The following blog post is created by a Hopkinton/Bow High School student from New Hampshire, who is on program with Original Wisdom, partnering with Nature Guide Training, on a 3-week South African Ecology & Culture program at Djuma Game reserve in the Sabi Sands region of the Greater Kruger Area (July 2015). In addition to exposure to ecology and culture, we have sponsored a local South African student on scholarship for the entire program (see Blog 3# Interview with Mhlavasi) and will attend 2 days at Mhlavasi’s school, Acorns to Oaks, where our students interact with the local students and help to teach them some basic skills in spatial thinking and use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to create online maps and stories with a spatial component. Our overall goals include facilitating connections with self, others, and the natural world.
Michelle Neal
July 6th, 2015
Day 5
Today we strayed from our typical schedule, instead rising from our slumbers a half hour earlier in the African darkness for breakfast and coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. Although we were not told where we were going or why we were going there, we knew the trip would be long and bumpy. The two large vans carried us out of Djuma and the Sabi Sands and past villages and herds of cattle, through small cities, and across incredible landscapes into the mountains of the Drakensburg. About two and one half hours later, we made our first stop. A small shopping plaza in a little town called Hazyview was just opening (it was only 8 A.M.). I was able to enjoy a reviving “cup a’ joe,” in a café while the others explored the souvenir shops (or curios, as they’re called in South Africa). A couple of sweet-toothed travellers anxiously waited for the chocolate shop to open, but we needed to depart before they got their fix – we had a mysterious appointment to keep…
The group was still unaware of what we were doing this far from camp, but within minutes our questions were answered. We took a sharp left, passing a sign that read “Elephant Whispers.” Would we be learning about elephants? Maybe there’s a person here capable of communicating with them? Or…wait…ARE WE RIDING ELEPHANTS?!? These were the questions that ran through our minds. Finally, our guides revealed their secrets: We were riding elephants, and learning about them!
The crew, twitchy with anticipation, gathered for a group picture on the deck. It overlooked a stunning expanse of land. “We have 8,000 hectares available to our six elephants,” explained one of the elephant keepers, Eugene. All six gentle giants were rescued from a variety of unfortunate futures. They’re trained with a command-reward system. Our first couple of hours consisted of learning about the elephants’ pasts, personalities, and biology – including that each elephant has a dominant hand, indicated by the more worn tusk on the right or left-handed side of the mouth that they use most frequently. Their ages varied from thirteen to thirty-six. The females showed more apprehension to us humans than the calm, friendly bulls. The training was clearly effective, as seen when they stood on three or two legs, shook and nodded their heads, manipulated their trunks as directed, and even sit and lay down – but it was clear they were doing these things because they wanted to, not because they had to. In fact, most of their day was spent in “free-time” feeding and playing with each other on the property – with only about 2 hours of “work” a day. We all took turns feeding them, touching them (even the belly-button!), and posing for pictures with them. The great and powerful giants proved to be fantastic models. We stood beneath them, next to them, and even over them as they lay on the ground (eating all the while). After the paparazzi of employees finished capturing these unforgettable moments, we saddled them up!
Tembo, the oldest, largest, and wisest of the six, saddled up while Declan, Sadie, Naina, and I waited anxiously to hop on. He was massive, at least 3 and one half meters tall. The walk pained my hips and shook our bodies, but it was amazing nonetheless. I’ll never forget that slow, gentle, and lumbering twenty-minute walk through the landscape of my life, rocking back and forth with the others on Tembo’s back and listening to the low rumbles of the communications between the elephants as we rode along.
After departing Elephant Whispers, the day already feeling full as can be, the drivers explained that we’d be taking a scenic route home. Our initial stop: God’s Window, a short hike leading to a breathtaking overlook. From there, we ventured to Bourke’s Luck Potholes. Two bridges connected enormous rock faces, a river flowing hundreds of feet beneath us. On the other side of the bridge, flat pockets of cold water rushed to the edge, where it then cascaded to the surface below. I hopped joyfully from rock to rock, snapped pictures of the glorious landscape, and soaked up some vitamin C while it lasted.
Our final stop was another small hike. The area led to great elevation, and my mood lifted with each step upward. I was overwhelmed when we reached the zenith. The great fjords supported the serene lake below, like walls support our hardwood floors. I couldn’t imagine a more ideal place to practice my photography skills. It’s too bad my camera battery died before I could capture the scene. This did, however, allow me to appreciate the beauty of South Africa without a screen at the tip of my nose, as it too often is.
The ride home was long and somewhat treacherous. Our group, plagued with exhaustion, napped to our fullest potential despite the rocking and rolling of the van as it navigated the broken concrete roads.
This day was epic and unforgettable and we were all so grateful for our instructors from Hopkinton and Bow High schools, Original Wisdom, and Nature Guide Training, who painstakingly organized it all for us.
Edited by Kersey Lawrence
