[alfa] RE: Elk and moose collisions

["John Fielding" <johnf@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi All,

I know this is off-topic but it seems to amuse most of the AD readers.

Many years back I was invited to spend Xmas with a friend who lived in Port Elizabeth in
the Eastern Cape.  From Durban to PE is about a 11 hour drive and takes one through the
independant homeland of the Transkei (meaning acros the Kei river).

Well I left early in the morning in my trusty Honda daily driver and soon found myself in
the Transkei  (pronounced Tran-sky).  Here all the road signs have been "liberated" by the
indigenous population for other purposes, so no speed limit signs existed.  Driving at
what I felt was  a respectable speed - about 100mph -  I was on a long down hill grade
when I espied a couple of goats standing on the left hand shoulder of the road.  Judging
my speed to be appropriate I carried on.  When about 500 yards from the goats the first
one decided it was a good idea to cross the road in front of me.  No problem I thought -
not lifting off the gas - I judged that the first goat would be safely across the two lane
road before I got to it.

At about 100 yards from the goats I saw that the two were tied together with a chain
around the necks.  As the first goat ambled off into the bush at the roadside the second
had no option but to follow!

A hasty application of the brakes just got me down to a speed that I was able to take
avoiding action of the second goat.  After that I proceeded at a more leisurely pace.

Sometime later I happened upon the remains of a 30 ton truck at the side of the road.  It
had struck one of the wild donkeys that frequent the Transkei.  The front was completely
gone and the driver was being stretchered away under a blanket. Obviously he wasn't going
to be doing any more driving in this world.

I have a friend who struck a crocodile.  These monsters like to lie in the sun and snooze.
This one chose the middle of the road. The car was completely demolished and he was lucky
to step out of the wreckage.

Also in the Transkei, a  friend was towing his caravan with a Ford F100 pickup when a
donkey jumped out in front of him.  The truck hit the donkey and it disintegrated and half
the carcass passed under the truck whilst the second part flew over the truck and ripped
the whole side off the caravan.

The joys of driving in Africa!

John
Durban
South Africa
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