A Night Aboard the “Ark”
By “Awake!” correspondent in Kenya
HOW would you like to spend a night in the Ark? It is a three-decked structure largely made of wood. No, this Ark was not built by Noah. But concepts of the one that he and his family constructed more than 4,300 years ago undoubtedly inspired the design of this modern Ark.
The present-day Ark rests on a 7,600-foot-high (2,316-meter-high) spur surrounded by a montane forest in Kenya’s Aberdare Range. From inside the Ark visitors can watch animals outside the structure. This is part of Kenya’s effort to enable people from all over the world to observe and study animals in their natural surroundings, in areas set aside to preserve many wild species threatened with extinction.
We plan to spend a night in the Ark, along with a number of other visitors. “But,” you ask, “how do you expect to see any animals in the darkness?” Well, viewing all through the night is made possible by powerful spotlights. These artificial “moons” are so designed that they do not startle or upset even the most timid animals.
The Journey
Our trip begins in Nairobi, near the edge of the great Rift Valley. After breakfast, we enjoy a leisurely three-hour drive through Kikuyuland. Our first stop is just outside the town of Nyeri, at the Aberdare Country Club. This will be our base. It is surrounded by woodland slopes rich with nandi flame, cape chestnut and jacaranda trees, under which crowned cranes and peacocks stroll.
Looking out over the plains to the north, we have a wonderful view of Mount Kenya on our right, its twin snowcapped peaks rising to somewhat over 17,000 feet (5,182 meters). To our left is the Aberdare Range, attaining a height of over 13,000 feet (3,962 meters). We will be heading in that direction after lunch.
To avoid disturbing the animals, private cars are not allowed to enter this side of the National Park. All visitors are transported to the Ark in two large buses. The eleven-mile (18-kilometer) trip takes us through Kikuyu settlements and farmlands adjoining the park.
Along the way, black-and-white Colobus monkeys frolic in the tall trees. There they are safe from hunters who once slaughtered them for their skins, used for ceremonial robes or decorative carpets. Cape buffaloes abound in the forest, and sometimes block the way, moving aside reluctantly to let us pass. Occasionally, a rhino is seen, but it never stays around very long. Not to be ignored are large herds of elephants. They have been known to make threatening charges at a bus, though never making contact. Now, that is quite an experience to relate to friends and relatives!
Our View from the Ark
Finally, we reach the Ark. Leaving the bus, all visitors cross a drawbridge leading onto the afterdeck. They then head for small cabins on one of the three decks. Our cabin has two bunks. Quickly, we open the window overlooking the sea of green grass. We wonder if any animals have arrived at the nearby salt lick.
Warthogs usually are present. They move around on their knees to crop the grass of the glade. Should anything frighten them, they scamper for cover in the surrounding bush, their tails as erect as a ship’s mast.
Each time we have visited the Ark, we have seen the bushbuck. This extremely elegant and dainty antelope never relaxes its vigilance. No wonder! It is the fearsome leopard’s favorite prey. The bushbuck has a collar-like lack of hair around the neck. According to the local Kikuyu tribe, this dates back to Noah’s day. Their tradition is that in order to get a stubborn bushbuck into his ark, Noah had to lead it with a rope that wore away all that hair!
Cape buffaloes stroll casually in front of the Ark. Soon they are wallowing in the mud around the water hole, not content until covered with slimy muck from horn to hoof. Only the elephants will make these stubborn creatures abandon the water hole. Those lumbering pachyderms want no other animals present when they come to drink and savor the salt put down by the Ark staff. With loud trumpetings and the flapping of their huge ears, they also are sure to chase off the small African hare and the mongoose.
The best view of any animals at the water hole is obtained from a ground-level observation chamber. It allows a person to be within arm’s length of elephants, buffaloes, rhinos or other large animals that come near. Elephants have been known to put their trunks through the slits in the chamber. Fortunately, no one has yet been dragged out through these openings.
What impresses us about all these large animals is the protection they give to their young. During a previous visit, a large herd of elephants came into view. They were shielding a very small calf, probably just two weeks old. This little one never left its safe place between the mother’s legs. We could see how nervous the whole herd was, especially when another herd arrived on the scene. Promptly, the new arrivals were made to realize that their presence was not appreciated. So, they kept their distance until the first herd went on its way.
Unusual Excitement Is Kindled
There are special moments ‘aboard the Ark’ too. At these times excitement rises to a peak. For instance, visitors are thrilled to see the rare and elusive bongo, for which the view from the Ark has become famous. This shy, beautiful animal is a large antelope. It keeps to the mountain forests and seldom is seen, except here at the Ark. The bongo has a chestnut-colored coat with twelve or thirteen thin vertical stripes on its sides. An ideal camouflage in its forest home! When the bongo emerges from the trees opposite the game-viewing lounge, a hush comes over the visitors. They almost hold their breath for fear of frightening it away. Soon, however, cameras click and whir, as eager photographers record the sighting of this graceful animal. The Ark’s log reveals that for many months there have been bongo sightings on at least one in every two days. When the bongo or the leopard puts in an appearance, a buzzer is sounded throughout the Ark to alert those who have gone to bed. Certainly, they would not want to miss the event.
Should there be a night when few animals come into the glade, observers can always be entertained by the nightly visits of a family of genets. These cats are fed raw eggs and slivers of meat, which regularly have been placed on the veranda almost since the Ark was opened at the end of 1970. Now the offspring of the original pair of genets are not afraid of man. They can be enticed to come right inside the Ark and be fed from the hand. These are the only animals welcome in the Ark, although vervet monkeys sometimes enter the cabins, if windows are left open.
Meals are abandoned suddenly if something exciting happens outside. Perhaps a leopard is hunting its prey in full view. Or two rival bull buffaloes may be fighting for supremacy over the herd. Hyenas sometimes attack unsuspecting buffalo calves or the piglet of the giant forest hog. The screams of the young, combined with the grunts of the parent animal trying to ward off the attackers, are enough to make any visitor rush away from the dinner table to get a glimpse.
Those determined not to miss anything may stay up all night watching game, and are fortified with hot drinks around a roaring log fire. However, shortly after dawn, when one may see Mount Kenya’s snowcapped peaks glistening in the early morning sunlight, all the Ark’s passengers disembark and follow the forest trail out of the Game Park. Back at base, they pick up the transport for home.
Fond Recollections
We will remember our night vigil in the Ark for a long time. Of course, such visits can have their lighter moments. These are not likely to be forgotten either. For instance, on seeing a group of giant forest hogs, one woman cried out in sheer delight. She was sure that she had just seen her first rhinoceros! Others have mistaken the mongoose for a Colobus monkey, and even a hyena for a leopard!
Doubtless, advance research is a good idea. Much can be gleaned from a good handbook on animals and birds common to the area that you plan to visit. And, who knows? In the future, you may be able to spend an intriguing night aboard the “Ark.”