by Luanna Crow
Adventurous souls of many ages may hanker to visit the wilds of Africa, but perhaps not many would arrange a safari with an entire family – aged 9 to 82 – in tow. But, vows orthopaedic surgeon David Fox, he’d do it again in a heartbeat.
The Fox family’s destination was Botswana and the sights, sounds, and encounters outstripped their expectations by a Kalahari mile. “It was the most phenomenal thing any of us has ever done – the beauty, the time together, the splendor, and the life-and-death drama.”
Members of the party included his wife Jamie; daughters Carson and Aspen, aged 9 and 12, respectively; Dr. Fox’s sister and brother-in-law; his 68-year-old mom; and her 82-year-old boyfriend. Together they witnessed exotic animals close-up and in a context that could be replicated few other places on the planet. “Viewing the animals was a wonderful experience,” Dr. Fox said. “When you see a pride of zebra or gazelle the first time, you feel this great excitement.” Once past the initial novelty of seeing baby elephants, lion cubs, and nursing giraffes, he explained, “you start to see how the animals interact with each other.”
For example, the Foxes could watch a female leopard, a solo hunter, scout and later kill a gazelle only to be chased away by wild dogs claiming the prize for themselves. In one instance, the family spotted a female leopard who had taken her kill up into a tree to save it from hyenas. But within three days a male leopard dislodged the female to feast on her trophy.
Still another memorable scene was that of a lion and cub chewing on a dead elephant with, perhaps, a thousand vultures waiting in the surrounding trees.
What surprised Dr. Fox the most was how close their group could get to the animals – including a lion roaring within about seven feet of their open vehicle. It was safe, he said, as long as no one stood up because the animals view the vehicle and its passengers as a single object.
Very early one morning, their guide shone his flashlight down on massive hippos just beyond the wooden walkway from their “luxury tents” that Dr. Fox said were as elegant, in some ways, as a Four Seasons Hotel with outdoor showers.
The family chose Botswana for their adventure because it is one of the world’s last wildernesses that is not over-commercialized or exploited, due to a governmental policy of nurturing only low impact tourism. The Foxes’ “mobile camping safari” involved flying to a new camp via bush plane every few days to explore different areas. Camp guests had to clear the runway of zebras and warthogs whenever a plane approached with a new party.
In previous years, the Fox family vacation has taken this group to the Galapagos Islands and the rain forest in Costa Rica. Next year, they’re scheduled to go Down Under. But despite all the wondrous places they could choose to visit in the future, Dr. Fox maintains they’d “be hard-pressed not to return to Botswana."
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