Forces Driving More
Running parallel to the dusty road was the park’s ten-foot-high
electrified fence, built to keep wild animals in and people out. As
practice for the safari, I tried staring through the fence, hoping to
preview what awaited us. But except for a single giraffe’s head I saw
nibbling a thorny acacia tree, there were no animals to be seen.
Our afternoon arrival provided just enough time to drop off our
bags, meet our guide, and climb aboard the bench seats of a modified
pickup with its unprotected sides and open top. First stop, after several
miles of winding trails that doubled as roads, was a watering hole. This
was the time of day when animals gathered to drink, our guide told us.
As we approached, he reminded us to talk softly and not to make any
sudden moves. This was no zoo, he emphasized—keeping your wits
about you was your best protection.
Eyeing a herd of female elephants with their calves, he ap-
proached slowly, before shutting off the engine and letting the truck
coast. Just as it stopped, the alpha elephant lifted her head, swung her
trunk toward us, and began ambling in our direction. As the rest of the
herd fell in behind her, our guide issued a second subdued caution—
stay calm!
Remaining still and silent as the herd marched our way, we quickly
jettisoned any lingering doubts as to whose territory we were in. Look-
ing up at the alpha’s massive head and girth, I knew that she could
easily upend our vehicle with us in it. A few footsteps later, she was
close enough to smell. Then, as if playing a game of chicken, she veered
left and kept moving, the rest of the herd in tow. Despite their number
and size, they soon blended into the background and disappeared into
the desert landscape.
Relieved, we ventured on to new habitat. With the Sun continuing
its descent, we came across a group of assembling impalas. Then, as
if on silent cue, they moved as one beyond the dirt road and into the
bush. The few stragglers dawdling behind quickly caught up, and
before long, they too were gone from sight. Banding together offered
protection against carnivores prowling the night, our guide remarked.
Driving further, we observed wild dogs cordoned off by another
fence. Seeing us approach, they momentarily flashed their teeth in our
direction and growled, then resumed their ravaging of a small animal,
demonstrating how effortlessly their powerful jaws could tear flesh