Travel

Big 5

 

If there were no elephant in the jungle, the buffalo would be a great animal

~ Ghanaian Proverb

 

Everyone has heard of The Big 5; Rhino, elephant, African lion, Cape Buffalo, and African leopard. For many people, an expensive safari in a national park like The Serengeti, Kruger or The Masai Mara is a once in a lifetime experience.

We have been privileged to see so many animals in the wild in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Kenya and South Africa. There is nothing else like it. I can never tire of it. There is actually nowhere that I would rather be.

Our first safari was in Mosi O Tunya. It’s quite a unique space, as being free of predators, the chance to see lots of game is elevated. On that first rugged drive, in a beat up old Land Rover, we found a grumpy fella called Gumdrop. He was one of just five white rhinos there at that time. He stared straight at us and dragged his hoof through the sandy earth a few times, making threats to charge at us. The vehicle had probably startled him. Our guide slammed the gearstick into reverse and we sped off, backwards!

In Meru NP, Kenya, we found a few magnificent black rhinos. They are now under armed guard to be protected from poachers. Why is this necessary?

Of course you get it; The disgusting demand for animal horn or ivory, the unscrupulous traders, the unemployed local people who can be exploited to survive. You understand why it happens. But it shouldn’t.

I could write myriad tales of elephant sightings; stunning, majestic mammoths in Mosi O Tunya, Chobe and Amboselli national parks. It’s so exciting to see them. But what will Africa be like without them if they don’t survive?

The African leopard took a bit more effort to see and lived up to its reputation of being elusive. After 13 years of safaris, we finally saw one in the wild, on an early morning game drive in the Masai Mara. She had been wounded, I guess in a fight. Instead of shyly retreating to a tree, she indulged us. The chui strolled along in the open and allowed us to observe her from a distance for some time.

Watching big cats is mesmerizing. You can sit there for ages and you don’t notice the time passing. I can’t imagine not having had these experiences. Watching these animals in the wild has been, by far, better than anything else when travelling.

A ranger told us about the Ugly 5; Hyena, wildebeest, vultures, warthog and marabou storks. The list is an ongoing debate for us. We were chased by hyena cubs in Amboselli one time and they came right up to the jeep and started licking the tyres. They were adorable, not ugly. Watching the wildebeest migration, those agile, awkward creatures crossing the river, were fascinating and not at all unsightly. And if you ever watch a warthog running, with it’s little tail pointing upright, I defy you not to find it endearing. Ugly or not, all these animals play their role in the ecosystem.

Many of these animals are in trouble.

Nairobi’s fantastic national park will lose huge chunks of its land for a development. The park is currently home to many wild animals and is the only one of its kind, in the middle of a city. It’s situated so near to the capital, that you witness a unique skyline, comprising high rise buildings and giraffes. Now plans are underway to construct a 6 kilometer railway line inside the park. Of course this will have a direct impact on the wildlife and encroach on their turf.

I read a piece in Africa Geographic a few days ago which detailed the ‘Sad 5’ in South Africa; Riverine rabbits, Pickersgill’s reed frog, Knysna seahorses, Golden moles and Cape Vultures. What makes them the Sad 5? They are all endangered animals.

Why should we care? Most people have probably never heard of them. And now you’re probably not going to see them.

We should care.

This matters because we need ecosystems to survive, for our food and for our world. Changes to the ecosystem will have a knock on effect to animal populations. And our world will be worse off without them.

Conservationists around the world work tirelessly to preserve our wildlife. Sometimes people have an affinity for a particular animal and will campaign to save that species. This kind of safeguarding work is needed now more than ever.

Of course there’s no debate that there are huge global issues to address like poverty, corruption and climate change. But as tourists we can play our part and make some careful choices about where to go when we travel. We can opt to support credible conservation efforts.

We have chosen to support the work of the David Sheldrick Trust. We became aware of their conservation efforts while we were living in Nairobi. Their staff rescue orphaned elephants and work to rehabilitate them. Poaching is rampant. Elephant numbers are rapidly diminishing.

In Cape Town’s striking Constantia Valley, you can find Eagle’s Nest wine estate. As well as offering fine wines, including a stunning Shiraz, they are supporting the Western Cape Raptor Research Program, an attempt to preserve the last Verreaux’s Eagles in Table Mountain National Park.

The Cape Leopard Trust is conducting research to conserve the predator in the Western Cape. Leopards are under threat by humans, as they are sometimes killed after taking livestock from local farms. The future for these big cats is uncertain.

And of course SANCCOB have established the facility at Boulders Beach, where they hand rear abandoned African Penguin chicks. When tourists visit, the proceeds from their entrance ticket, as well as donations, help to fund the preservation of the ‘Jackass penguin’ species.

Surely, when we travel, we can seek out credible conservation projects and put our tourist dollar to some use.

Have you visited a good conservation project when travelling somewhere in the world?

 

 

© Maggie Miranda / Mother City Time