Category: Kruger National Park

Ten Years Flies When You’re Having Fun!

Newly weds Marie and Ali Knock on honeymoon in a hot air balloon

We have recently celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary with a trip back to South Africa – the location of our honeymoon back in 2002.  I thought I’d take a trip down memory lane today and relive my first experience of South Africa – and reflect upon it ten years later as an older (and wiser?!) safari -goer.

Lets start with an embarrassing photo of Ali and me on honeymoon, looking like the babies we were back then. This is us on a morning balloon ride over Hazyview in Mpumalanga. It was my first time in a hot air balloon and I was a wicked combination of  a nervous wreck and ridiculously excited. Unbeknown to me, the balloon flight was subject to aircraft type controls and before I boarded I was given a boarding pass and informed of the emergency exits (!!!) The dawn flight gave us an incredible birds-eye view of Mpumalanga as we soared over rivers, valleys and hills. The landing was less serene and a lot more bumpy – we attempted to land on the back of a truck (!) .. but the champagne on arrival eased my jitters somewhat 🙂

What a fantastic welcome to Africa!

The next few days we did a combination of morning and afternoon game drives in Kruger. It was my first time on safari and I was beside myself with excitement. Before we’d even stepped foot in Kruger we’d had a hippo visit our balcony in the dead of the night and I’d been endlessly amused by the signs around our lodge freeing the management from any liability of the on-site crocodiles and loss of body parts or any deaths that might occur.

Upon entering Kruger National Park at dawn the next day we were welcomed by a herd of giraffe on the horizon – it immediately reminded me of Jurassic Park. That day we were treated to sightings of cheetah, lion, elephants, monkeys and hyena. The latter became my absolute favourite…

 

Ed The Hyena And His Stick

..Late afternoon we stumbled across a hyena den, the mother was absent and the cubs were incredibly curious. One wee fellow (which I named Ed) amused himself for 30 minutes with a single stick – trying desperatly to enter the den with it in his mouth but blocking his own entrance time and time again. Thankfully my giggles did not deter or distract him from his efforts and my heart went out to the wee guy.

However, it wasn’t long after that ‘Ed’ realised he had an audience – a prospect much more interesting than his stick. He ambled over to us, the glorious golden light of late afternoon casting an angelic light around him. He jumped up to place his paws on the back of the vehicle for a closer look – we were almost nose to nose. I kept having to remind myself this was a vicious wild animal, not the cute and cuddly teddy-bear he was pretending to be.

Whilst on our very first safari together an endless source of amusement for us was the playful vervet monkeys which were everywhere. Any attempt to enjoy a picnic and keep your food to yourself was futile. Your attentions would be temporarily diverted as one monkey would distract you and meanwhile another thieving paw would be rooting in your bag for tasty treats. As safari newbies we lost many items of our lunch – bananas, yoghurt and juice – and were lucky to retain our cameras.

Our time in Kruger was the start of a new obsession for me – I’d discovered a new world, one full of incredible wildlife, heart stopping sunsets and the most generous and friendly people I had ever met. I knew we’d be coming back!

 

The day we got caught in a buffalo stampede and lived to tell the tale

A herd of buffalo pause their stampede to regard us

We were on our own this time. Aside from the little red car that had become our home for 14 hours a day for the past week, we had no protection. There was no Maasai guide to teach us the way of the bush, and no ranger to interpret the behaviour of wild animals for us. It was just us and the 7,523 square miles of Kruger National Park.

We’d become besotted with safaris after previous trips to Kenya, but this was our first self drive safari. After a week of successful journeys we nurtured a balance of anticipation and naïve bravery that had put us in various precarious situations, but we’d lived to tell our tales. That’s when it becomes dangerous – when success mixes with bravado and adrenaline you fail to notice circumstances emerging before your very eyes until it’s too late…

On a quiet and uneventful afternoon safari drive, we stumbled upon a small group of buffalo by the side of the road. They lacked the skittish nature others had displayed so we decided to spend some time photographing them. Pulling up alongside them, we were bewitched by their calmness; youths mingled silently with adults who hardly registered our presence. Surrounded by dense bush, they were framed by acacia thorn bushes and an endless African sky that we’d come to love and admire.

Leaping into the back seats of the car provided my husband and I with a window each from which to observe and photograph the group.  Working with a wide angle lens I began to lose perspective on the activity surrounding us. It wasn’t until I removed the camera from my eye that I noticed the group of buffalo had swollen in size until they surrounded the car in a silent semi-circle. Every single buffalo was transfixed on us. Their eyes locked with ours, their heads bowed and they stood in complete silence. Aside from the dust blowing as their breath hit the warm sand and the swarm of flies there was no movement. It was not until the bushes behind them began to shake that we realised the group we were interacting with were just the tip of the iceberg – we had pulled up alongside a herd of hundreds of buffalo and were blocking their path.

Our realisation came too late – buffalo blocked any route out and we were being approached by a huge male who was challenging the car face on.  Wishing we could move invisibly, we slid into the front seats of the car and clicked our seat-belts on, fearing an ambush. It was a stand off for 30 seconds or so, during which time we fought the urge to switch the car engine on to retaliate.

When we finally decided the buffalo were too close for comfort and reached for the ignition we saw that we were flanked either side by other tourists in their cars, blocking any exit route we could try to take. The buffalo seemingly became aware of their presence at the same time we did, sending them into a blind panic. The silence turned to thunder as they began to stampede.

