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.

Under African Skies

Last year I took a 16-day photography trip to the west African country of Namibia.

One night -- thankfully, only one night -- we camped out in a remote location. Each of us was provided a tent, cot, sleeping bag and air mattress. While each piece individually was fine, the combination was not. As a result, I was unable to sleep even for a few hours. Even worse, I slid right off the cot and got wedged between the cot and one wall of the tent. After a struggle, I was able to get up, and I pulled everything off the cot and lay directly on the cot under a couple of blankets. The air mattress was history. But by then, the idea of sleep had left me.

As I lay in my tent, I observed the myriad of stars through the mesh top of the tent. The skies were incredibly clear, and never have I seen so many stars anywhere other than during previous trips to Arica.

The African sky also has the most glorious sunsets I have ever seen. The best ever was in South Africa. It was so magnificent that everyone in my vehicle urgently asked the guide to stop so we could photograph it. The sunset pictured was in Tanzania.

Even daylight sees the skies illuminating a glorious landscape of animals found nowhere else on earth. Giraffes of several species, zebras, baboons, wildebeests, lions, cheetahs, leopards and of course, African elephants live on the continent. There is nothing quite like falling asleep, or waking in the middle of the night, to the sound of a lion roaring.

I first visited Africa several years ago, and I quickly fell in love with the continent. Since then, I have returned a total of 11 times. Some of those trips, most of them in fact, were safaris. But three others took me to the northern African countries of Egypt, Ethiopia and Morocco.

I know that my view of Africa is a gilded one. There is rampant poverty throughout the continent. Society is very patriarchal. Many governments are incredibly corrupt. There are occasional terrorist attacks in Kenya and Nigeria. Civil war has destroyed many in Sudan. 

But the African people I have met have been wonderful, friendly and helpful. I sense that the people I encounter in the safari companies and at the various hotels and lodges where I have stayed truly enjoy their jobs. I have the sense that they aren't just going through the motions as they provide services to their guests.

I love going to Africa, as evidenced by my repeated trips
there. The opportunity to photograph African wildlife and experience the thrill of being close to these magnificent animals is beyond words. I am fortunate to let my cameras do the talking for me.

I can't wait for my next African adventure!

. 

A Close Encounter

I met an elephant in Namibia last week, and his tired eyes looked deep into mine.

I have seen many elephants during my nine safaris in southern Africa. I have visited several times an elephant orphanage in Kenya where I sponsor three orphans. I have long felt a particular affinity for elephants. Their intelligence and compassion amaze me. But the experience I had with this tired-looking old bull elephant is unlike anything I have ever experienced, and it is impossible to find the words to adequately explain my feelings.

It was early evening when we spotted him standing alone (as bull elephants often do) behind some dried plants. It was obvious he was aware of our presence, but he stood still, making no attempt to walk away. It also was apparent that he was in musth, a time of dramatically increased hormone levels in healthy adult male elephants. This bull, whom I call Mutara (I have no idea where I got that name), was secreting a hormone-rich substance called temporin from a  temporal gland on both sides of his face. Musth bulls can be irritable and aggressive, but this bull was very calm. To me, he seemed tired.

After a bit, he took a few steps, which showed a very obvious limp in his left front leg. His tusks, which should have been much longer, had been broken off, perhaps more than once. Our guide estimated his age to be around 50 years. Elephants can live 70 years, but with habitat loss, conflicts with humans, and poaching, many do not make it that long. 

We waited quietly in our safari vehicle, cameras clicking, in awe that we were able to be so close to this magnificent animal. Gradually he started munching on some dried weeds, which appeared to have no nutritional value. 

Then he did something that still brings tears to my eyes. He turned directly toward us, and I swear he looked into my eyes and deep into my soul. Not only did he know of our presence, but he, I believe, was making an attempt to reach me. Knowing how old he is and that once an elephant has worn out its six sets of molars it will no longer be able to chew its food, it seemed that he was telling me goodbye.

I don't claim that I can communicate with animals. I don't pretend to be able to peer into their thoughts and their feelings and into their souls. But something happened between this old bull elephant and me. We connected, we two beings that were brought together by a chance encounter that lasted just a few minutes. 

I don't know whether the four other women in my group had the same feeling as I did. But I do know that everyone was awed by the experience of spending time with this magnificent bull.

I am in awe of the beauty of leopards. I admire the speed of a cheetah. I have always loved elephants. But never have I had such a deep, visceral connection with a wild animal as I did that evening.

