South Africa, Part IV

The rondavels where we stayed...

     Let's face it, there is little that can describe that first time you see a giraffe or a zebra in the wild; it's as if you rounded a corner and realized that such animals DO exist and that somehow there they are now there, right in front of you.  It's as if all your life you've been told about this, lions & tigers & bears, oh my!-- and yet actually seeing them in real life, in their natural habitat, is pure Wizard of Oz stuff.  Other than at a zoo, or in a documentary or some photo, I had never "seen" a lion, a tiger, or a bear.  Heck, I get a thrill if a deer runs across my path when I'm hiking, even if it just as quickly disappears.  These are animals being where they should be, gracing our lives with a quick glimpse before we head back to our fenced yards and locked doors (presumably to keep them out).  This is pretty much what happened with that other part of Africa's animals, the part everyone tells you that you have to see...the Big Five.

Skull of a hippo...yes, those are its teeth!

    To be honest, I would have guessed that the Big Five would have been those animals commonly associated with the lower half of the continent: giraffes, zebras, lions, elephants, and rhinos.  Guess those and you would have only missed two.  Think of the Big Five as being made up of two carnivores and three herbivores, our guide said.  Okay, a hippo, I thought?  Wrong.  So let me jump back to how I had initially planned to start this fourth and final post on my time in South Africa.  Sometime back I jotted down this in my notes: Here in this post of Africa, the term Bushmen takes on a historical meaning, and generally not a nice one.  It was left as an almost demeaning term, something along the lines of a farmer or a native.  So wait, how could those terms be demeaning?  But somehow in that short bit of history, you have Africa.  The Big Five, it turns out, dates back to those times, a period when animals were plentiful and the goal was not to SEE them but to shoot them.  As but one example Savanah African elephant populations (the more popular and populous species) were 10 million in 1900 (they're about 415,000 today).  Lions are about the same, dropping to just over 10% of what they were in 1900 (200,000 vs. 23,000...2000 of which are in South Africa alone).  The primary reason for much of this was the Big Five, the five animals hunters considered the most difficult to face down and kill on foot.  But think back to those early years...rifles were unsophisticated and didn't have big scopes; there were no thermal cameras or drones or GPS or even carved out roads, and people were immigrating in like crazy and bringing their cattle with them.  Something enters your now-fenced property in this once-wild land...shoot it.  So farmers and ranchers and hunters and yes, wars, began tearing up the only home the animals knew...the term "scorched earth" didn't only mean those grassland destroyed by fire (a popular tactic of the British during the Boer wars).  

White lion rescued from canned-hunt farm

     I point all of this out because populations of wild animals come and go; their numbers plummeted before later European settlers discovered that animals reserves would bring in more money than their cattle ranches and thus wildlife preserves were created (there are 10,000 such reserves in South Africa alone, enough land to make up 17% of the area).  Out went the cattle and the fields and back came the bush and the wild animals...except that there wasn't much "wild" left.  The genetic pool had been decimated (as mentioned earlier, it is felt that both rhinos and cheetahs are down to just over 3% of their genetic stock...there are no more "wild" animals with which to increase the diversity).  Lions are raised in farms --260 in South Africa alone which in-breed 8-12,000 lions-- all for hunters to shoot, picking the size, coat color and mane they want in a lion they've 'bravely" killed, all for 1/10th the cost of an actual "game" hunt in the wild.  Professional game hunter, Paul Stones, told Smithsonian: With captive hunting you can guarantee a lion...a lion hunt in the wild is a long safari* -- 21 days minimim.  There is no certainty you will get a lion, because it's a age-based policy.  Unless you have a lion that is over a certain age, you can't hunt it.  Added the article: In Texas alone there are more than 500 private hunting reserves where you can shoot a zebra or a Cape buffalo or a kangaroo, all of which were bred for the bullet.  The good news?  Concluded the piece: A 2022 World Animal Protection survey of more than 10,000 international tourists found that 84 percent agree that South Africa should prioritize wildlife-friendly tourism over trophy hunting, and, if this is not done, 72 percent say they would be put off from visiting the country altogether.  Another survey, commissioned by Humane Society International/Africa in 2022, found that of a nationally representative sample of 3,599 South Africans age 15 or older, 68 percent oppose trophy hunting, and 65 percent oppose the practice of canned lion hunting.  One researcher warns that the reputational damage to South Africa caused by captive-bred lion hunting could cost the country nearly $3 billion in tourist revenue over the next decade.

