Page 35 - Fourways Gardens June 2021

Nature

How close would you venture, on foot, to this little family? By car, 50 metres In a car, one can approach resting lions within metres – but very slowly and
would be about the limit. with windows closed.

Buffalo – an uncompromising beast. They can be as docile as cattle, but If you're on foot and the hippo is out of the water, stay as far away as possible.
taken by surprise, anything can happen.
bond exists between us and them. Wild They would flee. Rural villagers resort to calculated these distances and concluded
animals live in fear of man but even some shouting to keep lions, hippos, elephants that lions retreat when a person gets to
normally timid species, such as the sable and wild pigs at bay and have turned within 80 metres, elephants at 150 metres in
antelope, tsessebe and giraffe, have been charging rhinoceroses. South African open country, and crocodiles at 150 metres
known to attack, lethally, in their defence. farmer, R de la B Barker, writing in African when discovered out of water. He said most
Wild Life magazine many years ago, told antelope rush off at about 20 metres. This last
This naivety about bonding with wild how one of his workmen turned a buffalo one, if it were accurate for those days, which I
creatures was epitomised in 2003 in Alaska nine times in succession by screaming at doubt, certainly no longer applies. Nowadays
when Timothy Treadwell (46) and his it. Big male baboons will repulse a hunting they’d flee at, at least, 50 to 60 metres. But
girlfriend, Amie Huguenard (37), were killed leopard by screaming at it. Ian Player, who outside protected areas, many antelope will
and partially eaten by a bear or bears near was for many years wildlife conservator in flee at 200 - 300 metres.
Kaflia Bay in Katmai National Park, southwest Zululand, was with a group of editors in
of Anchorage. Treadwell, a popular ‘eco the Umfolozi Game Reserve (now part of A course in an Mpumalanga college for
warrior’ on Discovery Channel, would get Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park) when a white rhino prospective game rangers offered advice
up close to brown bears (powerful cousins charged. There was one tree and, while on what distances various wildlife species
of the grizzly) unarmed and call out, ‘I love the editors stood one behind the other will remain and not feel threatened once
you.’ The couple decided to camp in bear behind the tree, Player stood his ground they become aware of one’s presence. To
country to prove the point that bears would and shouted, “Voetsek!” and the rhino move to within a certain distance will cause
not harm you if you did not harm them. veered away. Talking of which, a friend from an animal to display displacement activity –
Soon after the tragedy, a man was witnessed Johannesburg was in a Connecticut store just as a domestic cat (or even a lion) when
in the same national park luring bears with when he saw a group of agitated people uncertain about a situation will pretend to
food offerings and then whacking them with unable to control a frenzied, snarling dog. groom itself while deciding what action to
a stick. He explained, “I’m teaching them that My friend pushed his way through and take. An elephant will make as if it is feeding
humans are bad.” shouted “Voetsek!”. The dog slunk off. and then, as you draw closer into its flight-
or-fight zone, it will decide whether to attack
When at night lions walked into James Most animals have predictable ‘flight or flee. The ‘no nonsense’ hippopotamus,
Stevenson-Hamilton’s vegetable garden distances’, the distance at which they decide throughout its range, has been indicted as
at Sukuza (he was warden of Kruger Park whether to flee or take aggressive action. Africa’s most predictably aggressive mammal
from 1902 to 1946), he would go outside South African hunter, FJ Pootman, writing when approached – hence its reputation as
and, in his high, piping voice shout “Shoo!” of his experiences almost 80 years ago, the world's deadliest large land mammal.

Fourways Gardens • 33 • June 2021