Janine, our guide, told us to look out for the reflection of light from the eyes as she beamed a flashlight out into the bush in long sweeping arcs. This was how we were to spot nocturnal animals on our night drive. We were hoping to catch sight of the elusive leopard, but instead, after an hour and a half of slow driving through along the jeep trails of the private reserve, we came upon a familiar pool to notice the hippos out of the water for once. Janine informed us that this was normal behavior for the evening and they were known to roam quite far from the water. We had hippo in mind when we rounded the next corner and spotted 3 objects in the dark right next to us. What happened next took all but three seconds. As the light scanned the objects, first across, and then up as if fully appreciating a skyscraper for the first time, one couldn't help but notice that they weren't small animals moving around 100 feet away, but very large elephants a mere 30 feet away. In no time at all, the larger of the three whipped around and splayed a it's large ears, a sign that we learned just the day before at an elephant interaction tour that the animal means business, and move quickly towards us. I was sitting in the back corner of the jeep, my foot hard on the imaginary gas pedal, as the elephant charged. Luckily, Janine had the same idea and sped the jeep forward shouting back to us asking if it was still coming. We also learned the day before that they can run 35-40km per hour.
It was at this elephant interaction tour that we met Rambo, a docile bull elephant that has been reared with extensive human interaction. He was part of a culling operation that fortunately spared him, but not before losing his herd. Apparently, when numbers of elephants in large parks are thinned, they kill the entire herd because they are so social that they literally can't survive without one another. Rambo was just a baby though, and it was said that the people just couldn't bring themselves to kill him. He was eventually sold to other parks, but he exhibited such bad behavior that he landed in his current living situation with the full knowledge that he needed constant human interaction. Thus, the elephant interaction tour. We were allowed to feed Rambo, feel his skin, his tusks, and look into his mouth. He was nice and congenial about the whole thing. It was a pretty cool experience and one that left me with a profound appreciation for the sheer size and strength of the creature that fit nicely with his gentleness and grace.
The same could be said about the cheetah. We did another tour of a cheetah rehabilitation center where we learned about the fastest animal on the planet and then posed for a picture with one. At first it just felt like a big dog, but then you realize that you have now seen two cheetah kills on the reserve and that this animal, along with the elephant, is not merely capable of killing you, but is more simply allowing you to live. It was as if his purring was saying, "It's okay, you may run free. Go, be happy. I grant you more days."
We saw other cats at the rehabilitation center, but unfortunately we didn't catch sight of any lion on this section of the adventure. I did an extra tour out to another reserve while Clark did a boat tour of the estuary, but despite a nice showing of the endangered wild dog and an animated troop of baboons, still no sight of lions. Perhaps Chobe Game Preserve in Botswana will give us a glimpse of the big cat. We will get our chance in a couple of days as will bid farewell to South Africa. We have arranged for a ride to the Durban airport at 230 in the morning so we can catch our flight at 7am. It will be a long night, but it is cool to think that in less than 24 hours, we will be in Livingstone, Zambia, right next to Victoria Falls.
The safari drives have been fun. I am already thinking of the letdown that is coming when I hop into a car at home. I think I will have the natural instinct to lean out the window in hopes of seeing something extraordinary only to be sorely disappointed. Enjoy the animal pictures. Next up: Waterfalls!
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