It is a very early morning of July, and I am in the blessed land of Masai Mara, a place very close to my heart and a place I love. At 5 am in the morning the sun is about an hour from rising. It is the peak season here in Masai Mara with the great Grand Migration just about to begin and I am here for a week hoping to capture some good shots for a Spanish wildlife magazine.
The Mara Bush Camp I am staying at is already full of activity though it is very early in the morning. Tourists from across the world are here to see the Big 5 and I am sure Masai Mara will not disappoint them. A couple of Land cruisers are already waiting in the parking to take these tourists into the 'Bush' and into a lifetime of glory.
As I sit on the bonnet of my car and sip my mug of coffee, I look at them and think, that many of them may not be aware right now, but Africa is already at work, with all her magic, and soon she will weave a web of an adventure story around them, and while doing that she will leave them breathless, mesmerized and in awe of her!
She will slowly climb into their eyes, dwell in their minds and will then permanently rest in their souls!
And to this, I will stand a witness and give a sworn testimony!
Very few people who have ventured into the bushes anywhere in Africa have failed to return without an adventure! These adventures will be pleasant most of the time, but some may also end up with a close call to death. I have myself rarely failed to get entangled in this web that Africa spins and have had many a death call adventures, adventures that I am lucky enough to survive and to write in these blogs!
My friends who are into wildlife photography and have also visited Africa, often wonder how I manage to get such beautiful shots. The reason is simple, Wildlife photography in Africa is not about getting the right click, it is all about capturing the right moment! The equipment that you use will rarely matter.
A live hunt, by a pride of lions or a pack of wild dogs, animals like the leopard or an elephant mating, death fights between lions or hippos, such moments are to be treasured and are few of the many moments I have been witness too.
I was there when they happened!
Also, I have usually avoided going on the conventional game drives, I make local friends, friends like the rangers or the local tribes like the Masai's, eat and drink with them, live with them and see the bushes with them through their eyes! Many a time in my spirit of adventure (read madness) I have slept in the car spending the night parked in the lion territory, or sleeping in a Masai hut to get truly close to the wildlife.
Masai Mara is the largest game reserve in south-western Kenya, the Masai Mara covers 25,000 square kilometers of stunning grassland. The reserve is named after the local people who live in the region: the Masai, and the Masai word that describes the land, Mara: meaning spotted, due to the clumps of trees and the cloud shadows that fall over the Savannah.
The reserve was established in 1961 to protect the wildlife from hunters. The Serengeti National Park in Tanzania borders the reserve in the south and Masai pastoral lands surround the north, east and western borders. The western region holds the most abundant population of wildlife, due to the swampy landscape that makes it less crowded with tourists.
The open grasslands are filled with cheetah, lion, millions of wildebeest, and over 450 species of bird life, including vultures, marabou storks, secretary birds, horn bills, crowned cranes, ostriches, long-crested eagles, and African pygmy falcons. The shy black rhinoceros population is difficult to spot except at a great distance.
The Mara River meanders through the reserve, creating not only a haven for the hippos and crocodiles but also a difficult and dangerous feat for the migrating zebras and wildebeests that must cross the river for more lush grasslands beyond. This annual Great Migration that begins in July is one of the most impressive natural events worldwide, involving some 1,300,000 wildebeest, 500,000 Thomson's gazelles, 97,000 Topi, 18,000 elands, and 200,000 zebras.
These animals trek across wide expanses of grassland and bound across wide rivers to travel great distances in search of food and are followed along their annual, circular route by predators, most notably lions, hyenas, and crocodiles, who lie stealthily in the river awaiting the animals to cross. All in all, it is an amazing sight.
Wildlife magazines demand exclusive stuff and nothing pleases them more than a crocodile grabbing a wildebeest crossing the river or a live lion hunt, and these clicks are especially difficult with so many tourist vehicles around. The wildebeest and the zebras are aware of the dangers around them and in the river but become all the more skeptical with so many human beings around.
So today I am setting off with my very close friend Patrick the ranger and Robert the Masai: who is an excellent tracker born and raised in the Masai Mara. Patrick calls me Roy as most of my African friends because they find it difficult to pronounce my name Rohit. Rohit has become Rohe and Rohe has become Roy! Robert says I am his brother from another mother as both our name sound similar: Robert and Robit!
