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The Kruger shows "life's lessons" to us all the time. We simply need to accept them through our senses, and process the experiences and information deliberately.
 Our unique ability to activate our own perception, to conceive ideas and unearth the earliest of our memories through this process (ing) allows us to go forwards, and like life itself, to show and share our own thoughts and feelings with those who come into contact with us.
Conversations around the camp fire on safari are best described as 'aggregations' in animal behavioral terms - a coming together for a common goal. Not meant as a stable bond forming hierarchal grouping but rather as a collective, collaborative meeting place where resources can be shared, or protection against a common aggressor, or where information can be exchanged, and lessons can be learned. I conduct five - fourteen day aggregations with people I've never met before - they are called 'Safaris" These aggregations are important symbioses where mutual benefit relationships are established and worked though in order to achieve a common goal. I will offer guiding, entertainment and education in return for my family's sustainability. My guests will receive a safe, relaxed and professional service in order to achieve an insight to the wonderful world of African wildlife and ecology. And for the time we are together, my guests and I accept our different functions within this aggregation, respect our individual rights, wish lists and characteristics, and as time moves along, we start to enjoy non-hierarchical, dominance free short-term relationships formed with a common goal in mind. For me, every new safari is an exciting look into the way these aggregations are formed. At first, a little time is needed to establish that this meeting place is not built on dominance, aggression or the rules that govern submission, or other hierarchical aspects of bond-forming relationships or rank and file societies. A safari is a place built on a common goal for the benefit of all. After the initial skirting around and assessment, everybody relaxes, excited exchanges and knowledge swapping conversations become easier, and then the journey begins. At some point after the aggregation is formed we all start wanting to know about one another, we want share experiences and life stories, stories of hardship and happiness, and more importantly we all want to win from the journey.  It is during these times that I begin to really value and appreciate how lucky I am to be able to work in one of the most wonderful environments in the world, and to be able to meet and enjoy the company of so many interesting people without having to engage in behavioral defenses that so many people these days seem to have to in order to survive in a world of business, community and other societal pressures.
Someone once said "When you're in love, you can't sleep because your reality becomes better than your dreams!" Well I'm in love with what I do, and so far I have had some amazing realities with exceptional people in an environment filled with a myriad of "life's lessons" which I'm continually trying to process. I look forwards to more incredible journey's and reflect, with a great sense of achievement, on the journeys I've already had with all of my guests on safari in the Kruger! Waiting for lions (January 2009) It's about 05H30 in the morning. I have some guests in the vehicle and we're driving slowly along the N'waswitsontso River. The bush has greened up after the rains, the grass cover is high limiting our vision to ten or so meters around us. The sand road stretches ahead of us, winding its way to and from the riverbank. The Jackleberry trees look magnificent, so do the Nyala berries and the figs - A great place to take in some of the wonderful birds hanging around this 'fruit and veg' extravaganza. Parrots, green pigeons, barbets and perhaps one or two of the rarer species will come into view. I've selected this route because of its proximity to the river - early morning drives along a river can easily toss up some of the more high profile animals like elephant, lion or leopard. Just then a lioness crosses the road in front of us. She is looking for her pride - she walks to and from the bushes, scenting the air, letting out a soft Humph, stopping briefly to listen - then into the thick bush and down the bank into the riverbed - gone from our view as suddenly as she appeared.  I stop the vehicle and quickly explain to my guests that although we cannot see her, we need to listen, absolute quiet, and listen for her soft calls, and any return calls as my initial assessment was that she was trying to either locate her pride, or call them to her. We stop. The sun is beginning to light up the bush and the coolness of the early morning shade begins to evaporate into a warm humidity - signing in another hot day in the Kruger. The birds and insects around us provide the audio - in full stereo surround and the smells of herbs, wet vegetation and fresh elephant dung drying in the morning sun pack into a sensory bubble of expectation as we watch and listen for lions.
Another grunt - from the lioness - and then in the distance, a roar, and answering call from a lion - not the full thirteen part territorial roar we hear late at night, or in the early mornings, just an answering roar, and the good news is that it comes from our left. "The pride will cross the road, they're coming to her.!" I feel excited, but know full well that they may cross out of sight. They may even be relaxed, and simply wait deep in the bush for an hour or so…We wait, 15 minutes have passed since we saw the brief sighting of the first lioness. I tell my guests that although lions vocalize in social contact - they also, like the true cats, use olfactory senses to maintain contact. "There are glands under their feet that will leave a scent trail," I explain, "Let's wait at the point that the lioness crossed, and see what happens." 30 minutes pass; there have been no more vocal communication since the roar. "It's probably because they no longer need to call - they've made contact!" I reflect on how difficult it is for us to stay in contact when we loose visual contact. "We'll always have to rely on radio or telephone coms. In the bush, our ears and sense of smell are simply just too inactive to even think of using them to locate each other." I muse. "Perhaps some of us can track down a footprint or sign but when we loose visual contact in the bush - most of us will become lost!" 45 minutes have passed. We're all waiting. Waiting for lions because of a location call coupled with a theory. I reflect how nice it is to simply watch and listen to the bush around, the sounds and the myriad of colourfull flashes as the birds fly from one source of food to another. Life's good in the bush, but now the sun is really beginning to switch on the heat. "5 more minutes…" I am about to turn to my guests and call the sighting over when I catch the first tawny shape moving through the bush towards us. "There, a lioness!" I whisper. Then another, and another start moving towards our vehicle - they move onto the road less than five meters from us and flop down on the cool sand. Then, as if by magic, five two month old cubs come squirting out of the long grass in playful jest - like ping pong balls dancing in an air bubble, kittens at play - eyes alert to the next point of interest, and in this case it happened to be us. They ran straight up to the vehicle to have a look - only to move back five meters when mom called.  Two adult male lions followed - black mained and majestic, they didn't come onto the road, but walked across - one directly behind us, and one in front of us. The lionesses, the cubs and the two males stayed with us for 15 minutes, milling around the vehicle, rubbing each other in cat like greeting, and visibly enjoying the coolness of the gravel road. Then they moved off, as quietly as they came, they slunk into the bushes, down the riverbank and out view.
What a great sighting! "I'll call it 'waiting for lions', "I said, "and write it highlighting the importance of being able to interpret a theory." "Would you have cared if the lions didn't turn up?" I asked. "No, not at all," they all mused, "It was a wonderful experience just to sit and listen to the life around us!" Neil Heron |
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