AN ENCHANTING AFRICAN ADVENTURE 12.6K
Total Views: 247 “The eye never forgets what the heart has seen.” – African proverb By Miriam Raftery Photos and videos by Mark and Miriam Raftery; Video editing Jacob Pamus September 7, 2023 (South Africa) — Bugling elephants emerge on the trail ahead of our safari vehicle. A white cloud of sacred ibises ascends from shimmering lake to sky. An endangered black rhinoceros raises its horn, a striking sentinel on the savannah as dusk approaches. Silhouettes of thorny acacia trees sway in the breeze against a flaming orange African sunset. These are memories that I will never forget. My recent journey through South Africa has, indeed, captured a part of my heart. It all started with winning an auction prize: a six-night stay at Zulu Nyala, a private game reserve in eastern South Africa with approximately 4,500 acres –home to around 40 species of animals. The reserve includes a mountaintop stone lodge, a second lodge, Hemmingway-style luxury glamping tents, and comfortably-appointed cottages, as well as a Zulu village. This preserve is for photo safaris only –no hunting, as the owner is dedicated to wildlife conservation. My husband and I, along with a group of other guests, were assigned to a Range Rover with Chris, an expert guide who proved adept at tracking the preserve’s abundant wildlife. Camaraderie quickly formed among our group; we sat together at the bountiful meals provided, enjoyed tropical drinks such as African sunrises at the in-house bar, and signed up for some side excursions. Our group included a National Geographic employee and her sister, a blissful pair of newlyweds, and a retired military couple along with their daughter. “If there were one more thing I could do, it would be to go on safari once again,” wrote Karen Blickson (who also wrote under the pen name Isak Dinesen), author of Out of Africa. Indeed, each outing on the safari trail had new surprises awaiting us—such as a spotted serval cat on the prowl, a trio of elephants marching straight up to our vehicle, sparring impalas, hippo heads popping above the waters of a pond, and birds that looked as if they’ve been painted with a rainbow palette of colors, such as the lilac breasted roller. There is a sad story behind preservation efforts in Africa: poaching. Organized crime rings have slaughtered rhinos in both private and public game preserves, ruthlessly cutting through fences, using night-vision goggles and even tracking GPS off images posted live on social media. A rhino horn can be sold for $100,000 or more on the black market for use in Chinese medicine, even though the horns are made of keratin, the same material as fingernails, and have no scientifically documented medicinal powers. Today, there are fewer than 5,000 black rhinos left in the world as African preserve fight to save those that are left. But there is hope. Once, there were far fewer southern white rhinos, a species that has been brought back from the brink of extinction. In the late 19th century, only about 20 to 50 southern white rhinos were left in the wild. Thanks to conservation efforts, there are around 18,000 today. On the other hand, sadly only two northern white rhinos are left in the world, both in Kenya. Scientists hope to save the species from extinction with frozen sperm and eggs, including sperm from the last male, which died recently at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. The hope is to create test-tube embryos and implant them into females of a different rhino species, an effort now underway in Kenya. Our journey took us through two national parks and two private reserves in South Africa. Some of these places have resorted to anesthetizing rhinos and cutting off their horns to save them from poachers. This doesn’t harm the rhinos, but does disfigure them. It’s also not a permanent fix – since the horns grow back over time. At Zulu Nyala, the philosophy is, “If you can afford to own rhinos, you can afford to hire protection for them,” said Chris. Here, rhino poaching patrols include guards in camouflage gear, armed with automatic weapons. They watch over the rhinos from guard towers; some facilities utilize helicopters and snipers hiding in the brush. The danger is greatest on full moon nights, when it’s easiest to spot the massive animals—but also to spot the poachers. The guards are authorized to shoot to kill if necessary, since poachers now come armed with assassin-style weaponry including ammo capable of piercing body armor. Safaris at Zulu Nyala are now offered only during the safety of daylight hours, as a result. We had up close views of both handsomely-horned black and white rhinos at Zulu Nyala, as well as numerous zebras, wildebeests, Cape buffalo, warthogs, giraffes including a newborn, monkeys, birds of prey, kudus, impalas, and nyalas; the latter is a type of large-horned antelope for which the place is named. Of Africa’s big five (so named because they are the most dangerous animals to hunt on foot),Zulu Nyala has four: black rhinos, elephants, leopards, and Cape buffalo. Only the leopard, a nocturnal cat, eluded us. To see lions, we visited the nearby Lion View preserve, where we saw a male lion, a mother and baby cheetah feasting on an antelope, jackals and more. Zulu Nyala is planning to add cheetahs soon, added bonuses for future visitors. There are several other side trip excursions as options, all with transport available from Zulu Nyala. We also visited the nearby Hluhluwe-Imfoloze Park, a world-famous national preserve. There, we were fortunate to see a pack of African wild dogs, the rarest mammal on the continent, our guide informed us. A group of baboons blocked traffic on a roadway including a nursing baby, adolescents at play, and a far-from-shy mating pair. Seemingly every mud hole held a wallowing water buffalo – a fearsome animal that unlike elephants and rhinos, does not “mock charge,” our guide advised. If a Cape Buffalo runs towards you, it means business. This
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