A cool breeze swept through the
tall, yellow grass, a short reprieve from the blazing African heat. The golden
rays from the glorious sun shone over the great Savannah, inviting the hundreds
of thousands of inhabitants to bathe and bask in its glow. Swarms of shiny
bluebottles zipped through the air, joining the mosquitoes and dragonflies in
the ever-lasting battle for food.
In the beautiful aura of the
grasslands, the sounds of wildlife echoed for miles. Harmonious mating calls of
the antpeckers, brubrus and the quailfinches, just some of the songbirds that
reside here; brittle clashes of antelopes ramming their antlers against each
other, fiercely competing for their harem; the loud yelps and cackles of the
spotted hyenas, ganging up ruthlessly on their prey.
A nearby herd of zebra grazed
quietly on a particularly lush patch of bottle-brush grass, neighing and
occasionally glancing furtively at any oncoming carnivores. Young calves took
turns bathing in the amply filled water-hole, feeding at their mothers’ teats
and playfully butting each other. The elder equines circled their perimeter,
scanning for signs of trouble.
Only a few meters away, sheltered
from the direct heat under the flat, expansive canopy of a thicket of acacia
trees, a small group of people sat around their well-built and heavily equipped
campsite. The little area contained five tents, circled around what was a
campfire, and most impressively a little studio. Four of the shorter acacias in
the dense copse had been draped with a mass of huge leaves and thin sheets of
fabric. In the fort-like structure were 4 power generators, a couple of
laptops, a collection of cameras, a few rifles and a cool-box. Parked next to
the fort was a Land Rover Safari, with a convertible roof and an inbuilt tripod.
Michael Tawny sat in a circle
around the ashes of the campfire, with his fellow travellers. As he absorbed
the splendour of the Savannah, the wild sounds, scents and sights he had been
dreaming of for years, he took a moment to enjoy the company he was in. In the
tent to his left was Isaac Sahir, a tall, brown haired, twenty four year old
journalist student, born and raised in England to Egyptian parents. Isaac and
Michael had been neighbours and close friends for almost two decades, and both
fell in love with wildlife after reading the limited number of animal books in
their primary school classroom. Isaac was now working on a series of travel
books, starting here in the Savannah.
On Michael’s right was Niamh
Teagan, also twenty four and another close friend of Michael and Isaac. She was
born in Ireland, and moved to London with her parents at the age of seven when
she first met Michael and Isaac. Niamh worked as a freelance photographer, and
jumped at the opportunity to join them in the glorious African grassland.
The other two tents housed
Charles Blair, a forty-something filmmaker and good friend of Michael’s father,
and his nineteen year old daughter Lily. Both were from Cape Town, and had
ventured into these areas a number of times. Charles was also financing the
trip.
“Everyone kip well, then?”
Charles asked us, and the three strangers to southern Africa nodded tiredly.
“Good, after breakfast we’ll drive out into the open, so eat your fill eh!”
“What’re we gonna be looking at?”
Niamh asked curiously, eager to get her camera out and ready.
“I figure the herds will be a
good place to start, so we shall definitely see something. Don’t get your hopes
up for any real action yet, okay? I’ve spent weeks upon weeks out here,” he
replied, smiling ruefully.
Michael grinned; “No problem,
long as the weather stays like this. And that’ll be a while, right?” He looked
between Charles and Lily, who both nodded reassuringly.
They sat and talked for another
thirty minutes, about university, careers, travelling, and eventually Michael,
Isaac and Charles loaded the large Safari with the gear, whilst Niamh and Lily
hoisted the cool-box into the boot. They set out to the tune of songbirds
singing merrily, giraffes munching from the tallest trees and bison chewing from
the lowest bushes.
As Charles drove across the bumpy
grassland, Michael helped Niamh set the two cameras up.
“This is incredible, no?” Niamh
whispered as she propped the tripod up, not wanting to give away her awe at the
surroundings.
Michael smiled and nodded. “It’s
amazing. Beats London by a long shot, anyways,” he added, winking and turning
on the video camera. “How d’you want them set up, Charles?”
“Just make sure the lighting’s
good, atta boy,” he boomed loudly back at them.
Niamh climbed onto the back of
her seat and started taking pictures of the landscape.
“Mike, point the camera over
there,” Niamh called down, and pointed at a herd of buffalo, just about
becoming visible on the horizon. “There, the buffalo I think.”
Michael pulled a lever on the
tripod and the hydraulic piston supporting the video camera shot upwards.
Michael sat on the back of his own seat next to Niamh, and directed the lens towards
the buffalo.
“Can we get out of the car once
we get close?” Isaac asked Lily, whilst Charles manoeuvred the Safari through a
dense patch of grass.
“I suppose so, yes, but we
mustn’t stray too far from it, yes?” Lily replied, smiling.
“Sweet!” Isaac pulled a pen and a
notepad out, and started scribbling. “So, how many times have you been here,
then?” He looked up at her,
“Why, am I being interviewed?”
she smiled coyly.
Isaac raised an eyebrow, and
replied; “Maybe, if you’re interesting enough.” He smiled back, and Lily
giggled.
They drove for another hour or
so, capturing the stunning landscape, from the endless acres of golden grass to
the mighty and greatly varied trees that made the beautiful Savannah what it
was. They saw huge herds of bison, buffalo, antelope and springbok, grazing and
butting and running. Michael pointed out a pride of lions lounging lazily in
the shade of a baobab tree, swatting half-heartedly at the mosquitos and flies
circling them.
They parked the Safari under a
baobab a few hundred meters away from the lions, and stepped out onto the
Savannah the first time. Niamh helped Michael detach the video camera from the
tripod, and they packed it into the case. Isaac and Charles pulled the cool-box
out of the boot, and Lily helped them set up a picnic.
They had chosen a place with a
spectacular view of the Savannah. Michael gazed around him in wonder, taking in
the sheer beauty. From their vantage point, he could see everything.
He turned to Niamh next to him;
“This’ll make a brilliant picture.”
“Too right! Here, take the
camera, and don’t drop it,” she said, standing up.
A few leaves rustled in the tree
above them, followed by a loud snap. They all glanced up, and saw a leopard cub
staring at them from a long branch, like a deer caught in the headlights.
It stayed motionless, as did the
four younger individuals. Charles was alert, however, and immediately began
scanning the immediate surrounding area.
“Quick, back to the car, its
mother will be close by.”
Michael’s heart started racing,
as he crept back to the Safari. His eyes darted around until they found Niamh,
who had taken the camera and was trying to snap a picture of the cub.
“Niamh!” he whispered loudly.
“Jesus, c’mon!”
She ignored him, and concentrated
on the photo opportunity. Michael jogged back and tugged at her arm. She sighed
exasperatedly, took one last picture, before they both ran back towards the
car. They were a few meters from the others, but nonetheless they slowed down,
sensing no threat.
Then something yapped loudly
behind them.
