In Honor of Mary
By Dan Catlin
Ron Browning, affectionately known as “The Colonel” has been my long-time friend. Ron and I, along with Mary and Charlotte, have run together for many years attending CMU Wrestling matches, SCI Conventions and the occasional hunting trips together. The memories we have made were immeasurable. A couple years back Ron lost his beloved Mary, and one of her dying wishes was to make sure he (Ron) didn’t give up and set idle. Mary wanted him to continue hunting and traveling to experience as much as he possibly could in the years, he had left on this earth…
Africa was always one of Mary’s favorite places and the African Rhino was her passion to preserve. Mary was a HUGE part in the Rhino project at the Lansing Zoo, and after her passing, Ron would make a very substantial donation in her honor for the Rhino project at the zoo. Fast forward to March 2025 and The Colonel and I would make a trip to Buffalo Kloof on the Eastern Cape of South Africa to not only go hunting, but to make another substantial contribution to the Rhino Project at Buffalo Kloof…
Our trip was long, as they always are to the other side of the world but proved to be worth the trip. We arrived in Port Elizabeth, South Africa and were met by Warne & Hannah Rippon to be whisked off by helicopter to the 60,000 plus acre preserve. The helicopter flight along the coastal sand dunes with marine life visible from above is nothing short of spectacular. Landing right at the Spec Boom Camp nestled tightly in the mountains of Buffalo Kloof’s Preserve was a welcomed sight after the long journey to get there. We felt as though we were home, and I truly believe The Colonel felt Mary’s spirit was with us. There were many comments made that Mary would have LOVED this place and their people. That was certainly true, and of course the “people” would have loved Mary too.
Our initial booking of this trip was certainly for hunting a few species that Mary or The Colonel had not previously collected. You see Ron and Mary would go hunting but never shoot the same species, instead share the safari in a way that would collect multiple species between the two of them. Rather than collect two of the same species for each of them they conserved space on their walls for mounts collecting separate species. The space is getting slim!
We ultimately met with our Professional Hunter, Adrian Donian, once landing at Spec Boom Camp and spent the next 7 days hunting and touring the beautiful country of Buffalo Kloof. We spotted so many species of animals to include daily encounters with Black and White Rhinos. Elephants were also a highlight and the Giraffe’s would make you feel Africa at a deeper level when viewed. Additionally, there were multiple encounters with Cape Buffalo which makes you very happy to be on the land cruiser rather than in the thick brush of the river bottoms.
Our hunt started quickly with collecting a Nyala on the very first afternoon. Old mature trophies were what we were after and that’s exactly what we collected. Mary would have been so proud as The Colonel collected 9 trophies in total over the course of our 7-day hunt including; Nyala, Roan, King Wildebeest, Golden Wildebeest, Gemsbok, Eland, Bontebok, Red Hartebeest, and Black Impala…
The ”hunt” really turned in to more of a spiritual EXPEREINCE when we took a morning hunt off to complete the mission of identifying a 20-month-old White Rhino calf. This is something Buffalo Kloof does in support of their Rhino conservation efforts. They tranquilize the new calves, and their mothers, to notch the ear of the calf for ID and take DNA samples. While the Rhinos are sedated, they give them medicine and a radio collar devise for the Anti-Poaching units to track and monitor the rhino’s whereabouts for health and safety. What really made this extra special is the Veterinarian, Dr. William Fowlds, named the newborn female Rhino “Mary” in honor of the Colonel and his personal contribution to Rhino Conservation at Buffalo Kloof. To say we were all emotional and even overwhelmed was an understatement! Thank you, Dr. Fowlds and the Team at Buffalo Kloof…
If you are interested in more information on the conservation efforts at Buffalo Kloof, or even hunting there yourself, visit their website at www.buffalokloof.co.za
If you want to see the spiritual video of the Colonel and his Rhino Project Experience you can watch it on THE EXPERIENCE YouTube Channel, www.youtube.com/@TheExperience
