Most wild animals are natural born killers, they are smart, they are agile, they are emotional, they are unpredictable and they operate 24/7.

The chimpanzee who attacked his handler or onlooker, the killer whale attacking his Sea World trainer, the Indian Elephant stomping and tramping to death his very own mahout, the bear killing his lifelong owner, the lion mauling the hand that feeds him.

All the above events have taken place while the animals are in captivity, after years of observation we should be able to predict character, temperament and the animal’s next move. We are inclined to be ignorant or lose sight of the fact that ‘the wild’ will always instinctively remain.

We erroneously believe that in its own habitat, the predatory nature of a wild animal is easier to understand, empathize and identify with. I have spent over forty years observing and photographing the animals of the wild in the African bush, where one would imagine every move would be predictable, expected or even foreseeable. The speed and dichotomy of the animal surprises me with what I would deem out of character portrayal where the expected becomes the suddenness of the unexpected or unanticipated.

There are so many anomalies that dictate the animal’s mystifying behavior which is manipulated by food, territory; raising young, being teased, old and crotchety, losing a mating opportunity, disturbed when eating, being surprised or frightened, woken up from sleep unexpectedly, sick or injured even weather patterns or conditions. One of the most provoking or enticing elements tempting the animal to attack is the insecurity of feeling threatened.

When being around or involved with wild animals or visiting their territory or domain the implementation and execution of safety precautions is paramount; a human or animal life is worth a million times more that an encapsulated picture and the safety of the animal in the wild is our heritage and future inheritance.

'Beauty of the Wild', 'The Spirit of Charleston', 'The Day After' are book titles written by Alan Lipa