Seeing the African Big 5 (lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo and leopard) in around an hour takes some doing. We were fortunate to see these creatures and many more besides while on a number of game drives from our lodge in South Africa.  We've also seen them at zoos and wild animal parks of varying standards across the world. So if you want to get up close and personal with wildlife, what is the best way to do it - and is there is a right or wrong way? 

 

Good Zoo, Bad Zoo

 

Of course there are different types of zoo. In the old days, before we became 'enlightened' in our care for animals, the exhibits of a zoo were managed and acquired in much the same way as paintings or statues in a gallery. Little regard was given for animal welfare and conservation, with most animals having to live in cramped spaces and having little to stimulate them from one mundane day to the next. I visited a zoo in China in the 1990s and more recently Dubai Zoo (an absolute disgrace) and imagined that these were probably reflective of how most zoos around the world would have been forty or fifty years ago.

Illustrious modern zoos (or wild animal parks as they often prefer to be branded) include the famous Singapore Night Safari and the San Diego Wild Animal Park, both of which I have enjoyed visiting. Animals here have far more space and their enclosures are not solely designed as pits with unobstructed public viewpoints. These places manage breeding programmes and place a strong emphasis on promoting awareness of conservation issues, positioning their operations as more educational than entertainment. 

 

The Safari Experience

 

A real safari on the other hand is about seeing the animals in an entirely natural habitat. Well, almost. An experienced ranger will know where specific animals are likely to be at a certain time and will often leave 'treats' out so that beast and tourist can cross paths conveniently. As far as is possible the young are conditioned to be comfortable with a jeep being alongside them while they nap, eat or play. 

A big part of the safari experience is the opportunity for photography. Most safari-goers will pack a good camera with a big lens, hoping to capture that ultimate close-up photo of a lion eating a zebra with an elephant in the background (or something like it). But safaris are unpredictable and it's quite possible to come away from a game drive having seen little or nothing. It's harder still if you chosen prey is the tiger; visitors to Indian game parks can spend a week on the hunt for even the briefest glimpses of one of these elusive cats. 

Animal Magic

 

So is it all about getting the best photo? If so then perhaps a modern zoo may provide the guarantee of animal sightings, and usually in a habitat that vaguely resembles the animal's natural environment. Where a safari wins out for me is that very element of uncertainty, of being in the hands of fate as to whether you catch a sighting of whatever crosses your path that day or whether you come back having seen nothing.

And there's also something humbling about being enclosed on a vehicle while the animals stroll around and observe you with curiosity; as if they are visiting a zoo where you are the exhibit.  As a naturally curious person I enjoy observing animals in any environment; but I don't think that the excitement of seeing something unexpected run across your path can ever be recreated, even in a modern zoo.