RUN! RUN! RUN!

2 days passed and we were driving close to the Boma area. “John” decided to do a morning walk. We parked the car and got off.

– Ok everyone! Same rules like last time… DO NOT RUN! – “John” said.

We learned our lesson, running was out of everyone’s minds. We walked around the Boma first.

– Here is where the cheetahs were before we released them into the reserve – “John” explained – Bomas are important to keep an eye on the new animals. This way we can act quickly if they don’t react well to the environment.

We continued our walk into the thickets. We heard impalas alarm calling, but I believe they were calling because of us. We also saw kudus running away, again, because of us.

After an hour we went inside a very thick part of the reserve. I was the last one in the group. Then we stopped. I looked to the front and saw “John” with his fist up. He was already out of the thickets. He walks a few steps forward and stops again.

I hear water. I look to the front and see a hippo inside a small dam. The dam looks almost empty and the hippo can’t submerge. He blows air, a clear sign of him being upset.

– Back – “John” said.

This time when the word got to the back of the line it was “back”, and not “Run!” I’m walking backwards and the bush is getting thicker and thicker.

– It’s too thick – I say.

The group stops and waits for orders. “John” signals us to walk forward. He looks back to the dam and turns to us and said:

– RUN! RUN! RUN! – he said while coming back.

There was no place to run. Running into the thickets it’s not a good idea. We struggle but the hippo won’t struggle running through thickets. “John” looks to his right and sees a 5 meters ravine. He looks again to the dam and goes:

– Jump now! RUN! – he screamed while pointing at the ravine.

Must have been the adrenaline because I can’t remember how we slided 5 meters of a ravine and climbed another 5 meters on the other side in a few seconds! Even Hans, 63 years old, ran like an olympic athlete.

On the other side we could only see “John” getting himself ready. The hippo was already out of the water and running straight at him. The seconds were slower, time was passing so slow. I could see “John” breathing and putting a bullet in the chamber. When you are a guide you must draw an invisible line that if the animal crosses it, you shoot.

The moment I see “John” getting ready to pull the trigger, the hippo turns to the right, away from “John”.

“John” lowers his rifle and looks at us:

– Are you guys ok? – he asked with a leader’s voice.

– All good- Mark answered.

– Come – “John” signals us to meet him at the dam.

On our way to the dam!

Again when the coast was clear, we bursted out laughing. The nervous and the adrenaline rush were just like the ones with the elephant. But these ones were stronger.

“John” looks at us and says:

– Stay here. I’ll be back in 5 minutes – he said while going away.

The responsibility and the feeling of almost shooting a hippo must have been incredibly stressful.

We continued to talk and looking at the ravine we just slided down and climbed. No one remembered how on earth we did it.

“John” accessing the danger.

“John” returned to us and said:

– I bring bad news and even worse news.

– Ok… hit us with the bad news first- I said.

– Bad news: the hippo just ran in the same direction to our car. So we might still bump into the hippo again. And bumping into a hippo out of water, already scared, it is not something I would recommend – “John” said.

– The worse news is that now we have to go around the Boma to get to the car. It is another 2 hours to finish our walk – he said – so hidrate and rest a little bit.

– So what happened? I was in the back and didn’t understand what really happened – I asked.

– So when we arrived at the dam, a young male hippo was there. The dam is too dry to have a hippo inside, so this young male might have just been kicked out by his father. So it was his first time alone, in a small dam- Johann said while sitting on a fallen tree – When he sees us, he tries to submerge. He can’t. This made him enter the flight or fight response – “John” said while pointing at the dam – Like a young male, he prefers to fight his way out. We are the threat and we have to go away. So he decides to charge and come for us – Then you said that we couldn’t go back anymore, so I had to think fast. I looked at the ravine and first thought that Hans couldn’t make it. So I looked again at the hippo. The hippo was already out of the water so I said to go – I was so happy that I didn’t shoot the hippo – “John” said – I was about to shoot when the hippo turned. I was so relieved.

After the explanation we started our return to the car. It was 2 long hours of walking to the car. Everyone was nervous because the hippo could be anywhere. Also we were already late for lunch and I was starving.

We got to the car without a problem. Super tired and with another fun adventure to tell.

So golden rule is to never run, but when your guide tells you to run…. you better run fast!