The highest peaks of the Drakensberg reach up more than ten thousand feet. Most of the pastures up here are well above 6000. As soon as they arrive, the animals reap the rewards of the long hard climb -- the grass is sweet, nourishing and delicious. But these high alpine meadows are a danger zone.

 

The weather can lash out in an instant. The baboons seem to know what’s coming. They’ve seen many thunderstorms, yet each new one seems to terrify them. Lightning may strike anywhere, and the fire can race across the land faster than any animal can run.

 

Rain would usually accompany a lightning strike and help quench the fire, but the atmosphere above this part of the Dragon Mountain is dry -- so dry that raindrops evaporate long before they reach the ground. The fire sweeps on, mile by mile. Soon the entire mountain is shrouded in smoke. Even when the animals can escape the flames, there is a danger of suffocating. Within hours, the mountain paradise has turned into a fiery hell. Drakensberg, the Dragon Mountain, earns its name.

 

In the long run, such grass fires are a blessing for the eland, because they clear the ground for fresh new growth and good grazing, but for now, the pasture is gone.