The Africa Journals, Ch. 13, Hippos Can't Jump

The Africa Journals

Chapter 13

Hippos can’t jump

There are as many worlds as there are kinds of days, and as an opal changes its colors and its fire to match the nature of a day, so do I.” ― John Steinbeck 

The hippopotamus was thirsty.  It went to the river, hoping to drink and cool itself in the water.   The crocodiles that lived in the river told the hippo to go away. 

I need to drink, said the hippo.   I need to wade in the water and take some of the great weight of my body off my legs.

No, said the crocodiles.  You will eat us.   We’re afraid of you.

I won’t eat you, replied the hippo.   I eat grass.

We don’t believe you, answered the crocodiles.

I will prove it to you.   Every five minutes, I will open my mouth wide and you can see for yourself.

And so the hippos and crocodiles lived together in the river, and that’s why hippos frequently open their mouths wide.—African legend as told by a Zulu guide

Sam parks the Land Rover on the bank of a large pond.  The surface of the water is marbled with hippo eyes and hippo ears and whatever other hippo bumps stick up above the water.  

 Far across the pond, a hippo opens its mouth wide.

The inside of a hippo's mouth is pink.   This guy was in the shade so it looks gray, but just look at those huge teeth.

Nearer to us, another hippo opens its mouth.   Sure enough, neither is chewing on a crocodile.

Sorry, not in focus, but the right color.

They do, however, appear desperately in need of an orthodontist.  Hippos have a lot of teeth—up to 40 if some of their milk teeth are still present, but your eyes stop at those massive ivory canines and razor-sharp incisors.   

You just don’t want to get close enough to count those teeth because those monstrous incisors and canines can cut you in half.

Here’s another reason to stay away from hippos:  when they defecate, their tails switch back and forth rapidly, thus dispersing their dung in a wide area.

Along with the Cape Buffalo, hippos are bad-tempered when defending their young, their territory, or just for the plain orneriness of it.  Some sources claim hippos kill around 3000 people a year, often attacking boats for no apparent reason.

You can’t outrun a hippo.  They’ve been clocked at 19 mph.   Fortunately, they spend most of the day, some 16 hours, in water to keep their massive bodies cool, coming out in the evening to graze on grasses.   They are also fast and graceful in the water, bounding along with the aid of buoyancy by just tapping their feet on the bottom to propel themselves.  On land, they often appear cumbersome, and they cannot jump even small ditches.

They exude a reddish liquid, making them appear to be bleeding, but it acts like sunscreen to protect their skin from drying and cracking.

We were watching this mother and baby when a nearby hippo disappeared under the surface....

Though their form brings pigs to mind, the hippos’s closest living relatives, according to DNA testing, are cetaceans—whales, porpoises, etc.

...and surfaced directly in front of us.

Fortunately, there were a lot of boulders in between us and the hippo, hard-going for the hippo.   But it remained there at the shoreline, giving us the stink eye.

As with many animals, hippos are losing habitat.   They are hunted for their meat—and for those 20-inch long, ivory canine teeth.    George Washington's false teeth were carved from hippo ivory, rather than wood as commonly believed, according to one source.

Hippo track on the road.

Francis has drawn its outline.

And placed his hand in it.  Hippos will sometimes walk six miles at night to get to their favorite browsing area, returning at dawn to the water,

Photo from Wikimedia Commons

Though the crocodiles may have extracted a non-aggression agreement from the hippos, the hippos neglected to gain the same promise and crocodiles have been filmed attacking young hippos.

We drive on.

The Africa Journals, Ch. 12, Safari!

The Africa Journals

Chapter 11

Safari!

There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign.
― Robert Louis Stevenson, The Silverado Squatter

Half past three in the afternoon of our first day at Mabula Game Lodge, we gather at the covered entrance.  Laid out on tables for us are coffee, tea, and cookies.

Bob, Gail, and Arlene munching cookies.

Across the paving bricks, Land Rover safari vehicles await their passengers.   Some are covered with canvas; some are not; all are open on the sides.   An appetizer tray comes to mind, or a pupu platter, in which tourists are served up as snacks for predators or for the just plain ornery.

We load up, Sam driving, and into the reserve we go.   I am struck by the realization that I have no dimensional scale here.  Though I avidly search for animals, I have no reference as to their size.