     So without further adieu, go visit the southern part of Africa now, while animals still roam in herds and prides and walk in the wild.  It's a long ways to go and is often expensive (but doesn't have to be) but seeing this possibly-fading bit of wild-"life" will be a memory that stays with you long after you leave...and it goes way beyond the Big Five.  Still with me?  Herewith a series of random notes and observations, each taken from guides and lectures and readings, each planted in my head as deeply as an ancient redwood.  There was more, of course, much more, but I end with this blitz of material, all in the hope that your own curiosity will be sparked, your own urge started...maybe at the end you'll realize that the Big Five is but a small part of an amazing landscape, one to be viewed and treasured and left for others...perhaps even the animals.

     GIRAFFE: Said Scientific American: Consider a giraffe in the last weeks of her nearly 15-month gestation.  She has gained hundreds of pounds -- her fetus aloe weighs up to 150 pounds, but the load is much heavier when you add in the placenta, extra fluid and fat.  Yet pregnant giraffes appear to flee as fast as nonpregnant individuals.  If they couldn't, predators would quickly target them as easy prey.  That would be the end of the line for that mother, her gestating calf and ultimately the species itself.  Once born, the calf drops 7 feet to the ground and is able to stand and walk within 30 minutes, said National Geographic.  The hooves of the adult are 12", the males stand nearly 2 stories above the ground...and yet, their necks have the same number of vertebrae as humans.  Its front legs are 10% longer than its back legs (similar to hyenas) which allow them to run at a speed of up to 45 mph; they can outrun a lion.  Giraffes need little sleep (less than 20 minutes a day) or water.  They are already extinct in 7 African countries.  

ZEBRA: More typically the Plains Zebra (the Mountain Zebra was hunted down to less than 100 but is slowly coming back; the quagga --the closest relative to the plains zebra-- was completely eradicated), comprising 1 stallion and up to 5 mares, the males having a g-string-like marking on its rear.  The zebra is a black animal with white stripes, the stripes being horizontal in the back and vertical in the front; no two stripe patterns are the same.  Being smaller than other zebra species, the plains zebra is considered stable as a population (often termed "near threatened").  Its stripes effectively dissipate 70% of the sun's heat (the black to white creating an air dispersion effect), and (since lions are colorblind) help to confuse predators when gathered together.  Sometimes called a herd, a gathering of zebras is more often called a dazzle.

     AFRICAN BUFFALO: The only wild ox of Africa and unable to be domesticated (as compared to its Asian cousin, the water buffalo).  Gathers in herds and travel is determined democratically, generally the females all turning in one direction and that is where the herd will travel (vs. following a male leader); stays somewhat close to water, however.  Its horns fuse to the skull in about 8-9 years and make it quite the formidable opponent, becoming one of the Big Five.  When attacked the herd will usually come to the aid of the injured to defend it, or will group together in a circle to prevent the attack entirely.  As with the rhino, has keen smell and hearing but poor eyesight.  More related to buffalo species vs. to that of bison or cattle...the "lonely bull," an older male kicked out of the herd, is called a dagga boy.

     ELEPHANT: The majestic gentle giant, the "whale" of the savannah but actually broken into forest and Asian species as well (African elephants have two "fingers" at the end of their trunks while Asian elephants only have one).  Descendant of the mammoth, elephant babies weigh 250 lbs. at birth and take 6-8 months before they can use their trunk which is an extension of their nose and upper lip; babies will drink 3 gallons of mother's milk daily for nearly 2 years.  The entire herd stays close to the matriarch.  Considered extremely social, a herd is aware of a member being killed and will often "mourn" a body, gathering nearby and later placing bones in a grouping.  Communication is thought to include low frequency vibrations felt in their feet, "sounds" which can travel nearly 20 miles.   In the 1980s, 100,000 African elephants were illegally killed each year for their tusks (90% of the elephant population has been killed since the 1900s).  We visited Elephant Moments** and met three older bulls; touching and being close to the animals was life-changing: the staring into the eyes, the feeling of the incisor teeth (their tusks), seeing the many sensitive "whiskers" on the trunk, learning about the importance of the folds of the skin, discovering that elephants have nearly 40,000 muscles in their trunk, feeling the deep veins behind their ears (their primary cooling mechanism).  While human interaction is generally discouraged with wild animals (the bulls return to join the herd to forage and graze in their natural settings after each brief encounter, returning at night to the safety of the large "stables" on the property), being able to be this close and learn about these gentle giants will educate you and likely permanently change your views on how important it is to save these animals (Kruger has done too good a job and now has too many elephants, an exception to the rest of the country).

