Rhino Tracking in Namibia
Text & Images © Keri Harvey
Tracking highly endangered black rhino in Namibia is both a unique and thought-provoking experience. Being mere metres from a prehistoric animal that has survived millions of years on earth and now faces extinction, is pretty sobering too.
The early morning sun illuminates the table-top mountains of Damaraland, but the boulder-strewn valley floor, where we are driving, is still dark. It will take a while before the sun reaches us, but the two rhino trackers, Nicholas Naobeb and Lazarus Mbahee, are already scanning the ground for signs of disturbance. This area – favoured by rhino – is vast and rugged and rocky, so tracking in the normal way is not possible.
In the Land Cruiser we hobble over red basalt boulders while the trackers keep their eyes glued to the ground. Then Lazarus mumbles from the rear of the vehicle and driver Mesag Saal stops the Land Cruiser to listen to him. “He thinks he knows the direction the rhino have gone,” says Mesag, pointing in a completely different direction from the one we were headed in.
It’s now 09h30 and we have been driving over the valley floor for three hours. The sun is high and hot, and the air is still as we make slow progress over the boulders. Both of the trackers believe they are on the trail of a black rhino – though we can see no signs of any tracks. They’ve done this many times before, though, so we are confident they are on track, though it does appear they are looking for a toothpick in a chopstick factory.
Another two hours pass before the trackers tell Mesag to drive just a few metres further and stop. They have spotted a black rhino, though nobody else can see it. From here on, we will go on foot, being careful to keep downwind from the rhino so that he doesn’t smell us coming. “Rhinos, as big as they are, can disappear into thin air if they hear or smell you coming,” says Mesag. “They may not see well, but their other senses are finely tuned.” Then he adds: “Always remember that if a rhino charges you, simply stand still and throw a rock in the opposite direction, and the rhino will follow the sound to where the rock landed.” It’s good advice, I’m sure, if your nerves don't fail you!
Slowly we start walking. Lazarus and Mesag lead up front and Nicholas is at the rear of us three rhino watchers. We clamber across more boulder rocks up a low hill and down the other side, and there he is. Standing on the hillside opposite us, we see a black rhino in the shade of a Mopani tree. He’s perfectly relaxed and doesn’t seem to know we are there.
We continue walking in single file, treading softly and silently so as not to alert the rhino that we are approaching. Beads of sweat drip down our faces in the heat of the day, even though we have only walked about a kilometre in total. We stop about 40 metres from the male black rhino, though it feels much closer somehow. It’s a completely different and very personal experience seeing a rhino from ground level than from the safety of a vehicle.
Everyone watches silently, their eyes fixed on the magnificent animal. His forefathers have walked the earth for 50 million years, yet if the poaching of rhinos continues unabated, they will be extinct within the next ten years. Our generation would be responsible for wiping rhinos off the face of the earth, which is no claim to fame.
We watch mesmerised for another 20 minutes. Every few minutes the rhino lifts his head to smell the air, but since we’re downwind he can’t detect us. We stand on the periphery of his comfort zone and ponder the majestic creation that he is: so ancient, so powerful – yet teetering on the edge of extinction. It’s inconceivable that one of the Big Five may no longer exist in just a few years’ time.
Walking back to the vehicle, nobody talks. We are all savouring the experience, which is both rare and awe inspiring. Only on the slow drive back to the lodge does chatter begin again, and it’s all about rhinos. It took nine hours to cover just 74 km to find one black rhino and spend 20 minutes in his world. The experience, though, is unforgettable. A bucket list wildlife encounter – checked.
<sidebar> Rhino Tracking in Namibia
Namibia Tourism Board (Cape Town): Contact +27 21 422 3298, email namibia@saol.com or visit www.namibiatourism.com.na.
Namibia Tracks & Trails: Contact +264 64 416821, email Jockel@namibia-tracks-and-trails.com or visit www.namibia-tracks-and-trails.com.
Grootberg Lodge(for black rhino tracking): Contact +264 61 228104, email marketing@journeysnamibia.com or visit www.journeysnamibia.com.
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