The dingonek is a creature said to have been seen near Lake Victoria in 1907 by big game hunter John Alfred Jordan and members of his hunting party, as recounted by fellow big-game hunter Edgar Beecher Bronson in his 1910 memoir In Closed Territory . This account was followed by an article published in 1913 in the East Africa Natural History Society by Charles William Hobley , in which he claims to have encountered further accounts of similarly described creatures. In 1918, an article published by MacLean's declared that the beast was a newly discovered animal species.
38-407: The sole description of this creature occurs in big game hunter Edgar Beecher Bronson 's 1910 memoir In Closed Territory . In the memoir, Bronson recounts a campsite discussion involving the creature with fellow big-game hunter John Alfred Jordan. After musing about the okapi , Bronson reports that Jordan said the following: Then there's the infernal horror of the reptilian 'bounder' that comes up
76-641: A British administration station along Sclater's Road . In 1896, he became the first European to circumambulate Mount Elgon and the same year he arrived in the Kano Plains / Kisumu area. He oversaw a number of punitive expeditions (1894–1908) which were carried out to pacify hostile natives. In 1905, he married Alice Mary Turner. Ultimately, Hobley became Provincial Commissioner of Kavirondo Region (later called Nyanza Province ) and later ( circa 1909) sub-commissioner of Ukamba Province (stationed in Nairobi ). During
114-507: A combination of spears or large rocks, or alternatively driving the animal off a cliff. The Clovis points (North America) and Fishtail projectile points (South America) that developed shortly after the initial colonisation of the Americas around 13,000 years ago are thought to have been primarily used for big game hunting, which may have been a contributing factor in the extinction of most large mammals on these continents . Big-game hunting
152-495: A combination thereof. Calling and baiting may be used to increase the effectiveness of any method or combination. The stalking method consists of following the animal until the kill can be made. Generally hunters approach the game stealthily, camouflaging their appearance, scent or sound depending on which sense is most likely to reveal them to their prey under the conditions. Stalks can routinely persist for days for certain game under certain conditions. Tracking game for stalking
190-407: A leopard, covered with scales, and having a head like an otter; he did not see the long fangs described by Mr. Jordan. He fired at it and hit it; it slid off the log into the water and was not seen again. Hobley theorizes that Bronson's account may be connected to "the greatest rarity which has not yet been bagged [which] would appear to be the extraordinary creature which is said to inhabit certain of
228-423: A man", and he describes how he sat and waited watching the creature. In time, he feared the creature might move and see him, and he fired a .303 rifle behind "his leopard ear". The creature sprang out of the water, and Jordan sprinted into the bush in terror. In time, Jordan calmed and listened for the beast as his party ran deeper into the bush. Jordan says that he could not recall seeing the beast's legs because he
266-464: A mindful approach to hunting. Author James Posewitz, in his book Beyond Fair Chase: The Ethic and Tradition of Hunting , wrote: Fundamental to ethical hunting is the idea of fair chase. This concept addresses the balance between the hunter and the hunted. It is a balance that allows hunters to occasionally succeed while animals generally avoid being taken. Another author, Allen Morris Jones , in his book A Quiet Place of Violence: Hunting and Ethics in
304-492: A sea serpent, a leopard, and a whale. Thinking they had gone crazy or were pulling my leg, I told them I'd believe them if they could show me, but not before. After a long shauri palaver among themselves, back they finally ventured, returning in half an hour to say that IT lay full length exposed on the water in midstream." Jordan hurried to the Maggori and saw the creature as described. He describes it as follows: Holy saints, but he
342-599: A trap; to a fall that will kill it, such as over a cliff; or to a position where the hunter may make the kill. Driving is accomplished by sending an agent, usually dogs or people, through the terrain where the animal is believed to be, and making enough noise or using other devices to push the animal to move in the desired direction. The use of vehicles in stalking and driving game can increase hunters' range and speed, and therefore, their effectiveness. Vehicles may also be used as blinds. Ground and air vehicles have been used in hunting big game, both for scouting game location and for
