"By promoting ethical and sustainable hunting, together with strong conservation orientation, determined anti-poaching and tangible Community benefits, we attract the more discerning hunters."

MICHEL MANTHEAKIS SAFARIS LTD.

What I call “the African syndrome” includes hero worship of your first Professional Hunter (PH). Horrible bad luck excluded; we all consider our first PHs to be the embodiment of Phil Percival, Walter Bell, and Harry Selby. Some deserve it. Life and people being a bell curve, some do not. I was lucky. My first PH, Willem van Dyk, has stood the test of time.

Since then, I’ve hunted with dozens of PHs. Almost no bums. Situations vary so much that sensible ranking is almost impossible. Easier to figure out who is in the top few…and who is not. The late Willem van Dyk remains in that small group. So does a then-young Michel Mantheakis, assigned to me in the Tarangire block of Masailand in 1988.

Fine young PH, apprenticed under the great Dave Ommaney, Winchester’s “Man in Africa” in the 1960s (and my uncle Art Popham’s PH in 1956). In 1988, Michel was hunting for the also-great Luke Samaras. We had a wonderful safari. All the Masailand game, including a huge lesser kudu that I still consider my finest African trophy. A surprise Masailand lion. The works, even a Chanler’s mountain reedbuck. Beyond that, this young PH impressed me. Of Greek extraction (common in Tanzania, as is Like Samaras and George Angelides), third-generation Tanzanian, he spoke the languages, respected the people, took care of his team…and cared for the wildlife.

I’ve watched Michel Mantheakis for 37 years. Proud to call him a friend, like a little brother. Even more proud to have seen him progress from a talented young PH to an effective outfitter. Not just a bridge, a gulf few effectively cross.

We all know that Tanzania is a costly destination. Not the fault of the PHs and outfitters, just the way it is. I’ve been fortunate to do four safaris with Michel Mantheakis, hope for at least one more, but it’s not the end of my world if that doesn’t happen. I’m no longer collecting trophies, just preserving memories. Michel Mantheakis has given me some of my best African memories, also set an amazing example as, in our CBEO business, we attempt to select outfitters that “I recommend to my friends.”

Few outfitters I’ve known have put as much back into their areas and their wildlife as Michel Mantheakis, investing heavily in anti-poaching and community projects…in good times and bad. Hunting together, Michel and I have taken some great animals: Big buffalo, fine tuskers, common game and indigenous rarities, from camps with the traditional touch of the old-time safari. As the waiter in waistcoat and fez serves seafood secreted in a cooler on the charter plane in, Michel asks, “Where did this fish come from?’

Deadpan, the waiter points beyond the tent and answers, “From the small river.”

No longer the young PH I met in 1988, Michel Mantheakis is a mature, experienced, and effective outfitter, taking care of his people, his areas, and his wildlife. I’m proud to be his friend, proud to call him my younger brother, and proud to have him as part of our CBEO family. Looking forward to hunting with him at least one more time.

Good Hunting,