edie November 9th, 2005
We mis-set our alarms and woke up at 3:30 instead of 4:30 and ran around, ate breakfast and then drove out and were almost to our first stop before we realized we were an hour early. Being 5:30 in the morning, in the dark and in the middle of nowhere, this was unfortunate to say the least. Drove on to a safe spot and slept in the car for an hour. Then, back to Tshukudu game reserve. We drove in past the gate and then another 6km to the lodge, saw a herd of waterbuck standing in the road on the way. They just looked at us as we drove past. We pulled in the lodge and an armed ranger met us at our car and told us a cheetah was in the area and for us not to run or make sudden loud noises (the type of activity Natalie excels at). So, we were all a trifle nervous exiting the car and walking across the parking area.
As we entered the veranda, a group of folks were standing on side of the room and on the other, seated on the sofa, was a CHEETAH. Apparently, many cheetah are raised in captivity. This one had been taken becuase they wanted to figure out why cubs kept going lame and dying. Turns out they all had a severe calcium deficiency and with a calcium-supplimented diet, the rescued cub surived and thrived. Around 6 ears old, it still hunts for about 60% of it’s food (while not lounging on the sofa I guess). It was stunning. The Ranger was giggling at us, having had his little joke, but we didn’t care, we were in awe of the animal. It was regal, but very still, it didn’t seem real. The ranger encouraged us to sit on the couch with it so he could get photos, which we did. This was another experience where my visceral self was saying get the hell out of there! We sat down and when I touched the cheetah - she sounded like she was growling, but turns out she was purring - the loudest purr you’ve heard! We all had a chance to pet her (Savannah’s her name) and she just sat there purring at various levels. Chris and I agreed later that the oddest thing about her was a complete lack of facial expression - she kept her eyes and ears and mouth very still. She looked stuffed while on the couch, but quite alive when walking around.
We had tea and coffee and then set off on our walking safari. They had informed us that because of Natalie’s age and size she would have to ride in a vehicle, but the ranger changed his mind since she was the only child on the walk and there were many adults to surround her. So, we headed off to the lion enclosure. This reserve has a couple of lions that cannot be released to the wild because of their previous experience with humans. The lion that walked with us was a young male, his mane just starting to show. We also had a young man with a lab (yes, a dog on a leash went with us too). It was bizarre. The lion behaved just like a roudy dog - it’s clear they bring the dog along to focus the lion’s attention, which the dog does very well. We were not allowed to pet the lion, which was fine with all of us. The lion did greet us by weaving in and out rubbing his scent on our legs. Fortunatly, there was no real smell. But, that was a hair-raising experience - another one I’m sure the ranger enjoyed watching immensely.
So, we took off on our walk. The lion leading the way, the cheetah pacing us from about 25 yards in the back. At one point the lion turned around, quickly weaved thru the group of us, bumping into legs and then burst after the cheetah. Of course, the cheetah can easily outrun a lion, if it has a head start. In this case, the cheetah did get away. They ran about 100 yards and then lion gave up and came back to the group. The cheetah then decided to stay about 50 yards back. The interaction between the two was fascinating. The lion knew he was king. The ranger had warned us ahead of time that the two might interact this way and they did not disappoint. We walked for about an hour and a half. We saw lots of animal tracks and then came upon 3 white rhino (the docile ones), one mom and 2 orphans (baby rhinos rescued from other parks). They were all sitting around but stood up and starting walking toward us when they saw the lion approaching them (they had kept the dog back to encourage the lion to stay back, but it turns out that rhino trumps dog). We got as close as 100 yards from the rhinos and let me tell you that is an unnerving feeling to have those big guys staring you down. We moved back and gave them their space and then they stopped following us.
The ranger asked Natalie to ride on Chris’ shoulders during the rhino encounter, so the lion wouldn’t fixate on her, which we gladly agreed to. We never really felt in danger, except in the very beginning when everything was shocking, but it’s amazing how quickly one can get used to walking with the big cats. Speaking of big, when the cheetah stood, she was as tall as Natalie!
See all the Tshukudu game walk photos!
The Next South Africa Entry: Mohoholo Rehabilitation Center
The Whole Trip: South Africa - The Summary
