June 29, 2005
By Lucille Davie
ALMOST 100 4x4 vehicle owners responded to the Johannesburg Zoo's invitation to go off-roading on the zoo's back roads, taking in the animals at the same time.
The 5km route focused on the quieter, eastern end of the zoo, and passed the buffalo, the lion cubs, the cheetah, the emus and the wild dogs.
The route was created by Arthur Cooper of the Scorpion Off-Road College. It involved a mud pit, humps, bank turns of 45º angles and bobbing over tyres, all qualities of a good off-road track, he says. He plans to include a bridge of logs in a future, improved track.
Zoo management had planned this track more than a year ago, and recently approached Cooper to construct it.
It involved driving over humps and tyres, splashing through a muddy patch alongside the filtration pools, angling around several slanted small koppies in the empty areas on the zoo's eastern side, edging up a bank or two, and finally ending up in the car park on Upper Park Drive.
The cost was R150 per vehicle, with the proviso that the fee covered as many people as could fit into the vehicle. The idea was that people could stop off at any point and observe the animals close up.
Comments from the 15 drivers on Saturday and the 83 on Sunday ranged from "a bit tame" to "very good, thoroughly enjoyed it". A range of vehicles took part: Jeep Cherokees, Land Rovers, Kias, Suzukis, Toyotas, Isuzus, Mercedes Benzs and BMWs.
Cooper says the majority of people were city slickers, looking for somewhere different to try out the 4x4 capabilities of their vehicles, without leaving town. They indicated they would come back for a future event.
Responding to claims by the NSPCA that the animals were placed under stress by the increased traffic, Jenny Gray, the zoo's chief executive, says, "The route was carefully selected to minimise the impact on animals and largely used empty space on the edges of the zoo. Use was also made of roadways where animals are used to seeing zoo and maintenance vehicles."
The welfare of the animals is the zoo's primary concern, and this was not compromised, she says.
The zoo plans to hold the event once a year.
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