Safari Short Stories (2)

1. Sleeping with Lions

My personal highlight was on the second night when we camped in the Serengeti. We had driven far that day and had seen a multitude of animals, including a large pride of lions relaxing in the afternoon sun. As the day was drawing to a close we pulled up to our campsite where we would be sleeping that night. If ever you could describe somewhere as “the middle of no where” this was it. There was nothing to be seen for miles around but dry yellow grass with the occasional rock and tree and protruding from the ground. The campsite consisted of one “toilet” (hole in the ground), a flat patch where you could pitch your tent and a few tables at which you could eat. Aside from that there was no electricity, no bar and certainly no fences that stopped the animals wandering in… Once the sun had set, the stars came out in force and illuminated the tents that were huddled together in the middle of the clearing. We said our goodnights and went to bed, only to be awoken prematurely by a strange snuffling sound right near our tent. It sounded like it could have been a warthog or something similar, but we didn’t dare to poke our heads out to check. A little while later we could distinctly hear the deep growling of something larger, and more cat like... We froze in our tent, imagining lions walking by and investigating these funny new canvas bushes on the landscape. They passed without incident, but all through the night we heard various other unfamiliar noises and sounds. It reminded us we weren’t looking at animals in a zoo, but were actually incredibly fortunate to be guests in their home and sleep alongside them.

2. Monkey Business

In Tarangerie National Park, we stopped at a beautiful picnic site to eat our packed lunch. The site was surrounded on one side by trees and the other by a cliff that led down into a river where thirsty animals congregated to drink in the hot sun. Our guide Selma led us a free table at the corner and told us to sit down. He then proceeded to pick up some stones and hurl them at a nearby tree which was housing a number of hungry baboons, watching us take out our lunches. They scattered as soon as they saw him pick up the stones and when he returned he told us it was necessary to do this as we needed to “show them who was boss”, otherwise they would steal our lunch. He went on to tell us that baboons could tell the difference between African people and white people (called “Mzungus”). He said because the guides threw stones, they didn’t dare steal their lunch, but the Mzungu were easy targets and regularly had their lunch nicked. Sure enough, after a while a group of about 15 Americans Mzungus sat at a table right beside the wooded area of the picnic site. They were happily chatting away, taking photos and comparing packed lunches with each other, unawares of the imminent danger… Suddenly and without warning, two enormous male baboons with bared teeth and claws out, leaped from a nearby tree and bounded onto the table, landing right in the middle of the group! Mayhem ensued. Ladies were screaming, men were panicking, chairs were knocked over and children were running everywhere! All the while the baboons were howling and leaping around the table, grabbing as many lunch boxes as they could before the guides caught on and started hurling stones at them. Within seconds the baboons had jumped back onto the tree with their swag in hand and sat satisfied looking down on all the chaos, casually eating out of their packed lunch boxes as if their mothers had made them up for them that morning! If there is a moral to this story it is always throw stones at baboons before you eat your lunch, even if you live in a glass house!

3. Casualty on the Serengeti

This story isn’t funny, but just a big stroke of luck that we feel is worth writing about. On our Safari car, there was the two of us, a Brazilian and two English girls who were both doctors in Surrey. On our way to the Ngorogoro Crater, we saw in the distance some people on the road, breaking Safari rule number one: never leave your car. The reason for this heinous rule break soon became apparent. As we approached, we could see that their car had somehow flipped over, all the way off the road and lay on its side with its windows smashed, the doors and frame dented and bent and one of its tires burst. Two girls were sitting on the road, head in hands and a fair bit of blood on their faces. They were being tended to by the other passengers whilst the driver was looking shaken and conversing with someone on the phone. As soon as we pulled up beside them, the girls leaped out and ran over the casualties proclaiming “Everyone stay calm, we are doctors”. One of the girls Elaine, doing a good imitation of Mary Poppins, somehow produced a fully stocked medi-bag from her small rucksack and proceeded to clean their wounds and patch them up. Thankfully, after about 20 minutes of attention, the girls were as good as new and were able to get in our car so we could take them to the rangers office, where they would then get properly checked over. That night, the doctors were famous amongst the other Safari goers as the news had spread and we made sure that everyone (us included) bought them enough drinks as a reward for their heroism!