Saturday, July 19, 2008
Today I have been shark diving in a town close to Cape Town. We saw five different individual great white sharks, the largest being about 3 meters long. The longest one recorded was apparently over 6 meters, though I am not sure if I would have dared going into a cage to see that one. Anyway, more on that later. Here is what has happened earlier this week:
Kruger National Park is the largest national park in South-Africa, and the park is connected to another national park in Mozambique. As stated above, the park may not be sufficiently large for certain birds and animals, but when visiting the park in a safari vehicle, the park certainly looks impressive. Our guide from Thornhill Lodge, Oscar, spent most of the day driving around to find cars that had stopped on the road. If you see a parked car on the road in Kruger National Park, it usually means that the passengers in the car have spotted an animal. The trick is then to stop next to the car, ask the driver of the vehicle what they are looking at, and then to look in the same direction.
Now, the biggest difference between a zoo and a national park is that the animals in the naional parks are free to venture around as they please (obviously within the borders of the national park). Another distinction is that the animals hunt or find their own food, but otherwise there are some similarities. For example, we spotted a few lions that were just lying around doing nothing, just like they would in a zoo (in fact, lions are inactive on average 22 hours a day). While the lions in a zoological garden would be located just a few meters from you, in a national park they can be located several hundred meters away. Since safari vehicles are not allowed to leave the main roads, in Kruger you end up starring at the animals though binoculars. It is true, however, that the animals look a lot less sad in the national park than they do in a zoo, though it perhaps is unlikely that an impala (type of antelope) finds as much pleasure in freedom as humans do. For starters, in national parks the impalas are surrounded by lions and leopards that are constantly looking for ways to kill and eat them, thus a zoo can at least provide security from attacks and a stable food supply (if the lucky impala avoids zoos such as that in Kabul).
While driving around Kruger, we were lucky to see hippopotamus, zebras, crocodiles, lions, impalas, giraffes, elephants, buffaloes, baboons, warthogs, several types of vultures, vervet monkeys, and a wide range of other animals that I cannot recall as I am retarded.
Once we returned to Thornhill Lodge, it was already dark, thus it had been a long day in the bush. Our guide spoke barely intelligible English and had limited knowledge about animals other than the Big 5, thus the trip could have been more rewarding with a better guide. Since a visit to Kruger involves driving around without seeing much at all for most of the time, a trip would be much better if the guide could provide general information about the park and the animals and plants within it. In comparison with the guided trips I have taken in the Australian bush and the Everglades, the guided tour of Kruger was quite a disappointment.
The following morning we were woken up at 6 AM for a guided bush walk that was to commence at 6:30 AM. While there are plenty of wild animals living on the Thornhill Lodge property, this morning we were only able to see a bunch of impalas. However, after having finished the guided tour and returned to Thornhill at 8 AM for breakfast, we realized that a group of four giraffes had decided to visit our lodge to eat from some trees just outside. The same group of giraffes arrived the same evening for some more food, and giraffes can be surprisingly loud when walking around outside. One interesting fact the guide told us is that giraffes are not able to make any sounds, thus even when attacked by lions they are not able to scream or entertain other giraffes with an oral deliberation of what it feels like to be attacked. I know that if I were to be attacked by a wild animal, I would at least scream like a mad man, though I probably would die of fear shortly afterwards.
Talking about being attacked by animals, there are apparently three smart things to do when attacked by a crocodile. The first is to open the crocodile’s jaw to let water pour into its throat; I guess the theory is that the crocodile will drown. Alternatively, you can stick your fingers into the crocodile’s eyes, which at least to me sounds like the most viable option. The third alternative is apparently to hit a vulnerable spot around the crocodile’s ears, though I doubt the best time to find this spot would be when one is being attacked by a crocodile. After telling us about these three alternatives, the guide told us that no one had yet to survive a crocodile attack, though I am not sure if that is true or not. More importantly, I guess the one thing to remember is to stay far away from any body of water that is NOT a swimming pool.
