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LOVE AND LOSS IN THE WILD
THE WORDS OF
Lawrence Anthony
Text: Lara Potgieter & Ken Forrester Wines | Images: © Andre Swanepoel
Every wild thing is in tune with its surroundings, awake to its
fate and in absolute harmony with the planet. Their attention is
focused totally outwards. Humans, on the other hand, tend to focus
introspectively on their own lives too often, brooding and magnifying
problems that the animal kingdom would not waste a millisecond of
energy upon. To most people, the magnificent order of the natural
world where life and death actually mean something has become
unrecognizable. - Lawrence Anthony, The Last Rhinos
Tucked away under layers of blankets
on a rainy night in the middle
of the city, I feel in tune with my
surroundings. Not the four white walls or the
relentless hum of traffic three floors down,
but all that surrounds me as a child of this
magnificent continent.
I see the thousands of wrinkles that criss-cross
over an elephant’s skin and hear the peals of
thunder that announce the first resurrecting
rains of spring. But I also hear the crack of a
rifle, see the ominous descent of a vulture and
feel the horror of the conservationist, ranger,
parent or child who discovers the aftermath.
I’m far from it all right now, of course, but
I have a worn paperback in my hand and
Lawrence Anthony is telling me a story.
He tells me about his beloved rhino Heidi,
her brutal slaughter and the endless challenges
involved in the fight for life. He tells me about
politics, poverty, war and warthogs in South and
North Africa and beyond.
Fires, floods, sunsets and soldiers unfold
before that precious part of my mind that is
still able to run through the bush on another
goddamn beautiful day in Africa (when it is in
fact quite miserable outside and the only place I
can really run is the bathroom when I’m feeling
particularly energetic).
I imagine the slimy tip of a trunk on my
forehead and the untold difficulty of eventually
having to walk away. Nana, Frankie, Mandla,
bush pigs and tokoloshes populate my dreams,
and the waking day is really just spent waiting for
story time to come around once more.
There is, however, nothing fantastical about
these stories. They tell of the reality of the
African bush, of two majestic yet endangered
species and of the initiative, perseverance and
bravery of one man on a farm in Kwazulu-Natal.
I would have given my two front teeth
(wouldn’t it be wonderful if we started trading
those illegally instead?) to hear the stories told
by his tongue. His books, however, will sustain
me (and a whole generation I am sure) through
the long, hard and at times beautiful battle for
life, above all, for all.
For more information or to order a copy of
the books, visit www.panmacmillan.co.za. To
find out how you can become involved with The
Lawrence Anthony Earth Foundation, visit www.
lawrenceanthony.co.za
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Image: © Pan Macmillan