Into the Wild: Andrew Harper Shares 10 of the Most Memorable Wildlife Encounters

I have been fortunate enough to spend a significant proportion of my life in exceptionally glamorous hotels and resorts. But some of my most memorable travel experiences have undoubtedly been in wild places—in the Kalahari, the Antarctic, the Himalayas. Here are 10 wildlife encounters that left an indelible impression and that changed the way I think about the world.

1 It was early spring: the bison were blowing steam from their nostrils and patches of icy snow were refusing to concede defeat. Yellowstone was almost deserted. We set out with our guide, hiking along twisting paths through tussocky grass. Prior to departure, we had received the safety briefing “What to do if we encounter a bear,” but the possibility had seemed remote. Time passed and we were far from the road, truly out in the wild. Abruptly our guide stopped and pointed. Perhaps 300 yards away, in the middle of a large open meadow, a grizzly bear was energetically foraging for food. Even at this distance, it was easy to appreciate the heft and power of the animal. A gusting wind blew in our faces and presumably masked our scent. For whatever reason, the bear remained oblivious to our presence. We watched her through binoculars, with that heightened sense of being alive that potential danger invariably brings. Then, unexpectedly, the grizzly reared up and turned. Out from behind a low bush stumbled two tiny cubs, lovable nursery toys, hesitant and still unsteady. We observed the family for an hour and then, euphoric, snuck away undetected.

"The nearest orca, twice as long as our zodiac, swam within 15 feet…"

2 We were sitting in the middle of the Inside Passage, just after dawn, surrounded by a gray universe. Our zodiac was gray; the sky was gray; the mountains were partly concealed by a gauze of gray mist; and the sea looked like a vast sheet of dull stainless steel. Far away to the south, it was just possible to make out about a dozen indistinct black dots. After about 10 minutes we were able to see flashes of white and the characteristic tall black dorsal fins. The orca pod came inexorably closer. Our situation suddenly seemed slightly precarious and intimidating. Forging through the flat-calm water, the lead animal created a sizable bow wave that spread into a smoothly expanding “V”. The nearest orca, twice as long as our zodiac, swam within 15 feet, heading powerfully north in the general direction of Alaska. After the entire pod had passed, we sat in silence, gently bobbing in the wake they had left behind.

3 The male elephant seal can be up to 19 feet long and weigh up to 8,800 lbs. Toward the end of an Antarctic cruise, we landed on the Macquarie Island, a barren speck 1,200 miles southwest of New Zealand. The elephant seal colony there is not the largest in the world, but with a population of around 80,000 it is certainly impressive. When not fighting for control of females or a stretch of beach, the males spend most their time ashore fast asleep. I was able to approach to within a few yards of the immense creatures as they snored cacophonously. Elephant seal breath is certainly not for the fainthearted, however.

"Snorkeling in the Galapagos Islands is routinely so good that scuba gear is almost superfluous."

4 Snorkeling in the Galapagos Islands is routinely so good that scuba gear is almost superfluous. Kicker Rock, off the large island of San Cristóbal, is the remnant of a collapsed volcanic cone. A channel about 75 feet wide separates two eroded tufa spires. There, we enjoyed some of the most extraordinary snorkeling we have ever experienced: following green sea turtles and giant spotted eagle rays to within touching distance and gazing down at Galapagos sharks, maybe 50 or 60 of them, as they vanished and then abruptly reappeared from the milky green abyss.

Jasiri

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Inspired by Mr. Harper’s travels in Africa and the alarming decline of its wildlife, the Andrew Harper Travel Office adopted Jasiri, a young albino elephant rescued by the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust after he was found wandering alone in Kenya’s Amboseli National Park, three months after his mother was shot by poachers. He is now doing well, thanks to the generous donations of people all over the world who help to fund the center, which has successfully rescued and reintegrated more than 150 orphaned elephants. We spoke with Pam Sigler of the Travel Office about the staff’s involvement with Jasiri and the Wildlife Trust.

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Why did you decide to foster Jasiri?

“Andrew Harper spent a week walking with the elephants. His experience convinced Travel Coordinator Debra Bernatowicz to adopt one named Barsilinga. Debra’s enthusiasm spread throughout the office, and other employees chipped in until we had enough to adopt our own elephant.”

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What is the most rewarding part of being involved with Jasiri?

“Knowing that this elephant is protected from poachers who seek to kill elephants for their ivory tusks. This remains a huge problem all over Africa and this is our team’s small part in ensuring their safety. Each month we receive an email update about Jasiri; it is great fun to keep track of our “Ellie” friend.”

