A Frican
good time
Shooting on safari is one
part gear, one part idea ...
and one part being charged
by animals in heat. James
Artaius recounts his hair-
raising African adventuree’d been sat in our Toyota Hilux,
still as statues, for five full
minutes. Those 300 seconds felt
like an eternity, as the elephant
paced towards us. We’d come face to face
with the bull, blocking our path. We were in
his way, so now he was agitated. Charles
Ndhlovu, our guide, had immediately cut the
engine and instructed no noise or movement.
Elephants don’t always break branches
and kick up dust before they charge; even
when hot-tempered, they possess a
reputable intelligence. He was being
territorial. As he stomped his way past
the 4x4 and around to its side, though, that
reputable intelligence suddenly terrified me.
The path in front now clear, Charles saw his
opportunity and started the engine. The noise
angered the elephant and, despite the guide’s
efforts not to rev too much, he felt that we
were now challenging him. He trumpeted as
we pulled away – and, as I mourned the poor
acceleration of the Hilux, he charged us.
It was a beat-for-beat recreation of the T-rex
chase scene in Jurassic Park. Charles drove
the vehicle as fast as it would go down the dirt
track, but our speed never seemed enough.
Clearly, we survived to tell the tale. The bull
gave up chase (though not before pretending
to slow down, giving us a false sense of
security, then resuming full charge), and from
then on we regarded every elephant – despite
being mostly placid – with trepidation.INTO THE WILD
We’d travelled to Davison’s Camp in
Zimbabwe, a private concession in
Hwange National Park run by Wilderness
Safaris. The group offers authentic African
safaris with integrity, operating community
and conservation initiatives that protect
wildlife areas and ensuring that financial
benefits flow back to the region.
The aim of the trip wasn’t just to
photograph animals, but also to visit localW
6 | SAFARI26 DIGITAL CAMERA^ SEPTEMBER 2018 http://www.digitalcameraworld.com
James^ Artaius