Tour operators and ”jeep jockeys” cashing in on South Africa’s increasingly competitive wildlife industry have taken to taunting animals and herding them towards tourist vehicles for a close-up view — with fatal consequences.
At least two people were trampled by elephants over the festive season and conservation officials say they are surprised the increasing ”aggro-tourism” has not resulted in more fatalities.
Sheryl Noik, a local tourist who visited the Gazebo game ranch in Mpumalanga in late December, was terrified when her guide drove the vehicle within metres of a clearly agitated herd of elephants. A few days later an elephant at the ranch killed a tracker who was trying to chase its herd out of the bush so tourists could see them.
”It appears to be standard practice for the guides to go out on foot and chase the elephants towards the vehicles so the tourists can get a better shot,” says Noik. ”The objective is to get up close to the animals, but they are putting the lives of the tourists and the animals at risk.”
Police have launched an investigation into the circumstances leading to the death of the tracker, Laybert Magagula. The owner of Gazebo, Conrad van Eyssen, maintains it was a ”freak accident” that occurred when the tracker startled an elephant cow with a young calf.
A fortnight before the Gazebo tragedy, Nhlanhla Zikhali, a security guard working in the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park, was gored to death while chasing elephants into a forest. He was apparently trying to herd them away from a group of forestry workers.
In mid-January tourists were reported to be getting out of their cars to taunt elephants near the electrified fence in the St Lucia park.
”According to the reports, the elephants were very agitated by the presence of people who were literally metres away from them and treating the event as though the elephants were tame circus animals or in a zoo,” says Jeff Gaisford, media manager at Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife. ”One elephant repeatedly mock charged to within metres of the viewers, who still failed to heed the clear warnings given by the animals.”
Wildlife tourism is a mainstay of the foreign tourist industry in South Africa — which in the first seven months of last year increased by 7,2%, with more than 3,5-million visitors. Conservationists say the growth is putting increasing pressure on game ranches to produce the goods for their clients, particularly if they are paying high prices for a short stay.
”Tricks include sending guides into the bush on foot, who go upwind of the animals so that they smell them and move towards the vehicles,” says one provincial official, who asked not to be named. ”Many ranches put out bait to lure predators, or play sounds to call them. These ploys are used widely, even on the better-known five-star reserves.”
There have been a number of reports of guides who drive tourists into the Kruger National Park in open vehicles, throwing pieces of meat at lions to get action.
David Zeller, deputy chairperson of the Game Rangers Association of Africa, points out that these tricks are usually played by ”jeep jockeys” — the term given to guides who have minimal to no training and who are more focused on tourist tips than conservation.
”As eco-tourism blossoms, more and more of these guys are being hired by an increasing number of private lodges and tour operators.”
Zeller says there is a growing demand for close-contact experiences with wildlife at theme parks and elephant-back safaris. ”Tour operators are cashing in on the false sense of wilderness that many foreigners bring with them,” he says.
Gaisford says the tourists’ safety and respect for the animals should be paramount. ”Guides must be trained to watch the animals and read their signs. They must respect their personal space.”