LAST EDITED ON Mar-23-11 AT 07:07PM (MST)[p]Don't know if you've heard it or not, but Craig had a pretty bad heart attack a day or two ago, but it sounds like he's doing well. Just thought you might want to put him in your prayers whether he's one of your favorites or not!
Craig Boddington
- Thread starter TOPGUN
- Start date
one_dryboot
Long Time Member
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WHO?
littlebighorn
Long Time Member
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Thanks for the info TOPGUN.
I always enjoyed reading his articles in Peterson's Hunting. He is a pretty decent writer, in my book, but following Jack O'Connor in that publication was a very tall order. I hope he recovers so he can get out and still hunt. You don't want to wish a bad ticker on anyone!
I always enjoyed reading his articles in Peterson's Hunting. He is a pretty decent writer, in my book, but following Jack O'Connor in that publication was a very tall order. I hope he recovers so he can get out and still hunt. You don't want to wish a bad ticker on anyone!
FullCryHounds
Active Member
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- 458
I've hunted with Craig on two occasions. He is one of the nicest gentlman you will ever meet. Extremely knowledgable and an excellent hunter.
Colorado Lion Hunt:
Mineshaft Lion Hunt:
http://trophyroom.com/video/lls8ViwJcT
Colorado Lion Hunt:
Mineshaft Lion Hunt:
http://trophyroom.com/video/lls8ViwJcT
Craig is in his 50s and he did have a tough task following Jack, a college Prof., and great hunter/writer. I always loved reading Jack's stuff and continue to enjoy Craig's writings, TV shows, dope on various calibers, etc., and I think Jack would probably be envious of all the animals he's taken all over the globe. His oldest daughter, Brittany, was recently involved in a leopard mauling when a big, unwounded cat charged her party from the bush at lightning speed and she hit one of the trackers that the leopard was on top of. The guy was in full camo and because of the thick grass she couldn't even see him according to the sworn statements by herself and the PH she was with.
Zeke
Long Time Member
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Topgun, Hit?... as in, shot? Did the tracker live?
Too bad about Craig. We're about the same age and, knock on wood, my health is great but we never really know!
I have enjoyed reading and watvhing him. He never comes off as a "know it all". Just a guy who really likes to hunt.
Zeke
Too bad about Craig. We're about the same age and, knock on wood, my health is great but we never really know!
I have enjoyed reading and watvhing him. He never comes off as a "know it all". Just a guy who really likes to hunt.
Zeke
blacktailBC
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LAST EDITED ON Mar-24-11 AT 12:07PM (MST)[p]Sorry to hear that about Mr. Boddington. He seems like a great guy, and I enjoy his articles and his commentary on the Guns and Ammo show. He is also a 31 year marine corps vet
LAST EDITED ON Mar-24-11 AT 12:37PM (MST)[p]Zeke---She hit the tracker in the hip, I believe, and he ia recovering and will be okay. Even though the bullet hit him, it evidently was close enough that the cat jumped off and the PH was then able to kill it. I'll try to find the piece again and put a link on here. I believe Craig ended up with rank of General in the Reserves when he finally hung it up a couple years ago. He comes across as a good guy and several people on another BB stated they have hunted with him and that he is a real gentleman!
LAST EDITED ON Mar-24-11 AT 01:11PM (MST)[p]In rereading this account I noticed the date of the PH paperwork states 2009, so it appears it took quite a while for this to get arround. Here is the whole account from Craig's partner and the police paperwork signed by Brittany and the PH involved in the incident:
Leopard Hunting Accident Involving Craig Boddington?s Daughter
By Dave Fulson
Gentlemen,
As many of you know, I am one of Craig Boddington?s partners in our two TV shows ?Tracks Across Africa? and? Hornady?s Africa With Craig Boddington and Ivan Carter?. During a phone call with Craig this morning from Namibia, Craig asked me to post this on AR to answer any questions on what is sure to be a well traveled topic on the rumor mill. Craig?s eldest daughter Brittany is an avid, and fairly experienced big game hunter with multiple safaris under her belt, several of which were targeting dangerous game. I have filmed several of her safaris for the show, and always found Brittany to be safety conscious where firearms were concerned ,a result of learning under a father who stresses the point of firearm safety at all times. Last week while filming a leopard with dogs hunt with our Tracks TV crew in Namibia , an incident happened that resulted in (1) a flat out charge from an UNWOUNDED ,but agitated male leopard (2 ) a dog handler being savaged by the cat (3) an attempt by Brittany to kill what was, by the time of her shot,a wounded leopard that accidentally hit and wounded the man being mauled.
