# One Day On Safari



## Damaged Goods (Jun 16, 2020)

The guide inexplicably let two tourists approach a small herd of elephants on foot.  Two bulls charged but stopped abruptly.  The guide explained that this was a "bluff," and is used quite frequently by elephants.  I guess you could say that they're reminding intruders to scram.  Social distancing must be maintained after all.

The guide told the tourists to retreat by walking slowly, backwards, to the bus.  Once on the bus, he complimented the tourists for remaining cool and calm.  But then there was an earthquake.  Actually, it was a female elephant who charged and rammed the bus, nearly turning it over.

Guess she wanted to give her own two-cents-worth on social distancing.


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## Warrigal (Jun 17, 2020)

Beware cranky females for the female of the species ...


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## jerry old (Jun 17, 2020)

Warrigal said:


> Beware cranky females for the female of the species ...



I'm not in the mood!


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## Warrigal (Jun 17, 2020)

Damaged Goods said:


> The guide inexplicably let two tourists approach a small herd of elephants on foot.  Two bulls charged but stopped abruptly.  The guide explained that this was a "bluff," and is used quite frequently by elephants.  I guess you could say that they're reminding intruders to scram.  Social distancing must be maintained after all.
> 
> The guide told the tourists to retreat by walking slowly, backwards, to the bus.  Once on the bus, he complimented the tourists for remaining cool and calm.  But then there was an earthquake.  Actually, it was a female elephant who charged and rammed the bus, nearly turning it over.
> 
> Guess she wanted to give her own two-cents-worth on social distancing.


In 2000, Hubby and I took a safari holiday in Kenya - tourism, not hunting.
Being Australians where there are no big scary mammals we were fascinated as we were driven around in a 4 wheel open vehicle. We saw groups of zebra, giraffe and elephants. Hubby asked the guide what would happen if he exited the vehicle - "Would they run away?"

Our Kenyan guide was highly amused. "They would run away', he said. "but not away."
The next day Hubby tried another question. "What do you feed the lions?"
Again the guide was laughing. "They feed themselves". 

Hubby stopped asking questions after that. 

It was a wonderful tour. We visited The Ark, Sweetwaters Reserve and Masai Mara. Something we will remember to the end of our days.


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## win231 (Jun 18, 2020)

Warrigal said:


> In 2000, Hubby and I took a safari holiday in Kenya - tourism, not hunting.
> Being Australians where there are no big scary mammals we were fascinated as we were driven around in a 4 wheel open vehicle. We saw groups of zebra, giraffe and elephants. Hubby asked the guide what would happen if he exited the vehicle - "Would they run away?"
> 
> Our Kenyan guide was highly amused. "They would run away', he said. "but not away."
> ...


The lions feed themselves?  I wonder if there were fewer passengers at the end of the tour?

Reminded me of a guide that took some hikers through bear country:
He said, "Problems can occur when people unexpectedly stumble across bears. We advise hikers to wear tiny bells on their clothing to warn bears of their presence.  And always be alert when you know bears are in the area, especially if you see bear droppings."
One tourist asked, "How do you identify bear droppings?"
"Easy," replied the ranger.  "They're the ones with the tiny bells in them."


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## Warrigal (Jun 18, 2020)

Before Kenya, in 1985, we spent 6 weeks in Canada. What I read about bears scared the daylights out of me. The death toll and casualties due to bears was a lot worse than sharks and crocodiles combined in Australia.

I wasn't reassured by the advice that should we encounter a bear in the woods we should lie down and play dead - unless we were in a campsite because the bear probably associated campsites with food. Apparently playing dead was also useless if you happened to be between the she-bear and her cub.

Needles to say we did not go wandering off in the woods.


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## Damaged Goods (Jun 18, 2020)

Warrigal said:


> Being Australians where there are no big scary mammals



Maybe not big, scary mammals but loads of other kinds according to nature shows.  Funnel web spider as well as well as another one whose name I can't recall that is even more aggressive than the funnel-web.  Australia has the largest number of deadly snake species.  There are warning signs on public beaches about snakes! Blue-ringed octopus, Australian sea snake, platypus ....  I'm omitting others that I've forgotten

Curiously, according to the nature programs, New Zealand has one bad insect and he's isolated in a small area of one of the islands.


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## jerry old (Jun 18, 2020)

Remembering Steve Irwin, running around grapping every snake he could.
Miss old Steve, the enthusiasm he had while slinging deadly snakes around-ha!


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## Damaged Goods (Jun 18, 2020)

jerry old said:


> Remembering Steve Irwin, running around grapping every snake he could.
> Miss old Steve, the enthusiasm he had while slinging deadly snakes around-ha!



Yeah, and that reminds me of him tormenting a salt-water crocodile in (drum roll) where else but Australia.  I mean, he was literally a few feet away from the beast dancing and taunting.


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## Damaged Goods (Jun 18, 2020)

And one time in Africa, he sat on a stool that was no more than two feet away from the face of a white rhino, pointing his fingers in the creature's eyes, describing them in detail, while the rhino ate some sort of white gruel from a bucket.


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## win231 (Jun 18, 2020)

jerry old said:


> Remembering Steve Irwin, running around grapping every snake he could.
> Miss old Steve, the enthusiasm he had while slinging deadly snakes around-ha!


Steve Irwin was one of the biggest idiots on the planet who would do anything for attention - including abusing animals & putting his own baby daughter at risk:  (no loss)


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## Warrigal (Jun 18, 2020)

Damaged Goods said:


> And one time in Africa, he sat on a stool that was no more than two feet away from the face of a white rhino, pointing his fingers in the creature's eyes, describing them in detail, while the rhino ate some sort of white gruel from a bucket.


I was quite close to two rhinos while in Kenya. One was as quiet as a milk cow. He had been emasculated when quite young by an adult male and lived in a sanctuary as Sweetwaters. He just grazed quietly outside a kiosk and we could actually pat him. He paid no attention to us at all. Somewhere I have the photo.

The other one was at Masai Mara. He was to be the sire of a new herd but because poachers were still active in the area he had a 24/7 armed guard. Two rangers watched over him all the time and I was able to stand within about 20 feet of him. It was a breath taking experience. The next step was to bring in some females so hopefully by now he is a grandfather and the poachers have been unable to take any of his progeny. Those rangers were amazing in their dedication to the wild life.

By the way, one of my nieces worked at Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo in Queensland. He was quite mad without being actually certifiable.


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## jerry old (Jun 18, 2020)

Warrigal
thanks for info on old Steve:
Yea, Steve was just a bit high strung, when he started romancing crocs, slinging snakes where you gonn'a, find someone brave enough to grab him amidst the snakes and take him to 'the home.'


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## Damaged Goods (Jun 19, 2020)

Warrigal said:


> Beware cranky females for the female of the species ...



I suspect that this particular elephant had a young one in the herd and was being extra cautious and protective.


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