Virtual Ranger

Katja Boll of Denmark describes her adventure as Virtual Ranger

2 January 2000

I had arrived at Djuma Game Reserve 6 days before. I was supposed to work at Djuma for the following 19 days but had no idea what exactly I was going to do. My hopes were that I would at least have the opportunity to go on some game drives - maybe as an interpreter for German and French guests. It came much better though. It turned out that the timing was perfect and that Djuma needed someone who could help the ranger and the tracker do AfriCam's Virtual Game Drive. And I was going to be the person who does the filming. That meant I could go on two game drives every day! Since I am a wildlife enthusiast and keen photographer I could not wish for more. It sounded like the job of my dreams - and 19 days later I knew that is was.

The game at Djuma Game Reserve was excellent. It took only a few game drives to see the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, buffalo) - most of them more than once. Antelopes, zebras and giraffes were plentiful, and we were also so lucky to spot a vine snake, a tree agama, a civet and a genet on our first game drives. On the 6th day of my stay the most incredible thing happened. We were watching a cheetah. I was very excited about this sighting since the cheetah is one of my favourite animals. But we left the cheetah pretty quickly. I knew that must mean that something very special was expecting us somewhere else. But what? A moment later I found out: A big python had killed a baby impala and was in the middle of swallowing it! This was an unbelievable and very rare sighting. And that was the first time I thought I had a sighting that could not be topped. I didn't know that Djuma's animals had much more "in store", and I would think many more times that the last sighting really was one that could not be topped any more...

Already the next morning we saw the Big Five on one game drive - all of them first-class sightings. On the evening drive of the same day there was the most unusual sighting of a leopard in a tree and a pride of lions resting in the shade of the tree just below the leopard. I saw lions and leopards many more times. One night we watched lions stalking different antilopes, finally taking down a baby impala and fighting over their prey. Another highlight was the cheetah we saw one week after the first cheetah. And again we could not watch the cheetah for a long time because an even more spectacular sighting was expecting us near the Northern boundary. Did I hear someone say "dogs" on the radio? I did not dare to hope but 15 minutes later I knew that I had not been mistaken: A pack of wild dogs!!! It is hard to describe the feelings I had when I saw the rare wild dogs. About half a year before I had often seen them on Djuma's wild dog cam. I had watched the pups come out of the den for the first time, play and be fed by the adult dogs. I had watched them grow up until the wild dogs left the den to return to their nomadic lifestyle. The wild dogs had grown on me and I missed watching them on the cam. But now I was able to see them "in real life! I felt extremely lucky.

Time went by very fast during my stay at Djuma Game Reserve and the day of my departure arrived much too soon. On my last game drive some of the animals still "outdid" themselves. I had my closest encounter with a leopard ever. The beautiful animal was only about 3 metres away from me but it felt even closer since there was nothing between us. (The vehicle had no front doors.) In my excitement I almost forgot that the camera I was holding could be zoomed. We also went back to the hyaena den - my favourite place in the reserve. The hyaenas could not have given me a better good-bye. The 3 cubs I had fallen in love with on my first game drive 19 days before were playing outside the den. They approached the landrover curiously but cautiously and stayed around us for half an hour giving me the opportunity to get lots of good pictures.

Djuma Game Reserve is a magical place for everyone who loves African wildlife. I was very sad about leaving this wonderful place and about not being able to keep doing the job that I enjoyed so much. I have travelled extensively, I have been to all continents and I have visited many game reserves and national parks in Southern Africa. Of all these places Djuma is the one that has truly captured my heart. I will certainly return...

Katja Boll

Hyeana pup, at the den - as seen on Africam (© copyright Katja Boll)

Three-spot the male leopard (© copyright Katja Boll).

Two of the pups from last year's den - now sub-adult members of the pack (© copyright Katja Boll).

Sequence of photographs showing the python devouring the impala lamb. Note the python stretching its mouth so as to fit the large prey down its gullet. Photographs from the "Virtual Game Drive" - Africam.

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