(NOTE: Click on one photo to bring up a filmstrip which you can then scroll through to see the photos full screen.)
The story comes first this time, followed by the photos.
I’m walking along the beautiful boardwalk at Dinaka Lodge to where the Toyota Land Cruisers are parked and ready for our late afternoon game drive.
I’m the first one, as the others are still in the main lodge, finishing their coffee and snacks, or gathering their gear. Once again, I’m wondering about the kind of wood, the difficulty of maintenance, and so on, of the boardwalk.
I see something small and white next to the boardwalk ahead, and my first thought is a crumpled wad of paper. Not litter in this camp, I think. It’s far too clean.
Then I realize it’s something dead, something like a rodent. White rat? Maybe, but hard to tell as it is literally paws up. About the size of an Alaskan red-tailed squirrel, its body about six inches long. Pretty, though. A beautiful white.. I think I see some light cinnamon colors on the head.
Our guide, Booth, approaches, and I nod at the rodent to point it out to him.
“Hey, little buddy. What happened?” he says.
I am dumbstruck, and all my questions about the boardwalk and even the identity of the little rodent evaporate. Dumbstruck at Booth’s words, his tone of voice, and his obvious empathy for the little critter. I sense that I have just seen the measure of this man. And he is admirable.
He steps off the boardwalk and uses a dried branch to move it to a spot beneath a bush, into some dried leaves.
“We have owls,” he says. I take that to mean an owl will soon have a meal. Perhaps it was an owl that dropped it beside the boardwalk. *
I’ve met many African guides in my previous six trips to Africa. The guides I remember most are the ones who indicated their heartfelt love for the animals they showed us. To some, guiding is a job that pays better than most in their country. To others, it is much, much more, an avocation rather than a vocation.
I think of a quote often attributed to the novelist and playwright Alexander Dumas, who said, “We always leave a piece of ourselves in the people we meet, and take a piece of them with us.” I extrapolate that to include everything—people, places, birds, animals.
This quote from the Internet expresses my ever-evolving philosophy better than I can:
“The core idea … is that human interaction and experience are a two-way street, involving a profound exchange. We are fundamentally shaped by our observations and relationships, while our own actions and presence leave a lasting impact on our surroundings and the people in our lives.”
A beautiful egg sac on an orb weaver spider led to less repulsion on my part and greater understanding of spiders, to the point now where, if I find a spider in my bathroom sink, I understand it is thirsty. I wet a Q-tip and hold it close to the spider, and sure enough, it lunges at the swab and drinks.
All I know for certain is that the closer I am to nature, the better off I am.
As I sit here writing this, late in the evening when truth rises, I think of a thirsty spider.
Of a lioness who looked me right in the eyes and, perhaps sensing my silent pleas, moved her ten-day-old cub into the only open spot where I could see her.
Of little birds that land on my hands for peanuts.
I think of that little white mouse and of Booth, and of his kind and gentle words.
These are the intimate connections with nature that I treasure and will always remember. I feel they make me a better person.
So as to not break the spell, here are some photos of our interactions with wildlife this day.
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| Some Gemsbok oryx finally stand still. |
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| The amazing kori bnustard. It is courting a nearby female, as revealed by the lovely gray neck feathers all puffed up. Male bustards stand about 4-1/2 ft. high, have a wingspan of 9 ft., and weigh about 44 lbs. Females are smaller. |
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| A Red Hartebeest photo showcasing its distinctive horns. |
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| The fascinating Northern Black Korhaan has one of the loudest cries of all the birds I've heard. |
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| Yellow-billed hornbill. |
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| These two cheetah brothers seemed to care little about our presence. All they wanted to do was sleep. Male siblings often form coalitions after leaving their mother, while the females stay longer. |
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| Beautiful, graceful cheetah. |
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| Scaly lizard |
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| Ant-eating chat. |
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| Springbok and calf. |
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| Springboks. Those are shadows from branches on their back. |
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| Steenbok |
* My research suggests the ID of the mouse is a Southern multimammate mouse. It is often referred to as the link between a mouse and a rat. Its body length is about 6 inches.
https://crittery.co.uk/species-list/multimammate-mice
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