Lions and the Tigers will remain locked in until the search is completed. My Rangers will be carrying rifles with tranqilliser darts, anyway, and the animals have all been fed so they are more likely to be drowsy than anything else. The forensic people will be able to travel in their own van. Unfortunately, I have no other vehicles to spare as we have to keep two on stand-by in case of problems.”
That being agreed, Ignatious was brought from the prison van and seated in the Range Rover, behind the front passenger seat, Graham next to him with Sallie and Clive immediately behind them. Two of the prison officers took up the two rear seats and the remaining officers made up the driver and mate.
“Right, Brother Saviour,” said Graham, “How far in the enclosure is the body?”
Ignatious was quite unruffled by the occasion. “About two miles, I would guess. I’ll be able to spot the particular bush under which I hid him; it’s quite distinctive. Just follow the Drive.”
With that, the Rover trundled forward and into the enclosure, followed closely by the forensic van and escorted by the Jeep, which was driving on the short, grassy parkway alongside. The police car brought up the tail. Two Rangers closed and locked the gates as soon as the vehicles were clear and stood watching as they moved slowly along the route.
There was a plentiful smattering of animals dotted about, mostly Gazelles of varying kinds grazing casually under the rays of the gradually warming Sun. Here and there could be seen a number of Giraffes, some Elephants, Zebras and a couple of Rhino’s. All went about their business in a quiet and unconcerned manner.
The convoy had travelled only a hundred and fifty yards or so along the road, when they were halted by a group of docile-looking Antelopes that had wandered across the path. Instead of grazing, as they had been, all were looking towards the lead vehicle. The Rangers drove toward them, shouting as they went, with the intention of frightening the timid animals away. To their surprise, they remained where they were. Reacting to this, the Rangers inched the jeep forward until it was touching the nearest Antelope, nudging it gently out of the way. The convoy moved again, following the jeep and making a way through the assembled herd.
In the distance could be heard the roar of the lions and tigers. To the experienced ears of the Park Rangers, the roars were more of a desperate kind; more disturbing. As they listened, still moving forward slowly due to the Antelopes re-grouping and persistently bunching in front of the vehicles, they noticed the Elephants and the Rhinos slowly ambling in their direction. It was something of a puzzle as the usual reason for moving towards visitors was in the hope of food and all had recently been fed. Sometimes, curiosity attracted the beasts to visitors but this movement seemed wrong somehow.
Ignatious, from his position in the Range Rover, smiled; his mind was at work, disturbing the animals, encouraging them to a frenzy. Looking in the direction of the increasing sounds of the lions and tigers, he directed the two rhinos to the place. They trotted unhurriedly away from the convoy and in the direction of the big cats, watched idly by the Rangers as they became swallowed up in the mist that was rising.
After making slow headway for about a mile, the vehicles came once again to a halt, this time due to a large Bull Elephant standing in the way, its little tail swishing and its trunk swinging left to right in an agitated manner. It began to stomp on one front leg then the other, trumpeting loudly as it did so, as if warning the crew not to go any further.
The occupants of the Rover began to get nervous; this magnificent beast was, close-up, bigger than any of them had ever imagined. He was awesome! Just then, uncharacteristically, a Gemsbok Antelope leapt onto the bonnet of the Jeep, its hooves clattering against the warm metal. It stared into the cab for several seconds before leaping off again and bounding away.
One of the Rangers fired a dart close by the Elephant’s head, knowing that, big as they were, Elephants were upset by noise. It had the desired effect and the beast lumbered slowly out of the way, snorting as it went, with its companion striding slowly behind.
The noise of the Elephant and the increasing moaning and twittering of the Antelopes, drowned out more serious sounds coming from the direction of the Lion House and the Tiger House, out of sight of the convoy. Incredibly, the rhinos were putting their efforts into battering into the breeze block walls containing the cats, sensibly ignoring the steel of the doors. In no time, the bricks began to crumble and crack. Once the breach had been effected, the rhinos began to charge ever more frantically until, amidst dust and grit, a lion bounded forward, followed by another and another and yet two others, both female. Next appeared two beautiful, graceful tigers, roaring their pleasure at being freed.