At the time of the accident , Craig was filming in Zimbabwe, but flew to Namibia to assist as best he could, and as you can imagine comfort his daughter from the obvious anxiety of the situation she was dealing with. The attending PH was Nic Kruger, a first rate hunter and Co-owner of Omujeve safaris. Nic is an experienced leopard man, and we have enjoyed several wonderful safaris under his and his brother Corne?s care. For those of you who have never experienced a close range charge from an infuriated leopard , trust me , it is scary as hell and it happens with shocking speed. It is easy to second guess these situations ,especially when the facts of the hunt are unknown or blurred second hand accounts. The following is the official police report as filed by both Nic and Brittany. Please read both accounts,and I believe you will reach the same conclusion as I have, that this was a very fast moving situation that both PH and client were trying their level best to control,to the best of their ability and skill. As I said, due to the last name involved, this is bound to get some attention in safari circles. Craig thought, and I agreed, that posting the police reports would be the best method to make sure the facts were accurately portrayed. I have seen some fairly experienced hunters loose their heads under far less stressful situations than the flat out charge of a leopard at point blank range. I think Brittany did her best to stand firm and shoot what she believed to be a wounded cat. The accident was just that, a terrible twist of luck that can happen to each and every one of us that hunt dangerous game.
POLICE REPORTS
I, Brittany Boddington, a 23 year old U.S. citizen herewith declare under oath as follows:I was hunting leopard with Nic Kruger of Omujeve Hunting Safaris Namibia on the Fahlwater farm in the Karibib district. We found some fresh leopard tracks at about 5:15 in the morning and when it was daybreak we put down the dogs. We set out following the sound of the hounds through the brush but this was a very aggressive cat, it was not running from the dogs like most cats do. Zukile was one of the dog handlers, he was contacting us by radio telling us that the cat was fighting the dogs and had injured several of them. These dogs know what they are doing and almost never get close enough to get hurt. After a couple of hours we came up to a really thick area where the dogs were barking and the leopard would not tree. The leopard held its ground and the dogs were tired and bleeding so we sent Classen to get the car so that we could give the dogs some water. At this point we called the dogs away from the leopard and they laid down in the shade waiting for the car to bring water. After they had all had water and were looking rested the dog handlers started encouraging the dogs to go back into the brush and find the tracks of where the leopard had gone. The dog handlers were sure that the leopard had run away because none of the dogs were barking so we started walking slowly in the direction that the leopard had been. Nic showed me the flattened grass in an area surrounded by bushes where the leopard had been hiding when the dogs were last barking. The dogs were scattered all around us looking for tracks and as I was examining the flattened grass area I heard a dog begin to bark. Before the dog could even get the whole bark out I heard the growl of the leopard. When I heard Nic?s shot go off I stepped out from behind him and saw the leopard come out from behind a bush. The leopard paused for a moment and in the tall grass I could see only slightly more than the outline of the leopard?s back. I saw that the leopard had been hit and it stopped with its head down in the grass. I got my rifle up and took a shot at the part of the leopard that I could see. The leopard then jumped up and Nic hit it again with another shot as the leopard ran into the bush and Nic ran after it to make sure it would not come back to attack again. At this moment I heard Zukile yell, we realized that Punki had been shot and we called Nic back and he sent Classen to get the car. We held pressure on the wound and we kept Punki awake until the car could get through the thick brush to where we were. We loaded him into the back seat of the car and I jumped on the back of the cruiser. The entire way to the hospital I was trying to figure out what had happened. I could only imagine that I had shot over the leopard and hit Punki as he was running away. I didn't know where they had been standing so I assumed that he had just run when the leopard charged. It was only after we had wheeled him into the emergency room that Simon told me ?You should see what the leopard did to his ankle.? My response was a surprised ?The leopard bit him? When did the leopard bite him?? Simon then told me that Punki had been attacked and mauled by the leopard and that he was in fact under the leopard when I shot. I screamed ?WHAT?? and then it all started to make sense. Nic had seen the two men fall to the ground in the tall grass before I had stepped out from behind him. Both men were wearing full camouflage from head to toe and in the tall grass they were completely invisible to me. The leopard bit through Punki?s leather belt and had been thrashing him about in the grass when I shot. Apparently the leopard was pulling him up from the ground and as I fired my rifle the leopard pulled him up by the left side and the bullet must have missed the leopard and gone through his hip. I know better than to fire when a leopard is mauling someone, I would not have shot had I known that there was a person even close to the leopard. The whole attack from beginning to end took less than four seconds and there was just no time to sort out what was happening.