King cheetahs on the right

     CHEETAH: Another life-changing memory, that of actually seeing a cheetah accelerate (it can reach speeds of 70 mph in 3 seconds, faster than any Ferrari or Tesla; it can sustain this for only a short distance however and needs a long time to recover, often dragging its kill away for later since it is too exhausted to eat.  When initially starting the cheetah can reach 60 mph in three strides; at top speed a single stride will cover 26 feet and they can do three strides per second.  Population is vastly shrinking due to losing 91% of their habitat (estimates are that 7000+ remain in the wild).  Hunting during both day and night, the cheetah is distinguished by two black stripes alongside its nose, markings which act as a natural sun blocker in bright daylight.  The darker, blacker King cheetah is genetically inferior but more prized for its coat by poachers.  At HESC, we watched cheetahs chase a drag line around a small field, a quick realization that a human would have zero chance of escaping if this cat was after you.  Cheetahs cannot roar but to hear a cheetah purr is a sound you will always remember.  The cheetah's unusually long and flat tail is crucial for its balance while running at such high speeds...

LEOPARD: Solitary, larger and stronger than a cheetah but similar in appearance (a cheetah has spots while the leopard has rosettes; said Wikipedia: Rosettes are circular in East African leopard populations, and tend to be squarish in Southern African and larger in Asian leopard populations...Rosette patterns are unique in each individual.  This pattern is thought to be an adaptation to dense vegetation with patchy shadows, where it serves as camouflage).  Part of the panther genus (Panthera pardus), one theory to the name of the leopard is that early Greeks and Romans believed the animal to be a cross between a lion (Panthera leo) and a panther and combined the names LEO+PARD.  Also declining in population due to habitat loss and demand for its coat as fashion (India, home to 23% of all carnivore species, is estimated to house almost 13,000 leopards even after having killed 5,200 in the last <20 years).  Unable to roar but emits a cough-like bark.  Strong swimmers, leopards can drag their own weight and more after a kill although they prefer smaller kills (up to 70 lbs), often dragging it up a tree to avoid others stealing it.

LION: Another of the Big Five, the lion has also dropped to about 10% of its original population from the 1900s (now extinct in 15 African countries).  As curator Craig Saffoe told Smithsonian:

 95% of animals rescued from snares survive.

Lions have a huge historic range.  Evidence has been found as far back as the Neolithic period.  Lions used to exist throughout Africa, southwest Asia, the Middle East and southeast Europe (including present day Greece).  Considered the most social of all wild felines. Smaller than a tiger, male lions are known for their thick manes which darken as they age (the darker the mane, the healthier the lion). The lion's roar is penetrating and almost three-dimensional (quite frightening to hear and far from the MGM "lion").  Wrote Britannica: Where prey is abundant, a territory area may be as small as 20 square km (8 square miles), but if game is sparse, it may cover up to 400 square km.  Some prides have been known to use the same territory for decades, passing the area on between females.  South Africa alone has over 10,000 captive lions in farms for canned hunting and the illegal lion bone trade.

     RHINO: In the 1900s there were an estimated 500,000; now about 25,000 with 75% of those in South Africa; the northern white rhino went extinct last year.  Rhino horn (made of keratin, basically our fingernails) is the most expensive commodity on earth, worth more than gold or diamonds on the black market.  "White" name is a misinterpretation from weit, an Afrikaan term that meant wide (the white rhino has a square-like mouth for grazing).  Will often defecate in the same spot, digesting just 40% of what they eat (elephants defecate while walking).  Horn is built on a hunp so poachers often take part of the skull when chain-sawing it off, often causing the rhino to bleed to death.  Rhino do shed tears and emit a cry when shot, said Dr. Rogers.

