SAFARI

These first few photos must be credited to two of the guys with expensive cameras in my student group.
Safari weekend was an incredible experience. I was able to see four and a half of the big five, according to Reg, because we saw a cheetah but not a leopard. We arrived at Imfolozi-Hluhluwe park and loaded into our safari vehicles, which resembled the cars within the Indiana Jones ride in Disneyland, only much bigger. Sitting in my chair, binoculars ready, and camera in hand my we set of on our first day driving. The road was bouncy and I felt like a little kid because my feet did not touch the bottom of the car. At certain points within the drive I was literally thinking, “Weeeeeeee!” to myself. Our first major event that day was an elephant herd siting. Although there were only six elephants, they were touchable distance from our vehicle as we screeched to a stop to snap some shots. There were three mother elephants and their three calves, which were very small and entirely precious. After our initial gasps and several photos, the largest elephant began to flap her ears in annoyance. She began to move towards our car and Reg stepped on the gas. We flew down the road and I sat in the back seat watching a giant elephant right towards me. We all kept screaming for Reg to continue going. My heart was racing so fast and beating so loud I was sure that everyone could hear it. Reg began to slow down because we thought we had lost the elephant and I decided to look back once more, just in case and to my horror the mother elephant was right on top of the hill charging directly towards us. I yelled to Reg, “She’s still coming!” And we practically flew for a few moments as the speed of our wheels flirted on the bumpiness of the dirt road. Finally, we looked back and the elephant had given up. She stood her ground though, in the middle of the road protecting her family and we continued on our drive as she became smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror. After that frightfully invigorating experience, we returned to camp where we ate dinner and shared stories of our adventures, which included the other animal sightings: giraffe, wildabeasts, impala, inyala, warthog, rhino,zebra, buffalo, monkeys, baboon, and lion. The camp was a place that was protected by two electrical wires, which only kept out charging elephants. Every other animal was capable and took advantage of coming into the camp. The grounds were not safe to walk without light, so at night and in the morning, the guides would come to our tents and pick us up in the jeeps to go to our meals, even though the dining tent was less than a block from our sleeping area. That night, flame light lanterns lit our tents and canopy nets draped over our beds to protect us from malaria carrying mosquitos. I woke up various times to the sound of animals beneath our tent and the scruffiness of their grunting and scratching. My two roommates and I shared one big bed, huddled together in anticipation of what noises we would hear next.

The next morning began at dark thirty in the morning as our vehicles pulled out at 5:30am. This day was nicknamed rhino day because we saw an overwhelming amount of white rhinos. Reg told us that Rhino are very threatened because of the immense amount of poaching that occurs. In fact, there had been seven kills the week before we arrived to camp. He explained that poachers team up with helicopters and cars. They fly into the park, spot a rhino, radio for a car who locates it, shoots it, and then cuts off its horn. I wondered how the rangers do not notice the helicopters flying overhead and Reg exposed my confusion as a primary concern because the rangers are being paid to keep silent regarding the helicopters they spot and the dead rhino carcasses they pick up. The rangers are involved in the endangerment of these rhino that fall victim to superstitious desires for animal horns. Reg explained the cultural implications behind the rhino, describing that it is viewed as an item that brings more sex, a male who possesses a horn is said to have an increased sex life. How ironic: a horn brings more sex to the horny men. Literally, right after Reg’s explanations of poaching, we came upon a dead rhino. The scene was so depressing because it was a mother rhino whose baby was cuddled next to her trying to nurse. The baby moved around nervously, pacing back and forth in obvious misunderstanding as to why its mother would not wake up. I peered through the binoculars and saw a hole where the horn used to be and hundreds of bugs infesting the area. While we were parked by the devastating scene some rangers drove up and asked us to keep moving forward. We politely did so but had to turn around and pass by again because the road had a dead end. The second time we passed by, a ranger rolled down his window and told us that the rhino had been killed by an elephant. One of the girls asked where he saw the elephant and he pointed in a random direction and said, “Over there.” Reg nodded and drove away, after a moment of silence he burst out with a warning, “Do not believe a single word. That man was lying through his teeth. There is no reason for an elephant to kill a rhino and that he calls himself a South African is shameful.” Reg’s passion definitely showed through and his pride for his country was once again affirmed.

On a more positive note, another important sighting we were able to witness was an attempted lion attack on a warthog. We came upon a small family five lions who were lazily lounging in the shade. A young male spotted the warthog by the waterhole and began to take small steps of advance to catch his lunch. After watching his efforts become lazy as he flopped onto the grass and resorted to watching his prey, instead of pursuing it. His lady friend took advantage of his laziness and began her own hunt, approaching the prey from behind. I watched, eagerly hoping to witness a lion kill, as her footsteps became quicker, she bolted into a sprint and took off after her piggy. Unfortunately, the warthog was too quick for her and her bacon got away before the lion had a chance to make a successful pounce. Moments like this, I was reminded that I was in the wild of Africa, witnessing dangerous animals in their natural habitats.

That night we had a braai, or barbeque, which attracted many animals to the camp. We saw many hyenas. Their eyes would glow in the bush and then they would dart from place to place with their haunting laugh. Their echoing giggles served for our eerie lullaby as we fell asleep.
The last day on safari, the Lord blessed us with a cheetah, hippo, and wild dog siting. Reg got a radio the last hour in the park that there were two cheetah spotted. After the word cheetah, I have never seen a man drive so fast. We sped like mad towards the location of the cheetah and it was very rewarding because we saw two beautiful males lounging in the shade in close distance. The wild dog was my find, which I was incredibly proud of because there are only two packs within the park we explored. Also, they are a rare species that is endangered; so, this spot was valuable. Wild dogs are black with yellowish spots and giant Mickey Mouse ears right on top of their head. The hippo was found on our last sighting right before we left the territory of the park it was discovered in the middle of a field with a hidden stream. If not being aware, it was easy to pass the hippo for a rock. I have many pictures to share with my first safari being a fascinating an exhilarating experience in the wild of Africa.

May the Lord bless you with a wild experience.
All my love,
Gennavieve