Day 9, The Dead Elephant
March 19, 2009, Thursday
We were very tired when the 5:30 am wake-up call came. I could hardly move, but the call of the anticipation of new animal sightings and adventure drove me from my slumber. I have a routine I go through in these camp situations. I want a big cup of coffee or tea, wash my face, pull on fresh clothes and socks, put some makeup on to get my eyes open, pack the gear that wasn’t included the night before, and hike down to the main lodge for meet up. There is always some muffins, cakes, or cookies to put some sugar into the system for a jump start of the morning. The cold air and early sunrise really do the wake up for everyone.
Toti had the information about the female elephant that we saw last night. The story goes that she had been attacking a local village’s gardens and villagers. The local anti-poaching team was called to take care of the situation. The unfortunate event happened when the untrained team approached the elephant. They did not have the weapons or experience to correctly take down an adult elephant in the head. Instead, they shot the poor animal in the stomach. How anyone can be that bad of shot to not shoot the head and hit the under side is really so sad. The female elephant was driven off to suffer in tremendous pain the last moments of her life. She stood as long as she could, then fell over and died. By the time we saw her the next day, the hyneas had arrived in droves. We checked the carcass throughout the day as every flesh eater in the area show up for their piece of the elephant. Little by little, piece by piece, mouthful by mouthful, the elephant started to disappear into a lonely pile of bones.
Toti sensed our heartbreak, driving us around miles away to see so many other beautiful animals. To cap off the day, he carefully took the Rover up the side of a huge hill overlooking the great Serengeti, avoiding the large boulders and roll over situations. We rolled to the top in a breathless expression of ‘King of the Hill.’ It was incredible. We were so high and could see the sunset to the end of the earth. Guide and guests were one in a victory of the climb. Eventually taking care of business in the bush, you get to select your own private bathroom. I chose one with a ‘view!’
After returning to the lodge, we had an outdoor dinner in the vine covered gazebo. It was so exotic! We fell into bed while the crackling fire warmed and flickered the bedroom. Can this be Africa? I was home.
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Tags: Africa, cameras, elephants, Grumeti Reserve, safari, Sasakwa Lodge, Serengeti, Singita, Tanzania