Roberts actual name is Moran though he would have liked to be called Miterienanka – one who has killed a lion with a spear! In general, all young Masai boys are called “Moran”, unless he has somehow already killed a lion, in which case he is called by his lion name like Miterienanka or Mingati. So there is more pressure than ever for a young Moran to distinguish himself from his other nameless peers and get a name that recognizes his strength, fearlessness, and ability to protect his community.
Though now many of the Masais have turned to protecting the lions than killing them, respecting the fact that it is the lions that boost tourism and in turn bring money in this part of the country.
So we started off in my land cruiser with me driving, Robert in the front passenger seat and Patrick in the middle row. Patrick likes this seat as it enables him to stand up and look around through the sunroof with his binoculars, and also to cover me with his gun when I step out to take photographs and in some occasions to fire his gun in the sky to stop a charging animal like the elephant. Although his gun makes a loud noise when fired in the air, I doubt its accuracy for actual shooting being very old!
However, a loud noise is what is needed most of the time, and the gun generally serves its purpose.
Good clicks often demand getting down from the safety of the car to get the correct angle and lighting. Albeit foolish and dangerous my experience with animals has given me a sort of a sixth sense regarding animal behavior. I can pretty much sense the mood of the animal and get a notion about how close it will allow me to click photographs, and yes this rule even applies to predators like the lions, and I have clicked some pretty good shots at a close range of fewer than 50 metres. I have known lions to give a low growl as a general warning if they don't like you coming any more closer, a low grunt that sounds 'tok tok tok' followed by a huffing if it is annoyed and a full blasted high decibel roar if it is angry and likely to charge!
We drove around the Masai until the sun was up, making the Masai warm, and though we saw a lot of usual animals like the hoards of wildebeest, zebras, elephants, lions, cheetahs, buffaloes etc that Masai Mara gracefully displays, save and except for two hippopotamus fighting we failed to get any of the anticipated spectacular shots.
The day had turned uneventful although I was not disappointed as I had a week in hand and I was confident that my beloved Africa will not disappoint me and if patient will slowly unravel her beauty!
We decided to head back to the camp. Since the past half an hour I had an urge to pee and it was slowly getting stronger, however, upon a consensus, it was decided that I should hold myself for a few km till we were safely out of the lion territory. Once we were almost 10 km away from the lion territory we came upon a small mound of about 7 feet by the roadside, a good location to leave my mark upon the territory like a lion!
Unable to hold any longer I quickly got down from the car rushed to the mound and started doing my job. While at it I was also savoring the beautiful smell of Africa and talking to Patrick simultaneously.
Patrick, the ever-cautious man, was at his post at the sunroof gun in hand. However we were way beyond the lion territory and such caution was not required, but Patrick, wise that he was never took any chances!
Just as I was finishing up I heard the loud cling of Patrick loading his gun, I turned slightly to look over my shoulders as best as my situation could allow, and saw Patrick aiming his gun at me. And then he said the words that jilted me outright, causing the stream to abruptly cease 'Roy, don't move!'
I was shell shocked and froze! Now Patrick has his sense of humor and is very capable of pulling jokes on you, but this one was a very bad joke! I was about to turn fully and reprimand him when I glanced at Robert, his face and eyes were a look of horror and shock! And that is when I heard the unmistakable 'tok tok tok' sound followed by a low huff just above me. At the same time, the wind changed its direction and my nose was greeted by a very strong and dirty stench. The king of the jungle can, many of the times smell awfully dirty!
I looked up and my eyes met his yellow-brown and dark-rimmed eyes less than 2 feet away, the closest I have ever been to a lion in its natural habitat!
I froze like a statue! I tried to think but failed miserably, those eyes not only hypnotized my body but also my mind!
In one of the wildlife safety manuals, I had read that in case you are charged by a tiger or a lion, and you are near your car don't waste time in opening the car door, instead, quickly slide under the car and stay away from the paws of the animal. Though I don't remember reading anywhere about what has to be done in a situation when the lion is less than 2 feet away!
