Mhudi

by Sol T Plaatje

  Most of these people are young adults, but middle-to-old-age men and woman also attempt this perilous journey, often in poor health and unable to keep up with the main group. Many have some ailment or affliction that slows them down and as they lag behind they become progressively weaker until they are in no condition to take evasive action or defend themselves against lions. I heard of one woman who had difficulty walking, who apparently paid to be wheel-barrowed across the park. The pusher must have tired after a while and simply left her at a waterhole in the middle of the reserve! An upturned wheelbarrow, some bloodied clothing and a pair of shoes was all the patrol found a few days later.

  This was, yet again, a classic case of an incapacitated person finding themselves directly in the path of a predator, with the consequences being a foregone conclusion. But it doesn’t end there … the next migrant who kneels down to drink at that waterhole now stands an excellent chance of being taken by those same lions if they happen to be in the vicinity, of which there is a good chance, lions being territorially bound. The difference is that this time a fit healthy human will be taken by a fit healthy lion whose fit healthy cubs now also become eaters of man. And so the cycle begins.

  Migrants are known to follow the power line pylons through the Kruger National Park. This became such a popular route with illegal immigrants that fully functional prides of lions lay in wait for them. Some of these lions became conditioned to this source of easy prey in much the same way as the huge crocodiles that wait for the annual wildebeest and zebra migration across the Mara River in East Africa.

  Subsequently, a number of healthy lions, including cubs, some of which could have been weaned on human flesh, were destroyed by rangers in the park. This phenomenon is tailing off as more relaxed border controls are reducing the numbers of illegal immigrants walking through the Park.

  In conversation with an ex-Kruger game ranger, I learned that he had personally destroyed 15 lions thought to be man-eaters. This was made up of a pride of eleven and another two unrelated pairs; even so, the total number of lions destroyed is much lower than we were led to believe, probably less than 20 individuals. This represents a very small fraction of the nearly 1 500 lions in the Kruger. I examined one of the skulls of a particularly large man-eating lion that he had kept as a memento and, of course, it was very interesting, as skulls always are. What was so striking, though, was not so much the size, but rather the excellent condition of its teeth, indicative of a healthy animal in its prime. When I remarked on this he said that nearly every man-eating lion they shot was found to be in good condition. This pretty well proved that very few lions turn to man-eating because of physical impediments.

  So, we’re getting closer to the true source of the problem, and as you might have already guessed, there’s only one answer.

  Question: ‘What makes a lion turn man-eater?’

  Answer: ‘Man!’

  Wild, free-roaming lions have an innate fear of man. As always, however, there are those of us who take advantage of this, pushing the boundaries to the point where our arrogance and disdain gives us a feeling of superiority, and therein lies the problem. Some of us have been lulled into a false sense of security, lacking the necessary respect when in the proximity of such incredibly powerful animals, and there is no time when we need to be more aware of this than at night. Most of Africa’s larger predators come into their own when darkness falls, and lions are certainly no exception.

  Recently, a construction worker was attacked by lions on Olifants North. Instead of using the designated toilet facilities, he chose to go into the bush late at night without a flashlight and was severely mauled when he inadvertently stumbled over seven lions in the darkness. Moving from a relatively well-lit area into the contrasting darkness, his eyes would not have had enough time to adjust properly, so he couldn’t see that he was heading straight towards the lions lying in the bush on the perimeter of the compound.

  Six million years ago, he would have done his ablutions from the branches of the tree in which he was roosting, knowing full well that if he ventured on foot into the bush at night, he’d be instant cat food.

  So why did this man, today, take the risk? Complacency, that’s why, and as human beings, I believe we’re all guilty of allowing familiarity to breed contempt at some time or another. In this particular case, details are sketchy as to whether he was squatting or standing when his motion was abruptly interrupted. This is understandable, as getting attacked by a lion is usually a shockingly quick and violent event and there’s no time to think about it. Being within earshot of the main accommodation block probably saved the man’s life; his screams were heard by his fellow workers, who managed to mount a mass action and chase the lions off. By the time they had arrived on the scene, however, he was already on the ground and had been bitten through his hands and on his back. Apparently, only one of the seven lions was responsible for initiating the attack.

  Scant evidence gleaned from the tracks indicated that the lions were inside the section of the enclosure where the fence was still intact, and thus were unable to move through. I suspect that this was a spontaneous attack, an instinctive defence response borne of fear; after all, they were stumbled upon by man, not vice-versa. Elephant had broken the enclosure’s fence a couple of weeks previously, and it had not yet been repaired. The lions apparently entered at this break, but appeared to have had difficulty finding their way back out, which would have caused them to feel trapped. No matter the explanations, it was clear that had the man used the designated facility for his ablutions, close to the accommodation block, this ‘attack’ probably wouldn’t have happened at all.

  The contractor’s site foreman only became aware of the incident the following morning when he noticed that the man couldn’t hold a shovel properly. Not until he asked what the problem was, were the details of the attack revealed. Incredibly, up to that point no one had raised the alarm or said a word. More than 12 hours had elapsed since the lions had attacked him! The man was immediately taken to hospital, where he received numerous stitches, some potent antibiotics and a tetanus injection. There aren’t many legitimate excuses out there that can beat this one for a couple of days off work, so why he kept his misfortune so low profile and didn’t capitalise on it, remains a mystery. Perhaps shock and post-traumatic stress had more than just a little to do with it.

