Adventures in South Africa: March of the Buffalo

It's always a game of chance when you drive through a game park looking for animals, like we did in Addo Elephant Park in South Africa. You might be in a park full of animals but see absolutely nothing. Or you might see everything. It just depends on who's out and about that day. When there's no fences, you never know who you're going to run into on the road, either.



Rounding the corner of the dirt road, we just about ran right into the noses of a group of rather grumpy looking buffalo. From all the people I've talked to who know (and some who don't), buffalo aren't the sort of creatures you want to encounter up close and personal. They can be mean and unpredictable. Thus my worry when we saw them coming right at us only a few yards away. I think my intelligent, cool-minded advice to my friend who was driving was “Back up! Back up!”.
We scooted away around a corner and stopped, only to see them marching, purposefully and at a good pace, towards us again. We did get out of there pretty quickly, but later learned from a park official that my advice was wrong.

So here it is: If you ever encounter a group of buffalo while driving through a game reserve (or maybe anywhere else, for that matter), DON'T back up. Stop your car and sit very still while they walk around your car. They won't bash your car in. But please don't blame me if you ever have to check if your car insurance covers “damage due to mad buffalo” because you took my advice!

Adventures in South Africa: The Confused Ostrich

Apart from stories about my ministry, it's always fun to tell a few about my leisure time as well!

As many of you know, I went to South Africa for Christmas with friends. We stayed mostly in Cape Town, but we also went on a ten-day trip down the garden route and stopped at two game reserves, Addo Elephant Park and Mountain Zebra Park. It was amazing how many animals we were able to see.

We went on several game drives, both in our own vehicle and with a guide in a park vehicle. On an evening drive, we were busily looking for black rhinos and cheetahs as the sun went down. Our guide turned on two big spotlights so we could see any animals we drove by. And as we drove along, our spotlight caught an ostrich unawares, standing there, minding his own business. Surprised to be caught in a great beam of light, he fluttered about wondering which way to run to get out of the light. We were still driving and our guide kept the light on the ostrich, but poor ostrich, he was so confused on how to escape this horrible light! He began to run with our vehicle instead of away from it! Jumping and weaving back and forth like a feather duster on a yo-yo string, he got closer and closer to our truck, then realized that the thing that was making all the noise while driving down the road was also producing the light. He quickly turned away from our truck and ran out into the darkness, only to get spooked and run towards the truck again. Every time we thought we lost him, here he'd come again, weaving towards the truck in a panicked state, wondering why that light wouldn't leave him alone! He even darted in front of our truck a few times. Honestly, after a while, we were the ones trying to get away from him!



After finally losing him, we went on to see other animals, then headed back home. And on our way home, who should appear in the spotlight again but Confused Ostrich! Racing alongside us, erratically weaving around, dashing in front of our truck, and jumping from the light to the darkness and back into the light again in a totally panicked state of mind, Confused Ostrich couldn't make up his mind on how to escape the dreaded light (this happens when you don't have much of a brain to begin with!). Poor ostrich. He was probably quite wore out from the stress of it all! Although, living on a game reserve, I'm sure he's bound to get into this situation again... and again... and again. Poor Confused Ostrich!