After two safari experiences here in South Africa, we ended up seeing about eight different animals and all of the Big Five except the water buffalo. What an incredible experience!
We started off on Friday morning before the sun. Arriving at the safari vans at 3:45 AM, our excitement and anticipation was no match for the minimal sleep we had from our late arrival the night before. As we boarded the vehicle, trying to choose the best seat for picture-taking, our guide informed us that there were no promises of what we would or would not see. Anxious and excited, we shared with each other the animals we expected to see and began our excursion with bright spotlights and with the hopes of seeing as many animals as possible.
Before knowing what animals the Big Five actually includes, many people, including myself, expect that animals such as giraffes, zebras, and hippos should be part of this group. However, a common misconception is the actual meaning of the Big Five, which is a group of endangered animals native to South Africa. While most of them are very common, some of the animals that are included are a bit surprising. In fact, the Big Five consists of the elephant, rhinoceros, lion, leopard, and water buffalo. Though the first two seem to be likely candidates for endangered animals as a stereotypical story is that of poachers coveting the tusks of elephants and rhinoceroses, what is happening with the other three, especially the seemingly uncommon water buffalo?
As the guides warned us that we might not see many of the Big Five because the populations are low at this time, we tried to take in every bit of all animals we did see. The first animal that my group came across was the impala, often referred to as a lion’s “McDonalds-bok” (bok being a type of antelope) because they are everywhere and are “fast” food! A few saw a leopard dart across the road far in front of us. According to Kiewiet Fourie, the Assistant Reserve Manager at Tygerberg Nature Reserve where I did my internship in Cape Town, the leopards are often an enemy of farmers because they attack their cattle. In turn, the farmers shoot the leopards, making Kruger National Park a safe ground for this animal to live, as it is carefully patrolled by police to ensure that no one is illegally killing animals that live here.
Some other animals we encountered on our morning safari were giraffes and zebras, which travel together because zebras depend on the keen eyesight of giraffes; the kudu, a very regal-looking antelope-type animal with long spiraling antlers; a wildebeest, resembling a buffalo; and a couple of lionesses. With the first two, we were able to admire them for several minutes and try to preserve the memory of them with several pictures, but the lionesses quickly disappeared into the tall grass. During my internship, I was given the opportunity to speak with Dr. Elzette Jordan, who is the veterinarian at Helderberg Nature Reserve. One thing she wanted me to remember specifically was that the lions are becoming increasingly infected by tuberculosis. Water buffalo are also infected by TB and often transmit it to cattle, but the concern with lions is that they become infected and simply die.
When we returned to the camp and joined the other half of our group for breakfast, we heard they had a rhino roadblock! Obviously we were jealous of their experience and could only hope to also get stopped by a rhino on our night safari that evening. Rhinoceroses are, as you probably know, often poached for their horn, most commonly in eastern Asia, making them one of the most threatened of the Big Five. Along with the excitement of seeing giraffes, zebras, and kudus, the fact that our friends had seen a rhinoceros made us that much more hopeful to see rhinos and maybe even elephants later that evening. We were ready for our next adventure!
The gentle hum of the engine, familiar buzz of cicadas, and diminishing heat with the setting sun accompanied us as we began our second safari of the day. When asked by our guide what we hoped to see, we all responded with elephants! They are the more populated species of the Big Five, and there is actually a problem with overpopulation. Efforts have been implemented to try to control the populations of elephants including shipping them to Mozambique and treating them with contraceptives. So where were they?! We were dying to see an elephant. Then, there it was! Right in the middle of the road, just strolling along in all its gigantic glory. However, our guide informed us that the male elephant was in heat, so we had to be careful not to make him angry with lots of talking or laughing. A couple of times he charged our vehicle, at which point our guide revved the engine violently at him making him turn away. We were all in complete and utter awe! After spending several minutes watching the elephant’s every move and trying to capture every moment through photographs and video, we continued on, feeling more hopeful than ever.
On our search for the rhinos we met the other part of our group watching an elephant. As we sat with them, the cool evening breeze and long shadows extending from the African flora reminded us that soon the stars would become our guiding light. So we proceeded and shortly thereafter, we came across another group that, to our surprise, was watching a group of rhinos! We stared intently as the large creatures moved so gracefully in the tall grass, just masking a clear line of vision. However, we reveled in our success of again succeeding in finding another anticipated animal.
Throughout the safaris we all took pictures, trying to capture the best possible moments of these extravagant animals to take back to our families and friends in the States. I began to realize that no picture or video clip of these remarkable animals would ever fully capture their greatness. And because of this, it is crucial to have these areas where endangered animals are allowed to roam freely and without the threat of humans. As I was reminded during my time at Tygerberg, “have time to dream, to think, to enjoy peace and quiet and the wonders of life…”
5 Responses to Our Great Safari!