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You are right of course, a safari is not that expensive once you have traveled to the place. I myself was 3 weeks ago on a one-day trip from Johannesburg to Pilanesberg. The cost was USD 250 for a trip for two people, with pick-up from hotel, transport, entrance to park, game rides, lunch and drop back to hotel. Anyone who can afford to travel to Johannesburg from Europe, Asia or America can afford that. The ride around the park is not that bad for nature (it's on roads built around the area, no-go outside vehicles) but if the number of visitors increases a lot, I can see the pressure definitely is a problem (more and more people want to come, so maybe the gate needs to be open for a few more people? And so on.) I saw many of the impressive big animals there, elephants, giraffes, zebras, GNUs, etc, and to top it all, a leopard waited behind a bend on the road, and walked right next to our jeep so that we could just observe it. It was not bothered by our jeep at all. Even cell phone camera pictures are very good. It was great to see it. But somehow I felt not comfortable about it. Why's that great animal not afraid of people that drive this ugly jeep right next to her hunting grounds? |
I understand the pressure factor you mention, but at the same time I don't think that making it an exclusive expensive experience only for a few is really a solution (as parent was hinting to). One possible solution that comes to mind is Machu Picchu: you want to go there? You need to buy a ticket months in advance.
About your last comment, on why are animals not afraid of us: I've been talking with a Park Guard, and he mentioned that people in cars are not seen as humans but as a big harmless object moving. When in a car we are just like other animals. Once you are out of the car the scenario completely changes as you are identified as human and animals either move away or charge you. It kind of all made sense once I took a walking tour in the park, and I could clearly see that animals were moving away as we were approaching, keeping a very large distance between them and us. Not sure what's the percentage of truth in this but it makes quite some sense.