Alan Bunn

People living on the edge of a protected area in Malawi are taking legal action against an NGO that moved more than 250 elephants into the area, which they say have killed at least 10 people. Villagers near Kasungu National Park, which is Malawi’s second largest and crosses the Zambian border, say they are living in fear for their livelihoods and safety after 263 elephants were introduced in July 2022, causing a sharp spike in human-wildlife conflict. Ten people claiming to be affected by the translocation from Liwonde National Park have begun legal action against the International Fund for Animal…

Globally renowned South African conservationist and National Geographic Explorer, Vincent van der Merwe, who organised the transfer of cheetahs to India, was found dead in his apartment in Riyadh. No foul play is suspected. A Facebook post from Van der Merwe’s family read: “It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of Vincent van der Merwe, a beloved brother, dedicated conservationist and tireless advocate for cheetah conservation. Vincent sadly took his own life on Sunday, 16 March.” The 42-year-old conservationist was internationally recognised for his role in cheetah conservation and reintroduction projects in Africa and Asia. He had…

KITWE, Zambia (AP) — Authorities and environmentalists in Zambia fear the long-term impact of an acid spill at a Chinese-owned mine that contaminated a major river and could potentially affect millions of people after signs of pollution were detected at least 100 kilometers (60 miles) downstream. The spill happened on Feb. 18 when a tailings dam that holds acidic waste from a copper mine in the north of the country collapsed, according to investigators from the Engineering Institution of Zambia. The collapse allowed some 50 million liters of waste containing concentrated acid, dissolved solids, and heavy metals to flow into…

A surge in crocodile attacks has claimed the lives of at least nine people and left 11 others injured over the past two months, the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) has revealed. In a statement Wednesday, ZimParks raised concerns over the increasing number of fatalities. “ZimParks has noted with concern the rising number of fatalities from crocodile attacks, which have resulted in nine deaths and 11 injuries in the last two months. “At least 44 cattle and 60 goats were also killed during the same period in 49 reported cases of human-crocodile conflict,” the statement reads. The authority…

SANParks management said the transnational syndicates targeting the animals are relentless in their pursuit of rhino horn. JOHANNESBURG – Thirty-five rhinos have been poached in the Kruger National Park in 2025 alone. This is despite interventions, such as dehorning, to deter poachers.  South African National Parks (SANParks) management said the transnational syndicates targeting the animals were relentless in their pursuit of rhino horn. SANParks special operations regional ranger, Bruce Leslie: “And even though we’ve had a huge effort in dehorning our rhino, in Kruger National Park and even in KZN [KwaZulu-Natal] wildlife, clearly there’s a switch to ‘Where are the rhino?…

I have been contacted by Irwin Greenstein, publisher of the 15-year-old online magazine Shotgun Life (www.shotgunlife.com) to write an article about a young American hunter’s African safari. Irwin is launching an online magazine called Young Awesome Hunter. It’s the first comprehensive marketing platform leveraging social media, youth programs, and advocacy to promote hunting, fishing, and shooting competitions for young people and their families, and is looking for writers proficient in those categories. The focus will be on young hunters, shooters, and anglers and how their participation has transformed their lives, either as individuals or with their families. It would be…

African Expedition has started a YouTube channel. I would appreciate it if you all subscribe, watch a few videos, and ring that jolly old bell!

In Part I of this article I talked about new ideas and advanced concepts relating to barrels and iron sights. In Part II the receiver was looked at in detail and I delved into the parts of the traditional lock: receiver, magazine and trigger, with some aside comments on ‘minor’ points such as lubrication, rear sights, and bolt handle knob, etc., although it may be argued that there are no points concerning a dangerous game rifle that could be termed as minor. Here, in Part III, I will look at several factors in building a stock for a dangerous game…

In part one of this article several issues associated with barrels and iron front sights were discussed at length. Now let’s look at one of the other two traditional parts of a firearm; the lock or, in modern terms, the receiver. I will talk about some ideas for their possible refinement, and try to examine every feature in detail. If there is anything I have overlooked or if you know of any new products or ideas we should know about I would love to hear additional thoughts from our readers. After years of research and worldwide combat experience, Paul Mauser…

The basic design for a Dangerous Game Rifle (DGR) was finalized by English gun makers such as Holland and Holland, Rigby, Jeffrey, et al. before the start of WWI. Drawing on the experiences of big game hunters in their African colonies and using the new smokeless propellant, Cordite, these custom gun smiths could now build relatively lightweight rifles that surpassed the stopping power of the earlier 4 to 10-gauge black powder rifles. In the last 100 years, metallurgy, gunpowder, bullet design, and sighting systems have improved exponentially, but in all that time the form of the DGR has changed little.…