Both of us stood frozen looking at each other in a stalemate situation, and probably both of us were unaware of what we would do now. It was as if time had stopped to a standstill. After a few minutes probably after my brain had absorbed the initial shock it unfroze. The only way I could to get out of this situation was Patrick risking a shot, and knowing him and his old gun I doubted it!
However it was the king of the jungle who was in control of the situation, and probably happy that he had cowered a human into submission, he gave a low grunt, nodded his head in goodbye and just turned and got off the mound from the other side.
But not before displaying his wicked sense of humor, and as he turned to get down he lifted his tail and sent a blast of the evilest and filthy smelling liquid upon me, the smell of which took almost 4 baths and an entire bar of soap to wear off me! His way of revenging me marking his territory!
I slowly backed off and got into the car, shivering and shaking with the golden slime dripping from my body. The three of us looked at each other and then we burst out laughing! The king had diffused the situation with his last act!
I had a quick wash by leaning out of the window, Patrick and Robert were the next in line to pee however their urge had miraculously now disappeared. No one had the guts to get down the car.
Patrick unloaded his gun and told me to drive on, but I was not done with the bastard yet! The least he could do is give me some good shots! I drove around the mound and found him resting by a shaded trench near the mound and it is then when I saw him clearly.
My friend Simba was an old warrior who had fought the last fight of his life and was wounded, that accounted for him being so far away from the lion territory. I clicked a few pics of him while he gave a 'what now' annoyed expression.
It is very easy to distinguish between a brave lion and a timid and coward one. the brave one will always have scars on his face and neck region, signs that show that he stood proudly and fought with the other invading alpha male lions head on. The coward will have those scars on his face acquired while running away from the battle. The brave lions must always be feared and respected as they may charge at slight provocation.
Initially, I thought the day was uneventful but TIA Africa again managed to surprised me, making it one of the most memorable day in my life, giving me a great adventure story that I lived to tell!
In the evening by the campfire, Robert and Patrick were the proudest, regaling in our moment and animatedly describing our adventure to the eager Muzungus (foreigners) and other guides, in fact, Robert to my embarrassment invited everyone to come and smell the lion pee on me which they eagerly did! The topic of discussion tonight was clearly adventures during peeing in Africa!
Patrick recounted a similar incident when he was guiding a group of Chinese tourists. Two ladies in the group wanted to answer the natures call badly and Patrick stopped the vehicle near a bush which was not lion territory, he himself got down and had a look around and asked the ladies not to go to deep inside the bush while he stood guard. No sooner had the ladies entered the bush he heard a loud scream followed by a roar! He witnessed the fastest running ladies of China with a lion in a mock charge behind them! Not to mention that their urge subsided magically for over an hour!
I also recounted another incident that happened a year ago in the Chobe National Park in Botswana with me. That too during the act of peeing!
As I set about doing my job I suddenly felt a few raindrops on my left cheek and ear. I was surprised as it was October, a time when Botswana is blazing and there are hardly any rains! I wiped off the drops only to realize that they were very sticky! I have never experienced sticky and golden colored raindrops or bird shit in Africa and was very surprised and wondering what this was.
The answer came in the form of a loud hiss some 20 ft away. Naja Mossambica! The notorious and deadly spitting cobra of Africa! This goon can elevate two-thirds of its body and spit its venom up to 3 metres with pinpoint accuracy, mostly in the eye, blinding you. And no, Naja Mossambica is not the one to back down easily in such situations like his other cousin Najas.
I thank god for my sunglasses and my quick reflexes (they are the quickest especially with snakes) I backtracked my way immediately to the car and Naja surprisingly backtracked his way without further display of his spitting skills!
Like the 'Butcherman' from Uganda, I have encountered another lion in Botswana who was blinded by a Naja Mossambica and was left on the mercy and support of his fellow pride members.
So, friends, it is very important to be careful when on a Safari in Africa and equally important to listen to the safety instructions of the guide! And come what may never step out of your vehicle on a game drive! I would also suggest the weak at heart (and kidney) to carry an empty bottle with you during your trip!
Karibu Sana! Welcome to Africa and to your own adventure story that is waiting for you here!
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