After eating breakfast, our guide drove us to the Blyde River Canyon. This natural attraction is located in the southeast of the country close to the border with Mozambique, and Blyde River Canyon is apparently the third largest canyon in the world (after the Grand Canyon and a canyon located in Namibia). The fast-flowing Blyde River has slowly carved its way through 700 meters of shale and quartzite to create a 20 kilometer canyon. While we did not see any wildlife, the Blyde River Canyon is apparently home to baboons, different types of monkeys, and both species of bushaby (don't really know what a bushaby is, ask my guidebook).
Unfortunately, on our first day in the Blyde River Canyon, we did not see much at all due to fog. Therefore, on the way back to Johannesburg on the following day, we stopped by the Blye River Canyon yet again and were able to take some magnificent pictures.
After our first visit to the Blyde River Canyon, we returned to the Thornhill Lodge for lunch, after which we went on a game drive in the Thornybush Big Five Reserve.
There are a lot of private reserves that border the Kruger National Park, and the private reserves are mainly fenced in. The plan is, however, that the fences will gradually be taken down so that animals will be freely allowed to transfer between the national park and the private reserves. Not surprisingly, many of the private landowners are opposing such moves for a variety of reasons. While I did not have the chance to speak with any of the landowners, I imagine the main reason would be that they no longer will be able to guarantee that the Big Five are available on their property. Also, with the properties secured and fenced in, it is easier for the landowners to prevent poaching and other illegal activities on their properties. Also, since they effectively own the animals on their properties, there is an economic incentive for them to protect the animals on their land.
I believe most serious environmentalists believe that capitalism can be combined with effective environmental management. If a landowner can guarantee biodiversity on their properties through arranging game drives on their land, I believe they should be able to keep the fences. On the other hand, careful management is needed to prevent inbreeding.
Back to our game drive on the Thornybush Big Five Reserve. The difference between Kruger National Park and the private game reserves is obviously the size, and in the game reserves the cars drive straight into the bush in order to get as close to the animals as possible. As a result, we were able to see all the Big Five except the leopard, which apparently is seen only on rare occasions. While it was satisfying to be able to see a lot of wild animals close up, essentially a private game reserve is like a massive largely self-maintained zoo. The sense of adventure just is not there as much as it was in Kruger National Park, though the animal sightings were less impressive in the latter.
Just to comment on what I am seeing right now at the Livingstone International Airport in Zambia (we've visited Zambia to see the Victoria Falls). A bunch of conservative Jews are about to board a plane, and some of the men are engaged in a serious religious prayer now just before getting on the aircraft. I am happy that I am not boarding the same flight, as the entire scene is making me a bit nervous. Most likely, these are Americans Jews as they are fairly overweight and mainly wearing sneakers. There is a tour group of about 20 individuals, and they just shared a big cake as one of them is celebrating his birthday. Since they had forgotten to bring plates, creativity was needed, thus one particularly fat guy was eating cake out of his hat. When suddenly called by one of his buddies to say a prayer, he stood up with cake crumbs still hanging from his mouth, thus it was quite a comical scene. In the end, this side of the airport has gotten fairly dirty, but I guess someone will soon be here to clean up after the rich tourists have left.
More Later....
Now, the biggest difference between a zoo and a national park is that the animals in the naional parks are free to venture around as they please (obviously within the borders of the national park). Another distinction is that the animals hunt or find their own food, but otherwise there are some similarities. For example, we spotted a few lions that were just lying around doing nothing, just like they would in a zoo (in fact, lions are inactive on average 22 hours a day). While the lions in a zoological garden would be located just a few meters from you, in a national park they can be located several hundred meters away. Since safari vehicles are not allowed to leave the main roads, in Kruger you end up starring at the animals though binoculars. It is true, however, that the animals look a lot less sad in the national park than they do in a zoo, though it perhaps is unlikely that an impala (type of antelope) finds as much pleasure in freedom as humans do. For starters, in national parks the impalas are surrounded by lions and leopards that are constantly looking for ways to kill and eat them, thus a zoo can at least provide security from attacks and a stable food supply (if the lucky impala avoids zoos such as that in Kabul).
