Today was one of the best days of my life.
I don’t say that often for obvious reasons, but today is an exception.We spent the day in Kruger National Park with our delightful hosts Lynette and Gert who on his “hunches” were able to allow us to see the Big Seventeen in less than 7 hours.
What’s the Big Seventeen? Well, it seems that everyone who comes to Kruger National Park wants to see the Big Five: the rhino, lion, buffalo, elephant, and leopard.While those creatures are magnificent, so are the dozens of other animals found in the park (Hence, the number 17—the Big Five plus another dozen or so that will become your favorites).
To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect. The idea of sitting in a car for a 6 a.m. morning drive seemed uncomfortable. A few hours in a vehicle often leaves me cramped and squeamish. Instead, I found myself on the edge of my seat searching every branch, tree, and bush for wildlife. I didn’t want the day to end.We watched in awe as a leopard sat on the edge of a tree branch clinging for safety, a hyena below consuming the leopard’s recent kill. The second leopard we saw was much more savvy, he was tucked into a tree with packets of meat lining the branch—ensuring no one (except possibly a lion) would steal his next meal. A cheetah rested near a tree stump near a half-eaten carcass. Throughout the morning, we had to stop on multiple occasions for herds of elephants (including their uber-cute babies) to cross the road.
Giraffes nibbled on the lush leaves tucked into thorny trees. Wildebeests roamed the territory. We discovered a pride of lions resting in the brush and buffalo in the tall grass at the river’s edge.
We had a two-hour lull where we searched for the final of the traditional Big Five. Rounding a bend, I looked at the rear rend of a large dark animal sitting on the side of the gravel road. “Is that a hippo?” I asked
“No, that’s a rhino,” Gert corrected me. Yep. I’m awesome—can’t even tell a rhino from a hippo (thank goodness for gracious hosts).
While Kruger National Park is famed for the Big Five, I was taken by the breadth of animals. On the short two-kilometer drive to the park this morning, we saw zebras and giraffes. The park itself is littered with antelope-like creatures Gert calls “McDonald’s” (because they’re such a popular food source for the other animals and the black arches that they display from behind), tortoises, hippos, warthogs, brightly colored birds (yep, this is a birder’s paradise, too) and many more.
To think that God created these creatures. The powerful (and lazy) lion, the hyena with its haunting call, the green, blue, and red birds that dart through the landscape, the elephants with their feisty “don’t mess with me” personalities and destructive ways, leaves me in wonder. God’s wisdom. God’s beauty. God’s intricate design.
I was also struck by how evil poaching of the creatures is. Near the restaurant where we ate lunch, they featured updates on poachers who had been caught as well as the pictures of the killed and maimed creatures—rhinos with their horns cut off, elephants with bloody gashes from cruel snares, zebras with their feet chopped off. Indeed, the international outcry against poaching is needed to preserve these animals—some of whom have been eliminated in surrounding countries and are currently endangered even in the Krueger.
Thank you, God, for making such beautiful animals and displaying another facet of your creativity, humor, brilliance, and care through them. Amen.
