THE VENERABLE Bell UH-1 helicopter, commonly referred to as the “Huey”, can now add to its long list of achievements the fact that, for the first time in South African, and possibly African, history it was recently involved in the rescue of the King of the Jungle.
In fact, there were two lions involved in this rescue. This story actually begins in the Gauteng region of South Africa about five and a half years ago when two male lions, named Tau and Taura, were born in captivity at a private nature reserve very close to Lanseria International Airport.
These two lions made news headlines right from the time of their birth as they are possibly members of a rare breed of Barbary Lion, but this is currently under investigation pending scientific DNA testing.
At the time, two volunteers at the nature reserve, Douglas Leith, who currently heads up the NAC Netstar division at Grand Central Airport, and friend, Mike Henry, worked very closely with Tau and Taura and used the young male lions to educate children and adults alike about these animals, as well as to bring the plight of the lion as a hunted animal to the general public.
As the bond grew between man and lion and as time went on, the owner of the two lions made it clear that he was going to sell them to other breeders. This was not good news to Doug and Mike, as it would have meant that once the lions were sold off, there would be no control as to what could happen to them. There was a fear, too, that they may be hunted as they grew older.
Above: Heavily sedated, the two lions are loaded aboard the Huey and ready for their trip to their new home. Below: The Huey with its valuable cargo en route.
The battle began early in 2009 when Doug and Mike started searching for a new home and a new owner for the two lions. In conversation with Alister Brown, manager of National Airways Corporation’s helicopter division based at Lanseria International Airport, Doug mentioned that they were struggling to find a new home and owner for the two lions.
Alister approached local businessman and aviation personality, Menno Parsons, owner of Master Power Technologies, and informed him of the lions’ plight. Parsons very quickly purchased the lions. He is already involved in charity work and works closely with several children’s homes in Gauteng and in the North-West Province, where his farm is situated. One of the reasons for him buying the lions is to use them to educate the under-privileged children who he takes regularly to his farm for educational tours.
The purchase of the lions was the easy part. The logistics in transporting the lions and arranging for the permits to release them from the Gauteng Province into the North-West Province, proved to be the most difficult part due to all the administration and strict controls that are enforced.
The next hurdle to cross once the permits were authorised was the transportation of the lions. The possibility of transporting them by road was ruled out as this would place the lions under a lot of stress and the journey would have taken some hours to complete. Hearing about this transport problem, King Air Charter Services and Huey owner, Graham Clarke, offered his services and helicopter to transport the two lions making this the first known occasion that two lions have been transported in a Huey helicopter.
With all the logistics in place, the big day dawned. The lions were sedated, loaded into the Huey and the flight began. Without any further ado, the animals arrived safely and not stressed at all at their new home in the North- West province.
Clarke was also instrumental in transporting the contingent of people involved with the move, by using his Huey and one of his Bell 406 helicopters. Now Tau and Taura have settled down in their new, albeit enclosed, home which has plenty of room for them to roam and do what lions do without fear of their future.
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