Safari Day Two

Safari Day Two

Our first day on safari was an incredible experience and we were lucky to have seen so many animals.  It was hard to imagine that our second day could equal or top the first. Our goal was to see those final two members of the “big 5”.

Day two felt different than day one. We were able to enjoy and watch the animals more without feeling the pressure to move on and see what else was out there.

Some of us were talking afterwards about different patterns and concepts we picked up on. Carolyn Shield was able to summarize them in a list of three:

1)   Helping each other

We were able to see that animals, like humans, help each other by offering support. This was especially shown when we would see Zebras, Impalas, and Wildebeasts, for example, all eating together in the same area. Our guides explained that they do this because they are all prey and the Impala has the best vision and hearing of the three, so when an Impala calls out to the herd that there is a predator the Zebras and the Wildebeasts can escape as well. Of the three the Wildebeast has the poorest vision making it the most susceptible to predators.

In the picture below is another group we often saw together: elephants, giraffes, and impala.

2)   Coexistence is possible

The animals in Kruger are used to humans and trucks driving through the park. Therefore both can coexist with respect. Animals do have ways to communicate as seen in the video below of the elephant or run away if the interaction is too intense. We just need to listen to each other.

3)   Protection

We saw many times throughout the day animals protecting one and other. This was especially seen with mothers and their babies. Babies instinctively stay close to their Moms, but if they don’t the mothers would herd the babies closer and create a boundary between them and a perceived threat.  This is something we can directly relate to as human beings, the need to protect and nurture our young. To see it firsthand at Kruger with so many of the species there was really incredible. 

By the end of the day we realized that each day of safari brings new and interesting experiences. We ended the day with a group of elephants crossing the road, and seeing the leopard we had been searching for! Below is the video of the elephant crossing.