Page 34 - Fourways Gardens June 2021

Nature

It's amazing how close one can get
to animals in Kruger Park these days.

Wild AniMAlS – hoW cloSe cAn one Get?

B y Jame S Clarke, Pho t ogr a P hy B y m ary Bro adley

The flight distance is the distance at which a wild animal decides they put their heads in lions’ mouths. Other
whether to flee or take aggressive action. TV programmes depict wild animals in an
anthropomorphic way, often insinuating
there can be a sort of Doctor Dolittle bond
I animals in the wild will flee at our approach is Influenced by this, a few years ago some
between humans and wildlife.
recently wrote about how close we were
not, however, an immutable rule and it could
able to approach zebra when driving
be fatal to assume so. In fact, a ranger was
in Kruger Park once the park was fully
Southeast Asian students driving in a South
re-opened after the initial COVID-19
I’ve heard nothing of the circumstances.
lockdown. This brought a response from killed in the Kruger Park last month though African lion park saw a group of lions and two
of the students got out of their vehicle and
somebody who had noticed that lions at casually walked over to them wanting to pose
Crocodile Bridge were unfazed when he The problem is that, these days, ‘normal for photographs. They were instantly killed.
drove within a few metres of them. circumstances’ do not prevail over much
of Africa. We have to sow crops and so we About that time, I was driving a Hungarian
Has there been a change since the lockdown attract herbivores; we have to have livestock visitor in Kruger Park and stopped because
started – or are we imagining it? and so we attract carnivores; and, as Africa’s there were elephants in the road. My guest
human population grows, we have to leapt out of the car and ran towards the
It is interesting how, under normal conditions, establish villages and towns and invade the elephants gesticulating for me to take his
wild animals do not become overly alarmed – habitats of other large species – some bigger picture. Fortunately, the elephants fled.
cautious, yes – when they are approached and toothier than we are – and so a conflict
by vehicles. If we are on foot, they invariably situation arises. Nature has always been neutral. As John
move away as soon as they see us. Lions, Burroughs wrote a century ago, “Nature does
elephants, buffaloes – even crocodiles when Many overseas tourists have a perception of not care whether the hunter slays the beast
encountered on dry land – move away at our wild Africa that has been heavily influenced or the beast the hunter. She will make good
approach. Most, including lions, will even flee. by television programmes. Remember the compost of them both and her ends are
programme, Mad Mike and Mark not long prospered whichever succeeds.”
This doesn’t say much for humans. ago? They performed flamboyant and
Significantly, such animals do not shy away pointless antics, getting perilously close to We can make pets of lions, even romp with
from other species – buck will graze quite dangerous animals, seemingly to show off them. We can tame African elephants enough
close to resting lions. The hypothesis that just like circus lion tamers used to when to ride on their backs. But in the wilds, no

Fourways Gardens • 32 • June 2021