A Sting in the Tail

Last night I watched the beginning of 'Die Another Day', the one where Pierce Brosnan is captured in Korea and imprisoned for 14 months in an unknown facility. His torture regime consisted of being stung by scorpions.  Now I can relate to this, not the torture bit, but the part where he is stung by a scorpion.

My first job after graduating from Leeds University was in Zimbabwe, where I worked in Save Valley Conservancy.  A lot of my time was spent camping out in the bush and I had my own rondavel, a mud hut, where I slept many a nervous night expecting every animal in the immediate vicinity to join me - there was no door, just a wide gap saying 'come in here and make yourself at home'.  Needless to say, only the creepy crawlies came to stay, and luckily not the resident leopard that I would hear coughing in the bush nearby each night.  Unfortunately, one over friendly scorpion made his way into my sleeping bag and and as I rolled on top of him, he responded, rightly so, with a sting. 

You can tell the potency of a scorpion sting by the size of its pincers which are disproportionate to its sting.  Large pincered scorpions have small stings as they can grapple easily with prey, relying on their size to secure their food.  Small pincered scorpions have large stings and they rely on a quick, potent sting and then wait for their prey to die before beginning to dine.  Luckily for me, my bedfellow was in the former category.

It has been 18 years since I was stung, and I still remember the pain, it was like having a red hot knitting needle relentlessly poking me.  What I learnt is to make sure my mozzie net is tucked in when I lie on the floor of a mud hut in the middle of the African bush.  Or alternatively, sleep in a bed - my more favoured option.

The 'Stench of Death'

This morning I was looking though the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Portfolio, marveling at how some of the pictures had been achieved.  The overall winner is a photo of a wolf caught jumping mid-flight over an old rickety gate into a farmer's enclosure.  The patience that the photographer, Jose Luis Rodriguez, must have had to capture this ultimate shot is astounding.

But the photograph that really captured me is one of a lion, its whole head caked in blood, full to the brim with buffalo and staring straight down the lens and into the photo.  I love the comment about the 'stench of death' which came from the carcass every time the lions moved it.  It really brings it alive.  The photo is captivating as the lion is looking into your soul - and seeing you as a chop as Alex the Lion saw is friend Marty the Zebra in the film Madagascar.  It transported me back to the plains of Africa.

I have been lucky to see a lion kill, watch the pride descend on the carcass to devour it, the snarling and growling as the choice pieces are fought over and to smell the 'stench of death' as lionesses emerge from inside the body cavity of an antelope.  It is a privilege to watch nature where life and death is often rolled into one.  It is the raw nature of Africa and a fascinating spectacle to watch.

The Hippo is no longer the most dangerous mammal in Africa

Most wildlife buffs and pub quiz bores will tell you that the hippopotamus is the most dangerous mammal in Africa. I would put myself in that category, not the bore bit, just the knowledge.

The lion has knocked the hippo of its perch for being the most dangerous mammal in Africa. Between 1990 and 2005 lions have been responsible for 563 deaths in Tanzania alone. However the data is a bit skewed as Tanzania has a very high population of lions and therefore maybe not be true for the rest of Africa. I would challenge this data.

Although hippos do not look that dangerous they have reportedly been responsible for a larger number of deaths in Africa. The reason for this is that during the day they spend most of the time in the safety of the water, but at night they come out to feed on grass. This is when the trouble begins. More often than not, locals will walk along riverside paths on their way back home at night. By doing this, they are putting themselves between the hippo and its safe haven, the water. The hippo feels threatened with this and charges back to the water, trampling anyone who happens to be in the way. And it is difficult to see a hippo in the dark!

From my experiences in Africa I can certainly say that the hippo is a pretty formidable animal, I have had the experience of being charged by one. I was working in Zimbabwe and I was helping a friend of mine called Karen Paolillo, who had single handedly saved a pod of hippo in the Save Valley Conservancy during the drought of 1992. She had been feeding the hippos and I was helping her at the time to put some food out for the hippo. Unfortunately, the hippos came early that day, and we were still putting food out. As 'Roberta' quickened her pace over to us we belted into the car and as we were reversing Roberta was head butting the front of the car. My eyes were the size of dinner plates, it was only my fourth day, ever, in the African bush!

And to this day, the melodious sound of a honking hippo represents Africa to me. I love it.

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