Pippa:
Thank you for your follow-up on this case. It is truly a disturbing one, and the kind of thing I too have been worried about for years since reading about Mark Ross' tour massacre in Uganda many years ago in his book 'Dangerous Beauty - Life and Death in Africa: Life and Death In Africa: True Stories From a Safari Guide'.
I think the most disheartening thing about Paultraveller's experience is that the camp employees apparently didn't do what should have been done. Yes, these things can happen anywhere and some cannot be prevented, but the employee's prime concern should be in their handling of the event - even after the fact, and taking care of the tourists they are paid to care for.
The company's feeling that [/quote]their staff is hand-pickend and has been loyal to the owners and the camp for years
doesn't mean anything. I was robbed a few years back while I was in my tent bathroom. The robber entered the tent and took my waist pouch. In my case it was a long-term and what they thought was a loyal employee.
However, the difference was that immediately the manager called a meeting of the entire camp staff and started tracking the bare foot prints of the robber. Due to many elephants in the area they had to break off their tracking. The manager immediately posted an askari to my veranda for my last two nights there. He contacted KWS, the police and the owner of the camp who all agreed it was an inside job. They agreed to call in a witch doctor to determine who the robber was (don't laugh, I am told many of the people in that area believe in witch doctors). The pouch was found the next morning intact, and on my last day they flew in a charter flight to take me back to the city.
The morning I flew out, which was the day the witch doctor was arriving, the robber took off on foot through the bush, (because he feared seeing the witch doctor) so they immediately fired him and KWS put a watch on him so that he would never be able to enter the parks again.
I am just an average middle class person, but because of my loyalty to the camp (I had stayed there twice a year for about five years) they conside me a VIP. Perhaps that is the reason I got such great handling of my case, but I would like to think that all camps and lodges that have problems such as this would handle it in the same caring way.
In fact, the next time I returned to camp and registered, they handed me a walkie-talkie which I wear at all times in case of any events, whether robbery, assault, a snake in my tent (oh my) I can immediately contact an askari.
Paul, I'm so sorry to hear of what happened to you and your family. What happend to you is not "the norm" in Kenya. Most of the people you meet are honest, sweet and caring people and wouldn't dream of taking advantage of anyone.
Please continue to keep us updated if the newspapers in Kenya have the guts to publish your article. I hope they do as everyone needs to know about it.
