Syracuse.com - Fayetteville woman enjoys African photo safari (second of two-part series)

[HuntingNY-News]

“I’m an animal lover. It’s always been a dream of mine, something on my bucket list,” Linda Tepper Cohen said.

Linda Tepper Cohen Two lions observe the scene from the bush.

Linda Tepper Cohen said it’s something she always wanted to do.

“I’m an animal lover. It’s always been a dream of mine, something on my bucket list,” she said of a two-week trip to South Africa last June that featured a six-day photographic safari.

» Lakeport woman enjoys African hunting safari

Cohen, 63, of Fayetteville, a communication specialist and host of Upstate Medical University’s weekly radio show, “Healthlink on Air,” traveled with a group that flew into Capetown and took in such sights as the island prison where Nelson Mandela was held for more than 20 years, the gorgeous southern coastline and the wine country.

The highlight, though, was her trip to Sabi Sabi, a private animal reserve near Kruger National Park in northeastern South Africa.

The following is a summary of her adventure in her own words:

The daily routine

We’d go out in Land Rovers twice a day, for about two to three hours at a time. We got out at early sunrise, and just when the sun was setting. There were about eight to nine of us in each Land Rover. There were several tiers of seating on each one. We had a driver, who was equipped with a rifle (which he never used), and a spotter.

There was no screen to protect us from the animals. It seemed that all of the animals were used to seeing the Land Rovers drive through their world every day. We were instructed, though, to stay seated and not to stand because that would be viewed by the animals as something different, unique.

We saw a pride of female lions, lying on the hillside with babies all around. We saw rhinos and elephants. At one point, a giraffe came close and looked down on us. It was the most majestic thing you can think of. That made the whole trip worth it.

The accommodations

Some might call this a “sissy” safari. This was not about sleeping in a tent on the ground. We stayed in nice individual buildings on a beautiful piece of property. There was an international chef. Each night we would have some wild-game dish, in addition to offerings to satisfy whatever food taste or dietary restrictions you had. I eat meat, but I have a son who’s a vegan and I’m sensitive to that. I was worried about the food and brought power bars, but I never cracked one open. We always ate outside, overlooking the grassy plain.

Linda Tepper CohenCape Buffalo make their way across the grassy plain at sunset.

Highlights

One evening we came across a recent kill made by a pride of lions. We didn’t see the actual kill, but we got to see them devouring it. We shined lights on them while it was happening. It was disturbing, but on the other hand it was a part of nature. It was one of those circle-of-life things.

I also loved watching the mothers with their babies — mother lions and their cubs, the baby and mother rhino interacting. It was so sweet, so lovely.

At one point, we were right in the middle of a herd of elephants. Maybe I was Pollyannaish, but I didn’t feel threatened. In a spiritual way we were connecting with the animals. We were harmoniously traveling through and we weren’t a threat to their environment.

Scariest moment

At one point a leopard came right up to the Land Rover where I was sitting, using us as a shield to hunt other animals. It came within six inches of where I was sitting. It was a lot bigger than a German shepherd.

Equipment

I brought a DSLR Nikon D80 with an 18-200 millimeter telephoto lens.

Cost

The whole package, which included one overnight stay at a hotel in New York City, came to $6,600.

What she brought back

I took a lot of photos. I made a slideshow of the best and showed them to members of the Syracuse Camera Club, of which I’m a member. I also took my 12 best shots and put a 2012 calendar together, which I passed out to friends and family.

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog