Rules of the Bush

Visitors may unwittingly put themselves in danger by not knowing the rules of the bush. You can't expect to become an expert on wildlife behavior overnight, and even experts with decades of experience will tell you that an animal's behavior is not always predictable. So regard the following carefully, even if you are on a guided tour, and especially if you are traveling independently, or on a walking safari.

Rules of the Bush

In most of the national parks and reserves it is forbidden to travel with an open-top vehicle or to leave your vehicle and walk about where there might be wild animals. The open-top rule may seem spurious, but big cats can be overhead in trees (especially in Tanzania, at Lake Manyara) and leopard often rest in trees, where they keep their larder.  Some park roads  take you very close to rocky over hangs (kopjes in the Serengeti) where big cats like to rest in the shade or survey for prey. Sun roofs for most vehicles are designed to allow you to look out and photograph but still give you cover overhead. If you rent a vehicle with a canvas top that you remove, in certain countries and parks, you can be fined or ousted from a national park.

See Dr. Bruce Patterson’s book "The Lions of Tsavo : Exploring the Legacy of Africa's Notorious Man-Eaters" for research on Man-Eaters.

 
In parks like Amboseli and the Mara where vegetation is extremely fragile, driving off the park road is forbidden. You usually receive a listing of the park rules when you pay your entrance fee. You should adhere to them carefully, and a new awareness of environmental problems has created a watchdog system.

Often tourist vehicles encircle a recent kill scene, to the annoyance of big cats below. You should not encourage your driver to press closer; annoyed cats will often leave and return later to move the remaining carcass to another site. If a lioness has cubs, and visitors flail their arms about from windows or roofs, she may well view you as a threat. Do not extend yourself out of the roof or open the door to get a better shot; under no circumstances should you climb out of the vehicle on the hood. Animals have learned to disregard a vehicle that poses no threat to them. They often have quite a different reaction to the human form. This is especially true of lion, elephant and baboon which have been harassed by humans.  

Photographers often bang the side of the vehicle or whistle to get an animal to turn their way. It's not a good idea to carry it too far, and if you're going to make a clever bleating sound like a  wildebeest calf, you'd better make certain your limbs and face  are not exposed; you may also endanger other people in your  group. Annoyed rhino and elephants have been known to charge vehicles.

Most guides and drivers refrain from harassing the wildlife, and you should discourage anyone in your group from this. You will find it much more rewarding to sit quietly and simply watch  animals for a few minutes. The longer you stay still and whisper, allowing the animals to ignore you, the more natural behavior you are likely to see, like cubs playing, even lions mating.

Some tourist vehicles interrupt a chase or foil a kill by crowding cheetahs or lions as they stalk their prey. Do not try to race along side or rush toward the "scene'' (or what you estimate to be the kill site or prey.) Instead view it from a distance with binoculars or through your telephoto lens. Vehicles interrupting chases became so abusive in Nairobi National Park that cheetah became dangerously lean during the tourist season. Not only is it considered a form of harassment, but there's no way to predict which way the chase will turn; you  may accidentally hit and kill one of the animals, for which you can be banned for life from the park and fined, and your driver will lose his license and his job.

Patience pays for those who have come to Africa because they appreciate wildlife, and you are much more likely to enjoy long sequences of natural behavior if you maintain a certain distance  and respect. It also allows you time to study the light and anticipate that really great photograph. Otherwise your safari could turn very ugly; animals may move away or react, and wild life officials may receive your license plate number recorded by a game warden or another visitor who watches with binoculars from a distance.

Walking Safaris

Getting a feel for Africa beneath your feet is increasingly popular. Walks may be as brief as an hour or you may traverse 10 miles a day, with mobile tented camps being setting up en route. Walking is an opportunity for a different perspective, but it requires agility of body and mind. Walking tours are usually led by an English-speaking naturalist who knows how to track game and to tell you about the plants and birds you see. It may also include a gun-bearer, for there is the odd chance of surprising a rhino or buffalo who may view you as an intruder or a threat. However, weapons may provide a false sense of security, and it is part of the thrill of a walk to be alert to the potential dangers, and spare the bullet. You may laugh at the instructions given beforehand: "If a buffalo or rhino charges, climb the nearest tree!''  If you are unable to climb a tree, you should think twice before going. You may not only put yourself in danger, but you may cause an "unnecessary'' killing of an animal.

