Thieving Monkeys!

7/14/2006

Monkeys in South Africa are literally everywhere you turn. I know that I felt excited when I first saw a vervet, the most widespread kind, it was so cute and mischievous looking... but that was before I had my run in with a vervet in Kruger, and realized that no, this monkey was not a cute creature, but a conniving little thief! Well, ok, that might be going a bit too far, but still, there is more to these animals that there innocent demeanor implies.
It's unfortunate, but monkeys are a big problem in South Africa. There is a huge population of both vervet monkeys and baboons, and I cannot count the number of times that I have been in a taxi and see them hanging out by the side of the road- even a busy "highway." They are virtually everywhere! I must admit that it is pretty cool to look out the window in a developed area and see a monkey hanging out in a tree nearby. But I do not think that many South Africans share my point of view. These animals are such a big problem basically because they have gotten so tame around humans. I'm afraid that tourists bear the most responsibility for this- they see a cute little monkey and think it is hungry- so they give it some food. Oh no no no no! Such a bad move! I remember when I used to go sailing with my family in the summers, and we always brought some bread to feed the ducks. Well, the ducks soon got used to being fed by humans all the time and would flock from boat to boat searching for free hand outs. It is the same with the baboons and vervets here, except much worse because while the ducks only have webbed feet and wings, monkeys have hands- and they are freakishly smart! Around the suburbs and Cape Town, the monkeys have developed quite a keen taste for people food, and have started sneaking in to get at the garbage cans around the towns. But that is not all. Baboons can get rather aggressive, and they do not seem to be content to stick with the garbage. There are squares in Cape Town with warning signs, telling people that if there are baboons about do no walk around with food in their hands because the baboons would actually chase them for it. The story does not end there, though. This next bit I find hilarious, even though it is not really funny. I have heard a story that in Cape Town, baboons even have figured out a way to break into people's houses. They lift their babies through open windows, and the babies run inside either stealing food, or actually unlocking the doors and letting in their larger companions! This was something I had a huge difficulty believing- how ludicrous does it sound! But I actually found articles online that confirm the stories that I heard. Once the baboons are inside, the head straight for the refrigerator, and soon, a complete monkey bash is under way. If the owners of the house hear the ruckus and go to investigate, they could find like ten baboons feasting on the ice cream that the family might be saving for a special occasion. And under no circumstances should the owner break up the monkey party! Baboons get mighty angry if their fun is disturbed and can get pretty violent as well. But anyway, I digress... as usual.
So, back to Kruger Park. Amanda and I had spent the morning driving around and searching for animals when we decided that it was time for a much needed lunch break. We headed to Berg-en-Daal Camp and went to the picnic area to rest for a bit and enjoy our lunch in leisure. We noticed right away that there were a ton of vervet monkeys around, watching the other picnickers, but still keeping a distance away. Amanda and I settled down on a bench with out bag of food between us, and I pulled out some bread to make a sandwich. I set the bread on my lap to use as a table, and turned away for a split second to pull out our jar of peanut butter. Suddenly, something that feels like tiny hands scrape across my leg, and not knowing what it was, I screamed. Looking down, I notice my bread is gone! Then I notice a small vervet sitting in the tree next to the bench, what was to be my lunch gripped in his hand, and thoroughly enjoying himself. I swear, he just looked at me and if monkeys could talk, I am certain he would start heckling- he definitely was smirking! It took quite some time for me to come to grips with the fact that a monkey actually stole my lunch right from my lap, and then I was a mix of both anger and amusement. It goes to show, do not be deceived by their innocent and cut faces, inside all vervets (and baboons) are the sneakiest of creatures, and are just busy plotting how to steal your lunch.

