Driving through
the Kruger National Park on a hot, lazy afternoon is probably
one of the most relaxing things one can do. Surrounded by the
beauty of the African bush, with plenty of animals to
photograph, it is indeed, life at its best.
It was on such an afternoon that we came upon a site I shall
not soon forget. Lying on the side of the road lay a dead
Impala ewe. How she died, nobody knows. It is believed that
she was knocked over by a car, but the truth will probably
never be known on this earth. We stop as we see a flock of
vultures perched in a nearby tree. The cars start lining up,
anticipation of what is to come clear by the growing crowd of
spectators; all hanging out their car windows, camera’s and
video cams in place.
Slowly they
descend, Cape vultures and White-backed vultures alike … there
is food to be had and plenty of it to go around. We watch in
fascination as they fight each other to get the best bits,
pulling and tearing at flesh that, just a short while ago,
roamed the African veld.
I watch, clicking furiously at the action before me, unable to
tear my eyes from the massacre on display. Nature is violent,
but most of the time it’s out of sight, therefore out of mind.
Suddenly I stop and look around. People all around me are
staring, unable to take their eyes off the scene. I’m amazed
at just how fascinated we as people are with violence and
death…
Within less than an hour, the once proud Impala ewe has been
scavenged beyond my expectations. Nothing but a few bare bones
remain. As the African sun sets on the scene, I find myself
awed at what I have just witnessed. Africa … in all its beauty
… has a side to it that is not always visible, a violent,
untamed side … but it is still home. My home… |
