Living large: African safari gives context to world of wildlife

Signing up for an African wildlife safari is a big deal.

Our 25-day trip to Botswana in March was one of the longest trips I’ve taken with my wife, certainly the most expensive (about $20,000 for two with tips, plus airfare).

And while I’ve chronicled dozens of family adventures over the past 45 years, this one has prompted the most notes and reflection.

It’s been worth every day, dollar and word.

The African wildlife experience is defined by superlatives.

The continent is home to the three largest terrestrial animals (elephant, rhino, hippo), tallest terrestrial animal (giraffe), fastest land animal (cheetah), largest flying bird (kori bustard, Botswana’s national bird) biggest and fastest-running bird (ostrich), largest snake (African rock python) and the largest of more than 90 antelope species in the world (giant eland, which can weigh 400 pounds more than an Alaska bull moose).

Wildebeests in East Africa stage the largest terrestrial mammal migration. The distinction for the most enormous yawn on the planet goes to Africa’s hippopotamus.

The elephant is said to have the best sense of smell among terrestrial animals because of its 1,984 olfactory receptor genes – twice as many as the average dog.

The Nile crocodile has the strongest bite in the animal kingdom, capable of eight times more force than a great white shark and 15 times more than a Rottweiler.

If you love cats, you’ll swoon over Africa, home to 10 species.

Our group was never so quiet as when we were in a close experience with leopards or lions, the largest carnivores in Africa.

A lion weighs more than a mule deer.

An outdoors enthusiast in North America is lucky to see a cougar a few times during a lifetime of outdoors pursuits. In Africa, travelers can see lions or leopards every week.

Africa is dense with a rich diversity of fauna because of its sprawling open landscapes and diverse climates.

It’s big even with your eyes closed at dawn as the savanna comes alive in a symphony of bird songs and animal calls.

A far cry from meow, the roar of a male African lion (which can be heard for miles) will tingle your spine. Especially at night, when you’re in your tent, in the dark.

Pressure on nature

But for all its biomass, fecundity and diversity, African wildlife has big problems.

Lions, for example, have disappeared in about 94% of their historic range.

It’s an important reminder for visitors to bring back to North America, where the grizzly bear is found in about 50% of its historic range – and in only about 2% of its original range in the lower 48 states.

Drought in Africa is taking a devastating toll on what’s left of everything from wildebeests to elephants in many areas.

Results of a northern Botswana survey published in the international-scientific journal, Biological Conservation, show that sightings of some eagles and vultures declined by as much as 80% in 20 years.

Here in the U.S., Columbian sharp-tailed grouse, once the most abundant upland game bird in the Pacific Northwest, occupy less than 5% of their historic range.

Guns to lenses

“Safari” is a Swahili word of Arabic origin, meaning a journey.

Writings of Teddy Roosevelt and Ernest Hemingway helped cast the popular perception that a safari was mostly about hunting.

But safaris made a major swing in emphasis from guns to cameras around the 1970s, leading to the basic-to-luxury ecotourism safari of today.

Wildlife watching and photo safaris are a huge part of the economies for several African nations.

They also spread a conservation ethic by introducing the international public to the wonders of African wildlife as well as the threats to various species from poaching and politics to climate change.

A safari is a commitment to days devoted to observing wildlife and pondering their beauty and value – all good habits to bring home.