Searching for Wildlife

7/10/2006

African national parks are truly amazing places. Trapped away from the hustle and bustle of human life, entering a park is like suddenly being enveloped into a whole new world. Gone are the sights and sound of modernity, and all that is left is dense savannah filled with exotic trees, sharp thorn bushes, the calls of birds and insects and wild animals camouflaged so well by their surroundings- ones that most Americans only get to see in zoos. Kruger National Park of South Africa is only one such games parks that are rapidly springing up in a land where tourists eager to see the “Big 5” make up a lot of the income for these developing countries. The park, about the same size of Israel, is the largest game park in South Africa, spanning along the border of South Africa and Mozambique. It is home to hundreds of species of mammals and birds, including the ever so popular “Big 5”- elephants, African buffalo, rhinos, lions, and leopards. The two days Amanda and I spent in Kruger were full to the brim of wild life, and also fighting the other tourists for space on the roads to see these animals. While we did not see any lions or leopards, or any other big predators for that matter, we did see elephants, rhinos, buffalo, zebras, giraffes, wildebeest, warthogs, hippos, crocodiles, hyenas, jackals, and tons and tons of DLTs (Deer-Like-Things). In fact, I am pretty certain that the impala, a type of antelope, and the elephant are plotting to take over Kruger, they are so numerous! It seemed everywhere we turned there was another herd of impala, just calmly eating, eating, pausing briefly to look at us pass by, then going back to eating. It came to the point that we grew so tired of seeing impala that we began saying “We don’t want to see another impala unless there is a lion eating it!”
The elephants, though not as numerous as the impala, nevertheless were plentiful as well. In our two days there, we saw several herds of elephants, and the total number we must have seen was near to one-hundred. But, that is not uncommon now in Kruger Park. While I like the park very much, I know in my heart of hearts that it is not a natural wilderness. The animal numbers are carefully observed, and as it is a huge tourist spot, more animals the better! So, man-made watering holes were built to supplement the ones that go dry in the rainy season, ensuring that the animals never go thirsty, but also disrupting the delicate balance of nature. Elephants have no real predator except for humans, and in a protected environment with even nature controlled, the population of elephants has sky-rocketed in the past ten years. Now, officials claim that there are 10,000 too many elephants in Kruger than the park can effectively maintain. The big problem with the over-population of elephants is the amount of food and water they need in a day. So many elephants in Kruger results in the disappearance of much vegetation and water that other species depend on, effectively shrinking populations of other herbivores while their own expands. Now the government is thinking of plans to re-create an effective balance. But unfortunately, that means either packing up and moving 10,000 elephants or killing 10,000 elephants. Neither of these seems to the government to be a good option. Moving 10,000 elephants? Where would they move to? Can you imagine capturing 10,000 elephants, putting them on trucks, and driving them hundreds of miles to other parks? What a headache that would be! The other option is culling (controlled killing) of the animals, and that could cause even more trouble. This option is what South Africa used to do to control the animal population ten years ago, but the protest from environmental groups became so widespread that the government agreed to stop. It was then that the elephant population got out of control. Now, faced with such a huge environmental problem occurring in Kruger, the government is cautiously edging towards the option once more, but not before it has invited eighteen months of “talks” with environmental groups and animal activist. Unfortunately, this is a lose-lose situation for the government. If they go ahead with the culling they will piss off the international community for cruelly killing 10,000 members of a threatened specie, and therefore wrecking the environment. If they allow things to go on, the elephant number will rise and continue to damage trees and other wildlife, and therefore wrecking the environment. There is no easy decision.

Why Peace Corps Volunteers are not Allowed to Drive...