Brittany Boddington
I, Joachim Nicolaas Kruger, I.D #82041910569, a 27 year old Namibian citizen here with declare under oath as follows:
I am a shareholder and Licensed Professional Hunter with Omujeve Hunting Safaris and a resident on the farm Ongombo West Section II # 56 Windhoek District. I was guiding a legal leopard hunt on the farm Fahlwater in the Karibib on the 24th of April 2009. We found a big leopard track at 05:15 in the morning and decided that it was a big leopard and that we could start the hunt as soon as it was light enough. At first light we released the hounds to start tracking the leopard. After some time Zukile called me on the radio and said he was hearing the leopard. We started to approach Zukile. The leopard was in thick brush and wasn?t afraid of the dogs. He was fighting with the dogs and injured a couple of them, which is very unusual with this experienced pack of hounds. ?As time passed it was clear that the dogs were afraid of this leopard and the leopard wasn?t planning on getting in a tree soon. I decided that it was too dangerous to attempt to approach the leopard. We called the hounds back and I send Claasen to fetch the vehicle. We gave the hounds water hoping that the dogs would be fresh again and would have an advantage over the leopard, and that they would then push the leopard into a tree and give us a nice, safe clean shot. Zukile, Punki and myself thought the cat had moved off and we decided to move to the spot where the cat was laying down last and get the hounds back on the track. Zukile and Punki were walking a short distance in front of me with Brittany right behind me and Simon Elton a couple of steps back. Suddenly one of the hounds made a sound and I saw the leopard charging towards Zukile. Zukile fell to the ground and as the leopard approached Punki I saw a gap and shot the leopard but the shot was not fatal. The leopard jumped on Punki and Punki fell to the ground. Then the leopard moved towards Claasen but turned back toward Punki and started biting him. Then I heard a shot from Brittany?s rifle. Brittany didn't know at the time that Punki was under the leopard because she was walking behind me when it happened and when she stepped out behind me, Punki was already down in the tall grass. That is why she couldn't see him, and of course she is eleven inches shorter than I am, so she could see much less than I could in the long grass. She shot at the leopard because it stopped which, for her was the right thing to do at that stage. Any hunter in the same situation would have done the same. When she shot the leopard it was busy biting Punki and there was a lot of movement as the leopard was pulling Punki around. Because of her height Brittany was unable to see this. The whole thing happened very quickly, in less than three seconds, much too quickly for me to give any instructions or clarify the situation. I am certain her bullet hit Punki because the leopard pulled Punki up right into the line of her shot, suggested by deep bite marks on his belt. After Brittany?s shot the leopard dropped Punki and started to run away and then I shot the leopard again and ran past Punki. I knew that he was bitten by the leopard, but at this time I did not know he had been hit by a bullet. The leopard was still running away from us and I just wanted to make sure that the leopard was dead because I didn't want to track a wounded leopard after what has already happened. The leopard was dead when I reached it, and Zukile called me and said that I must come quickly and that Punki was shot. Until that moment I had no idea that Punki was shot and I told my tracker Claasen to run and bring the truck. Meanwhile we took our shirts and held pressure on the wound. While we waited for the truck I called EMED rescue and Doctor Jordaan and made some arrangements as to what to do and where to meet the ambulance. The truck came about two minutes later and we loaded Punki in the truck and raced to the main road that was about 10km away. As we got on the main road the ambulance was on it way from Okahandja and we drove straight to Okahandja Hospital and they were quick to help and to get Punki stabilized. Then EMED rescue came and they then moved him to Windhoek where the doctors were waiting for him.
