A few weeks ago Zimbabwean child Courtney Sparrow was savagely mauled by a lion kept on a semi-domestic level by a neighbor in an effort to ward of Zimbabwean land invaders eager to seize the family farm.
The child survived, but this is a cautionary tale for many who assume that a tame lion is tame. It also renewed discussion on the nature of wild animals, and the folly of believing that living in close commerce with man makes these creatures safe. Many have been the cases, from Siegfried & Roy to Courtney Sparrow, where people have taken too lightly the threat posed by wild animals brought into captivity. Even more so the many instances where tourists forget that they are visitors to a savage environment.
This fact was strikingly examined in the 1975 Italian Mondo film Ultime Grida Dalla Savana, or Savage man Savage Beast as it was titled in English. The film courted great controversy for sensational scenes of animal and human violence, as well as to expose elements of beauty in the raw savagery of nature. No part of the film achieved this better than the by classic lion attack scene where, in a Namibian game park, a tourist named Pit Dernitz inexplicably gets out of his car and walks towards a feeding pride of lions to achieve a close up sequence…
Treat these vids with caution, they are very explicit…
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Continuing with the theme of elephants and man, the Mfuwe Lodge in Eastern Zambia has one of the most unusual relationship between us and them so far recorded on film.
Check out more picture of the Mfuwe Lodge Elephants below.
Perhaps the principal attraction of travel in southern Africa is the game parks and wildlife conservancies that form the basis of every great safari. Each of the main regions has one at least, some more, with names like Kruger National Park, Mana Pools, the Okavango Delta and Etosha Pan all firing the popular imagination with images of wild Africa.
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When touring the Garden Route along South Africa’s southern coast I stopped at Oudtshoorn and visited the Safari Ostrich Show Farm. It was an unforgettable experience.
The arid countryside resembles the Australian outback. Instead of sheep there are innumerable ostriches roaming far into the distance. What a perfect farm animal for such a climate! Every part of the bird is used - leather, meat, feathers and oil, and at the nearby backpacker’s hostel, I had scrambled ostrich egg for breakfast!
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here are currently an estimated 720 Mountain Gorillas surviving in the wild. These are divided up mainly between Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
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This sequence of photographs was sent to me by a friend in South Africa. Elephants are a familiar sight around some of the regions more remote bush camps and park rest camps. Like black bears they are attracted by the availability of food, in particular fruit and vegetables, but unlike black bears slinging your tucker in a tree is a waste of time…
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Few people can name the most dangerous animal in Africa - and in the world. Many people guess lions, while others think elephants or various snakes, spiders and sharks top the list. Most people are dead wrong, figuratively speaking. As the title denotes, hippos stand far above the average predator. To find out more about hippos read about Allan Taylor’s experiences in St. Lucia Lake, South Africa. Read this article
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