★｜Setting Out

Kenya-go Wildlife Survey Headquarters, Captain White here!
Can y’all hear me?!

…Well!
Y’all got quiet all of a sudden, huh?
But your faces practically glow with curiosity!
I can already tell you’ll be great assistants!

You are now all Special Survey Assistants of the Kenya-go Wildlife Survey Corps!
Our Kenya-go is more than just a vehicle.

She’s a machine made to uncover the secrets of the wild!

We got a few missions lined up for you assistants.

In these missions, we want you to investigate each animal’s “wild moment.”
“Wild” doesn’t always mean “running” or “fighting,” though.

It’s in the silent and calm moments.
Moments where everything seems peaceful.
That’s where the real wilderness hides!

You’ll most likely be too slow on the draw with your camera.
So you better capture those moments through the lens of your heart.
For those who know, that’s the real joy of a safari!

So clean out your ears, open those eyes,
and let your own wild heart run free.

And on that note…
It’s time for the Kenya-go to depart!

01｜African Elephant
Look, assistants! There it is…!
That enormous shadow…it’s the African elephant!

Look at it kicking up dirt or washing itself. So relaxed and carefree.
Unlike you guys, because we have your first mission ready.

Your mission: Catch the elephant’s “ear signal!”
Now, look closely at its ear.
You see how it’s flapping?

It’s a signal saying “I’m burning up!”
Elephants flap their ears to move air like fans, and release heat from their bodies.
And if the ears cling to the body?
That means “I’m freezing over here!”
It helps preserve body heat, much like earmuffs.

But this next bit is the wildest one yet.
Elephants communicate with each other at volumes too low for humans to perceive.
Their sounds travel not just via the ears, but along the ground. They say elephants “hear” through their feet!
Maybe they’re chit-chatting about us!
Could be they’re saying we’re already loud enough!

Now, let’s move on to the next area.

02｜Chapman’s Zebra

Here we have a dazzle of Chapman’s zebras.

They move and graze in herds.
Look at them — they seem so friendly don’t they?

But stay sharp, because here comes your next mission.
Your mission: Observe the zebras’ sense of space.

Look very closely now.
Notice how the dazzle isn’t standing too close.
Each zebra stands not too close or far from the other.
They keep enough distance in order to dash off at any moment.

Even while grazing, zebras never stop thinking, “If I gotta run, where to?”
See their twitching ears and darting eyes.

This arrangement seems cozy and familiar, but it may actually have a more strategic purpose. It’s a retreat formation, if you will.

03｜Reticulated Giraffe

Here comes our next target:
The reticulated giraffe.

Neck, legs, eyelashes — you name it, it’s long!
Wonder what it sees from up there!
Your mission: Learn why the giraffe’s neck is so long!

First thing you might be thinking is, “So it can eat leaves off tall trees.” But is that really the whole story?

Look closely.
When giraffes raise their heads, they can see far away.
They can quickly sense predators and other changes around them.
Male giraffes also fight by swinging their necks.
The one with the strongest neck survives.
That’s the law of the land for them.
But we don’t actually have a clear answer yet.

So we want you to think about it.
Why did they elect to have such long necks?

If you took a sec to imagine the world from their eyes, then we can call this investigation a success.

04｜Japanese Spotted Deer

All right, assistants, our next target is…the Japanese spotted deer. Note: NOT the common deer!

Your mission: Detect the deer’s powers of perception!

Look closely!
See how it moves its ears and raises its head —
It freezes at the slightest sound.

This is how it communicates “I noticed you!”

The spotted deer endures not because it’s the strongest or the speediest animal,
but because it’s the quickest to sense its environment.

Now then, assistants,
who do you think noticed the other’s presence first?

05｜Golden Takin

All right, assistants!
Your next target is the golden takin.

Look at the stout little guy with its golden fur!
It may seem like it’s just eating grass…
But look sharp because…

We got a mission for you: Examine the takins’ power dynamics.
Takins are herd animals; each member fits in a strict hierarchy.
Male takins don’t just clash out of nowhere.

They raise their shoulders and puff up their bodies as they measure their opponent.

Look at the takins standing on the rocks, too.
Standing in dangerous places is itself a sign of strength!
Now then, assistants, what do you think the pecking order is within the herd you’re seeing now?

06｜Southern White Rhinoceros

We got a big’un coming up next!
That stony-looking lug is the southern white rhinoceros!
What does it seem to be doing?

Chowing. Snoozing.
Spacing out? Maybe contemplating the void?
Actually, those are all risky assumptions.

Your mission: Picture the rhino’s “on-switch.”

The white rhino doesn’t always need to move.
When you weigh a whopping two tons, just standing there makes you tough!

While they’re normally quiet, rhinos can change at the drop of a hat.
On rainy days when the ground is wet and their hides are dripping…
That’s when they race off with shocking agility.

Now then, assistants?
Do you reckon our rhino is just pondering philosophy?
Or is it perhaps saving its strength?

★｜At the Gate

The Kenya-go will be crossing the gate soon.
We’ll be entering the carnivore area.

But before that, we got an important message for you.
This whole time, y’all thought you were the “observers” here, right?

But actually, we’re the ones bein’ watched.
The whole time, since before we entered.

Our movements, where our eyes go, how loud we speak —
all this is information for the animals.
Keep that in mind as we continue.

07｜Lion

That roar…
You can probably guess what that means.

Yes. It’s a lion.

They call it the king of the beasts.
And we are now in its territory.

…How about it?
What do you think His Majesty is doing?

Sleeping?
Or maybe just staying put?
Your mission: Learn if the lion is really sleeping.