My thoughts have returned to this elephant numerous times since our meeting. And every time, tears well up in my eyes and I silently wish him a good, happy, pain-free life, for however long that may be. Whether this truly was a connection between members of two very different species, I will never know. I will never know what this magnificent animal thought about our encounter. 

But I do know this: For a few brief moments, on an unknown level, we connected. And for that, I will be forever grateful. 

Wild Africa

I've been longing to return to Africa and reminiscing about an amazing 3-week trip to Kenya in 2017.

That was my fifth trip to Africa, and my third to Kenya. I was joined by a friend from Scotland and a couple from England, all of whom I had met the previous year on a trip to Kenya. The trip saw us visiting four different camps in northern Kenya, for stays lasting from four to seven days each. 

This adventure was outstanding in so many ways. In addition to seeing and photographing lots of wild animals, we went for a horseback ride in Borana. We were able to get pretty close to giraffes and zebras, as well as enjoying the beautiful weather. We followed a pride of 15 lions one late afternoon, with two of the pride's three adult males walking just an arm's length from our vehicle. We watched a beautiful leopard and her cub over the course of three days. She was totally unperturbed by the presence of numerous safari vehicles.

Also while in Borana, we were part of a group that replaced a radio collar on a lioness. Once she was located, a Kenyan veterinarian tranquilized her with a rifle-fired dart. After she was down, she was quickly moved into the shade, her eyes were covered and water was poured over her to keep her body from overheating. After the old collar was removed and the lioness fitted with a new one, the veterinarian collected blood and tissue samples. Then a lion researcher took a variety of body measurements -- from length of the animal's tale to the size of her paws -- before the vet gave her a drug to reverse the anesthetic. We had hoped to be involved with the collaring of a male lion the next day, but he and his pals were in an area too inaccessible to be safely reached.

I visited the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust's elephant orphanage in Nairobi three times. The 11 a.m. visit is open to anyone, while the 5 p.m. visit is open only to those who sponsor one or more of the orphans and who sign up in advance. It was great fun watching the babies rush to their individual stockades at the end of a day spent in Nairobi National Park. Each baby gets a bottle or two of special milk formula, as well as freshly cut greens before being closed in its individual stockade for the night. 

I spent several minutes with one of my three sponsored orphans (the other two had moved on to the next phase of their preparation for return to the wild). Mbegu is now four years old and described as a 'mini matriarch.' While making our final visit to the orphanage, we ran into Iain Douglas-Hamilton, noted elephant researcher and father of Elephant Watch Camp's manager and wildlife filmmaker Saba Douglas-Hamilton. We had met Iain the previous year while visiting the camp in the Samburu National Preserve.

We visited the Maasai Mara to watch the Great Migration. Some 1.5 million wildebeests and countless zebra make this annual circular migration through Kenya and Tanzania.

I got to meet the student whose high school education I am sponsoring. She 8is Turkana, from one of the many tribes in Kenya. She was very shy, probably due to her developing English skills and the fact that females in her culture are expected to be submissive. She said that chemistry is her favorite subject in school. We learned that we both love Coke (she had had Coke only once before), and both of us have blue as our favorite color. The lunch that was served was entirely foreign to the students, and mine definitely did not like lettuce! Another sponsored student, also Turkana, visited his sponsors at the same time.

I tried some portrait photography with a few of the incredible Samburu people who work at EWC, although I would have liked to photograph more of them. The tracker assigned to my group, a young man named Skanga, was extremely cooperative and seemed to enjoy being photographed. 

This trip was a bonanza for watching lions, including males, young adults and mothers with cubs. We were lucky enough to see a lone male cheetah, as well as two different mothers, each of which had two older cubs in tow.

In all, I shot more than 9,500 images with my two cameras. Of course, thousands got deleted when I got home, but I still have some good images. The wildlife viewing was phenomenal, and my photography has improved considerably since my first trip five years ago. I won't get to visit Kenya again for a couple of years, but I hope my trips to Ethiopia and Botswana will be equally as rewarding..

Check Out My New Photography Site!

I am pleased to announce that I now have a new Web site featuring my best and most popular photographs.

At www.annsullivan.zenfolio.com you will find stunning images of landscapes, flowers, animals big and small, big cats, sunrises and sunsets, birds and scenes of the American West.

New photos are being added every day, so please check out this new site, and check back often to see what is new! 

www.annsullivan.zenfolio.com