  The events surrounding the attack were thoroughly investigated. The compound fence was repaired, various preventative measures were implemented and discipline was more rigorously enforced. But, obviously, that was the ‘man’ side of things and the ‘lion’ side of the story had yet to be told. Due to the relatively high density of game viewing vehicles traversing the area, the lions responsible for the attack were sighted almost on a daily basis. Being able to monitor this particular pride for any signs of unusual behaviour, and finding none, we concluded that, as initially suspected, this incident occurred as a result of a natural reaction by animals that felt threatened or cornered. Nothing suggested that the lions had stalked or hunted the man with the intention of killing him for food. These were not man-eaters, not at that stage anyway, so there was no merit in declaring war on all the lions in the region without ascertaining the facts first. We also managed to identify with reasonable certainty exactly which lions were responsible. Seven of the 13 lions, mostly young animals, had a tendency to hang around together and their inexperience and lack of pride back-up may very well have made them feel unduly defensive, which is another mitigating circumstance. We were also reasonably certain that the two pride males, Hang-lip and his ally, were not present at the time of the attack, probably fortuitously for the victim.

  Of all the abiotic (non-living) factors that affect these big cats, ambient temperature has the greatest influence on the activity levels of lions. They’re often encountered on the move in overcast or relatively cool daylight conditions. However, there is something about the night that allows all cats to come into their own; besides being cooler, the darkness
significantly boosts their confidence; they become much bolder and consequently more dangerous. Therefore, although this isolated spontaneous attack should not be taken out of context, it nevertheless demonstrates the need for anyone visiting any Big Five reserve to be ever-vigilant, and not to underestimate large predators or take their normal behaviour patterns for granted. Walking to or from the braai, the boma or the vehicle in the carport at night should never be done without a good flashlight and a thorough check of the surrounding bush in advance.

  A local anti-poaching and security company, well known for the excellent service they provide, particularly to reserves needing help with wildlife security issues, recently lost a man to lions. He and a colleague were on a routine anti-poaching patrol on a game reserve close to the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve when the incident occurred. Many of this company’s anti-poaching units are made up of ex-members of the old South African Military 32 Battalion. These are tough men, au fait with the bush, expert trackers and no strangers to hardship. These are men who have a healthy respect for dangerous game, and know how to operate in Big Five reserves, yet despite all their training and experience, one of them was dragged out of his tent, killed and eaten.

  The circumstances leading up to the attack are unclear, as apparently both men were in the tent asleep when it happened. We can only imagine the terror of waking up from the pain as your foot is clamped in the jaws of such a powerful predator, held in the grip of canines from which there’s no escape. Any attempt to prevent your insignificant 75 kg body weight being dragged away by a lion that can drag a 300 kg zebra with ease, would have been futile. The man’s screams, the darkness and the confusion as the tent collapsed in a claustrophobic shroud, must have been too much for his companion to handle with any semblance of meaningful assistance. He couldn’t see well enough to help; he had no idea how many lions there were; he had no idea where they were. This man, who had only ever known how to track down and tackle other, dangerous men, must have realised that against lions at night he stood no chance – and so he crawled out and ran for his life.

  Daylight revealed the horror of the attack. The man’s remains were found a short distance from the tent, partially concealed in some thick bush. Knowing that lions would sometimes do this if they intended returning to feed, the remains were left in situ in the hope that the man-eater would return. This wasn’t an easy decision to make, but it was necessary in order to ascertain which lion or lions were responsible, so that only the culprits were destroyed. The decision turned out to be a good one, and it wasn’t long before a single lioness emerged and confidently approached the body. She was summarily destroyed without a moment’s hesitation. Closer examination of the tracks and the amount of flesh eaten revealed that only one lion had been responsible. This fact was confirmed a short while later, when the gruesome autopsy of the stomach contents was made. The lioness exhibited no impediment or handicap. She was a healthy, well-nourished individual in her prime. What made this animal turn man-eater remains a mystery.

  Besides the famous white lions of the Timbavati there were two other well-known lions in the region, known as ‘Mama Cass’ and ‘Waiter-eater’, so named because, respectively, one lion’s relatively big rounded face supposedly resembled that of the famous singer, and the other, because she ate a waiter! It’s not really a joking matter as, seriously, she partially ate one of Motswari Game Lodge’s best waiters. These two lions were otherwise perfectly normal in every respect and went on to provide thousands of overseas guests with not only exciting lion viewing, but also an incredible, rather macabre, story to relate when they went home. Why then, wasn’t the man-eating lion identified as such and destroyed according to accepted protocol?

  Well, I’ll elucidate, giving you the facts as they happened in the hope that you reach the same decision, or at least gain an informed insight as to why the decision was made to let her live.

