The deeper we went into Ubizane the worse
the roads became. That Landy looked like Elvis, rockin’ and rollin’ while
battling through some very small spaces.
Luckily I got over my claustrophobia a long time ago! While tensing our
eyes looking for any sign of movement or animals next to us we suddenly looked
up with the tall...gigantic...Giraffe standing right in front of the Land Rover!
We couldn’t help but laugh at our own stupidity for almost missing these
massive creatures right in front of us! So Hamilton called out the number of
males, females and youngsters for me after analysing them carefully while I
wrote all our findings down. We were slowly
but surely making progress.
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| Giraffe were closer than expected! |
Another interesting creature we met on our
road while counting the game, was a big, furry Cane Rat. Rats aren’t really the most gracious or most
beautiful animals but these Cane Rats are just too cute! They are huge with
little crooked teeth and fluffy fur. I enjoyed seeing this interesting friend.
Now on the other hand if I saw him in my house at night – maybe I wouldn’t
enjoy his presence as much!
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| A Cane Rat |
At one point we went down a road that, to me,
looked like a game trail rather than an actual road! We counted some Wildebeest
and saw a few hiding Nyala. With an
overgrown trail (I’m calling it a trail because roads are different in my mind)
we bundu bashed into the bush. Leaves were flying everywhere and I was covered
in branches and plants, so much so that I could probably start my own garden in
the Landy! Hammy laughed as I cringed and ducked for oncoming Acacia thorn
branches. As we came to a stop in an
open area where the trail connected to a road which I perceive as a REAL road,
I realised the Landy was a little heavier than usual. I did not know if I
wanted to look back...maybe a Wildebeest decided to join the party or it could
have been my worst fear – a gigantic spider on steroids! This is Zululand after
all where ANYTHING is possible! After plucking up the courage I looked behind
me and there it was...a massive tree branch – the size of pretty much HALF THE
TREE stuck in the row of seats behind me. So I explained the situation to
Hamilton in the only way I saw fitting, “Ah Hammy you shouldn’t have! Normal
men give a bunch of roses...not half a tree!”
After driving for hours with the sun
piercing through my pale skin, we were finally confident that we covered as
many animals in our designated area and went back to Tree Lodge. It was important to go through your
designated area as many times as possible before calling it a day. It helped to use landmarks such as a certain
odd looking tree, etc. to ensure that game weren’t counted more than once. It
is also easy to get lost in the endless bush so we were all equipped with a
handy Ubizane map which we also used to mark and pinpoint the animals’
locations.
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| Hammy looks over the Ubizane grounds to see if he can spot any herds and to plan our next route... |
While driving back I realised how dirty my
pants were, not only with leaves covering it but also from pen marks. Driving
in a shaking Land Rover with an open pen shaking around in your hand with
beige-white pants – not the greatest idea.
It is now decorated in blue Vincent Van Gogh style stripes to remind me
every day of my fun outing during the game count! The end of our journey also brought about
another critter which I did not appreciate as much as Hamilton did; a small
jumping spider. Yes, I do live in the
bush and this should not faze me but unfortunately for me I really dislike
these small eight-legged beasts. This little critter knew I disliked him and
kept jumping back on me – and I admit; I did let out a girlish squeal every
time it landed back on me! Hamilton enjoyed it very much, for him it was like
an episode from his favourite comedy. I
just want to add this spider continuously made his way back to me after
countless attempts of trying to get rid of him every time for the whole journey
back to the lodge! He’s probably still
awaiting my return to the Land Rover since that fateful day...
Upon return at the lodge I ran for my lunch
and water realising that we were gone from 10am until 2:30pm! We counted again
for two days after the first trip and I can now say I’m a pro at game count and
I am ready for the next one next year!
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10 Tips to get you through your first Game Count!
Here are a few tips that I picked up from
my experience which might help you one day if you are asked to help in a game
count on a wildlife reserve:
- Use sun block... a lot
- Wear a hat & sunglasses
- Wash your face when you get back to the lodge...people tend to laugh at your red dirt-filled face
- Don’t leave your pen-cap off while driving in a Land Rover – I drew on myself without even knowing
- In fact (following point nr. 4) don’t wear white or light beige pants!
- Look in front of you as well as to the sides to avoid catching a fright with a massive unseen Giraffe suddenly appearing right in front of the Land Rover
- Get over your fear of spiders – you might get a follower like my jumping friend
- Eat breakfast before you go!
- Remember to pack a water bottle filled with fresh water
- Keep your eyes open and find those animals!
©Ettioné Ferreira