380-509: Is a skill that has been learned by hunters since prehistoric times, and is used with success today. The ambush method, including hunting from blinds , consists of setting up or finding means of cover or concealment to assist in reducing the likelihood of the game detecting the hunter while the hunter waits in ambush or approaches the prey. Ground blinds, tree stands , cocking-cloths , dugout blinds, and stand-alone structures are all used as blinds in hunting today. All of these blinds are used in
418-486: Is a skill that is popular among hunters seeking greater challenge and knowledge than more conventional weaponry. With greater competition among hunters and given increasingly scarce resources, the need for ethical behavior from big game hunters has increased proportionately. The Boone and Crockett Club and Pope and Young Club (for bow hunters) both promote fair chase hunting. The Spanish philosopher José Ortega y Gasset in his famous book Meditations on Hunting promoted
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#1732852826612456-545: Is also a sport pursued to collect specimens for museums, recreation, and as a hobby. Sharply rising in popularity during the Victorian Era , it peaked during the 20th century, and includes many famous big game hunters. Among them are Philip Percival , who guided Theodore Roosevelt and Ernest Hemingway , themselves famous big game hunters; Bror von Blixen-Finecke , a friend of Percival's and husband of writer Isak Dinesen who wrote Out of Africa ; Denys Finch Hatton , who
494-576: Is an exception as its numbers in Africa have increased from 100 in 1916 to more than 18,000 in 2016 due largely to the increase in private game reserves intended for hunting. Some hunts can generate fees of hundreds of thousands of dollars, which are then used directly for conservation, as was the case with rhinoceroses in Africa. Charles William Hobley Charles William Hobley , CMG (b. Chilvers Coton , Warwickshire , England in 1867; d. Oxted , Surrey on 31 March 1947) — known as C. W. Hobley —
532-563: Is considered to be the most effective in taking down large game effectively and humanely. Big-game hunting ethics require a clean, humane kill, and most hunters work diligently toward this end. Advances in ammunition and the guns to match have made longer-range kills of big game possible with margins of error considered tolerable. Some common calibers and types of ammunition for big-game hunting include .30-30 Winchester , .308 Winchester , .30-06 Springfield , .300 Winchester Magnum , and .358 Winchester . The calibers and types of ammunition, and
570-511: Is equally impossible to say, as no specimen exists either of its bones or of its skin. That this monster does exist, however, there can be no particle of doubt, as the testimony of authoritative eye-witnesses cannot be reasonably discredited. Big game hunter Big-game hunting is the hunting of large game animals for trophies , taxidermy , meat , and commercially valuable animal by-products (such as horns , antlers , tusks , bones , fur , body fat , or special organs ). The term
608-417: Is no record of the monster having been seen in any other part of the world. Whether it is a descendant of one of the huge prehistoric saurions that has by a process of adaptation – living as it does in impenetrable regions far away from the encroachments of civilized man – continued with but slight modifications through prodigious ages to the present time, or whether it is an unclassified reptile or amphibian, it
646-461: Is often associated with the hunting of Africa's "Big Five" games ( lion , African elephant , Cape buffalo , African leopard , and African rhinoceros ), and Indian rhinoceros and Bengal tigers on the Indian subcontinent . Hunting of big game for food is an ancient practice, possibly arising with the emergence of Homo sapiens ( anatomically modern humans ), and possibly pre-dating it, given
684-564: The Journal of East Africa Uganda Natural History Society , in which he discusses "Some Unidentified Beasts" and mentions Bronson's account. According to Hobley: At the time this story appeared it was considered that this was probably a traveller's tale, told to entertain a newcomer, but I have since met a man who a few years back wandering about the Mara River or Ngare Dubash which rises in Sotik , crosses
722-520: The Maggori River , out of the lake the Lumbwa have christened Dingonek . And it's real prize money that beauty would fetch, five or ten thousand quid at least, and you bet I've got my Wanderobo and Lumbwa always on the lookout for one when the Maggori is in flood. According to Bronson, Jordan claims he encountered the beast with his hunting party ("Mataia, the boy there, and Mosoni with me"). One member of