Most tour operators ask you to sign an insurance disclaimer before taking such a walk, relieving them of responsibility. While thousands of walks have been conducted without incident, you  should beware of assurances that animals are usually more frightened of you and are likely to run the other way. Animals are capable of a wide variety of behavior, and you can stumble across a new rhino or elephant mother nervous about her calf, an animal in pain because of an abscess or injury, or a male elephant in musth. You may also unwittingly make animals feel cornered. Knowing how to deal with such situations takes decades of experience, as you will hear from old hands around the campfires at night. You are likely to see much and return home unscathed, and most charges are "mock'' charges, meant to warn you. But don't disregard the odds of an odd encounter.

One of the most experienced former white hunters' was gored by a rhino a few years ago in Nairobi National Park, and naturalist filmmaker Alan Root, attacked by a hippo he had inadvertently cornered. Photographer Peter Beard got too close to a mother elephant which  caused serious internal injuries. Buffalo appear to be very docile creatures when viewed from a vehicle, but they should not be confused with just another kind of cow. Some tourists who have meandered from lodges or camps have been killed by buffalo, unwisely assuming that they can simply go for a stroll after lunch. One visitor, staying in a camp in the Maasai Mara, was fatally pinned to a tree by a buffalo a few years ago. A traveler who went for a jog was injured by an elephant calving on the same trail. Most camps issue warnings about buffalo and hippo that can lurk near walking trails; heed them. See  http://www.deltawillis.com/hippo_tips.htm

No matter how sophisticated your lunch or the setting, remember that wild animals are often right on the edge of the camps or lodges. Some, like baboons, may seem particularly friendly,  and keen for a handout. But if you approach a baboon and push your telephoto lens in its face, you may find yourself confronted with powerful canines. According to many wildlife experts, the  most dangerous creature in Africa is one that is half-tame, half-wild: accustomed to certain kinds of human behavior but  thrown off by an approach they find threatening. Baboons can do a lot of damage: the best defense is to yell and back off quickly. Keep your face to the animal and drop your camera away as you back away. With some animals (like elephant or lion), throwing up your hands and shouting may scare them off. Ultimately, you must signal by body language that you do not in tend to pursue them further. Never tease the animals with the opportunity of a chase.

Jogging

Many visitors assume that they will be able to go on their daily jog while on safari, but beyond cities like Nairobi, jogging any where there may be wild animals is ill-advised. It should be 
remembered that lion, cheetah, and leopard are big cats,  and cats like to chase things. Some lodges, such as Amboseli Serena, do have a jogging trail, and because of the fame of marathon runners from Kenya, jogging in the bush may seem a given. But marathons in Africa employ buffers, which may include a copter overhead to protect the runners from rhino, and vice versa.   

It is possible to walk in areas along the river or lake at certain camps, but you must always ask before doing so. Problems sometimes occur when hippo are out of the water, feeding on land. Humans can unwittingly startle a hippo by blocking the animal's path to the water, where the hippo can submerge out of fear of this strange, upright ape in safari shorts. Hippo on land are much faster afoot than you might imagine; they move with enormous force, and their tusks can cause serious damage.

Swimming & Wading

When it's hot, the water looks wonderful. There are some areas, such as Lake Baringo Island Camp and Lake Turkana, where people swim with both hippo and crocodile, largely because there is plenty of territory, and they are otherwise well fed. But you should consult with the leaders at your camp about the safe areas beforehand, and avoid dipping even a toe in still waters where Bilharzias may lurk.

Snakes and  Scorpions

Fears about these creatures are generally overrated, because snakes generally avoid humans and tend to flee if given the chance. Snakes have poor hearing and poor eyesight but are keenly sensitive to ground vibrations. Cobras, it is said, can detect a barefooted approach at 40 yards. You are unlikely to encounter any problems; the only snakes you may see are at the snake parks in Nairobi Museum or at Lake Baringo, where they are milked. In the Northern Frontier District, sand vipers are small, insidious aggressors, and there is the rare chance of spitting cobra or puff adder. But make a lot of noise when you proceed, especially if you are walking at night to an outdoor "long drop'' (toilet); carry a flashlight; and wear your desert boots and socks. Keep your tent door zipped, and if you are camping out in the middle of nowhere, always put your shoes in bed with you or inside your bag, or stuff your socks inside them, to prevent scorpions from nestling in them. Study snake photos. Of 160 known species in Africa, only 10 are lethal and common.

Tented Camps

Most tented camps have sophisticated tents, with tightly seamed or concrete floors and doors that zip closed. Always remember to zip your doors closed when setting out on game drives, going for a meal, or turning in for the night.

The rules of the bush are complex, but the best rule of thumb is to remember that in any wild terrain, you are an intruder and out of your element.