Safari Soul Searching

I have gone on 10 safaris to southern Africa. Three of those safaris were photography safaris, although in reality I made all of them into photography safaris. 

But I don’t know that I will be doing any more.

My most recent photo safari, to Tanzania, raised some serious ethical issues in my mind. And frankly, I don’t know that I can ever be a part of what I witnessed again.

The first instance involved a safari guide driving a Land Cruiser, the vehicle of choice for African safaris, into the brush where a male lion was sleeping. Other vehicles were nearby, waiting to see whether or not the lion would get up and perhaps make himself visible. Nobody did anything to force the lion to get up...except for one guide 

That driver decided to drive into the brush, toward the lion, and force the animal to interrupt his sleep and get up to avoid the vehicle. I was so upset that I yelled at the driver. Safari practice is to speak, if at all, in low voices so as not to disturb the animals. But I was so upset that I yelled without thinking about it. That experience with the irresponsible guide rattled me for the rest of the day.

Another issue that bothered me was that there were so many vehicles (at least 25 in most cases) that any time a wild animal was spotted, it was very quickly surrounded. Some animals could handle this, while others were clearly distressed. We saw two coalitions of cheetahs one morning. A coalition is a group of male cheetahs or lions that work together as a group to hunt and socialize. Members of coalitions are typically male littermates  that work together to defend a territory against other males. They often stay together for a lifetime.

One of the coalitions, perhaps older animals, seemed unfazed by the presence of 25 to 30 vehicles. They went about their business seemingly unperturbed.

The other, younger coalition, was clearly stressed and panicking. They trotted away from the gathering vehicles and seemed to be wanting to hunt. As a large group of vehicles surrounded them, the cheetahs had little means of escape. By this point, everyone in my vehicle agreed to take a few shots and leave the area. None of us wanted to be part of the ongoing harassment of these wild animals. We had invested a great deal of money to purchase cameras and lenses that allowed us to photograph animals from a comfortable distance rather than relying on our cell phones to capture that 'award winning' image.

These experiences really soured me on going on safari again. Our guides were wonderful, doing everything in a respectful and ethical manner. But I began to question whether I can ever enjoy a safari again, and whether I can justify, and accept, being part of a business that treats wildlife so disrespectfully. 

I'm sure the offending guides -- all guides must be licensed by the Tanzanian government -- were hoping for bigger tips by giving their clients up-close views of the animals. I get that, but that doesn't give anyone the right to harass and stress wild animals in their homes.

I take pride in being a moral, ethical, upstanding person who cares deeply about protecting animals both domestic and wild. I likewise care deeply about the environment.

I know that whether I am sitting in a Land Cruiser on another photo safari or whether I boycott future safaris, the vehicles will continue to chase wildlife for the satisfaction and enjoyment of their clients. Tourism is the second largest contributor to the economy of Tanzania (agriculture is #1), so if I'm not taking part, the industry and those whose livelihoods depend on it won't suffer. I am just one person.

I also know that the income derived from tourism helps to protect these animals and their habitat, as well as providing much-needed jobs for those in local communities.

The crowding of the animals was so bad that my group really savored wildlife viewing on the rare occasions when we were the only or one of a few vehicles present.

So I have a very important decision to make. I love visiting Africa and photographing its wildlife. But I won't sacrifice my personal beliefs to do so. And there are many countries I still hope to visit and a limited travel budget.

I don't know what my decision will be. I do know it isn't one I will make without a great deal of soul searching.

Sleeping With Lions

I have just returned from a wonderful two-week photo safari in Tanzania.

Here are some impressions from my time in Tanzania. It was a time of both dead silence and many sounds. When there were no animals about, the night was totally silent. Other nights were busy with the sounds of the larger wildlife. Some days my eyes were overwhelmed by the vast numbers of animals (wildebeests and zebras), while others challenged us to find the very elusive leopard.

