South Africa: Wild Animals

Submitted by Jessica Fogal on the 2018 winter session program in South Africa sponsored by the Department of Behavioral Health & Nutrition…

My third week in South Africa was nothing short of memorable. We went to the safari and saw wild animals that I wouldn’t ever expect to have the opportunity again to see. The big five are what people look for in the safari – elephant, rhino, leopard, lion and water buffalo. We were lucky enough to see four out of five. We did not see any water buffalo, but they are no longer in the area due to the drought the area has been in for two years. I don’t have words to describe how cool it was to see these wild animals so close. We learned about the poaching problem in the area and that 60 elephants and rhinos are estimated to be killed each day in Africa. At any given time in Kruger National Park, there’s estimated to be 15 groups of poachers out on the hunt. Rhinos’ horns are worth more than gold right now so they are especially targeted. The rangers that guided us on our safari have dedicated their lives to saving the rhinos. That is something I will bring back home with me and hope people will donate to their organizations as I’ve been exposed first hand to the severity of the problem. Being in the safari was great because it truly gave me the feeling that I was in Africa. We did have to wake up everyday at 5:00 or 5:30 am which exhausted me by the end of each day (with the addition of being in the sun all day). There were times I had to sit out of group hangouts because I was so tired, which makes me feel secluded. However, I don’t know that I will ever have this opportunity again and I want to be at my best during the day to take everything in. That means I need to sleep. We are going to Cape Town for the remainder of the program,  but I think I can confidently say already that the safari was my favorite part of the entire experience this winter.

A mother elephant with her two “kids” cooling down in the water right outside of our camp