Thursday, November 27, 2008

A new kind of adrenalin rush


Rhino tracking - yes people do this for fun.

Rhino tracking on foot could be described as an adventure sport, although in my opinion it is the rhino that has a laugh.

As far as I know, one of the only place in SA to do this is Mvubu Lodge, on the banks of Lake Jozini in Zululand. Two intrepid rangers, Shane and Mike, along with their tracker Umtelephone – no, this is really his name, I have it on good authority – will take curious guests on a hike to spot rhino. Their only warning to you, to look out for trees to climb should a rhino become a bit to interested. The one thing they don't mention is that there is one tree to six people - figure the odds for yourself. My suggestion – don’t get the rhino between yourself and your back-up vehicle. White rhinos, being a bit short-sighted and a bit shy, tend to run away from large rumbling vehicles and inadvertently towards the small group of big-eyed adventurers who are trying desperately to look like a rock or act like a small uninterested tree.

Murphy's Law also tends to apply when rhino tracking, because just as you realise you need that tree, there isn’t one. Just little saplings that allow you to scramble up like a monkey, at which point it slowly starts bending over so that your rear end is a few inches from the ground with your legs madly kicking in the air looking for grip that is not there, while the poor dumb beast sniffs you with interest and then, not wanting to be cruel, moves off to seek some other excitement.
Mind you this is just in my imagination, but it could happen ... in a Monty Python movie I spose.

My imagination aside, this IS perfectly safe or they wouldn't take as many guests out as they do. I think it's a great idea.

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