This thread about animal hazards reminds me of a story I heard from
a local guide/poler in the Okavango Delta (Botswana):
Tourists often fly into the Delta, spend the first night at a
somewhat developed island campsite and then spend a few days in dugout canoes
("Makorros") going into the Delta ( game viewing and camping.) The camp near
the airstrip has a high electrified wire to keep wandering elephants out. A
Swiss lady walking from the strip to the camp, stopped to pose for a photo
about 8ft in front of a large elephant! Whether it was the "noisey Nikon" or
not, the elephant went for the two women. Luckily two guides arrived just in
time to see the elephant taking umbrage. One grabbed a stick,ran around the
back and started beating the elephant's back legs to distract it, while the
other guide hurried the women away and then made a noise to distract the
elephant back from the beater.
There are now large numbers of elephants in the Delta so encounters
are common if you visit there. We wandered amongst a herd of about 15
elephant spread out in some trees grazing one evening. Their eyesight is very
poor so if you are downwind and don't get too close or chalenge a bull or
distrurb the young ones etc you are ok. Another day while taking a nap in
the midday heat an elephant wandered behind our tent to knock down some palm
nuts from an adjacent tree. Even my OM2s shutter made him prick his ears up.
Leave your winder at home!
Regards,
Tim Hughes
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