Page 23 - The Villager June 2021

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

The Villager • Issue 6 2021 • 21