The Bounding Bovid Excelling at the art of leaping, an Impala buck gracefully bolts skyward. In my copy of Richard D. Estes’ The Safari Companion, the author tells of how the elegant antelope is capable of vaulting heights ten feet high and up to thirty-six feet in length. The Impala’s athletic prowess is a definite asset in the bounding bovids’ “survival kit” for eluding predators. ~ Anecdote and Impala capture, The Bounding Bovid © Jerry L. Ferrara
The Tension was Taut During our recent trip to Africa, we found ourselves on a morning ‘walking safari’, trekking through a Zimbabwean woodland. As our path approached an open space in the sylvan landscape, a lioness resting in the forest’s cooling shade suddenly stood up and began moving almost parallel to our course. That, needless to say, was exciting even though she gave us no heed! When the she-cat inadvertently ambled into and surprised a small band of Impala, it looked as though ‘all hell’ was about to break loose. The tension was taut but ephemeral. Instead of creating mayhem, the lioness simply sauntered by the wary antelope. ~ Anecdote and African Lion, Impala capture, The Tension was Taut © Jerry L. Ferrara