The Big Five Quest

Maggie Ballantyne10.1.19Who knows what the Big Five are in South Africa? If you are going on a safari, this is something you need to know so you can try and find them! They are the African Elephant, the Black Rhinoceros, the Cape Buffalo, the African Lion, and the African Leopard. The term “the Big Five” was originally coined by poachers as these were the hardest five to hunt. Now, however, many safari guides and tour operators use the term as a way of presenting which animals a guest should look for.The African ElephantOn our very first drive bright and early one morning, we were in our Jeep not even 10 minutes when we were lucky enough to see three African elephants. They were RIGHT there on the side of the path we were driving, and it took our breath away. The sun was coming up, we were in Africa, and it was definitely a pinch-me-I’m-dreaming moment. They are huge, but so graceful and quiet.Later on in the trip we went on an excursion to interact with the elephants. I loved this interaction because we were truly interacting with a wild animal in his or her habitat. These were not trained, caged, or trapped animals. The elephant handlers actually travel with the elephants, not the other way around. These men have huts all across Africa to stay in when traveling with the elephants. It is a mutually beneficial relationship: the handlers protect the elephants from poachers while the elephants protect the handlers from prey, such as lions. These elephants and humans form a strong bond and see each other as family. I found the chance to meet these handlers and interact with the elephants to be a privilege I will not soon forget.The African LionWe went on a separate excursion to find an African Lion because the reserve we were staying on did not know of any on their property. This was the best decision we could have made. It took hours, but when we went off course through the trees and cobwebs and over mounds of dirt and finally saw an adult male lion taking his morning stroll in the sunrise, it was worth it. Wow. Again, breathtaking. Three women in their 20s who never stopped talking the entire trip were silent. His strut, like he really was king, was so authentic and real. It is a sight I will never forget. We followed him for a little while before we lost him, but then over the radio we got a call that more had been sighted.We came across a lioness sleeping and two brothers who were waking up from a deep sleep. These brothers were around the age of two and did everything together. It was fun to watch them explore, so we followed them! I found it fascinating the significant change in their walk when they went from casually walking to hunting. It was around a watering hole when they noticed the impala and warthogs. All of a sudden they were walking silently and low to the ground carefully taking one step at a time. They disappeared into the tall grass leaving all of us in suspense wondering when they would pounce. It was silent. You could hear a pin drop until one of the impala turned its head and then all of a sudden every animal was running in a different direction. The lions emerged from the grass and went down to the watering hole for a drink. It is an experience I will never forget. Our guide, Sam, was funny and yelled “HAKUNA MATATA MAYBE NEXT TIME!”The Black RhinocerosWe were fortunate enough to see both the black and the white rhinoceros over the course of our five days at the reserve. The black rhinoceros is endangered and seeing them is both rare and a privilege. Both rhinos are similar in looks, but one distinct feature the black rhino has is hook lip, while the white rhino has a flat lip. The black rhino also has a more compact body shape, while the white rhino is long.It was our last night on the safari that we came across the black rhino and could check him off of our list.The Cape Buffalo and The LeopardThe Cape Buffalo is actually one of the most dangerous animals in Africa because their behavior is so difficult to predict. They are very easy to identify by its horns. The leopard, however, is very hard to identify and is the only one of the Big Five that we were not able to see. Even though we did some nighttime game drives, the leopard is nocturnal and never came out to show his spots.These were just five of the animals that were highlighted on the safari. All five can be found on the Rand (dollar bills) in South Africa. The giraffes, zebras, impala, warthogs, birds, wildebeests, and monkeys were also fun to find, watch, and explore with.If you would like more information on traveling to Africa, please contact me at maggie@wishesfamilytravel.com. You can also learn more about my trip and the Africa Adventures by Disney itinerary at www.facebook.com/wishesfamilytravelmaggie.