As we have mentioned before in previous blogs, there are many ways one can go about viewing wildlife or being on safari. Although boating and helicopters are fun, the two most common and popular ways are still from a vehicle, or being foot. Both of these like with the others have their pros and conns that we have already looked at. With these though, come two questions we are always asked, “why are the animals so relaxed with the cars?”, and, “do animals act differently when we are on foot?”. In this blog we are going to have a closer look and cover these two questions.

Vehicles

“Why are these animals so relaxed with the vehicles, are they tame like zoo animals?”. The question we so often get when people realise how close we are able to get to some of these animals in the often open safari vehicles.

These animals are however not “tame”, but rather habituated to the presence of the vehicles. It is also not something that has happened over night, but rather something that has taken decades of hard work and dedication to get to this. The animals have learnt not to fear us as we do not hunt them from the vehicles and no reason to believe there is food as they have never been fed from the vehicles either. This has resulted in the animals pretty much ignoring us, as long as we still give them their space and treat them with respect.

Certain animals, like cats and primates, definitely still see individuals in the vehicle, but most likely don’t register us as humans and so accept our presence.  The animals certainly hear us as we chat to one another in the vehicle, and smell us as we all have our own smells. These smells though are covered up though as we all use different soaps, perfumes and bug repellents. The smell of the engine, oils and fuels must surely cover the human smell as well. With animals, the main factor of identification is sight. As long as the animals cannot see that we are people and don’t invade personal space, we are okay.

This is why your guide will always ask you to remain seated whilst viewing animals, keep arms and legs in the vehicle, no sudden movements when they are very close. It also helps to remain nice and quiet, not screaming or shouting when they are close. The idea is to keep the shape of the vehicle as the animals are used to. When you stand up for example, you make the shape that the animals are used to, bigger. Making oneself bigger, is a threat display to an animal and so they will react to it, thinking that you are being aggressive. Either they will run away or potentially charge at the vehicle, neither of which you want.

When you are out on drive, you will notice a few things your guides should be doing, as not to cause the animal any stress. As soon as a vehicle has gotten into its viewing placed, the vehicle will be switched off. If the animal is moving, enough space will be given as not to block the animals route. Animals will sometimes be comfortable enough to change their path and walk right past the side of the vehicle. This is absolute magic and if people sit nice and still, it can be an unforgettable experience. It is also safe as the animal decided by itself to approach the vehicle rather than parking in its route.

Walking

“If we go on a bush walk, are the animals going to react differently to the way they do with us in the vehicle?”.

The very simple answer to this, is yes. Yes the animals are going to act very differently when you are on foot than when you are in the safari vehicles. Unfortunately, all animals see us as a threat and try to avoid us at all costs. This is our own faults, as we are the ones that have hunted them all through history. It is now instinct for them to be afraid of people on foot. Unlike in the vehicle, it is a lot easier for the animal to see you when you are out on foot. How cautious they are will depend on the amount of exposure they have had to people before and whether a negative impact had been made.

As we know, animals have far better senses than we do and the chances are they will know that you’re around before you know that they are around. Animals may hear us or smell us, but will look out for the upright figure of a human before reacting. Some animals poor eyesight and these guys will sometimes approach to figure out what you are.  Once an animal has detected us and knows what we are, they may hide, run or stay in the same place, but warn us that they are there with some sort of vocalisation. As with people, all animals, species and individuals, have their own personal space and so will all react differently. Pushing this too far could end up with an aggressive reaction from the animal.

Safety is even more important when you are walking in the bush as you no longer have the safety of the vehicle. It makes it necessary to be with a well qualified, experienced guide, especially if you intend on approaching animals purposefully. One of the most important rules, is not to run. Once you run, an animal sees weakness and will push home its advantage, or if it’s a predator, it may see you as prey.  The best thing to do, is slowly but surely retreat, watching how the animal responds to your movements. The guide at this point will hopefully be talking you through this, step by step.  This fortunately does not happen on a regular basis though and most walks will go by without any close in counters.

Both forms of safari are exceptional though and there is so much to see and enjoy from both. You may not see all of the lagre animals on a walk, or get the best photographic opportunities of them even if you do, but will get the chance to see smaller, different things often overlooked from the vehicles. If given the opportunity, give both a try!