Mambas in the Park: Connecting Africa’s Future Leaders with the Wild

Tracking is not only concerned with the foot, hoof or paw prints left by wildlife. Scratches on a tree trunk, mud on a boulder or feeding marks on leaves and grasses are also tracks – and of course so are faeces. The size, shape, structure and location of the droppings can be used to draw conclusions about the creator.

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The scent of spring is in the air (at least for everyone in the northern hemisphere), the days are finally a little longer and warmer again and all the spring flowers are delighting us with their colourful blooms. It’s the time of year when we arrange brightly coloured eggs prettily in baskets or hang them in the bushes, and chocolate bunnies smile at us in the shops and the smell of Easter bread wafts through the kitchen.

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Many of my family and friends often ask me if I am not afraid of scorpions and other venomous animals in South Africa. I can answer this question with a clear “no” – which always results in surprised looks. Because anyone who lives in nature (whether it’s the savannah of South Africa or the boreal forests of Canada or the tropical rainforest of Thailand) knows that it’s simply a matter of knowing the behaviour of the animals in the environment. And what better way to study scorpion behaviour than tracking?

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When we think of wellness, we think of a hot sauna followed by cooling off in the pool, a little exercise while swimming or walking and, above all, rest and relaxation. The Savannah also offers all this – just in a slightly different form…

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No one surprises us, impresses us, enchants us as much as Mother Nature does. Over the course of millions of years, since the emergence of the very first cell, Mother Nature has created the truly strangest curiosities. You can marvel at some of these in this quiz (while testing your knowledge of the flora and fauna of the African bush)

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While on a walk through nature, how thoroughly did you look at tracks on the ground? What differences could you see? And what conclusions could you draw about the animal that left the footprint?

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They are big, chubby and prefer to spend the day having a bath. But they are also quick-tempered and aggressive, which is why they are one of the most dangerous mammals in Africa. Hippos are actually very territorial and defend their home from any intruder. Repeatedly hunted down by the ivory trade, and often suffering greatly due to human-animal conflict, the hippopotamus population is now considered endangered.

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Tracks in the ground, marks on trees, droppings on a rock – we are surrounded by signs that can be read by anyone who is willing to look at their surroundings. Some of these signs are easy to decipher, but others are difficult to interpret. But put them all together and you can learn the latest about our wildlife neighbours.

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There are two options for exploring the wonders of the African bush: If you decide to go on a game drive, you will be taken by your guide in one of the big, mostly open vehicles over the bumpy gravel roads. Or you can venture into the bush on foot to experience the wild life of the savannah at first hand.

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