in the
distance they heard a haunting
whoop-whoop
.
‘Hyenas,’ Gunner explained under
his breath. ‘A long way off, probably in those hills.’ He indicated a far
ridge, crowned by the rising sun.
‘So why have we stopped?’ asked
Henri.
Gunner put a finger to his lips to silence
him as Buju pointed to a clump of thorn bushes some twenty metres ahead. Amber craned
her neck to see what the tracker had spotted, her camera at the ready.
‘What is it?’ whispered Henri,
kneeling up in his seat.
Amber shook her head and shrugged. Then out
from behind the thicket emerged a creature as grey as slate with an immense barrel body
and stumpy legs, its sloping neckand
low-slung head finishing in a large, pointed double horn. Like a creature straight out
of
Jurassic Park
, the rhino appeared truly prehistoric. It tramped into the
middle of the dirt track and stopped, suddenly sensing them.
Connor, Amber and Henri stared in awestruck
silence.
Gunner kept his voice to barely above a
whisper. ‘You’re very fortunate to see a black rhino in the wild. Their
species have been driven to the point of extinction. Less than five thousand left in the
whole of Africa.’
The rhino stood stock-still, only its ears
twitching, then it swung its head towards them, snorting at the air.
‘Rhinos have poor eyesight but an
excellent sense of smell and hearing,’ continued Gunner as Amber began shooting
away with her camera. He pointed to a small red-billed bird on the animal’s back.
‘That’s an oxpecker. It was thought they removed ticks and insects for the
benefit of the rhino, as well as providing an early warning system by hissing and
screaming if a predator approached. But more recent research suggests these are actually
bloodthirsty bodyguards.’
Amber looked back at Connor and raised an
eyebrow.
‘Rather than eat the ticks, the
oxpeckers have been seen removing scabs and opening fresh wounds to feed on the
rhino’s blood,’ explained Gunner. ‘So, while in part a mutually
beneficial relationship, the oxpecker is also a parasite.’
Connor hoped Amber didn’t consider him
a parasite. He’d been careful to keep his distance and focus on Henri when
they’d been prepping for the dawn safari. And, sincethe spider episode the previous night, he’d noticed
she had become more open towards him.
They watched as the little bird pecked with
its red beak at the rhino’s rump. The rhino twitched and turned slowly, until its
back was to them. Then it excreted several huge dollops of dung that plopped on to the
ground in a steaming heap.
‘Gross!’ exclaimed Henri.
‘Well, that’s certainly put me
off my breakfast,’ agreed Connor.
Gunner grinned. ‘An adult rhino can
produce as much as
fifty
pounds of dung in a day. Did you know each
rhino’s stool smell is unique and identifies its owner? They often use communal
dung deposits, known as middens, to serve as local message boards. Each individual dung
tells other rhinos who’s passed through, how old they are and whether a female is
on heat or not. Think of it like a post on one of your social networks.’
‘That’s a pleasant image!’
said Amber, laughing.
Having done its business, the rhino trotted
off and disappeared into the thicket.
‘What a spectacular start to the
safari!’ declared Gunner, switching on the Land Rover’s engine. ‘Your
first close encounter with one of the Big Five and it’s only six a.m.’
‘What are the other four?’ asked
Amber.
‘Elephant, lion, buffalo and leopard.
Can’t guarantee we’ll spot a leopard, though. They’re pretty
elusive.’
Henri frowned. ‘Why isn’t a
hippo one of the Big Five? Surely it’s larger than a leopard?’
Gunner shook his
head. ‘It isn’t about size. The “Big Five” was the term used by
white hunters for the five species considered the most dangerous to hunt. Although
you’re
distance they heard a haunting
whoop-whoop
.
‘Hyenas,’ Gunner explained under
his breath. ‘A long way off, probably in those hills.’ He indicated a far
ridge, crowned by the rising sun.
‘So why have we stopped?’ asked
Henri.
Gunner put a finger to his lips to silence
him as Buju pointed to a clump of thorn bushes some twenty metres ahead. Amber craned
her neck to see what the tracker had spotted, her camera at the ready.
‘What is it?’ whispered Henri,
kneeling up in his seat.
Amber shook her head and shrugged. Then out
from behind the thicket emerged a creature as grey as slate with an immense barrel body
and stumpy legs, its sloping neckand
low-slung head finishing in a large, pointed double horn. Like a creature straight out
of
Jurassic Park
, the rhino appeared truly prehistoric. It tramped into the
middle of the dirt track and stopped, suddenly sensing them.
Connor, Amber and Henri stared in awestruck
silence.
Gunner kept his voice to barely above a
whisper. ‘You’re very fortunate to see a black rhino in the wild. Their
species have been driven to the point of extinction. Less than five thousand left in the
whole of Africa.’
The rhino stood stock-still, only its ears
twitching, then it swung its head towards them, snorting at the air.
‘Rhinos have poor eyesight but an
excellent sense of smell and hearing,’ continued Gunner as Amber began shooting
away with her camera. He pointed to a small red-billed bird on the animal’s back.
‘That’s an oxpecker. It was thought they removed ticks and insects for the
benefit of the rhino, as well as providing an early warning system by hissing and
screaming if a predator approached. But more recent research suggests these are actually
bloodthirsty bodyguards.’
Amber looked back at Connor and raised an
eyebrow.
‘Rather than eat the ticks, the
oxpeckers have been seen removing scabs and opening fresh wounds to feed on the
rhino’s blood,’ explained Gunner. ‘So, while in part a mutually
beneficial relationship, the oxpecker is also a parasite.’
Connor hoped Amber didn’t consider him
a parasite. He’d been careful to keep his distance and focus on Henri when
they’d been prepping for the dawn safari. And, sincethe spider episode the previous night, he’d noticed
she had become more open towards him.
They watched as the little bird pecked with
its red beak at the rhino’s rump. The rhino twitched and turned slowly, until its
back was to them. Then it excreted several huge dollops of dung that plopped on to the
ground in a steaming heap.
‘Gross!’ exclaimed Henri.
‘Well, that’s certainly put me
off my breakfast,’ agreed Connor.
Gunner grinned. ‘An adult rhino can
produce as much as
fifty
pounds of dung in a day. Did you know each
rhino’s stool smell is unique and identifies its owner? They often use communal
dung deposits, known as middens, to serve as local message boards. Each individual dung
tells other rhinos who’s passed through, how old they are and whether a female is
on heat or not. Think of it like a post on one of your social networks.’
‘That’s a pleasant image!’
said Amber, laughing.
Having done its business, the rhino trotted
off and disappeared into the thicket.
‘What a spectacular start to the
safari!’ declared Gunner, switching on the Land Rover’s engine. ‘Your
first close encounter with one of the Big Five and it’s only six a.m.’
‘What are the other four?’ asked
Amber.
‘Elephant, lion, buffalo and leopard.
Can’t guarantee we’ll spot a leopard, though. They’re pretty
elusive.’
Henri frowned. ‘Why isn’t a
hippo one of the Big Five? Surely it’s larger than a leopard?’
Gunner shook his
head. ‘It isn’t about size. The “Big Five” was the term used by
white hunters for the five species considered the most dangerous to hunt. Although
you’re
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