Joachim Nicolaas Kruger
Leopard Hunting Accident Involving Craig Boddington?s Daughter
By Dave Fulson
Gentlemen,
As many of you know, I am one of Craig Boddington?s partners in our two TV shows ?Tracks Across Africa? and? Hornady?s Africa With Craig Boddington and Ivan Carter?. During a phone call with Craig this morning from Namibia, Craig asked me to post this on AR to answer any questions on what is sure to be a well traveled topic on the rumor mill. Craig?s eldest daughter Brittany is an avid, and fairly experienced big game hunter with multiple safaris under her belt, several of which were targeting dangerous game. I have filmed several of her safaris for the show, and always found Brittany to be safety conscious where firearms were concerned ,a result of learning under a father who stresses the point of firearm safety at all times. Last week while filming a leopard with dogs hunt with our Tracks TV crew in Namibia , an incident happened that resulted in (1) a flat out charge from an UNWOUNDED ,but agitated male leopard (2 ) a dog handler being savaged by the cat (3) an attempt by Brittany to kill what was, by the time of her shot,a wounded leopard that accidentally hit and wounded the man being mauled.
At the time of the accident , Craig was filming in Zimbabwe, but flew to Namibia to assist as best he could, and as you can imagine comfort his daughter from the obvious anxiety of the situation she was dealing with. The attending PH was Nic Kruger, a first rate hunter and Co-owner of Omujeve safaris. Nic is an experienced leopard man, and we have enjoyed several wonderful safaris under his and his brother Corne?s care. For those of you who have never experienced a close range charge from an infuriated leopard , trust me , it is scary as hell and it happens with shocking speed. It is easy to second guess these situations ,especially when the facts of the hunt are unknown or blurred second hand accounts. The following is the official police report as filed by both Nic and Brittany. Please read both accounts,and I believe you will reach the same conclusion as I have, that this was a very fast moving situation that both PH and client were trying their level best to control,to the best of their ability and skill. As I said, due to the last name involved, this is bound to get some attention in safari circles. Craig thought, and I agreed, that posting the police reports would be the best method to make sure the facts were accurately portrayed. I have seen some fairly experienced hunters loose their heads under far less stressful situations than the flat out charge of a leopard at point blank range. I think Brittany did her best to stand firm and shoot what she believed to be a wounded cat. The accident was just that, a terrible twist of luck that can happen to each and every one of us that hunt dangerous game.
POLICE REPORTS
I, Brittany Boddington, a 23 year old U.S. citizen herewith declare under oath as follows:I was hunting leopard with Nic Kruger of Omujeve Hunting Safaris Namibia on the Fahlwater farm in the Karibib district. We found some fresh leopard tracks at about 5:15 in the morning and when it was daybreak we put down the dogs. We set out following the sound of the hounds through the brush but this was a very aggressive cat, it was not running from the dogs like most cats do. Zukile was one of the dog handlers, he was contacting us by radio telling us that the cat was fighting the dogs and had injured several of them. These dogs know what they are doing and almost never get close enough to get hurt. After a couple of hours we came up to a really thick area where the dogs were barking and the leopard would not tree. The leopard held its ground and the dogs were tired and bleeding so we sent Classen to get the car so that we could give the dogs some water. At this point we called the dogs away from the leopard and they laid down in the shade waiting for the car to bring water. After they had all had water and were looking rested the dog handlers started encouraging the dogs to go back into the brush and find the tracks of where the leopard had gone. The dog handlers were sure that the leopard had run away because none of the dogs were barking so we started walking slowly in the direction that the leopard had been. Nic showed me the flattened grass in an area surrounded by bushes where the leopard had been hiding when the dogs were last barking. The dogs were scattered all around us looking for tracks and as I was examining the flattened grass area I heard a dog begin to bark. Before the dog could even get the whole bark out I heard the growl of the leopard. When I heard Nic?s shot go off I stepped out from behind him and saw the leopard come out from behind a bush. The leopard paused for a moment and in the tall grass I could see only slightly more than the outline of the leopard?s back. I saw that the leopard had been hit and it stopped with its head down in the grass. I got my rifle up and took a shot at the part of the leopard that I could see. The leopard then jumped up and Nic hit it again with another shot as the leopard ran into the bush and Nic ran after it to make sure it would not come back to attack again. At this moment I heard Zukile yell, we realized that Punki had been shot and we called Nic back and he sent Classen to get the car. We held pressure on the wound and we kept Punki awake until the car could get through the thick brush to where we were. We loaded him into the back seat of the car and I jumped on the back of the cruiser. The entire way to the hospital I was trying to figure out what had happened. I could only imagine that I had shot over the leopard and hit Punki as he was running away. I didn't know where they had been standing so I assumed that he had just run when the leopard charged. It was only after we had wheeled him into the emergency room that Simon told me ?You should see what the leopard did to his ankle.? My response was a surprised ?The leopard bit him? When did the leopard bite him?? Simon then told me that Punki had been attacked and mauled by the leopard and that he was in fact under the leopard when I shot. I screamed ?WHAT?? and then it all started to make sense. Nic had seen the two men fall to the ground in the tall grass before I had stepped out from behind him. Both men were wearing full camouflage from head to toe and in the tall grass they were completely invisible to me. The leopard bit through Punki?s leather belt and had been thrashing him about in the grass when I shot. Apparently the leopard was pulling him up from the ground and as I fired my rifle the leopard pulled him up by the left side and the bullet must have missed the leopard and gone through his hip. I know better than to fire when a leopard is mauling someone, I would not have shot had I known that there was a person even close to the leopard. The whole attack from beginning to end took less than four seconds and there was just no time to sort out what was happening.