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What is your philosophy on the role travel companies play in such endeavors?

“We should give back because the residents of foreign countries—man or animal—graciously welcome us to learn about their land and culture. We are fortunate to have these experiences and feel it is important as a company to support such efforts.”

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What can the Harper client do to travel more conscientiously?

“Take advantage of the suggestions on the reading lists that come with your itinerary. These often contain valuable sources of information on conservation and animal protection efforts in the country.”

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Visit our blog to read more about Jasiri and African conservation efforts. To learn more about the Orphan’s Project and fostering an orphaned elephant, visit The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.

5 After hiking for three hours up the steep forested slopes of Rwanda’s Virunga Mountains, we suddenly found ourselves surrounded by around 30 mountain gorillas, including a huge male silverback, standing more than 6 feet tall and weighing close to 500 pounds. Visitors are instructed to maintain a distance of at least 20 feet, but no one had told the gorillas and they sauntered past almost close enough to touch. Many people have written movingly of staring into the gorillas’ fathomless brown eyes and trying to establish some kind of kinship. But personally, I derived the most intense pleasure from simply sitting in silence, observing their family life at close quarters. Prior to the trek, I had wondered whether being so close to such powerful animals would be intimidating. But lounging in the vegetation, I felt profoundly at peace.

6 The question I am asked most frequently about Africa is ‘Where is the greatest concentration of big cats?’ As I am not a wildlife scientist or a statistician, I can only reply from personal experience. The largest number of predators I have ever seen was at the tip of Chief’s Island in Botswana’s Okavango Delta. It included five different leopards on a single morning game drive, one of which killed an impala on the airstrip in full view of an astonished group of arriving guests. Returning to camp, we found the resident male leopard asleep on the raised boardwalk, from which he was in the habit of leaping down onto unsuspecting gazelle passing beneath.

7 On a trip to the Kalahari in Botswana, I was taken to see a local meerkat colony, whose occupants have become habituated to human visitors. Meerkats are endearing small mammals belonging to the mongoose family. After a short drive, we came to their network of burrows and sat down to await their return. Within minutes, around 20 of the creatures had arrived, squeaking excitedly. Being in constant danger of attack, meerkat groups appoint sentries, and the designated animals then seek out the highest vantage points from which to keep watch. To my amazement, one meerkat identified an ideal observation tower and promptly ran up my arm to stand on top of my head, where it remained for more than five minutes!

8 The greatest of India’s tiger reserves is Kanha National Park, a remote 750-square-mile tract of forest in the central state of Madhya Pradesh. Kanha was the inspiration for Rudyard Kipling’s “The Jungle Book” and here, 116 years after Mowgli’s debut, the real-life Shere Khan continues to stalk his prey along the reedy margins of the lagoons. Today the reserve holds about 130 tigers and sightings are frequent. We were in luck on our first morning. Our guide, Harsha, stopped by a ranger station to inquire if a tiger had been seen, and 30 minutes later, we were perched on the swaying back of an elephant heading off-road into the forest. It turned out to be a young female, perhaps 4 years old, with dramatic markings on her rich orange fur. She was lying in a glade gnawing at the hindquarters of a young gaur, which apparently she had managed to bring down with the help of her three nearly full-grown cubs. We sat watching her, mesmerized, at a distance of perhaps 30 feet, for around 15 minutes.

9 In Botswana’s Okavango Delta it is possible to ride on, or walk with, trained African elephants. We opted to walk rather than ride, so, as soon as the heat of the sun began to diminish, we set out into the bush accompanied by eight or nine elephants and several guides (including one with a rifle). A 2-year-old elephant opted to stroll beside me, enabling me to pat his head and tickle his ears as we ambled along. Occasionally, however, if we fell too far behind his mother, he would give me a slight shove with his trunk as a gentle inducement to catch up. The most extraordinary thing about walking with elephants, however, is that other wild animals are unfazed by human presence. Creatures that would not have let you approach to within 300 yards unaccompanied stand their ground and gaze imperturbably, confident that if the elephants believe you are safe, then you are unlikely to prove a danger to them.

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0 The Serengeti’s Great Migration comprises approximately 1.5 million wildebeest and around 750,000 zebra. For much of the time, the herds are quite spread out, and knowing precisely where they will be is problematic. But by extreme good fortune, my arrival in the Grumeti region had been perfectly synchronized with that of the main body of wildebeest. Tens of thousands of grunting animals could be seen trudging forward in long, straggling lines. It was a scene of such overwhelming splendor that I found myself dumbstruck and on the verge of tears.