    CROC: Same lifespan as humans but have been on Earth for 150 million years (humans, 200,000); same heart structure as humans.  Has 5 times the biting power of a lion but only downwards ("easy" to open a crocodile's mouth).  Fourth tooth visible in crocs but not in alligators.  No alligators in all of Africa.

Insides of a turtle shell

     So, the list goes on and on, and rather than presenting what may seem an endless series of animal data, I'll sum up the rest with what I found interesting about so many of the others.  The HIPPO does not swim but rather glides across land patches in the water; those TERMITE mounds (called a termitarium) are likely a hundred years old, a soccer ball-sized mound taking 5 years to build (termites are considered a superorganiism); SPIDER eyes reflect the light of a flashlight (thousands in the bush in Africa's summer); the WILD AFRICAN CAT

Guide Clifford showing a thorn vs. spine

and WILD AFRICAN DOG are considered the last remaining ancestors of our domestic animals (and severely threatened with going extinct; the Wild Dog was once considered vermin and is now the 2nd most endangered animal in Africa...the Wild Cat is the most widely-spread predator in all of Africa); a HYENA (typically the spotted hyena) can crunch through bone (including human) except that of a elephant, can run long distances, and can reach 35+ mph; can take down a wildebeest, and will eat every part of a kill (fur, bones, hair); ANTELOPES of Africa include the impala, Nyala, sable, topi, eland (the largest) and the springbok (the national animal of South Africa); the BOOMSLANG tree snake is the most venomous snake in Africa, a single drop can kill 25 humans (poison is defined as inhaled or ingested, while venom is caused by a bite or puncture -- the three types of venom are neurotoxic, cytotoxic and hemotoxic); TERRAPINS are common and differ from both turtles and tortoises but all share a "shell" that is basically their exposed skeleton with a spine down the middle (as the "hood" of a cobra is actually its ribs); a THORN is a modified leaf while a SPINE is a modified branch; the VACCINES used on wild cats are pretty much the same as those for domestic cats (distemper and rabies from domestic dogs is now spreading rapidly among lions, while tuberculosis from domestic cattle continues to spread to African buffalos, lions, baboons, and warthogs).  CATTLE still dominate the economy (almost all wildlife reserves were formerly cattle ranches; early history had farmers and cattle ranchers fencing off property and killing "trespassing" wildlife resulting in many species coming close to extinction); the controversial PAUL KRUGER first declared Pongola Game Reserve in 1889 (later rescinded) then declared another area in 1898 (which was later expanded and renamed Kruger National Park in 1926).

Blyde River Canyon from above

     Phew, that was a lot, eh?  But honestly, those were mere tidbits to all that we (and you) could experience.  Dacher Keltner wrote in his book Awe: One of them most alarming trends in the lives of children today is the disappearance of awe.  We are not giving them enough opportunities to discover and experience the wonders of awe.  Child or adult, your first time visiting the "wild" will do that, leave you in awe.  But beyond just seeing, it is making the effort to actually "see;" that is when your African world expands exponentially.  The reptiles as well as the animals, the grocery shoppers as well as the guides, eating the familiar as well as the unfamiliar (we ate a variety of traditional Afrikaaner food), the realization that this "wild" is huge and yet shrinking.  Still, once there, it is the definition of "the wild."

     There's an old saying in Zulu that sums up visiting Africa: zama-zamas.  It's a casual term: Take a chance.  If you have the time, take the time.  We managed to see a lot of South Africa in our short time there, and yet we really saw only the tiniest sliver of just one country, a large country in a large continent.  You likely grew tired of constantly reading "critically endangered" or "possibly the last ancestor," but in ten years who knows what will be there, what will change, or what will be gone.  If you have a chance, then TAKE that chance.  Zama-zamas.  Old tradition, old saying, but good advice...as author Jonathan Frazen wrote: We can’t make a reader care about nature.  All we can do is tell strong stories of people who do care, and hope that the caring is contagious.

**Elephant Moments was started in 2019 by Adine Roode, the daughter of Lente Roode who founded HESC.  When we visited, there was some controversy about the South African government wanting to take back the property, with or without the group's cooperation.  Politics in South Africa is again undergoing big changes, said The Conversation, but the options are limited.  Other elephant safaris are common in this area and generally expensive; that said, an *interesting view on safaris in general came from Foreign Affairs...it, too, may give you a different perspective on the changes continuing to happen in this country.