When most couples are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary, they either go on a cruise or a beach holiday, but nothing compares to a trip to the wild according to South African couple Marius and Michelle Nortje.
Their 4 decades long love story would now be taking a memorable twist way down in the heart of Kruger national Park.
Starting as a usual trip, it became a story the couple and, then, the internet would never forget.
Marius, interviewed by The Citizen, said that he visits Powell River once a year, but up to four times a year.
However, something wild came out of the bush on their anniversary trip in December 2020: three giraffes. One of them, at least, was the very thing Marius, a part veteran nature photographer, never had seen anything quite like.
We lost [the lions] on the tar road, and taking a gravel road turned in when we first sighted one and then two giraffes, popping out of the bush. We had seen queer growths, when in sight of the third of the herd, all over her body,” he said.
Marius took prompt action and grabbed the giraffe on camera, and subsequently sent it on Facebook where the photos immediately raised senses of both curiosity and alarm.
He said that people wondered whether she was in pain. But she was just grazing and she seemed not to care, though it appeared to be painful.
He also mentioned the South African National Parks (SANParks) in his post in an attempt to attract their attention in an effort to create awareness and he has not yet received a response at the time of the interview.
An outdated circumstance
More photos of the giraffe went viral after they were reproduced by WorldWide Vets, a global animal protection agency. The founder and director of the organization, Dr. Gemna Campling, said that the giraffe has a condition brought about by papillomavirus.
Papillomavirus types are numerous and influence a particular type of species. This giraffe is however believed to be affected by the cow variation (Bovine Papillomavirus or BPV).
According to her, this virus is transmitted through direct contact with the virus, in this instance probably, contact with oxpeckers.
The assumption behind the phenomena in this case is that the oxpecker birds, upon settling on the giraffes and pecking on their naturally occurring parasites, transfer the disease between the two animals. Here, the entire herd is healthy except this animal present as it was when this disease had been identified before.
The disease is not fatal, though it might be shocking to see.
Dr. Campling said many instances of BPV are self-limiting and can resolve with the animal making full recovery. Treatment of the disease in giraffe is unavailable, and wildlife vets watch the situation closely. Fortunately, this form cannot be transmitted to individuals, but Human Papilloma Virus exists in human beings.
Gemma Camping however adds: ”It is not a life threatening disease but it is surely a bid uncomfortable when the lumps get as severe as this one.”
What the giraffe was experiencing when she was writhing in pain is unimaginable, but the feeling is shattering that she will have to live with this. Even with the visible lumps on her she was placidly browsing around, apparently oblivious of her status. Nonetheless, the photos could not leave the hearts of many people on lunar websites and elicited a feeding feeling of empathy, wonderment, and curiosity of thousands of onlookers.
To Marius and Michelle, it was a very strong reminder as to why they go back to the wild.
In some cases, the most memorable experiences happen when you are not expecting them. Certain times, it requires the eyes of a dedicated nature-lover to bring to the world the truth that wildlife is stronger than we think, and that it is fragile as well.
