Overseas briefing 2/25/10

NELSPRUIT, South Africa—Being told that if you can’t find a tree when charged by a rhino you should lie flat on the ground because it won’t be able to reach you with its horn and will only be able to trample you does not inspire much confidence.

Amidst the snows of a Middlebury  J-term I could not actually imagine myself being near enough to such creatures that I would need to worry about such things, but here I am in the Kruger National Park surrounded by many dangerous animals.  Upon our arrival to Skukuza, the main camp in the Kruger National Park, we received the most humbling safety talks I’ve ever heard. We learned what to do if confronted with elephants, white rhinos, black rhinos, hippos, cape buffalo, leopards and lions, all of which we might encounter and all of which have the capacity to kill a person. If a rhino, hippo or buffalo charges you need to have an eye on the nearest tree and climb it immediately. However, elephants can push trees over and leopards and lions can climb trees, so tree climbing is a big no if they attack. If an elephant charges, it’s best to run and start shedding backpacks and clothing as you run, as this will distract them temporarily and give you more time to escape. However, for lions and leopards you should never run. Running from them automatically makes you prey in their eyes. For lions, you should look them directly in the eyes and scream the worst possible curses at them to scare them off. Leopards you must never look directly in the eyes because this supposedly triggers an attack. Despite these worrying instructions, most often, you can back away slowly if you come upon any of these animals by surprise. While these warnings are a bit terrifying, we are yet to have any dangerously close encounters out in the field.

These warnings are necessary, though, because unlike most visitors to the Kruger National Park, we are able to get out of our game drive vehicles because we are expected to do research in the field. We are always accompanied by one or two armed game guards. We have been doing field research at sites along the Sabie river. Days in the field start early and end late and can be extremely exhausting, with temperatures reaching over 110˚F. On a recent day off, we got to escape the heat and go paddling on the Sabie river, upstream of where it runs through the park. Like most adventures here, paddling has its own dangers as both crocodiles and hippos inhabit the Sabie river. This meant no swimming except in the relative safety of the rapids.

This of course did not stop us from having water wars as we paddled, splashing one another and tipping boats. And the feeling I got as we paddled downstream was unlike anything I’ve felt at home. It was a mixture of a fear of what was swimming about below me, a lot of excitement about what lay around the next bend, and tremendous awe at the landscape around me. This sense of awe is something I feel anytime we step into the field. It feels almost as if we are in Jurassic Park every time we hear the rustle or grunt of a large animal nearby. I half expect to see a T. Rex or triceratops lurch out of the brush.  It is humbling to know that there are creatures out that can easily overpower me. Knowing this commands an even deeper respect and awe for the natural world around me here, knowing I am a guest, very much at the mercy of my hosts.