 

Sam

I know elephants are huge, but in relation to the trees and brush, how huge?  It is a novel perception for me.

Gail and Bob in the back, Arlene with her husband Gerry in near front seat.  Our tour director Brian is behind Gerry.

We head immediately to a spot where Cape Buffalo were seen and find them a hundred feet off the trail in brush.  They usually graze at night and find shade during the day.

Cape Buffalo

Of the big five, the Cape Buffalo is considered to be the most dangerous, not only because of its bad temper, but because it is so unpredictable.    Wounded buffalo have been known to ambush and attacks hunters.  Local lore claims that around 200 people are killed by the buffalo every year, but the same claim is made of hippos and crocodiles.

Nonetheless, the Cape Buffalo is also known as the Black Death or the Widowmaker.

Though  similar in appearance to the Asian water buffalo, they are not closely related, nor are they the ancestor of domestic cattle.  The African buffalo has never been domesticated, entirely because of its unpredictability.

According to Brian, a captive Cape Buffalo, a perfect specimen,  recently sold for $2 million to a private breeding concern.

They can grow to more than five feet at the shoulder, seven to eleven feet in length, and males can weigh a ton or more.  The horns fuse at their base, creating an armor-plated boss that not even a rifle bullet can penetrate.  The horns can measure 40 inches across at the tips.

These buffalo have demonstrated remarkable memories and strength.   Stronger than an ox, they can easily tip over a vehicle, a not-so-comforting thought.

A guide radios that he has seen the elephant herd and we arrive soon after to see a half-dozen or more in thick trees and brush.

Occasionally one moves into the clear, but mostly we see long trunks reaching upwards and breaking off tree branches with a sharp “crack.”

That is not a giraffe neck or a tree trunk in the center of the picture.  It's an elephant trunk.

Two of the Big Five so far on our first drive, and we have more to see.

Egyptian geese

The beautiful Impala, unfortunately a entree favorite of all the predators.

We pass zebras (pronounced zeh-bra) in Africa.  They are smaller than I thought they'd be, but just as striking.

I think I'm getting some frame of reference for size, until we stop beside a giraffe that's on the other side of a tree from us.  My camera is set on "continuous," and takes four photos every time I push the shutter button.

The giraffe raises it head from a delicious tree top, almost out of the camera’s frame.  Perfect, I think.    This epitomizes the gorgeous giraffe.

I have a lot more to learn about the scale of things here in the bushveld.

Sam slips the Land Rover into gear, and the safari continues…

The Africa Journals, Ch. 11, Mabula Game Lodge

The Africa Journals

Chapter 11

Mabula Game Lodge

We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.― Jawaharlal Nehru

Lunch time at Mabula Game Lodge, so we checked into our rooms, surveyed our home for the next four days, and headed for the dining room.

 

The lobby.

My room was to the right of the fire extinguisher.

I was already in love with this place.  Comfort without pretense, just my style.

 

My room.   Loved the old skeleton key

And the buffet meals were an adventure.

One small part of the buffet.

My salad plate.  Tomato and cheese, marinated veggies, a small piece of smoked mackerel, Kudu tenderloin, and cole slaw.  I had no idea what a "kudu" was.  

 

From the bottom:  Gnu cottage pie, creamed spinach, pasta, and chicken. 

 So, three new experiences:  Kudu, Gnu, and Mackerel.   Two out of three ain't bad.  In fact, they were pretty good, but I'll never opt for mackerel again.   No photo of the ice cream.    It was melting quickly.

Well, come along, and I’ll show you around.   I will admit, however, that I got lost the first time I tried to find my room.   An employee led me back to where I should have gone.   So, if something should happen….    Oh, never mind.   I know the way now.

This pool is not for swimming, but ambiance.  It's right next to the outdoor cocktail bar.

And where do these steps lead?

Well, here's my first sighting of wild African animals: 

These are warthogs on the Mabula grounds.  They frequently crawl around on their front knees to graze on the lawn, or eat various fruits and seeds that fall from the trees.

Thatch.

And the pool for swimming.

 All right, time to meet the others at the entrance for our first safari drive.

Sam's waiting for our first safari.

Load up.  Let's go!