Behind Wild Eyes: Returning from the Bush

I have just returned from another great time out in the African bush. For almost a month I have been continuing my research on Suni antelope at Tembe Elephant Park and Phinda Private Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal. Each time I leave KZN and return to Pretoria I miss being in the bush more and more.

I miss the nights; so dark that a million stars and the Milkyway set the sky ablaze as the deep rumbling of distant roars proclaim the dominance of the lions. The sound of trees crashing to the ground as giants silently move through the forests, the elephant’s trunk as effective as the lumberjack’s axe. The yelping midnight howls of hyena, calling out in the night as a reminder of their presence.

I miss waking to rumble of elephants shaking my bed, as two brothers communicate in an inaudible low frequency to each other. I miss walking through open grassland and dense forest, never knowing what I will run into from the largest rhino to the smallest mouse. In a paradise of sand away from the coast, in the middle of wilds Africa I always find a quiet peace. I can never sit still when I am there and the frenzy of bird, insect, and beast is always stirring all around you, yet there is a calm that comes to me when I become a part of it all.

Returning to the hustle and bustle of the concrete jungle is a daunting yet inevitable challenge. I may walk the streets, navigate the traffic, and confine myself to walls and rooms, but the drums of the forest pulses in my veins always. I sit in classrooms and meetings yearning for adventure and to return to the freedom of the bush. It is then that I know where I truly want to be, where my heart is. Being in the city is constricting and can feel imprisoning, especially in an African city, but it reaffirms what I truly enjoy and makes my return to the wilderness that much better.

This last month of work was truly spectacular. Everyday was a great adventure and even the one day I never left the house to finish writing a paper, was better than any before it. I explored deep parts of the sand forest no one has been to, I had many encounters on foot with elephants and lions (some closer than others), and made some new friends and spent time with old ones. My Zulu has greatly improved as well. Regardless of the pictures I took or the things I saw that day, everyday was a great one if by the end of it I was sitting around a fire, having a hot meal, a beer, and a lot of laughs.

Until next time; Akubekuhle! ("good health" in zulu)