I just finished reading “Whatever You Do, Don’t Run: True Tales of a Botswana Safari Guide“. This book was written by Peter Allison who has led wildlife-viewing and ecotourism trips for twelve years in Africa, primarily Botswana.
I was attracted to the title because I had written an essay a few years ago about my own experiences in Botswana (as a tourist) in which I mused about our guide’s admonition that “if you run, predators will think you are food” and his amusement over the tourist’s typical panic when faced with a dangerous animal. I also wrote about the different guides we encountered and how they differed in expertise….and advice. After reading this book, I’m definitely going to be more cautious in the future about guides and what they advise.
The book was funny, though, and contained many entertaining tales about Allison’s misadventures as a guide. The key word here is “misadventure”. Allison had quite a few of them…some involving clients but other mishaps that he experienced on his own or with other guides.
Allison started out helping the kitchen staff and bartending at a safari camp in South Africa. In the beginning, he had had no previous experience in Africa or in guiding. He almost immediately got himself into trouble while helping set up a camp. Instead of using the Land Rover to haul supplies, he decided to carry a case of beer on foot to the new camp. In addition, he left the road to take a short cut along a riverbed. And did I mention that this was lion country? So you won’t be surprised to learn that he soon literally stumbled into two “massive male lions”.
This is where the “whatever you do, don’t run” advice and book title come in. Allison did not run, as he had been told by the camp’s guides, and instead tried to roar back at the two lions now charging at him. Amazingly, they stopped and fussed a bit, then passed him by and disappeared down the riverbed.
If I had experienced this, my reaction would have been along the lines of, “I must be the luckiest person in the world. Never will I put myself into such a situation again.” Allison had quite a different reaction, once the immediate scare wore off: Pride. Pride that he had faced down two lions. This experience seemed to be the impetus for his ultimate decision to become a safari guide. One of the key tests of a safari guide, apparently, is the ability to stand one’s ground calmly while a dangerous predator is charging you. And I guess this experience qualified.
Allison ultimately graduated to safari guide but continued to get himself and his clients into bad situations fairly frequently. Although he got some training along the way by more experienced guides, much of his learning seemed to be by trial and error. I guess all of us learn by trial and error at some point in our lives but when it comes to situations in which a mistake can mean death (yours or someone else), then this seems to be a particularly risky way to gain expertise. However, it does lead to some pretty good stories, assuming you survive.
I’ve had my own little mishaps while doing fieldwork but rarely have I found myself in a life or death situation (more about this in future posts). I attribute my record not to luck, but to a cautious nature and the propensity to plan for “worse case scenarios”. When you live or work in an area remote from medical facilities, you just don’t take chances.
Anyway, I enjoyed the book and admired how Allison did not shy away from telling about his mistakes and foibles. If he had, his stories would not have been as entertaining or informative.
Wines and Wetlands 