  Before teaming up with ‘Mama Cass’, ‘Waiter-eater’ was a loner, whether out of choice or due to lion dynamics in the area, nobody knows. As far as lions were concerned, she was always approachable, wary but not skittish, in all a rather agreeable individual. At the time, I guessed this lioness to be about four years old, and although relatively young, she was well developed and in peak condition, which no doubt contributed to her success as a hunter. The airstrip at Motswari was one of her favoured hunting grounds, where she would target the numerous prey animals, mainly wildebeest and impala, which congregated there at night. More often than not, her hunting forays would culminate in a kill, something we were privy to on more than one occasion.

  At that time, Motswari Game Lodge and Ingwelala were the largest employers of service staff in the Umbabat Nature Reserve. Their respective administrative offices were situated approximately three kilometres apart as the crow flies, which meant that any socialising between the two staff compounds required having to walk through the bush. There was a safer alternative, taking the main access road, but that entailed walking an extra two kilometres. Needless to say, repeated warnings of the dangers of being on foot in the bush at night fell on deaf ears, and it was extremely frustrating to see the disdainful attitude adopted by some members of staff. Eventually, we resorted to threats of dismissal and punishments just short of public execution for those caught using the shortcut. Despite our efforts, the already well-worn human path just got wider with increased use. Unfortunately, the evidence left in the soft sand indicated that this convenient route was not exclusively used by humans.

  Late one evening, the owners of Motswari were returning from visiting a neighbouring landowner, when their headlights fell on a man staggering in the road near the Ingwelala/Motswari shortcut. Pulling up alongside the man, they recognised him as their head waiter on his day off. Apparently he had been drinking heavily, so they insisted he climb on their vehicle and ride back with them.

  Belligerently refusing, I suspect partly out of sheer embarrassment, he incoherently mumbled something, then picked up the pace, stumbling and weaving along the shortcut. It was so dark that attempting to follow him would have been pointless as he was quickly swallowed up by the darkness and the density of the bush. When dawn broke a few hours later and the waiter had not pitched to do the early morning wake-up calls, the ranger on duty and a couple of trackers were sent out along the shortcut to find him.

  Nothing escapes a Shangaan tracker’s eyes. As far as they are concerned, if it doesn’t fly or swim, it can be tracked, so when drag marks were seen leading into the bush from the path, they bent over to examine the scene more closely. It wasn’t the drag marks that turned their faces an ashen grey, but the lion tracks on either side of them, indicating that a lioness had dragged something into the bush. A few moments later, the lifeless body of the unfortunate man was found some 15 metres from the pathway. As horrific as the scene was, it was not typical of what was usually found at the scene of a lion kill. Besides a torso bloodied where the lion had begun to feed around the abdomen area, the man’s body was intact. What was more puzzling was that the lion had left the body hours before they found it; neither we nor the trackers nor other predators had disturbed her, so the question now was – what caused this lion to stop feeding and leave the scene?

  Backtracking carefully to the point of departure from the path, the evidence lay clearly for the expert trackers to see. Waiting for the police to arrive before disturbing anything, the trackers began to piece together what had happened. When the authorities arrived they were able to show how the man had made his way along the path, stumbling and weaving until he could no longer maintain his balance. They pointed out where he had fallen down and passed out in a drunken stupor. The lioness, which had subsequently happened on the prostrate man purely by chance, had cautiously circled him a couple of times before approaching. Then, straddling his torso, she gripped him firmly by the head and proceeded to drag him off the path.

  The barely perceptible trailing marks left by the man’s hands as he was being dragged indicated he was either
unconscious or dead at that stage. There were no signs of a struggle; he literally hadn’t twitched a finger.

  This fact was later confirmed at the autopsy, which revealed the man had died almost instantly when one of the lion’s canines penetrated his skull as she bit in to get a good grip on the head. What made the lion stop feeding was ascertained when closer examination revealed she had bitten into the man’s stomach, releasing the alcoholic contents, which then spilled over the rest of the abdominal area. At this point it appears that all interest in feeding ceased, and nothing else on the man’s body was touched. Further forensic analysis showed that this alcohol was a local concoction known colloquially as ‘skokiaan’, an illegal, potent kind of moonshine, often pepped up with anything from industrial spirits and antifreeze to discarded PM9 and PM6 batteries. It seems that this was why she lost interest in feeding and moved off.

  To determine which lioness was responsible wasn’t too difficult. Game lodge rangers and their trackers know the lions in their area better than anyone else, and these guys were no exception. There was only one lioness that was known to move on her own at the time, and this event occurred right in the heart of her territory, so she was the prime suspect. Why she wasn’t hunted down immediately and destroyed as a man-eater has been the subject of heated debate ever since; after all, technically she was responsible for the waiter’s death. Objectively speaking, however, there were extenuating circumstances to show this was a marginal call.

  Walking fully erect is exclusive to man. It elicits a reaction of alarm and fear among wild animals; the posture is instinctively recognised as unique, associated with danger and, for the most part, out of place in the wild. On the contrary, when we are lying prone, animals are unable to make the association; they do not recognise us as human. Experiments have also shown that even when we adopt a sitting or crouching position, it confuses all but the wiliest primates. For a carnivore known to scavenge as well as to kill for food, finding unguarded ‘meat’ lying in the bush is an opportunity not to be missed.