Someone bequeathed a pallet of colours to be distributed across Ruaha’s animal species—shades of ochre, charcoal-black and creamy-whites—and with instructions that no two animals should be the same. The variety in the use of these colours is intriguing, but mysterious to me as I experience the African bush for the first time. What is the explanation for the splashes and streaks of colour that are strategically placed on flanks, rumps or around eyes? The sleek and graceful impala has a two-tone torso that appears groomed for a parade with dabs and streaks of black for added decoration. With painted streaks of white and a thick moustache, the female Kudu is attentive to our presence through her furry and colourful radar-ears. On matchstick legs, the delicate Dik-dik materialises from nowhere with a generous splash of white around its large and lustrous eyes and then vanishes as subtly as it arrived. The giraffe and zebra are companions in the bush due to their similar predators, but contrast sharply in their approach to patterning and colours. Patchwork and streaks both work well for invisibility. A final lucky find: a sandy and furry lion cub resting amongst a family group: we would not have seen this group if the elderly matriarch had not raised her head as our vehicle approached.
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