Harry Selby (hunter)
John Henry Selby (22 July 1925 – 20 January 2018) was an African
Early life
Born in
Selby's early pursuits kept the family's larder stocked with
Hunting career
Selby's career as a hunter emerged from a job as a field mechanic for Philip Percival, a veteran East African white hunter. However, it was not long before Percival realized that Selby's personable nature and considerable big game experience would be invaluable on safari. Percival took Selby on as his apprentice,[1][3] and by the time Selby turned 22 he was already well on his way to becoming one of Africa's most respected professional hunters.
Robert Ruark
In 1949, when Harry was just 24, he joined Ker & Downey Safaris Ltd. Two years later he was teamed with a guest who was to change his life.
In 1955 Ruark wrote a subsequent book called Something of Value, a fictional novel influenced by Harry's colonial Kenyan childhood and his Professional Hunter exploits. The attention placed great pressure on Harry, who later commented that creating his reputation was easy – maintaining it for 40 years was the hard part.[citation needed]
Moving to Botswana
By 1962 the future of hunting in Kenya was looking uncertain. Selby had been offered a directorship in what became Ker, Downey & Selby Safaris,
The company leased a vast 12,000 km² concession on the northwest edge of Botswana, near Chobe National Park. The principal landmark of the area is the Khwai River, and he could not resist building a bridge over it just a couple of years later.[10] In 1970, fuelled by the burgeoning interest in East African photo safaris, Selby built Belmond Khwai River Lodge, the first photographic lodge in Botswana to cater to overseas photo safari tourism.[citation needed]
In 1997, after completing his 53rd safari season, Selby throttled back from the demands of full-season hunting, and finally retired from professional hunting in 2000 at the age of 75.[5]
Harry Selby died in Maun, Botswana on 20 January 2018 at the age of 92.[5]
References
- ^ a b Wieland, Terry (2000). A View from a Tall Hill: Robert Ruark in Africa. Camden, ME: Countrysport Press. p. 101.
- ^ "Gail Wentink's World - Harry Selby". Gabrimaun.tripod.com. Archived from the original on 17 March 2012. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
- ^ Herne, Brian (1999). White Hunters: The Golden Age of African Safaris. New York: Henry Holt and Company, LLC. p. 181.
- ISSN 8755-8599.
- ^ a b c "Harry Selby, Renowned Hunter and Safari Guide, Is Dead at 92". The New York Times. 20 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
- ^ DeWitt Wallace; Lila Bell Acheson Wallace (1954). The Reader's Digest. Reader's Digest Association.
- ^ Newsweek. Newsweek. 1955.
- ISBN 978-1-57157-040-6.
- ^ Minetree, Harry (26 July 1976). "The Breed Is Vanishing, but Harry Selby Holds Out as Africa's Great White Hunter". People.com. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
- ^ "Old Lion In A New Land". CNN. 12 February 1968.