Kirk's dikdik in Samburu National Reserve, January 2007

My guests and I watched this tiny dikdik carefully scent marking a grass-stem with his pre-orbital gland, while a herd of 20+ elephants charged, trumpeted and sparred around us - their exuberance a result of the arrival of a time of plenty after a long hard drought.

Watching this delicate and fascinating little creature going about his business, surrounded by the marauding behemoths of the terrestrial world, I was reminded of what is so special about a safari - all the little details. Without them there is no context, no sense or understanding of the whole. It is not until we take the time to watch more than the big five  that we gain a real appreciation of Africa and its wildlife mosaic.