760-586: The Anglo-German boundary and runs into Lake Victoria in German territory. He emphatically asserts that he saw the beast. He was at the time where the Mara River crosses the frontier, and the river was in high flood. The beast came floating down the river on a big log, and he estimated its length at about sixteen feet [5 m], but could not certain of its length as its tail was in the water. He describes it as spotted like
798-655: The Missouri River Breaks , argues that hunting is right insofar as it returns us to the natural context from which we evolved, and wrong insofar as it further removes us. Even in the context of trophy hunting, we must eat what we kill, for instance, given that our evolved role was one of predation. There are examples of the economic and conservation value of big-game hunting in several places. The Bubye Valley Conservancy in Zimbabwe has successfully managed lion and rhinoceros populations through hunting fees. In North America,
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#1732852826612836-635: The Senior Deputy Commissioner, C. W. Hobley, C. M. G., at his residence in Nairobi, the very night before starting on this safari, in speaking of the origin of the sleeping sickness Mr. Hobley told me that the Baganda , Wasoga, and Kavirondo of the north shore of the lake had from time immemorial sacrificed burnt offerings of cattle and sheep to a lake reptile of great size and terrible appearance they called Luquata, which occasionally appeared along or near
874-588: The State of California estimates that the economic impact of big-game hunting in that state was $ 263,702,757 in 2016. Also in North America, the State of Wyoming estimates that the economic impact of big-game hunting in 2015 was $ 224 million. The examples of large economic impacts of big-game hunting abound, and many studies exist of the high positive effects wherever it is tried and managed well. Well-regulated hunting has contributed in protecting wildlife in many parts of
912-406: The ambush method. Cocking-cloths, or stalking blinds, are used in stalking prey but may still be considered as an ambush. Generally, baiting big-game includes the use of blinds; all the methods described herein may be used in combination. Driving game as a hunting method is the act of directing the movement of the animal in order to kill it. A montería is an example of this. Game may be driven to
950-547: The beast. Bronson follows this account by noting that when he visited Uganda "in November last", he met with "ex-Collector James Martin" who told him that "a great water serpent or reptile was seen on or near the north shore of the lake , which was worshipped by the natives, who believed its coming a harbinger of heavy crops and large increase of their flocks and herds." Finally, Bronson says that: Again, in December, while dining with
988-793: The firearms to shoot them, are numerous, and the science of ballistics is continuously improving to allow hunting in a tremendous variety of situations. Bullet weight and shape, cartridge size, powder load, and type. Virtually every variable within firearms ammunition is continuously changing. Bow and arrow hunting is popular and effective among skilled hunters for big game. There is a variety of types of bows available, including long bows , short bows , recurve bows , compound bows , and crossbows , all made of various materials. Arrows are also made from various materials, including wood, fiberglass, carbon fiber, and others. Arrowheads have different configurations and materials as well. Primitive hunting using spears, spear-throwers, and other similar weapons
1026-535: The known propensity of other great apes to hunt, and even eat their own species. The Schöningen spears and their correlation of finds are evidence that complex technological skills already existed 300,000 years ago, and are the first obvious proof of an active big game hunt. H. heidelbergensis already had intellectual and cognitive skills like anticipatory planning, thinking and acting that so far have only been attributed to modern man. Based on cave paintings, it appears that early man hunted mammoth in groups, using
1064-448: The party, Mataia, claims to have seen it twice, yet Bronson expressed skepticism. Jordan says he encountered the creature while heading to the Maggori, when: Presently I heard the bush smashing and up raced my Lumbwa, wide-eyed and gray as their black skins could get, with the yarn that they had seen a frightful strange beast on the river bank, which at sight of them had plunged into the water as they described it, some sort of cross between
