On Being Wild

First of all, my apologies if the title is misleading... sorry to disappoint. (Also sorry for the lack images below. Slow internet connectivity is a bit of an obstacle here in Africa.)

One of the things that we as a family gravitate toward is wild places and so it was no surprise that the safari we did in Tanzania was one of the highlights of our trip so far. For me it solidified the importance of wild places for wild things to be wild in. Equally vital, as with so many things, is the need for me to experience the wildness first hand; observing nature unfold as it has for tens of thousands of years.

I love wild places and sometimes when you are traveling around the world it’s hard to get what we often take for granted in Canada. Namely, some open space without much in the form of human interference dramatically altering a place. In many cases the wild places in other parts of the world just do not exist. Population density and generations of human activity have all but annihilated or tamed whatever natural balance had existed. Iceland has wild places owing to the harshness of much of the land that simply is not conducive to a lot of people living there. Tanzania also has it, though it has had humans as part of the mix for as long as we as a species have existed. Humans, for most of that time, lived as part of the balance. Recent history has necessitated large tracts being left for conservation. It is in one such place - the unfenced Serengeti/ Ngorongoro, that we juiced our wild batteries.

Of course, here enters that age old debate as to whether the presence of “unwild” (namely people, trucks and roads) negates the wildness. I don’t think it is simply a case of yes or no, but a matter of degree that depends on each place. If the presence of those factors changes the essential balance of place, then it begins to no longer be wild. The Serengeti, despite the scale of tourism, seems to keep the wildness intact. The animals go about their business as usual. Likely a result of generations of humans observing, only some of the elephants would likely recall a time when humans meant something else. We were no more (and likely less) of a presence than flies.

And so we were able to watch the drama of nature unfold before us. Elephants browsing and wandering at will, millions of Wildebeest and Zebra migrating to the calving grounds, Lions and Cheetah hunting... The list goes on for at every moment some story is being told and we were always reading to learn.

Yes, there is the risk of loving a place to death and so the need for management of these sacred places is important. The Tanzanians seem to have figured that out for most of the parks that we saw which is no small task when considering the level of development in their country as a whole. Certainly there will  always be room to improve no matter where you are, but the effort needs to be made

The being there is the critical piece for the continuation and creation of wild places. When we have these deeper experiences we are far more able to learn, relate, and fight for their preservation. I feel it in myself and I see it in Mattias and Emilia. Long live the wild places!