A new alien species is invading Yala and threatening to ruin the park. They behave like animals but move about in four-wheel drive vehicles with names such as Land Rover Mahindra and Toyota.
“Why are you bringing this party down this track?”
That was the question posed to our tracker as we were doing our evening round in our own vehicle.
The underlying tone of this accusation was “What right do you have to bring these guys who are traveling inside Yala in their own vehicle without hiring a Safari Jeep from one of us?”
It's as if we were encroachers into their territory.
These jeep drivers believe that they are the authority when it comes to the park. Way above the pecking order than the employees of the Wild Life Department.
In fact, they are a law unto themselves.
They drive around at high speeds.
They block the roads.
They do not follow the simple etiquette of moving your vehicle after five minutes of a sighting. Giving another person an opportunity to see the animal as well.
All this was something I have experienced for quite some time. Without making a fuss.
What got my ire and motivated me to pen this article was when I saw them blocking the path of animals.
Elephants to be precise.
It was a herd of elephants with a baby wanting to cross the road and go back into the jungle after drinking water from the tank.
When one of these Safari Jeeps drove in and purposely blocked the very path they were going to cross.
Then more jeeps came and quite literally piled up one on top of the other.
Giving the herd no room to move at all.
This disturbed the elephants. So much so that two elephants stood guard blocking the vehicles till the others crossed.
One jeep even tried to push against the elephant and was head-butted as a result.
Which serves him right.
But this driver was putting his passengers' lives in danger as well. The vehicle could have easily toppled over. Or a passenger attacked. Since they were tourists it would have created a negative image about visiting the park. Which would ultimately affect not only the park but the Jeep Drivers as well, financially.
This situation has come about due to two facts.
One being not enough trackers to accompany every vehicle.
The second being the enormous political power that the Jeep drivers wield. The Wildlife Department officials are powerless in the face of it.
I do not trust the government to step in and correct this situation. After all it's the two-legged mammals that vote not the four-legged variety.
My hope is an organisation such as WNPS will come forward to provide training for these drivers along with an endorsement system that has to be renewed yearly. Those drivers who qualify can display a sticker similar to a license on their vehicles assuring the passengers of a civilised experience within the park.
Finally, people will be able to choose safety and decency towards animals over danger and cheap thrills.
