It was a lovely evening driving into the Savanna from Johannesburg towards the more densely covered jungle to experience what nature had to offer in that world. The lovely sunset was a wonderful experience as its ray and shades made curious appearances through nook and corner of the trees we passed by the Marula (an indigenous tree) being the shadiest with outgrowing branches covered with berries nestled among the leaves.
It was the big five and so much more that one was to experience and learn from as nature has its extremely beneficial innovation, that when observed closely teaches each one of us a lesson to add to our club of knowledge. Lions, Leopards, Rhinoceros, Elephants, Cape Buffalo, are the big five which are the strength of the Kruger other than the Springbok and many a deer that are seen other than the Zebras, Giraffes, Hippopotamus, Rabbits, Lizards, Tortoises, Ostriches, Owls and a happy kingdom of many others.
There are many nocturnal that hunt at night and one has to experience them from before sunrise to learn their habits. Others have a time slot from just before sunset to early nights when one can see them slay their prey and devour the remains reminding us that all living beings are there for others to survive on, as that is the natural path destined for continuation.
The Hippopotamus is a giant of an animal that submerges itself in underwater of rivers for hours at end and only appears up to take a deep breath of oxygen and goes back under again. Lion prides battle for supremacy among themselves of twelve to fourteen in a pride at a time. Elephants live in female-led herds know as matriarchal herds consisting of as many as a 100 individuals. They feed a lot from the Marula tree especially its berries which in turn intoxicates Elephants, making them sway from side to side. Deer herd together with females knowns as does, young ones are called fawns, and males being denominated as bucks. The strongest buck leads the herd as it gallops along and the rest follow. They stop and freeze at the slightest sound then move on in a picture cohesive gallop following their leader.
Giraffes are the tallest mammals known to the Animal Kingdom. They are tall from 5 to 5.9 meters as of males and 4.3 to 5.2 meters as of females. They stand most of the time and needs very little sleep. They part their tall hoofed legs to bend while drinking water from lakes. Being social animals they mingle among their own and also love to be, around humans as well.
The Ostrich is the largest bird known which doesn’t fly but runs close to 70 km an hour. The bird lays eggs which are huge. It is said that a family of six human adults can have one Ostrich egg at a time. The Ostriches have very powerful beaks.
The Savanna holds a learning treasurer for each one of us who has a keen eye to observe how animals, birds, reptiles, insects and the flora and fauna react to sound vibrations, climatic and wind change, color and emotion the day and night. Nature as we observe in our daily life which we take for granted can change instantly shocking the day lights out of us making it difficult to believe. But these animals can perceive different situations and adjust accordingly.
Knowledge is to know and to know what you don’t know which of course was an eye-opener for me when I spent some days at the Kruger National Park in South African to experience learning from nature. It’s an experience which we need to make possible for ourselves.