Walk with caution on the wild side of life

THIS week we have shared two significant wildlife stories from our region; both had happy endings, but could have gone horribly wrong.

The first involved video footage taken from a vehicle in the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi game reserve, where a large bull elephant approached another vehicle ahead of the person taking the video.

Elephants up close can certainly be extremely intimidating, and although in this instance the animal did not demonstrate aggressive behaviour, its presence was enough to scare the passenger.

He promptly exited the car and fled into the surrounding bush, much to the disbelief and shock of those filming the incident.

All ended well, as the inquisitive elephant sauntered off, although at one stage it looked like it wanted to seek out the occupant who had fled.

Subsequent advice on what to do – or what not to do – in such a circumstance was given by wildlife authorities.

Suffice to say that getting out of a vehicle at any game reserve is a no-no. Wild animals are exactly that: they are unpredictable and must always be treated as dangerous.

The second incident happened adjacent to the canal on the John Ross highway on Tuesday, near the Alton robots, when a large hippo began grazing close to the roadside.

Vehicles immediately began stopping as excited locals grabbed cellphones for photos and videos.

Many tried to get as close as possible to take a selfie, putting themselves and others in danger.

While the animal was grazing contentedly and appeared unfazed by the close proximity of humans, it would not have taken much for the beast to demand its privacy – as happened recently when a man was forced to run for his life at exactly the same place when the hippo charged.

This was not an isolated incident, as hippos often cross between the canal and Lake Mzingazi.

Generally, they graze on land at night and bask in the water during the day, and are best left alone as they are responsible for many deaths each year.

We must remember that, although it was close to a built-up area, they were there before man intruded into their traditional space.

It is a tremendous privilege to be able to see the likes of elephants, hippos, lions, buffalo and other creatures in our region, but the onus is on us to do so safely without taking risks.

Even placid-looking animals such as giraffe and zebra can cause considerable damage, as we sadly witnessed recently.

So, walk on the wild side, but do so with caution.