We were temporarily blinded from the action as their hooves threw up the ground around our car, casting huge dust clouds and covering us and all our belongings in a layer of fine red sand. As the ground hardened under their hooves we regained visibility…. in every direction there were running buffalo. I cast my eyes from rear view mirror to window, praying that our tiny red car would not act like a red rag to a bull. Meanwhile buffalo clambered over each other, racing to cross the road and gallop into the bush beyond. The young switched from right to left, left to right to escape the crushing hooves of the adults. We were trapped. There was nothing to do but watch. The only soundtrack was the stomping hooves and the blood thumping in my ears as my heart pounded stronger and stronger. I couldn’t find the time or peace of mind to curse us for our stupidity – nothing mattered but watching and remembering to breathe.

The stampede lasted for 10 minutes before it started to thin and we saw an opportunity to roll the car forward to escape the centre of the stampede. Doing so threw the stampede into an immediate halt and triggered the silent stares from the buffalo once more.

There is something unique about receiving an intense stare from a group of wild animals – time stands still and the respect is palpable. You feel a sense of connection, one which no words can replace. It’s a privileged glimpse into another intriguing world from which we could learn so much.

Conservation in practice in Africa…where to go to meet the experts

David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Kenya

If you fancy doing more than observing animals, and wish to find out more about the blood, sweat and tears involved in protecting African Wildlife, then we can recommend the following…

  • We have adopted orphan elephants at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi. As foster parents you are allowed to visit at a stated time and day (if arranged in advance) outside public hours and interact with the elephants as they return to their pens in the evening. The keepers assigned to the elephants devote their lives to them – sleeping with them in the evening in their pens, feeding them, acting as replacement mothers. They are humble people who devote their lives to rehabilitating elephants who have broken hearts from seeing their mothers killed by poachers before their very eyes. As a visitor you get the chance to find out more about their efforts, and meet and help comfort the elephants. I spent an good 30 minutes with a young male called Pesi who wrapped his trunk around my finger like a child would grab your finger. And he did not let go. I could not stop crying, thinking how could anyone hurt such an incredible and vulnerable animal. Pesi since died of a broken heart – he’d experienced too much trauma and despite the best efforts of the keepers he died less than 12 months after our visit.

DSWT is an incredible organisation and I urge everyone to do their bit to support it. You can follow them on facebook and visit their website at http://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/

I have also produced a photobook about DSWT and the elephants and 100% of all profits from the sale of the book are personally donated to DSWT. It’s called ‘Vulnerable Giants’ and is available to view online.  Further informatoin is also available in my previous Tarajiblue blog post about DSWT entitled “Too many orphans”.

What do the locals in Africa think of the wildlife?

Out of Africa

Whilst on safari we purposefully speak a lot to our rangers and safari guides who adore the animals. It’s more than a job to them – they love and protect the animals. You can see it in the way they talk about them – so tender, so caring. They are so angry about poachers and disrespectful tourists. They believe that the parks of Africa should be a sanctuary for animals, and only people who respect and help protect that should be allowed in. I agree wholeheartedly with this.

They also get excited about the animals – despite them seeing them day in day out, they still love the close encounters, the near misses and the rare encounters. They carry and use cameras. They have a real sense of pride, and their respect and enthusiasm for the animals is infectious. I cannot recall the amount of times we’ve come back from safari wishing we could up sticks, train as rangers and live a life in the bush with the animals. That’s the dream!

The Maasai and Samburu  tribsepeople we have spoken too are also respectful of the animals. They live harmoniously with them but do not interfere with the animals. The only time I have seen and heard of conflict is when protected land prevents them from farming and gazing cattle. The tourist organisations and camps / lodges do a good job of employing locals, thus reaffirming that the animal’s protection can generate income (an animal is worth far more alive than dead).

If you’d like to know more about life as a game ranger I can recommend the following book and website:

  • Dangerous Beauty: Life and Death in Africa: True Stories from a Safari Guide by Mark. C. Ross. It’s harrowing, engaging and terrifying. You’ll find yourself sobbing and dreaming in equal measures.
  • Ranger Diaries at http://www.rangerdiaries.com/

Read both of these at your peril…it could prompt a career change 🙂

What animal interaction can I expect on an African Safari?

A close encounter with a Buffalo in Africa

Interaction is limited – and should be for your safety. Although, saying that, there are several times when I have felt that I have made a connection with the animals. It’s hard to describe – it’s a sense of staring into each others’ eyes and being comfortable with each other’s presence. I have had this experience a few times with elephants, a lioness and a leopard.

You should always aim for an animal continuing to behave as if you weren’t there when they are in your presence. This is a successful interaction because it demonstrates that  you being there is not disturbing to them. If you see them changing their behaviour at all when you are around, then you should back off/ move on.

Birds and monkeys are the two species that break the ‘no interaction rule’. They’ll pester you no end when you are eating – and if you leave anything outside and unattended they’ll steal it right under your nose. Whilst in South Africa I accidentally left some pencils on the table outside my room and returned to find them eaten by a monkey. Some I recovered with teeth marks embedded, but the HB was a particular favourite of the monkey and that was stolen outright, never to be retuned.

As a rule of thumb we have found that most animals are curious about your presence, but some will ignore you entirely…

When we were on a walking safari in Kruger we were walking downwind from some zebra. They could not figure out what we were and why we were there, so for about 10 minutes they followed us to try and figure it out.

And Giraffes have this lovely habit of failing to notice you at all – no matter how close you are to them. However, once they do see you they’ll stand motionless, staring at you as if to say ‘How did you get there’. They are very comical and seemingly ‘wear’ their ‘thoughts’ on their face.

But none of this is guaranteed – keep an open mind about what you’ll encounter, that way you’ll never cease to be surprised.

Photos from our Kenyan adventure are available in the TarajiBlue Kenya photo gallery.

Photos from our South African safari are available in our Taraji Blue South African photo gallery.