At night, as I lay in my tent (a large, nice tent with indoor plumbing and electric lights), I listened to the grunting of hippos ashore to feed. I heard the plaintive cries of hyenas, and the roaring of lions. If we ventured out of our tents after dark, we had to be escorted by a spear-wielding Maasai warrior. This was a good precaution, as early one morning a male lion was walking around the tent of one person in our group! Unlike at home, when birds aren't heard chirping and singing until dawn, birds in Tanzania started their morning serenades long before sunrise.

A muddy spotted hyena

The sounds of hundreds of thousands of wildebeests and the shrill cries of tens of thousands of plains zebras filled our days as they milled around waiting for one of their number to start moving as part of their annual migration.

We enjoyed bowls of creamy hot soups made of pumpkin, zucchini, cucumber and other vegetables. We all looked forward to finding out which soup would be part of dinner each night. Fresh bread made from scratch complemented the soups. I loved the sweet, juicy pineapple and delicious slices of mango. Everything was fresh and made from scratch.

The warm smiles and cries of 'jambo' (hello) from lodge staff greeted us throughout the day. Every person I encountered, from the resident chef to our Maasai escorts at night, was friendly and helpful. Our guides/drivers, Angelbert and Tom, took such good care of us. They both have an uncanny ability to spot even the smallest sunbathing lizard on a rock, a colorful small bird on a tree branch, and a camouflaged leopard walking through tall grasses. I started calling Tom 'Gentleman Tom' because he was always there to lend a hand. When I slipped on a very muddy step while exiting our Land Cruiser and twisted my leg, it was Tom who came to my rescue. 

We saw many beautiful birds, an amazing sunrise and sunset,

and so many wildebeests and zebras on their annual migration that the horizon was blackened by their presence. We watched in awe as a mother lion carried her four cubs to a new, hidden location. She picked each one up by the back of the neck and moved it, and then she went back to get the others one at a time. The next morning we laughed as she repeatedly tried to corral her wandering offspring. She would get three of them back into the brush, but as she went after the last one, the other three would emerge to follow her. One little one (we assume it was the same cub) kept wandering off in the opposite direction. Finally she got them all tucked away and settled down to nurse.

Spending 90 minutes with two cheetah brothers as they walked slowly across the grassy plains, taking time for a quick roll in the damp grass, was a real treat, as was photographing them as they seemed to pose in a tree. The day before, a different cheetah chased -- and barely missed -- a gazelle that was on the dinner menu. Unfortunately, slipping on a muddy step while exiting the vehicle and twisting my leg prevented me from standing up on the seat to watch the chase.

Of course, not everything we saw was pleasant to contemplate. We saw a baby zebra with a hind leg it couldn't use. We saw several baby wildebeests that had been separated from their mothers in part of the massive herd. One was running back and forth desperately trying to find her in the huge herd. Another stood alone a good distance from the herd. Lone animals, particularly the young ones, stand no chance of escaping hungry lions, leopards and hyenas. One of our guides noted that only half of all wildebeests born in a given season (most are born within the same month) survive to their first birthday. 

We spent several minutes watching dozens of vultures of various kinds, along with marabou storks, battle with hyenas over the carcass of a wildebeest. The birds won the battle, with the hyenas leaving for a bit, and then returning at a respectable distance. Vultures are not attractive birds by any measure, but the marabou stork gets the prize for ugliest animal in Africa.

Toward the end of the trip, so much rain fell that some of the roads were washed away. We even spotted a catfish on a flooded road!  Our planned visit to a pool that usually was occupied by dozens of hippos was shortened dramatically due to the rains, which had turned the pool into a raging torrent of water, sending the hippos to calmer waters. We even spotted a large catfish on a road that had flooded with overflow from a river some 100 meters away.

Despite all my visits to Africa, the thrill of seeing magnificent elephants, mischievous baboons and vervet monkeys, birds of vibrant colors, graceful giraffes and a variety of antelope and gazelles always calls me back for more. Each day, each sunrise, each sighting is unique.

I haven't uploaded or edited most of my images from this trip yet, but more will be shared soon.