7/10/2006

Winter has descended upon South Africa and it is finally time for the nice long three-week winter holidays! Some of you might be wondering, wait, vacation? Again? Didn’t you just come back from vacation? Ah, the joys of year-round school! While no long ten-week vacation during the summer we get lots of shorter vacations about every eight to ten weeks. And as much as I like being a volunteer, those vacations sure do look very good after ten weeks of village life! While last vacations found me tramping through the wilds of Middle Earth in a very off-the-beaten-track holiday, this time around my friend Amanda and I decided to do something completely touristy and rent a car, roam around Kruger National Park for a few days, and then head off to Swaziland- another tourist trap! And from the very first day our vacation became a wild adventure with more than one event doubling us over with laughter (it could have been the sugar high we had from basically living off of marshmallows, peanut butter, hot chocolate, and nutella… but we were on vacation! You’re not supposed to eat healthy on vacation!). But our adventures first began with the rental car.
As Peace Corps volunteers living in foreign countries and thus bound to those countries’ laws, there are lots of things that can potentially get us in trouble. One of those things is driving as there have been numerous car crashes that have killed volunteers in the past, and even a few volunteers convicted of man-slaughter when involved in accidents. So, to protect us volunteers, Peace Corps has enacted a rule that while on duty we are not allowed to drive. I don’t really mind it so much- I can pretty much get anywhere I want to go on foot, by bicycle or with public transport and South African drivers are SCARY- but it is nice on vacations when, at our own risk, of course, we are allowed to rent and drive cars as soon as we go on leave. As Amanda and I are probably the cheapest volunteers ever, we opted not to go on a guided safari of Kruger, but instead to rent a car- much cheaper and easier to see what we wanted in the park. Of course, there was a lot of added stress as well. We are poor volunteers, and the thought of damaging the rental and having to pay for anything made us shudder. And so, when not even an hour after we picked up the car we backed into a mealie (corn) bag and somehow managed to dent the bumper, we both nearly hyperventilated. Luckily we managed to pop the bumper back into place, and the rental people never knew the difference. That was our first driving lesson in South Africa: Never run over a bag of mealies- they are like moose. You may hit a moose and total your car while the moose walks away uninjured. Likewise, you may hit a bag of mealies and dent your car, and the mealie bag will lay there uninjured. Other lessons soon followed the first: red lights in South Africa do not necessarily mean stop, one-way roads do not always mean they are really one-way, and oh yes, lots of traffic cops are corrupt and once they see a tourist driving a rental car, feel it is an easy way to make some quick cash.
Well, perhaps the last thing on the list was our first lesson about driving in South Africa, as it occurred before we even picked up our rental car. Amanda and I bummed a ride off of our friends Jillian and Meagan, who were taking a road trip to the Eastern Cape and agreed to drop us off in Nelspruit on the way. Jillian was at the wheel of their snazzy stick-shift car (now that was impressive, managing a stick-shift on the wrong side of the car while remembering to drive on the wrong side of the road. Amanda and I were not that daring, we rented an automatic) when we were pulled over by a traffic cop. The cop said that we were speeding (I don’t think we were, but who knows) but the second he saw Jillian’s license and realized we were from the US; his eyes lit up. I know he was thinking “Oooh! Stupid Americans! Maybe I can make a quick buck out of them!”
“Do you have the money to pay the fine now?” he asked. “Because all tourists must pay when they are pulled over.”
There was a pause as all of us in the car were thinking: should we just go and buy you a goat now? Or should we deposit the money directly into your bank account? Because we all knew there was no way that the government or whoever collects fines in South Africa would ever see that money. It was the most ridiculous attempt to get a bribe I have ever heard. Now I do not pay people to be assholes. That pretty much sums up my whole policy on bribes. Unfortunately tourists probably do believe these things and pay without checking first, as the thought of going to an African jail might be too much, so the traffic cop probably thought we would fall into the trap. Oh no. That was not going to happen.
“Well, I just rented the car this morning, and I am not certain what the rental policy is if we get pulled over,” Jillian said. She whipped out her cell phone. “Let me call them real quick.”
Might I add that this was a complete bluff as a few days previously a rat had chewed through the cord of Jillian’s cell phone charger and thus her phone battery was dead (yes that did actually happen, we do deal with rats on a regular basis). But, suddenly, there was no problem! The traffic cop just smiled at us told us that it was no big deal, and waved us on our way. We laughed about the lame attempt for a bribe for the next few kilometers, and Meagan pretty much summed it up by saying, “You know, I would have respected him a lot more if he had just flat out asked for a bribe.”
So, lessons learned about driving in South Africa: mealie bags are hazards, other drivers are hazards, we as American drivers are hazards, and traffic cops are hazards. Yes, I pretty much understand now why Peace Corps Volunteers are not allowed to drive.