Page 19 - Dainfern Precinct Living 5 2021

NATURE

and shouted, “Voetsek!” and the
rhino veered away. Talking of which,
a friend from Johannesburg was in
a Connecticut store when he saw a
group of agitated people unable to
control a frenzied, snarling dog. My
friend pushed his way through and
shouted “Voetsek!”. The dog slunk off.

Most animals have predictable
If you're on foot and ‘flight distances’, the distance at
the hippo is out of the which they decide whether to flee
water, stay as far away or take aggressive action. South
as possible. African hunter, FJ Pootman, writing
of his experiences almost 80 years
The flight distance is the distance at ago, calculated these distances
and concluded that lions retreat
which a wild animal decides whether to when a person gets to within
80m, elephants at 150m in open
flee or take aggressive action. country, and crocodiles at 150m
when discovered out of water.
He said most antelope rush off at
and stopped because there were offerings and then whacking them about 20m. This last one, if it were
elephants in the road. My guest with a stick. He explained, “I’m accurate for those days, which I
leapt out of the car and ran towards teaching them that humans are bad.” doubt, certainly no longer applies.
the elephants gesticulating for me Nowadays they’d flee at, at least,
to take his picture. Fortunately, the When at night lions walked into 50m to 60m. But outside protected
elephants fled. James Stevenson-Hamilton’s areas, many antelope will flee at
vegetable garden at Sukuza (he 200m - 300m.
Nature has always been neutral. was warden of Kruger Park from
As John Burroughs wrote a century 1902 to 1946), he would go outside A course in an Mpumalanga college
ago, “Nature does not care whether and, in his high, piping voice shout for prospective game rangers offered
the hunter slays the beast or the “Shoo!” They would flee. Rural advice on what distances various
beast the hunter. She will make good villagers resort to shouting to keep wildlife species will remain and not feel
compost of them both and her ends lions, hippos, elephants and wild threatened once they become aware
are prospered whichever succeeds.” pigs at bay and have turned charging of one’s presence. To move to within
rhinoceroses. South African farmer, a certain distance will cause an animal
We can make pets of lions, even R de la B Barker, writing in African to display displacement activity – just
romp with them. We can tame African Wild Life magazine many years ago, as a domestic cat (or even a lion)
elephants enough to ride on their told how one of his workmen turned when uncertain about a situation will
backs. But in the wilds, no bond a buffalo nine times in succession by pretend to groom itself while deciding
exists between us and them. Wild screaming at it. Big male baboons what action to take. An elephant will
animals live in fear of man. Even will repulse a hunting leopard by make as if it is feeding and then,
some normally timid species, such screaming at it. Ian Player, who was as you draw closer into its flight-or-
as the sable antelope, tsessebe for many years wildlife conservator in fight zone, it will decide whether to
and giraffe, have been known to Zululand, was with a group of editors attack or flee. The ‘no nonsense’
attack, lethally, in an effort to defend in the Umfolozi Game Reserve (now hippopotamus, throughout its range,
themsleves. part of Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park) has been indicted as Africa’s most
when a white rhino charged. There predictably aggressive mammal when
This naivety about bonding with wild was one tree and, while the editors approached – hence its reputation
creatures was epitomised in 2003 in stood one behind the other behind as the world's deadliest large land
Alaska when Timothy Treadwell (46) the tree, Player stood his ground mammal.
and his girlfriend, Amie Huguenard
(37), were killed and partially eaten In a car, one can approach resting
by a bear or bears near Kaflia Bay lions within metres – but very
in Katmai National Park, southwest slowly and with windows closed.
of Anchorage. Treadwell, a popular
‘eco warrior’ on Discovery Channel,
would get up close to brown bears
(powerful cousins of the grizzly)
unarmed and call out, ‘I love you.’

The couple decided to camp in bear
country to prove the point that bears
would not harm you if you did not
harm them. Soon after the tragedy,
a man was witnessed in the same
national park luring bears with food
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