Bradley was criticized for her decision to take her daughter to Africa but she replied that "Alice was as safe in Africa as Chicago. Safety means ceaseless vigilance in either case." Bradley continued her writing career, teaming up with her daughter Alice as illustrator in both Alice in Jungleland (1927) and Alice in Elephantland (1929).
Among our contemporaries there are many women who have hunted successfully and love the sport. John Snow, Articles Editor of Outdoor Life, tells the story of Ann Lang, who has stalked and killed game all over the world. She belongs to a select group of women who have taken the Big Five. A widow for two years, she grew tired of meeting men who were intimidated by her trophies, so she decided to place a personal ad in the October 2003 issue of Safari Times. When asked if she was nervous about placing her ad, titled "Seeking Dream Hunter" Lang replied "I’ve been charged by elephants and lions, so the thought of putting an ad in the Safari Club newsletter didn’t bother me a bit."
As women continue to hunt and appreciate the sport, their reputation will inevitably grow. Hearing their stories will inspire other women to follow in their footsteps. Two new Rowland Ward books that I am very excited about are written by women and being published this year. They will be launched at the Dallas Safari Club & Safari Club International Conventions in January 2005. One is about the history of women in hunting, written by Fiona Capstick, and the other is by Isabel de Quintanilla, the wife of Tony Sanchez-Arino. I believe that both of these books will be valuable additions to the publishing world and of great interest to all hunters whether male or female.
I am not sure if Rowland Ward himself could have imagined what a prominent role women would play in the hunting world, or what he would think if he knew that his prestigious business was being run by two women, but I like to think he would feel we are maintaining the high standard that he set, as well as keeping up with the times. So to all you hunters out there, keep those records coming in, and Happy Hunting!