Brittany Boddington
I, Joachim Nicolaas Kruger, I.D #82041910569, a 27 year old Namibian citizen here with declare under oath as follows:
I am a shareholder and Licensed Professional Hunter with Omujeve Hunting Safaris and a resident on the farm Ongombo West Section II # 56 Windhoek District. I was guiding a legal leopard hunt on the farm Fahlwater in the Karibib on the 24th of April 2009. We found a big leopard track at 05:15 in the morning and decided that it was a big leopard and that we could start the hunt as soon as it was light enough. At first light we released the hounds to start tracking the leopard. After some time Zukile called me on the radio and said he was hearing the leopard. We started to approach Zukile. The leopard was in thick brush and wasn?t afraid of the dogs. He was fighting with the dogs and injured a couple of them, which is very unusual with this experienced pack of hounds. ?As time passed it was clear that the dogs were afraid of this leopard and the leopard wasn?t planning on getting in a tree soon. I decided that it was too dangerous to attempt to approach the leopard. We called the hounds back and I send Claasen to fetch the vehicle. We gave the hounds water hoping that the dogs would be fresh again and would have an advantage over the leopard, and that they would then push the leopard into a tree and give us a nice, safe clean shot. Zukile, Punki and myself thought the cat had moved off and we decided to move to the spot where the cat was laying down last and get the hounds back on the track. Zukile and Punki were walking a short distance in front of me with Brittany right behind me and Simon Elton a couple of steps back. Suddenly one of the hounds made a sound and I saw the leopard charging towards Zukile. Zukile fell to the ground and as the leopard approached Punki I saw a gap and shot the leopard but the shot was not fatal. The leopard jumped on Punki and Punki fell to the ground. Then the leopard moved towards Claasen but turned back toward Punki and started biting him. Then I heard a shot from Brittany?s rifle. Brittany didn't know at the time that Punki was under the leopard because she was walking behind me when it happened and when she stepped out behind me, Punki was already down in the tall grass. That is why she couldn't see him, and of course she is eleven inches shorter than I am, so she could see much less than I could in the long grass. She shot at the leopard because it stopped which, for her was the right thing to do at that stage. Any hunter in the same situation would have done the same. When she shot the leopard it was busy biting Punki and there was a lot of movement as the leopard was pulling Punki around. Because of her height Brittany was unable to see this. The whole thing happened very quickly, in less than three seconds, much too quickly for me to give any instructions or clarify the situation. I am certain her bullet hit Punki because the leopard pulled Punki up right into the line of her shot, suggested by deep bite marks on his belt. After Brittany?s shot the leopard dropped Punki and started to run away and then I shot the leopard again and ran past Punki. I knew that he was bitten by the leopard, but at this time I did not know he had been hit by a bullet. The leopard was still running away from us and I just wanted to make sure that the leopard was dead because I didn't want to track a wounded leopard after what has already happened. The leopard was dead when I reached it, and Zukile called me and said that I must come quickly and that Punki was shot. Until that moment I had no idea that Punki was shot and I told my tracker Claasen to run and bring the truck. Meanwhile we took our shirts and held pressure on the wound. While we waited for the truck I called EMED rescue and Doctor Jordaan and made some arrangements as to what to do and where to meet the ambulance. The truck came about two minutes later and we loaded Punki in the truck and raced to the main road that was about 10km away. As we got on the main road the ambulance was on it way from Okahandja and we drove straight to Okahandja Hospital and they were quick to help and to get Punki stabilized. Then EMED rescue came and they then moved him to Windhoek where the doctors were waiting for him.
