The rain has watered the ever-present carpet of pale green foliage, and bright yellow flowers are here and there. Golden sunshine, rolling hills. Evenly spaced shrubs and trees. I could see happy springbok, gentle zebra, gentle wildebeest and tame elephant. A lone giraffe watches the sunset. These animals are very familiar to me. But what struck me was the totality.
“A model of the animal kingdom!” We found ourselves surrounded by huge herds of sheep, cattle and armies. I could see a hundred springbok gathered together, alert but calm. There are also dozens of zebras, dressed in striped costumes, gnawing the grass quietly. A procession of thirty baboons passes by. These animals were more numerous before human intervention. Nature is abundant.
But what surprised me the most was how relaxed the animals seemed. There is abundant water and grass there. Animals live in their pantry and food is always within reach. The herbivores and omnivores before us are all intermingled, criss-crossed, intertwined, and in harmony with each other. Predators—lions, leopards, and hyenas—leave their tracks, but their absence is noticeable.
I spotted a lone male wildebeest with a herd of zebras. Some animal species actively support each other, Mike explained. Sudden movements of “rival” zebra species warn wildebeests of predators. Fascinatingly, zebras use their nimble lips to mow away the tangled long grass, leaving a manicured lawn for the blocky wildebeest. There is a symbiotic relationship at every level of life.
The whole is the complex interrelationships between all species, the entire ecosystem. It includes a wide variety of grasses, fungi, flowers, trees, insects, birds and animals large and small. Every ecological domain deserves its own safari. And it’s all here, right in front of our eyes. I feel like I’ve seen a lot, learned a lot, and we haven’t reached camp yet.
solitary
That night, in my tent, away from camel spiders and scorpions, I reflected on what I had witnessed. There has long been a discussion about how much we can learn from nature and natural processes.Herbert Spencer pressured Charles Darwin to insert the phrase “survival of the fittest” into later editions origin of species Since then, society has been discussed through the lens of scarcity and competition.
The bull elephants went into musk, overwhelmed by testosterone, and once again took control of the female herd. Alpha baboons are the largest and toughest. He beats any opponent and is rewarded with fuck and offspring. But the stories we tell about animals have really always been the stories we tell ourselves. Man is an active subject: woman and all of nature are his objects.
But that’s not at all what I saw on the safari over the next few days. In fact, I see evolution from a female perspective.
Springbok mostly live in large groups of females. Males are pushed to the margins during puberty. Females choose which males can rejoin the group at mating time, and unknowingly select genes that will survive.
The same goes for elephants. We watched a bull take a shower in muddy water, chew grass, and walk into the bushes by himself. Alone, obviously content. Males sometimes group together. Females live their entire lives in the herd. They usually only allow one adult male into their tribe. His presence allows young adolescent males to regulate their hormones and behavior.
fashionable
Moments later, we found ourselves surrounded by a horde of baboons roaming the land like a pack of Shakespeare’s traveling actors. The females are at the heart of this long caravan. Some had tiny babies clutching their tummies. Moms gallop with little ones. They rolled playfully in the grass. They chatter. I saw a teenager pick a mushroom, smell it, and throw it into a bush. This is where the action is.
Then there’s the alpha male. They are still on the fringes of the group. They are isolated, silent, and alert. No one pays special attention to them. They’re older, tougher, rougher. They were stoic as they surveyed the horizon. They know that if a predator attacks, they may be eaten — or survive the painful injury.
Others see patriarchy, I see matriarchy. Scholars agree. Cynthia Moss, from the Amboseli Elephant Research Project, said: “Our research shows that matriarchs are critical to the well-being and success of families.”
On our last evening drive we encountered the largest herd of elephants to date. There’s an adult, then a teenager, then a baby. The baby is less than a week old. It’s pink behind its ears and has little control over its torso. Babies are protected by their mothers. It started suckling.
The sun was setting. Zebras are velvety red in the evening light, and their stripes look even more stylish. They also have small ones. Newborn wildebeests are small in size but tough as old boots. There are small bush pigs.
reconstruction
For so many organisms, much of their activity is devoted to reproduction through cycles of sex, birth, and upbringing. The “best fit” species is the one that guarantees success for the next generation. Philosophers define life as autopoiesis—the act of self-creation. This is true for individuals, species and ecosystems.
There are endless variations in nature. We choose which species’ social structures to mimic and which to ignore; so we make human choices. But one thing applies to the whole of nature. Every living thing is busy producing and reproducing itself and its offspring. I’m not saying everyone should have kids – I personally don’t. My point is this: humans as a species need to care about the well-being of all future generations.
This is our last day on safari. This is our last chance to track lions in their natural habitat. But just as we were about to start, I ditched my group and spent half an hour alone, watching a humble weaver bird bustle among the branches.
Males of this species spend three days building their nest: a wicker sphere hollow like an egg. According to local lore, the female inspects the nest. If it’s flawed, she rejects it. The males then start the next nest, building up to 25 a season. As a community, the Weaver Birds create hundreds of tiny homes in the branches of a single tree.
Weaverbirds nest in an egalitarian community with an abundance of materials and food. I think of orangutans, the “people of the forest,” who make their nests in the forest canopy. And the human capacity to build and rebuild. The world we weave should be a rich gift created by the current generation for the enjoyment of the next generation.
the author
Brendan Montague is ecologist. The safari experience described in this article, including flights, accommodation and guides, is provided to The Resurgence Trust free of charge by Natucate and its partner EcoTraining.to know more information www.natucate.com/en
