By Josh Nelson of the College os Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University
One of the main attractions for safari tourist in Botswana are the carnivores. Lions, hyenas, wild dogs, and leopards are species we all get excited about. The power these species fascinates us to the point of losing our sense of conservation and respect. From my time here I have seen very few safari vehicles with tourists that have smiles on their faces. As we pass them we wave giving a smile or a nod; the same is rarely returned. There is a running joke that safari vehicles will pass all the antelope, birds, and plants, just to see a carnivore.
Late in the morning our group was finishing up an essay we had due, when word that a leopard had been spotted traveled our way. Immediately I got my things together. Putting away my laptop, notebooks, and various Okavango Delta guidebooks; grabbing my camera and binoculars. We piled into our cars and left in hopes of seeing our first leopard. As we got to the leopard the grasses on either side of the road were matted down. This is a good indicator that this was where the leopard and many vehicles once where. We found one car parked next to a tree quietly sitting. As we pulled up we could only see a couple spots of the leopard. Continually repositioning our selves in hopes of getting a better look at the leopard but they had chosen a well hidden spot. We decided to leave for camp to complete our class for the day and get some food before returning.
About three hours later we went back out to hopefully find the leopard alone. As we arrived to the same location we where sure that the leopard was still there as there were now five or six other vehicles around the tree. Only a few were directly next to the tree while others were 20 or so meters away trying to get an angle. We tried to get the best spot we could in hopes of seeing the leopard in full view. To our surprise there were two, a mother and her cub. We waited and watched the leopards move around the tree, occasionally coming out to lay down in the tall grass and then back in. The mother had caught an impala and we could see the decapitated head laying next to the trunk of the tree. As we waited to see what the leopards next move was, more and more safari vehicles showed up. The unpleasant roar of 4×4 engines turning off and on, moving forward and back, rolling over dead logs and pushing down small shrubs began to disturb the peace. I feel that I can speak for my group that watching the leopards quickly turned from pure joy to stress.
The longer we sat there, the worse the situation became. The safari cars began to surround the tree, trapping the leopards in. They keep getting closer and closer to the leopards pushing through the thick vegetation. I watched one man step on the outside of the vehicles to move seats in hopes of getting a better view. Their car was so close to the leopards that branches and leaves were poking in the car. There was another moment when I heard the sounds of breaking branches followed by the sounds of slammed breaks. A man yell “don’t move, don’t move.” They pushed so far into the tree that they were no more than 2 meters from the leopards. Silence broke out among all vehicles. We all waited for something to happen. I could see the leopards stare directly at the vehicle. The silence only lasted so long until the next safari driver deemed it safe enough to move again. As night began the leopards wanted to get their kill in a tree, safe from any lurking predator. Looking through my binoculars, I watched as the mother walked out of the tree with part of the impala in her mouth followed by her young. As soon as they left the sound of engines began all trying to move to get a better view for their clients; possibly catching the leopards in the open. No longer than thirty seconds after the cars began to move the leopards came back to the safety of the tree. The cars had pushed too close to them that they completely cut the leopards off, trapping them in the tree. The same behavior continued for another hour; rearranging of cars to satisfy the tourists.
Of course, our group wanted to see the leopards in full view free of obstruction from any vegetation but we stayed put for a while. I had hoped that the leopards would come to our side of the tree. There was grassy space between us and the tree, a perfect place for them to lay down just long enough to get a good look. I also hoped they would come to our side as all the safari cars were on the other side of the tree creating a vehicle barrier. Sadly, the worst part of this experience was yet to come.
As night came the leopards needed to find a new place to spend their night. The exact details of the situation, I am unsure of, but I watched as the other vehicles began to reverse away from the tree. A circle was then formed just off the left of the tree. We could hear the clicks of cameras, which meant the leopards moved out of the tree and were now in view. We pulled back on to the road and attempted to get a better view of the leopards among the now ten safari vehicles. We had no luck as the constant readjustment of vehicles kept pushing the leopard away. The mother was still under the tree with the kill but the little one had been pushed away by the pressure of vehicles from the tree and their mother. By this time we had been around this tree for a total of six hours trying to get a clear look of the leopards. Instead it was six hours of stress build up. Safari vehicles continued to push the young leopard away and the realization came over me that this was not the first time this sort of situation occurred. The last time I saw the little leopard they were walking down the road away from the mother. Just as the little one rounded the corner a safari vehicle raced after them, followed by others. Both Round River cars had enough and left to head back to our camp.
I think of this experience as the behind the scenes to all the Instagram posts, Snapchat stories, and Facebooks uploads. None of their followers are going to know the stress that was put on the leopards or the destruction that was caused by the vehicles trying to get a better view. As we drove back my stomach turned, trying to decide what to make of this situation. Seeing leopards was incredible and possibly my only encounter with them in the wild. At the same time watching all the vehicles surround the leopards ruined the experience and showed the true toll that safari tourism has on the environment.
Luckly, there are rules in play to stop this sort of behavior from happening. One camp where we stayed, Khwai Private Reserve, only allows three vehicles at a time when observing any wildlife and a max of fifteen minutes of viewing. I am sure that most safari tourism organizations have policies similar to this but they may not be strictly enforced. It is not usual for tourists to get upset with their safari drivers for many irrational reasons mainly because they do not understand that they are not guaranteed to see all the species they want to. Getting tourists the best view right next to the species might get the driver a better tip or save them from a frustrated tourist.