Jurassic Park

Elle, Robin, Kath and I went to the park last night to visit the 'baiting' site. Had a funny feeling in the pit of my stomach as we drove. A sense of foreboding. About three hundred yards from the site, there was a huge trumpet sound. Elephants! Suddenly, Elle jams on the brakes and we are staring at baby elephant crossing the road. Another huge trumpet, this time beside the car. To our right and left, the bush is cracking and crunching. You can just make out huge dark shapes everywhere. We are now in middle of huge herd of elephants and they are not happy. My heart is racing. Elephants will crush a car and the occupants inside without hesitation especially if they feel threathened. Elle is terrified of elephants but doesn't panic. She hits the accelarator and we speed off along the sandy dirt track, to a chorus of trumpeting and undergrowth being thrashed through either side of the car. It's a truly terrifying gauntlet for several minutes.

We eventually grind to a halt ten minutes later and everyone takes a deep breath. (The last time I felt like that, was being fired upon by Serbs outside Tuzla in Bosnia back in 1993). We wait awhile, taking solace in the most beautiful full red moon which has risen. We know we have to go back the way we came. We just hope the elephants, given a bit of time, will move on. Eventually, we turn round and head back.

We get as far as the 'baiting' site and no sign of the elephants. The bait has gone and no hyenas. In the near distance staring at us, their eyes reflected in the torch-light, is a herd of Impala. I open up the safe box containing the remote camera which is chained to a tree stump opposite the 'bait' tree and Elle begins to download the pictures. Suddenly, the silence is broken by a huge trumpet sound in the distance. It's an elephant. A minute later, there is another terrific roar, this time so much closer. He's coming our way and fast. The air suddenly goes still. The ground begins to vibrate below our feet. He's crashing through the bush now and bellowing. We jump back into the car. Elle hits the ignition, and we speed off, leaving him behind us. For anyone, who has never had experience of angry elephants at night...think Jurassic Park. Not for the faint-hearted.