TWO DUTCH TOURISTS HAVE A BAD MORNING

Marcel and Jacq Smidt had a good day when they photographed the mating lions, but two of their countrymen, or should I say "countrywomen" or even more politically correct: "countrypersons"; had a very bad day. Marilyn and Leonie had arrived from The Netherlands, and were driving around the Park in a rented Kia. They  arrived at Mata Mata the afternoon before. They had brought two very small one-man tents with them, or should I say, "one-person" tents. They were trying to erect their tents, but with not much success. An Afrikaans chap noticed that they were having some difficulty, and in no time at all, the tents were up, and their kind helper was hammering in the tent pegs.


Early the next morning, we were parked at the Craig Lockhart water-hole. A male lion and a lioness were lying right next to the road. I am sure that this was the same pair that Marcel had photographed. Noel parked under the shade of a tree, and we waited to see if any other animals would come to the water-hole. The cheeky jackals would sneak a quick drink, keeping a watchful eye on the lions, then they would scurry off. A small herd of Springbok were grazing a little distance away, and there were some giraffe in the vicinity as well. With all this animal activity going on, what was Noel photographing ? He was photographing a little bird in a tree. We had seen a Pearlspotted Owl (Glaucidium perlatum ) fledgling, clinging on to the bark of the tree branch next to us. It was a lucky sighting.

Pearlspotted Owl

The Pearlspotted Owl is the smallest owl found in southern Africa. When fully grown, it reaches a length of eighteen centimetres. "Oooh look, " says Noel, "there is another one peering at us from that hole in the branch." 

We had seen the two Dutch women drive to the water-hole. "Why have they got their car headlights on ?" asks Noel. We are so busy admiring the owlets that we do not take much notice of what other people are doing. The lions were sleeping, so it was not good photography . If this was the mating pair, I am sure they were exhausted . The Dutch ladies stopped right next to the lions. Research has shown that lions sleep for twenty out of twenty-four hours. I was sure that the lions were going to sleep there the whole day, but I was later proved wrong about that. The sun was getting too high, and the lions were not even stirring, or taking note of the other animals, so we headed back to camp for brunch.

Later, the Dutch women returned to camp, but not in their car. They had been enjoying the lion sighting so much, they forgot to switch off the car headlights. When they got very hot sitting there, they tried to start their car, and the engine would not turn over. The car battery had gone flat. Feeling the rise of panic, they shouted to the other tourists for help. A car pulled alongside, the back door was opened, and the Dutch women had to climb out of their car and into the other, while they were still in the presence of lions.

The rangers were informed of the situation, and they went to chase the lions away, so that they could push-start the car. I was wrong about the lions sleeping there the whole day, they ambled off when they chased away. I could sense the fear the two women experienced when they recounted how they were rescued. It had been a bad morning for them.