Lions don’t waste a single movement.
They only run when on the hunt.
That’s why they stay put at all other times.
…Well, if we’re being technical,
His Majesty has decreed it’s not time to move yet.

Its eyes may be closed,
but those ears pick up sounds,
and that nose is noting changes in the air,
while its body is poised to jump at all times.

In other words, it’s only half-asleep.

It knows its group, its surroundings,
and it knows itself.

Don’t call it sleeping on the job,
because the King never sleeps.

08｜Brown Bear

Look now, assistants! We got ourselves a brown bear.

Charming, isn’t it?
But remember to keep your guard up!

Your mission: Learn what the brown bear senses.
The snout is crucial here.

Brown bears always keep their snouts wet.
This makes it easy to catch different scents.

That snout is picking up all kinds of information in the air right now.
So while it may not seem like it,
the brown bear is constantly sensing.

That’s what you call wild power.

09｜Cheetah

Can you see that slender figure?
That, my assistants, is a cheetah.
The fastest land animal…and it’s not moving. How come?

Your mission: Observe the cheetah at rest!
Cheetahs spend much more time at rest than they do running.

They can only run at full power for up to thirty seconds.
And they get no second chance.
That’s why the cheetah analyzes everything before dashing off.
Its gaze focuses on a single point.
It lowers its body.
Then, it freezes.

It’s not running yet, but its prey is already dead.

Going fast takes talent, but survival takes preparation.

The cheetah’s speed comes from more than muscle.
Its unflinching judgment is what gives it wings.

Our cheetah friend may be relaxing now, but it’s still prepping to bet it all in a flash.

10A｜Siberian Tiger

Assistants, here’s the phrase we hear most:

“It’s sleeping.”

And yep, you wouldn’t be wrong.
That brings us to our last mission in the carnivore area:
Find out if the tiger’s really sleeping.

Just like the lion, it’s only half-sleeping.
And yet it’s entirely different.

Lions make decisions within a group.
Tigers, on the other hand, are alone from day one.

They have no one to rely on.
Still, they perceive their surroundings with their eyes closed.
Sounds. Smells. Movements in the air…

“To move or not to move. Who is here? Who isn’t?”
The tiger makes these calls all on its own.

One time we threw some meat for this tiger, but a black kite dove down to steal it instead.
In that instant, the tiger pounced.

No hesitation. No mistakes. It caught the kite mid-dive.

The feline lying in front of you now does so after deciding not to use its strength.
A calm composure only the perfect predator can have.

Now, assistants, this brings us to the end of the carnivore area.
But we want you to remember one thing:

Just because it’s calm,
doesn’t mean a carnivore is sleeping or slacking.

10B｜Siberian Tiger

Assistants, spotting a tiger mother and cub is a very special thing.

Tigers are solitary by nature.
Mother and cubs are together only for a short while.

Look at them running and jumping and frolicking…
Seems like they’re playing, right?

Your mission: Figure out what the cub is learning.
Chasing. Hiding. Pouncing.
These are crucial skills to practice in order to hunt alone in the future

Tiger cubs are actually small enough to fit in your palm.
Over time, they’ll grow to weigh 140 kilograms.
Momma tiger sticks close while they grow.
Sometimes, when she’s tired and the cubs want to play,
she surely wants to tell them to let her rest.
But momma tiger accepts them anyway.
She and her cubs take naps;
likely taking a breather after a hard day’s training.

Now, assistants, this brings us to the end of the carnivore area.
But we want you to remember one thing:

Just because it’s calm,
doesn’t mean a carnivore is sleeping or slacking.

11｜Himalayan Tahr

All right, assistants,
we reached our last subject.

…Can you see it?

If you’re thinking “where? It’s just rocks?”

You’re totally right to think so.
A Himalayan tahr’s hiding in those rocks!

Now, for your final mission:

Learn why the tahr is standing here.
The Himalayan tahr neither runs nor barks.
It just stands in impossible places.

Look at that rock — it’s near vertical.
The tahr’s toehold is just a few centimeters.
And yet it’s not bothered.
We humans look at certain places and think
“No way that’s a path.”

But for the tahr, everything is a path.

It has two small hooves on each leg to latch onto bumps, and the muscles to support its weight.

They don’t think with their eyes;
they parse the world through their hooves.
“Step here.”
“Oops, that’s slippery!”
“Yep, that’s dangerous.”

The tahr instantly, accurately interprets with every step.
Its wild character shines most
in the moments where it moves across sheer cliffs like it’s nothing at all.

With that, we hit all of the Kenya-go Wildlife Survey Corps targets!
Great work, assistants!

★｜Wrapping Up

That brings today’s Wildlife Survey to a close.
Let’s take a sec to look back on it!

Did any of the animals we surveyed today
do anything impressive or special?

The elephant moved its ears…
The zebra practiced social distancing…
The lion sat motionless…
and the tahr stood on an impossible place.
This is routine for them.
Today was no different than any other day.

What WAS different was your perspective, assistants.

At first they seemed sleepy, motionless or even bored to you.
But now you probably see that they’re thinking, choosing, and actively preparing.

That, above all else, is today’s biggest success.
“Wildness” is more than just power and speed.
It’s also waiting and patience.
They combine to create a deliberate calm.

But also...

You can actually walk through all the areas we covered today on the Kenya-go!

On your next visit, try strolling through the same scenery you enjoyed from your window today.

When you can see through the casual movements of animals and consider their meaning…
That’s how you know you’re a great assistant!

On that note, this has been the Kenya-go Wildlife Survey Headquarters. Mission accomplished!
Thank you for riding with us today.

※This guide was created based on documents and interviews and includes some interpretation done by us at ON THE TRIP. Theories differ between experts, so try finding out what really happened on your travels!