We're Stuck Between the Elephants and the Lions

I guess the moral of this story is to be careful what you ask for. I wanted to go on a
walking safari to be closer to the animals, and to see them without the protection of a big
vehicle. It seemed that a walking safari would be a good way to understand the relative
scale of the animals, and to get a glimpse of what it might have been like for our ancestors who used to share these savannas without the protection of big game vehicles.

So we set off, Zoe and I, with our guide and an armed guard. After a few hours of walking we came across two lionesses stalking a warthog. We hid behind a fallen tree to watch the scene unfold, hoping that we might get to see a lion on a successful hunt. We were so focused on looking forward at the lions that we failed to notice a family of six elephants approach us from behind, flapping their ears in a sign of aggression. Elephants are some of the most dangerous animals to encounter in the bush on account of their size, their intelligence, and the fact that there is no place to hide from a charging elephant--all of the trees are so small they just knock them over.

Our guide excitedly said, "Sir, we're stuck between the elephants and the lions, and we must go now very quickly." He quickly ran away toward the lions, putting the armed guard between the elephants and us. Oddly, my first instinct was to take out my camera to get a photo of this mad scene, but I was quickly admonished by my guide. I wouldn't really have been scared but for the fear in our guide's voice--elephants move so slowly and gently as to seem innocuous. We ran quickly away, and the elephants soon lost interest in us, but not before the whole series of events disrupted the lion's hunt. So, in seeking a bit of adventure from a walking safari we definitely got it, and with it my fill of safaris for this trip. Even though the wildebeest will be running up in the Serengeti and Masai Mara parks in Tanzania and Kenya, I think I'll skip seeing them in favor of other sites.