As if not quite sure as to what they were doing, the animals dashed back and forward with no particular direction in mind, running between the cumbersome rhinos. Then, as by a signal, they all paused in their activities, sniffing the air, contemplating the mixture of smells reaching them across the expanse of the Park. Then, purposefully, the dominant lion, with his impressive mane, trotted toward the convoy, as yet out of sight, followed by the remaining lions and tigers. The rhinos, also, began to lumber forward, taking a route a few feet to the side of the majestic beasts but still in the direction of the convoy.
By this time, all the humans were in a state of nervousness at the unusual antics of the animals, a sense of danger in the air. The vehicles moved slowly on, Ignatious pointing to a spot a few hundred yards ahead where lay a cluster of thick bushes, indicating that that was where the body had been hidden.
While the attention of the crew of the Range Rover was focused on the bushes, they failed to notice the movement to their right as the big cats emerged through the now dissipating mist, with the rhinos trotting at an angle to them heading for the forensic van at the rear.
By the time anyone realised, the rhinos had moved surprisingly fast and charged into the side of the van, sending it slithering off the road and into the perimeter fence. It struck with a loud screeching sound as it scraped along the chain links, temporarily out of control. The rhinos split, with one continuing to push the van while the other took a short run and barged again into the dented side of the vehicle, shattering the windows in a loud explosion.
Inside, the frightened members of the forensic team were thrown together in a heap, those propelled from the point of attack groaning with their injuries. The two female members were screaming loudly, their panic getting the better of their attempted restraint. Men were screaming, also, in shock at the unexpected attack and out of sheer terror.
Suddenly the rhinos ended their attack and charged at the police car, which was turning to speed back to the entrance gates. Both hit the car in unison with tremendous force, causing it to bounce into the air before landing on its side with wheels spinning and the engine roaring harshly as the drivers foot became jammed by the damaged door onto the accelerator pedal. The car slithered along the grass before turning on its head only to be battered again and rolling like a falling boulder to come to rest once more on its head, the wrecked doors flying open. The policemen, trapped in their seats, were knocked unconscious.
Back at the damaged forensics van, one of the lionesses had trotted over, attracted by the sounds of pain and the smell of humans. Leaping onto the side of the vehicle, it looked through the broken windows to see a gang of writhing people, each trying to back through the steel wall away from the impending danger. A large paw reached in and slashed across the nearest victim, spilling his innards in a delayed gush of blood. The attempted scream never materialised as the lioness dug her head in and pulled the man from the van. In a frenzy, it tore and bit at him until he was shredded over the van and the surrounding grass. Immediately, the 400-pound animal squirmed its upper body into the opening of the broken windows and began to slash with its claws and bite wherever it could. It then slithered back from the van and onto the ground, a no longer struggling woman in its mighty jaws. For several minutes the magnificent lioness chewed at the flesh and bones of the two forensic officers, before rising, sniffing the air and then trundling off to meet the pride. It had left two alive, though seriously injured.
At the same time as she had attacked the van, a lion and lioness had struck at the Rangers vehicle, leaping onto the canvas top, ripping it with their strong claws. The lion with the large mane, nine-feet long and 560 pounds in weight landed behind the Rangers before they had chance to bring the rifles into action. In one movement, it was through the flimsy canvas backing of the cab and had the driver by the neck, its teeth burying into the soft flesh as it choked him. A heavy paw came over and tore an arm from him just as the lioness struck at the other Ranger. Her lunge hit him in the chest, biting into the flesh and bone. Slightly less in size than the lion but still a most formidable eight feet carrying 450 pounds, it sent him crashing through the windscreen and onto the bonnet, where it literally tore him to pieces.
Graham and the occupants of the Range Rover were shocked and sickened at the terrifying sight, the driver frantically turning the vehicle back in the direction of the main gates. Misjudging the speed in his panic, he turned