Joachim Nicolaas Kruger
D
DRHORNHUNTER
Guest
I'm pretty sure I watched a show about 6 or 7 years ago that he was in. hunting in Alaska I think. at the end of the show as they were sitting in the wall tent the group of huntersall had a toast to a lost hunting buddy as he said a poem that he had memorized. something about nothing in heaven to keep test to my mettle so send of to hell to hunt the devil. I think it was him ??? he seemed like a pretty good guy. hope all is well for him
ramtagless
Active Member
- Messages
- 835
I recall that poem. When I saw the poem being recited it was by an alaskan guide...not craig boddington. But - he certainly could have recited it himself in a different show. I replayed it and wrote it down, it is pretty good.
FullCryHounds
Active Member
- Messages
- 458
Craig was born in 52 and retired a Brig. General after 31 years in the reserves.
Colorado Lion Hunt:
Mineshaft Lion Hunt:
http://trophyroom.com/video/lls8ViwJcT
Colorado Lion Hunt:
Mineshaft Lion Hunt:
http://trophyroom.com/video/lls8ViwJcT
D
DRHORNHUNTER
Guest
you still have this wrote down?? If so post it up for us and we'll drink to Craig gettin better 
LOL Quite a poem
LOL Quite a poemramtagless
Active Member
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- 835
I believe so...if it is the one you are referring to? I had the episode dvr'd and played it back so I could jot it down. This should be pretty close...
Here is to all hunters and our precious game. Here is to our sport may it always remain. And to our fine lives lived in wild lands, may aces and eights be our final hands. With our souls above when all is forgiven, through the gates we pass as we are no longer liven. May we be clear with our word when to St. Peter we say - I have but one request on my judgment day. It is beautiful up here don't get me wrong, but I never was one for soft clouds and sweet song. You see, there is nothing in heaven to keep test to my mettle...send me to hell so I can hunt the devil.
Here is to all hunters and our precious game. Here is to our sport may it always remain. And to our fine lives lived in wild lands, may aces and eights be our final hands. With our souls above when all is forgiven, through the gates we pass as we are no longer liven. May we be clear with our word when to St. Peter we say - I have but one request on my judgment day. It is beautiful up here don't get me wrong, but I never was one for soft clouds and sweet song. You see, there is nothing in heaven to keep test to my mettle...send me to hell so I can hunt the devil.
predator
Very Active Member
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- 2,567
This gives me the creeps, I was just watching his DVD's on Africa. Mr. Boddington took time to sit down with me at ISE many years back, and we swapped tales for over an hour. I was left with the impression of a sincerely passionate hunter the likes of which many are found here.
My prayers are with him and hope he recovers soon and well. Perhaps there is a way to send a MM e-card?
Pred
My prayers are with him and hope he recovers soon and well. Perhaps there is a way to send a MM e-card?
Pred
D
DRHORNHUNTER
Guest
Thats it Thanks I had it DVRed too Switched to direct tv and lost it on my dish
Here's an update from Craig himself on another website that I visit:
Wow!!! Thanks so much to all for the kind words and encouragement! It's not possible to reply to all, but I truly appreciate the support.
First off: I'M GOING TO BE FINE! I'm home now, and probably will be for some time (which isn't really all that bad a thing.)
Second, and perhaps of greatest interest to all who have not had the experience of a "cardiovascular event" (uh, I definitely don't recommend it!), this came as a complete surprise, and in multiple ways. None of us are in as good shape as we can be, but I work out regularly and haven't completely lost the battle of the bulge. There is ZERO history of heart disease in my family. So I didn't see this coming. But that is largely my fault because I realize now I've had a couple of subtle warnings in the last few months. If you have such, please don't ignore them!
The "event" itself did not have classic symptoms. No chest pain, no pain in extremities. My buddy Bill Jones and I were in the final phase of a safari in Uganda, and it was a very hot midday when we got onto a really good Nile buffalo bull. We got him down and were dancing and celebrating when I felt the world go upside down...catastrophic loss of blood pressure, turned white as a sheet, had trouble breathing. I didn't go all the way out, so remember the event with a very odd detached calmness. Bill, PH Tony Moore, and cameraman Andy MacDonald poured water on me and in me. The symptoms were actually much more akin to acute heat exhaustion than a heart attack. I am not sensitive to heat, so this didn't make any more sense, but a heart attack didn't seem the most likely problem.
