It's a jungle out there

[Ken Meeks]

We took this photo at Deception Valley in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve located in Central Botswana. This is a young male who was not quite old enough to challenge for his own pride, but he roared throughout the night, letting the world know of his presence (a bit like teenage boys with their loud cars and stereos.)

The next video was taken about six miles away. We came upon a pride of thirteen lions. This was by far the largest pride we had seen during our time in Africa. The three lions on the prowl are adolescents. It was a little sketchy because our car windows were down and the young male was still amped up and in stalking mode when he approached our car. The lion had been stalking a jackal, who just in the nick of time, turned tail and ran. (*Please excuse the momentary fumbling of the camera, but I thought I saw the lion glimpse my hand while filming, so I thought it best to drop my hand before he decided to investigate.)

 

http://youtu.be/ETq7Yn_ZGdg

 

As the saying goes......get away, get away, get away...live another day.

 

This was the alpha male of the pride. He and a single lioness had sauntered off a little distance away from the rest of the pride. Apparently, he did not care to partake in the shenanigans of the adolescents; though, he still took a hard look at the jackal.

The previous week, Bobbi and I went on a guided walking safari. We were in lion country and we heard the males roar in the distance.  Our guide told us that three days prior he had been with several clients when he came upon two lions on a fresh kill. He explained that he was less than ten feet from the lions when he pushed through the tall grass and came upon them. He told us that the lions looked up with their bloody muzzles; stared straight at him and emitted low growls.  The guide slowly backed away and took his clients elsewhere. I questioned him about the extent of danger of the encounter.

The guide said that he was not scared because lions behave in a predictable manner. When a person can predict how an animal will behave in a given situation, then the person can react accordingly.  Predictability removes uncertainty; uncertainty is the unknown; the unknown causes fear. Therefore predictability alleviates fear. (Isn't this true in most situations in our lives. We are apprehensive or fearful of that which we don't know or understand, but once we learn and understand, we become comfortable and lose our fear and can remain calm.)

The guide said that he is not afraid of encountering lions, leopards, or elephants because these animals behave predictably. He told us that when you come upon a lion, you maintain eye contact with the lion and slowly back away. As long as you keep eye contact and back away slowly the lion will not attack. 

Leopards on the other hand will attack if you maintain eye contact. When encountering a leopard our guide said that you should avert your eyes down and at an angle and slowly back away in a zigzag pattern (The guide did not know the reason for the zigzag pattern, but it reminded me of a story I read about a man who witnessed an encounter between a spotted hyena and a leopard. The man saw a leopard and a hyena walk toward each other on a trail. When they finally saw each other they froze and stared at the other. Finally, the leopard gave a low guttural growl, which caused the hyena to lower its head and step off the trail where it sat with lowered head, while the leopard strode past. The leopard completely ignored the hyena. After the leopard was a fair piece down the trail, the hyena let out a series of wailing barks; salve for its wounded ego, no doubt.)

 

Elephants are also predictable. Our guide said that elephants have poor eyesight albeit excellent hearing and sense of smell. Therefore, when encountering an elephant a person should try to make themselves as big as possible to be visible to the elephant. He said that you should slowly raise your arms up and speak in a gentle tone while you slowly back away. He said the elephant will most likely not charge if you react in this manner. There are exceptions, such as when a bull elephant is in Musth. This is a condition when his veins are cursing with testosterone. A person can tell when a bull is in Musth because there is a gland near the ear that leaks fluid which runs down the side of the elephant's face.   When an elephant is in Musth he is not thinking straight, he is aggressive and he is looking for love. (Rather like guys at a college bar around closing time)

 

The common theme, here, was to back away slowly.  From the animal's perspective this is a predictable movement. The slow backward movement allows the animal time to understand that you do not want a confrontation. Most animals, humans included, avoid confrontation. Everyday survival is hard enough.

There are three things one should keep in mind when walking in the bush:

1) Don't run: The number one rule in the bush is DON'T RUN. First, it triggers a predator's prey instinct, and second it is a quick movement (see #2.)

2) Move slowly: slow movement is predictable; quick movement is unpredictable and you are then gambling whether the animal will run away or attack.

3) Never get between a mother and her baby…..a mother's protective instinct is beyond measure.

The guide went on to tell us of two animals that he avoids because their behavior is completely unpredictable. These two animals are hippos and old male Cape buffalos. Hippos used to kill more humans than any other animal in Africa. They can be territorial and one never knows whether they will slip away under the water or charge out of the water while you are standing on the bank, or even flip your boat if you are on the water.

Our guide kept us a safe distance. It was fun to look at them through binoculars while they stared back at us…….or letting us know that we were in their territory.

 

The second animal that is unpredictable is the old male Cape Buffalo. They have usually left the herd and are alone. Their eyesight is poor and they are ornery. The guide said that on one day they might flee and the next day they will charge, and there is not much you can do to change their mind.

The past year of time spent in the bush observing animal behavior has helped me better understand rudimentary human behavior. After all, humans are simply animals and while we may have intellectual capacity, our brains are still wired with primal emotions and behavioral patterns.  Humans seem to behave in certain stages of confrontational predictability. First, like all animals, we usually try to avoid confrontation. Second, we usually yell at each other (animals growl, snort, or trumpet); third, we give warning signs, such as clenching our fists or raising our arms (animals paw the ground, crouch with twitching tail; flare their ears); and finally, as a last resort, we strike.

But then there are those situations when things become less predictable. For example, how times have you seen a person rush another person with fists clenched and their chest puffed out, and get in the other's face. In the bush guides call this a "mock charge." Once again, the animal really doesn't want to physically engage. They are hoping that they can simply intimidate and scare off their adversary.

Guides told us that mother elephants will usually mock charge if they feel their baby is threatened. But, the guides say it is still scary because when the elephant is charging there is no way to tell whether the charge is real or not. The same applies to humans, how do we know that the person getting in our face is only mock charging or is actually planning on hurting us. The answer is: we don't; and this results in uncertainty and fear. Once fear enters the equation things get unpredictable.

Fear is primal. It triggers a flight or fight response. Fear results in rash decisions that defy logic and predictability. It is why a wounded dog may attack his owner who is only trying to help him. It is why a kid gets shot for simply being a minority and wearing a hoody at night. It is why a carload of boys full of bravado and loud music get shot at a gas station. It is why a man gets shot for texting in a movie theatre- though this may be due simply because the male shooter was old, alone, ornery, had poor eyesight.

These are the results of a society that has become a culture of fear…..Is this grim?...yes, but this is reality...this is life in our primal world.

 

This is why Kung Fu is necessary. Kung Fu teaches us to work hard toward great accomplishment. It teaches us to strive to make the most of our lives; to live with integrity; to take care of ourselves and those around us. It teaches us that with discipline and commitment we can rise above the fear mongering thrown at us and live confidently.  And when we live confidently we are able to embrace life and seek out that which intrigues us in this world. And this is a world of amazing intrigue. This is why I study Kung Fu.

 

 

 

[Victoria Pich]

Wow! What great stories and beautiful photos!! I agree about the hippos and cape buffalo. I know of two people (through their friends) who were gored/stomped to death by cape buffalo. Thanks for telling these wonderful stories! 

[Joseph Bronson]

Beautiful post, wonderful ending and oh so true. This has been a great adventure so far. Thank you for keeping us in the loop. Your writing makes me feel as though I am right there. Awesome job.