| -link"> | | | | drinking beer and eating crayfish!! |
| | | | Leopards in the dark |
| I love nature and being outdoors and have had a | | | | While living in Johannesburg I decided one Saturday |
| couple of interesting experiences in South Africa. My | | | | morning that I needed to get away from the city |
| South African friends seem to find my stories pretty | | | | and headed off to the Krugersdorp nature reserve. |
| interesting and even so much more the people I | | | | Arrived there and found the campsite in the middle |
| have met in Australia and other countries, so I | | | | of the reserve surrounded by a fence on every side. |
| thought I’d put some of my experiences to | | | | At reception I asked if I can set up my tent |
| paper. | | | | somewhere for the night and I guess I should have |
| Hyenas in the Transkei | | | | noticed that the receptionist was surprised about me |
| A friend and I went to the Transkei years ago with | | | | wanting to sleep in a tent, but she didn’t say |
| the intention of catching some fish for my marine | | | | much about it. Drove around the camp and, though |
| fish tank. On arrival at the Hluleka game reserve my | | | | there were quite a few caravans and people around, |
| friend took out the beers and I went for a walk to | | | | I was surprised to find what I thought was the spot |
| see where I could snorkel. I found a little footpath | | | | with the best view unoccupied. So, I set up my tent |
| running along side the coast and just followed it for a | | | | and went for a drive around the reserve. An ostrich |
| couple of hours. I walked past a small waterhole, but | | | | attacked the side mirror of my car and I saw a |
| there were no animals around and I did not give it a | | | | couple of rhinos, but for the rest nothing too scary. |
| second thought. Eventually I realized that it was | | | | When I got back to the camp I found a whole |
| getting late, so I ventured on back to the camp. By | | | | crowd of people standing around the fence in front |
| the time I got back to the water hole, it was starting | | | | of my tent, so I asked one of them what was going |
| to get dark and as I passed a couple of trees with | | | | on. As soon as he found out it was my tent, he |
| the water hole behind them, I got a sudden chill. It | | | | piped out Hey, here’s the guy sleeping in |
| was strange because I don’t believe I had | | | | the tent!!. A couple of guys came up to shake my |
| seen anything yet, but I felt something was wrong. | | | | hand, showed me the leopards not too far away |
| As I looked more closely into these trees, I noticed a | | | | that everyone was looking at and also mentioned |
| blou wildebeest standing a couple of meters from me | | | | that I must have a serious set of brass hanging to |
| staring right at me. The only thing I could think was | | | | be sleeping in a tent right in front of the only |
| to continue as if nothing was wrong, so I kept on | | | | spot where the fence had been broken down. |
| walking only to get a full view of the water hole, | | | | Well, pride got in the way and I decided not to pack |
| which was now surrounded by animals. For the most | | | | up my tent and go home. But, I did decide that now |
| part it was a herd of blou wildebeest and a couple of | | | | was a good time for a couple of beers. That night I |
| buck/deer. But there were also a couple of hyenas | | | | couldn’t sleep and I was convinced that every |
| on the hill on the other side of the water hole and | | | | sound I heard was a leopard sniffing around my tent, |
| they seemed to be running towards me with their | | | | but I’m brave and stupid and everything was |
| heads high in the air. Every story I had heard about | | | | fine until I heard a really loud shuffling in the trees |
| hyenas said that they are cowards, but I’d | | | | close to my tent. I lay dead still for a moment and |
| also heard that they have the second strongest set | | | | quietly grabbed my keys in one hand. Heard the |
| of jaws in the world and I was not happy with them | | | | shuffling a second time and my brass simply |
| running towards me. | | | | wasn’t big enough. I jumped up, completely |
| Nonetheless, I knew that I was still a long way from | | | | destroyed my tent in trying open the zip and ran out |
| the camp and the only thing I could do was to keep | | | | shouting at the top of my voice into the bush. |
| on walking, which I did with a renewed sense of | | | | I’m sure I could scare away any leopard, rhino |
| urgency. Well, it only took a couple of steps before | | | | or ghost lurking around, but only long enough to open |
| the hyenas were right behind me. I don’t think | | | | my car and jump in. As uncomfortable as it was for a |
| they ever came too close to me, though at the time | | | | somewhat large, 62 male to sleep in the front |
| it felt like they were on my heels, and I also think | | | | seat of my Opel Record, there was no way I was |
| they probably turned around after a couple of | | | | returning to the tent. Anyway, the next morning at |
| meters. But this did not help me, I had heard that | | | | the swimming pool I heard a guy asking his buddies |
| you should not turn your back on hyenas, so for the | | | | whether they heard that scream during the night, but |
| rest of the way back to the camp I continued | | | | err, I just packed up my tent and disappeared |
| turning around every few seconds to see if the | | | | quietly. |
| hyenas were still around. I got back to the bungalow | | | | Having written these two stories, they now |
| some time after 9:00pm and was truly exhausted | | | | don’t seem all that interesting in print as |
| from walking in the bush in the dark while trying to | | | | it’s hard for reality to compete with |
| look behind me all the time. My friend, sitting in his | | | | Hollywood. However, I am just an ordinary |
| jocks with a beer in the hand, was furious that I was | | | | city-dweller that happens to love the outdoors |
| away for so long and left him all alone in the | | | | without knowing too much about animals and the |
| bungalow. Funny thing, coz I was pretty furious that | | | | wild. A blou wildebeest may not seem scary until |
| he never told the game ranger that I had been gone | | | | you’re standing a couple of meters from it |
| for more than 6 hours!! Needless to say, the rest of | | | | with nobody else around and you realize exactly how |
| the weekend was spent in and around the bungalow, | | | | big those things really are. |