While driving around Kruger, we were lucky to see hippopotamus, zebras, crocodiles, lions, impalas, giraffes, elephants, buffaloes, baboons, warthogs, several types of vultures, vervet monkeys, and a wide range of other animals that I cannot recall as I am retarded.
Once we returned to Thornhill Lodge, it was already dark, thus it had been a long day in the bush. Our guide spoke barely intelligible English and had limited knowledge about animals other than the Big 5, thus the trip could have been more rewarding with a better guide. Since a visit to Kruger involves driving around without seeing much at all for most of the time, a trip would be much better if the guide could provide general information about the park and the animals and plants within it. In comparison with the guided trips I have taken in the Australian bush and the Everglades, the guided tour of Kruger was quite a disappointment.
The following morning we were woken up at 6 AM for a guided bush walk that was to commence at 6:30 AM. While there are plenty of wild animals living on the Thornhill Lodge property, this morning we were only able to see a bunch of impalas. However, after having finished the guided tour and returned to Thornhill at 8 AM for breakfast, we realized that a group of four giraffes had decided to visit our lodge to eat from some trees just outside. The same group of giraffes arrived the same evening for some more food, and giraffes can be surprisingly loud when walking around outside. One interesting fact the guide told us is that giraffes are not able to make any sounds, thus even when attacked by lions they are not able to scream or entertain other giraffes with an oral deliberation of what it feels like to be attacked. I know that if I were to be attacked by a wild animal, I would at least scream like a mad man, though I probably would die of fear shortly afterwards.
Talking about being attacked by animals, there are apparently three smart things to do when attacked by a crocodile. The first is to open the crocodile’s jaw to let water pour into its throat; I guess the theory is that the crocodile will drown. Alternatively, you can stick your fingers into the crocodile’s eyes, which at least to me sounds like the most viable option. The third alternative is apparently to hit a vulnerable spot around the crocodile’s ears, though I doubt the best time to find this spot would be when one is being attacked by a crocodile. After telling us about these three alternatives, the guide told us that no one had yet to survive a crocodile attack, though I am not sure if that is true or not. More importantly, I guess the one thing to remember is to stay far away from any body of water that is NOT a swimming pool.
Unfortunately, on our first day in the Blyde River Canyon, we did not see much at all due to fog. Therefore, on the way back to Johannesburg on the following day, we stopped by the Blye River Canyon yet again and were able to take some magnificent pictures.
After our first visit to the Blyde River Canyon, we returned to the Thornhill Lodge for lunch, after which we went on a game drive in the Thornybush Big Five Reserve.
I believe most serious environmentalists believe that capitalism can be combined with effective environmental management. If a landowner can guarantee biodiversity on their properties through arranging game drives on their land, I believe they should be able to keep the fences. On the other hand, careful management is needed to prevent inbreeding.
Back to our game drive on the Thornybush Big Five Reserve. The difference between Kruger National Park and the private game reserves is obviously the size, and in the game reserves the cars drive straight into the bush in order to get as close to the animals as possible. As a result, we were able to see all the Big Five except the leopard, which apparently is seen only on rare occasions. While it was satisfying to be able to see a lot of wild animals close up, essentially a private game reserve is like a massive largely self-maintained zoo. The sense of adventure just is not there as much as it was in Kruger National Park, though the animal sightings were less impressive in the latter.
Just to comment on what I am seeing right now at the Livingstone International Airport in Zambia (we've visited Zambia to see the Victoria Falls). A bunch of conservative Jews are about to board a plane, and some of the men are engaged in a serious religious prayer now just before getting on the aircraft. I am happy that I am not boarding the same flight, as the entire scene is making me a bit nervous. Most likely, these are Americans Jews as they are fairly overweight and mainly wearing sneakers. There is a tour group of about 20 individuals, and they just shared a big cake as one of them is celebrating his birthday. Since they had forgotten to bring plates, creativity was needed, thus one particularly fat guy was eating cake out of his hat. When suddenly called by one of his buddies to say a prayer, he stood up with cake crumbs still hanging from his mouth, thus it was quite a comical scene. In the end, this side of the airport has gotten fairly dirty, but I guess someone will soon be here to clean up after the rich tourists have left.
More Later....
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