They got me cooled down, and after a while (as someone noted) I did indeed rally for both photos and video ("the show must go on," right?). I felt like #####, but definitely better.
We got back to camp and, with the last major animal secured, decided we would all head to Kampala. The big disconnect, if there was one, was that the International Hospital in Kampala diagnosed a pulmonary infection, gave me antibiotics, and sent me on my way. Honest, I couldn't disagree with that: I was having trouble breathing, but not really any chest pain, and both blood pressure and pulse were fine.
Fortunately flights were open and I was able to get out of there almost immediately. It was the longest flight of my life, and my situation was clearly deteriorating rapidly. When I got off the plane Donna took one look at me and got me to the emergency room. At that point things started happening very fast. It's amazing I survived the journey home, and the doctors seemed fairly confident I couldn't have lived through the night had I been stubborn and insisted on staying home.
We here in the United States enjoy many blessings. One of them, in my view, is the best health care in the entire world. I freely admit that my appearances in church are not as regular as perhaps they should be, but I can promise you I'll be there this Sunday, and I'll be including a great team of doctors, nurses, and technicians in my prayers...along with all of you.
Again, many thanks!
Craig Boddington
Wow!!! Thanks so much to all for the kind words and encouragement! It's not possible to reply to all, but I truly appreciate the support.
First off: I'M GOING TO BE FINE! I'm home now, and probably will be for some time (which isn't really all that bad a thing.)
Second, and perhaps of greatest interest to all who have not had the experience of a "cardiovascular event" (uh, I definitely don't recommend it!), this came as a complete surprise, and in multiple ways. None of us are in as good shape as we can be, but I work out regularly and haven't completely lost the battle of the bulge. There is ZERO history of heart disease in my family. So I didn't see this coming. But that is largely my fault because I realize now I've had a couple of subtle warnings in the last few months. If you have such, please don't ignore them!
The "event" itself did not have classic symptoms. No chest pain, no pain in extremities. My buddy Bill Jones and I were in the final phase of a safari in Uganda, and it was a very hot midday when we got onto a really good Nile buffalo bull. We got him down and were dancing and celebrating when I felt the world go upside down...catastrophic loss of blood pressure, turned white as a sheet, had trouble breathing. I didn't go all the way out, so remember the event with a very odd detached calmness. Bill, PH Tony Moore, and cameraman Andy MacDonald poured water on me and in me. The symptoms were actually much more akin to acute heat exhaustion than a heart attack. I am not sensitive to heat, so this didn't make any more sense, but a heart attack didn't seem the most likely problem.
They got me cooled down, and after a while (as someone noted) I did indeed rally for both photos and video ("the show must go on," right?). I felt like #####, but definitely better.
We got back to camp and, with the last major animal secured, decided we would all head to Kampala. The big disconnect, if there was one, was that the International Hospital in Kampala diagnosed a pulmonary infection, gave me antibiotics, and sent me on my way. Honest, I couldn't disagree with that: I was having trouble breathing, but not really any chest pain, and both blood pressure and pulse were fine.
Fortunately flights were open and I was able to get out of there almost immediately. It was the longest flight of my life, and my situation was clearly deteriorating rapidly. When I got off the plane Donna took one look at me and got me to the emergency room. At that point things started happening very fast. It's amazing I survived the journey home, and the doctors seemed fairly confident I couldn't have lived through the night had I been stubborn and insisted on staying home.
We here in the United States enjoy many blessings. One of them, in my view, is the best health care in the entire world. I freely admit that my appearances in church are not as regular as perhaps they should be, but I can promise you I'll be there this Sunday, and I'll be including a great team of doctors, nurses, and technicians in my prayers...along with all of you.
Again, many thanks!
Craig Boddington
FullCryHounds
Active Member
- Messages
- 458
Thanks for the update TopGun.
Colorado Lion Hunt:
Mineshaft Lion Hunt:
http://trophyroom.com/video/lls8ViwJcT
Colorado Lion Hunt:
Mineshaft Lion Hunt:
http://trophyroom.com/video/lls8ViwJcT
S
stinkystomper
Guest
Heres a link to the site with the write up and more info
http://www.africahunting.com/huntin...ent-involving-craig-boddingtons-daughter.html
http://www.africahunting.com/huntin...ent-involving-craig-boddingtons-daughter.html
