The first thing that fate threw at her as we headed on the track heading over the hill just outside the reserve was a pair of lions lazing a few yards off the route. A 'five-star' vehicle was already there so we should not really have stayed anyway but normally we can get away with a few moments. Jamie was torn between our appointment and the lions and our appointment won out so it was a few hurried photos as we headed past. But the fates had more in store and not long after, as we sped along the dirt track heading south, we came upon three male lions, strolling along without a care in the world. Five lions within twenty minutes and on the day we had a tight deadline. In this instance we could only slow down to a crawl and follow from behind as they ambled down the road; there was no alternative route at this stage and the ethos here is not to interact with the animals so keeping a distance was our only choice.
After ten minutes of following, the lions decided to break away and head into the bush so we rushed on to Born Free and made it just in time for our 9am visit. It was clear to me on arriving that, of the two sites, this is the one for visitors: while the north is functional with the compounds all lined up next to each other, this site had a neat car park, tidy thatched roof buildings and compounds that you get to by walking along tracks through high shrub. The reception video and information area are exactly the same but the environment is clearly more visitor focused.
We saw the lion graveyard where lions that had been rescued to see out their days in their own 'little piece of Africa' had ultimately done just that, little stone mounds individually named and overlooking the plain outside the foundation site. We saw two compounds with lions and heard from the enthusiastic woman guiding us the stories behind their arrival and of those that had been in the compounds before (most seem to come from Eastern Europe and, strangely, France). And we saw a leopard. This was the only big cat I had yet to see here. Large, powerful and graceful, there was something about this animal that seemed to have a sense of purpose and presence that even the lions lacked and it was a shame that I had to see one from a viewing platform overlooking a compound and not out in the reserve.
The visit over, we headed out under a darkening sky and the first drops of rain. Originally we were going to join the other group in the north who were now trying to finish the repairs on the road we had started two weeks ago but as the few drops turned into a fine drizzle it was decided we would join them and then all head back to the lodge for lunch followed by lectures. But by the time we caught up with them, parked up at a high point overlooking the valley below, the sun was out again so we enjoyed our lunch in the field instead and revived the plan to try and complete the road work.
By the time we got to the work site the sun was out and we spent a hot and sweaty couple of hours working on the track we had started some days back, filling the rut with more stones and more mud dug from the sides. It was then time to head quickly back for presentations and, with Jamie rushing to try to maintain the day's schedule, this is when the fates jumped in for the third time. On the main track heading back towards the lodge we encountered a herd of elephants wandering towards us and stopping to feed occasionally on the shrubs and trees along the roadside. This was a family group of mothers and youngsters, about twelve in all, and we were going nowhere.
We pulled off the road as best we could and sat and watched, engine off. There is something special about sitting watching animals with only the sounds of their breathing and eating for accompaniment; it seems so much more close and personal. For some time we sat there as they moved slowly towards us and then in single file, slowly passed the vehicle. A few sniffs from trunks, elephants throwing dust and dirt over their backs and the matriarch turning and peering at us through the open back of the vehicle, her face and eyes filling the gap between the seats and the roof, made the whole experience so much more intense and all only a few feet from us as we sat in silence and awe.
The family group safely behind us we headed off again, but not for long. We soon came upon a lone male who was clearly following the herd we had previously encountered and so once again had to stop until he had passed. By this time it was going to be too late to do the presentations as we got back to the lodge not long before dinner so they were postponed until tomorrow. That evening however we did all sit in the communal room, lounging on sofas and bean bags to watch a documentary on rhinoceros poaching that the rangers had on their itinerary for us; they even got the kitchen staff to provide popcorn. For me it was a one hour film crammed into two hours and reflected much of what I already now knew but it helped pass the evening before one last giant game of Uno and bed. Overall it wasn’t a bad last day on the reserve....
No comments:
Post a Comment