1102-582: The rivers running into Lake Victoria and the lake itself". He mentions several accounts of lake monsters in the region alongside Bronson's account. In 1918, Canadian magazine Maclean's reprinted material from an article by Jordan himself in The Wide World Magazine , and declared that his evidence for the dingonek "is very positive and believable." According to Jordan: It lives in Lake Victoria Nyanza and its numerous tributaries, and there
1140-422: The shore; that since the last coming of Luquata was just shortly before the first outbreak of the sleeping sickness, the natives firmly believe that the muzungu have killed Luquata with the purpose and as the means of making them victims of the dread plague. Of the existence in the lake of such an unclassed reptile, Mr. Hobley considered there was no question. In 1913, Charles William Hobley published an article in
1178-516: The stalk. Portable hand-held weapons used for big-game hunting include firearms , bows , spears , and spear-throwers , among other long-range weapons, as well as close-range weapons such as hammers , axes , and knives , among other bladed and blunt weapons. By far, the most common weapon used by hunters is the firearm, and the most common firearm is long-barreled rifles . Other firearms, such as shotguns and handguns , are also used less frequently in big-game hunting. Large-caliber ammunition
Dingonek - Misplaced Pages Continue
1216-556: The world. For example, due to conservation through hunting, white-tailed deer population has increased in the United States from about 500,000 in the early 1900s to 30 million today. At the beginning of the 20th century, 500,000 rhinos roamed Africa and Asia. By 1970, rhino numbers dropped to 70,000, and today, as few as 29,000 rhinos remain in the wild. Very few rhinos survive outside national parks and reserves due to persistent poaching and habitat loss over many decades. White rhinoceros
1254-566: Was a hideous old haunter of a nightmare, was that beast-fish, that made you want an aeroplane to feel safe of him; for while he lay up stream of me, I had been brought down to the river bank precisely where he had taken water, and there all about me in the soft mud and loam were the imprints of feet wide of diameter as a hippo's but clawed like a reptile's, feet you knew could carry him ashore and claws you could be bally well sure no man could ever get loose from once they had nipped him. Jordan notes that its fangs appeared "long enough to go clean through
1292-695: Was a pioneering British Colonial administrator in Kenya . He served the Colonial Service in Kenya from 1894 until his retirement in 1921 and published a number of monographs on a variety of subjects. The son of an Indian Civil Servant, Hobley underwent technical education in engineering at Mason College (now the University of Birmingham ). He joined the Imperial British East Africa Company and
1330-428: Was a sight fourteen or fifteen feet [4.3 or 4.6 m] long, head big as that of a lioness but shaped and marked like a leopard, two long white fangs sticking down straight out of his upper jaw, back broad as a hippo, scaled like an armadillo, but colored and marked like a leopard, and a broad fin tail, with slow, lazy swishes of which he was easily holding himself level in the swift current, headed up stream. Gad! but he
1368-558: Was also a character in Dinesen's book; Major Percy Horace Gordon Powell-Cotton ; and others . Many big-game hunters are also conservationists (Roosevelt and Hemingway are examples), and currently big-game hunting in Africa helps pay for conservation efforts, with very large fees from the hunters going directly to wildlife management. Various big-game hunting methods have been developed over centuries. The main methods in use today are stalking, ambush (hunting from blinds), driving, trapping or
1406-515: Was fixated on escaping, and ponders how a .303 round was unable to stop the animal from a distance of ten yards (9 m). Jordan says that although he searched for the beast along shorelines and bodies of water over "several miles" for two days after the encounter, he never again encountered the beast nor its tracks. According to Bronson, Jordan then asked him to inquire with his hunting party about what they witnessed. Through an interpreter, Bronson claims they providing nearly identical descriptions of
1444-650: Was sent to Mombasa in 1890, where he served as Transport Superintendent at the coast. He left the company after three years but within a year had become a First Class Assistant under the Foreign Office and served the British government in Kenya from that point on. He undertook a general tour of the whole of the Central African Lake Region (1895–96) and first arrived at Mumias in February 1895, where he established
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