Frederick Courtney Selous

Frederick Courteney Selous (or Courtney) (December 31st 1851 - January 4th 1917) was a Explorateur Britannique of East Africa and Southern Africa.

An explorer of Africa

Frederik Selous was born with London in England.

Impassioned by the natural history and the life of the animal species in their wild habitat, it leaves at the age 19 years to continue its studies in South Africa in the Colonie of the Cape. In 1872, old of hardly 21 years, it is one of the rare white to travel in the Matabeleland to the north of the Fleuve Limpopo and of the Republic of South Africa of Transvaal. It is received by the King Ndebele Lobengula which grants the right to him to drive out on its grounds.

From 1872 with 1890, Selous hitherto a41dernier $c-b1, e,10 $c-b26 ce $c-b16 $c-b43, bn,84 passes the essence of its life in Africa in areas unexplored (or very little) through the white man. Its tour and its huntings bring it to the basin of the Congo. He is then an important provider in animal, mineral specimen and plant of all kinds for the museums and the private collections of the whole world.

He particulièrment explores the territories then sometimes called Zambézie to indicate the Mashonaland and the Matabeleland. He each time manages to maintain the cordial relations with the tribal chiefs. He is besides sometimes also the first white man to meet them. He gains their regard and their confidence following the example Lobengula.

A pioneer of Rhodesia

In 1890, of return in the colony of the Cape, Selous is engaged as a guide by the British South Africa Company of Cecil Rhodos. It is charged to trace a road and to lead a column of several hundreds of pioneers to Mashonaland.

After having traced this road through mountains, arid grounds and forests, it took along the pioneers of the BSAC to destination. It also took part in the setting under supervision of the BSAC of the area of Manicaland fixing the borders with the Mozambique Portuguese.

In December 1892, it returned in England where it was decorated by the Royal Geographical Society in recognition with its explorations.

It summarized in 1893 its memories of explorers in one entitled book " Twenty Years in Zambesia" (20 years in Zambézie)). It returned during the year precipitately in Zambézie of the South to take share with the war against the ndébeles of King Lobengula, in revolt against the pioneers of the BSAC. It is then wounded close to Bulawayo.

In 1896, it Marie in England then settles with his wife in Matabeleland when ndébélés return again in war against the white colonists. It takes part in the combat which it then describes in its book " Sunshine and Storm in Rhodesia" (sun and storm in Rhodesia).

In spite of the consolidation of the capacity of the white minority in Southern Rhodesia, it is in England that Selous settled finally. It continued nevertheless to explore the world, giving up Africa in particular for the minor Asia, Canadian Newfoundland or the rock .

The African guide of Theodore Roosevelt

In 1909, Selous was still the guide of hunting of the US president Theodore Roosevelt at the time of his voyage in British East Africa, in Congo and in Egypt. The organized safari included/understood 300 people. The taken specimens were collected for the Smithsonian Institution but during the voyage, president Roosevelt and his Kermit son killed in the neighborhoods of 500 wild animals.

A African destiny

At the time of the First World War, Selous served as officer within the 25th regiment as the royal fusiliers in East Africa. It was killed during a minor engagement against the German troops with Beho Beho with the Tanganyika, in January 1917. It is buried there.

An advised observer of the devastations of hunting

Although itself hunter, Selous was one of the first to alert the opinion on the dangers of the not controlled hunting practiced by Europeans in Africa, putting in danger the existence of certain animal species. He then recommended to set up hunting rightses in order to guarantee the survival of the wildlife, in particular the elephant S of which he noted already rarefaction in certain areas.

Homages

In the years 1970, a regiment of the special forces of Southern Rhodesia, specialized in the guerilla rural of the bush, was also baptized in its honor: Selous Scouts. An animalist reserve of Tanzania was baptized in its honor: the Selous Range Reserve where its burial is located.

An avenue of the downtown area of Harare, Capital of the Zimbabwe, always bears its name in 2006.

The writer Wilbur Smith will often pay homage to Selous through the character traits of his main characters, often drawn from those of Selous or even of his life. It will be particularly the case of the character of Sean Courtney ( When the lion is hungry , 1964) whose patronym was the second first name of Selous or of the character of Morris Zouga Ballantyne ( With the conquest of the kingdom , the Eye of the falcon and the third prophecy , three novels of a trilogy who has as a backdrop the foundation of Rhodesia).

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