Danger in the Dust

by Sally Grindley

  For Watlington Primary School in Oxfordshire

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Zoological Society of London

  Feathers in the Wind

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Also by Sally Grindley

  Chapter 1

  ‘Can you believe that the number of black rhinos in Kenya fell from 20,000 to only 381 between the 1970s and 1990s?’

  Peter Brook watched for his family’s reaction as they sat around the kitchen table after enjoying a late Sunday breakfast. He had just told his children, Joe and Aesha, that they would be spending their Easter holidays in East Africa, where he had been asked to photograph the release of black rhinos back into the wild in Kenya.

  ‘That’s awful, Dad!’ said Aesha, whose reaction changed from excitement at the prospect of going to Africa to shock at the dramatic decline in the rhino population. ‘Why?’

  ‘It’s mostly because of poaching,’ Binti, her mother, replied. ‘Rhino horn is prized in some societies for its apparent healing properties.’

  Joe was indignant. ‘I can’t believe rhinos are being killed because some people think their horns will heal them.’

  ‘Poachers make a lot of money from selling the horn,’ Peter explained.

  ‘The outlook for rhinos is better than it was, and their numbers are increasing,’ said Binti. ‘The fact that some rhinos are being released back into the wild is a success story. They’ve been confined to fenced sanctuaries and monitored there, but it was always the aim to return them to their former homes, provided it was safe to do so.’

  ‘But won’t the poachers kill the rhinos that are released?’ Joe asked.

  ‘Wherever rhinos are, they’re never one hundred per cent safe, even in the sanctuaries,’ Binti replied. ‘But there are many more anti-poaching patrols operating now and poachers are dealt with much more harshly. Everyone is praying that the released rhinos won’t just survive but will thrive.’

  ‘Baby rhinos are cute,’ said Joe. ‘And the adults are cool too. I think it’s because they look sort of prehistoric – like dinosaurs.’

  ‘They look grumpy to me,’ observed Aesha. ‘I prefer elephants. Will we be able to see elephants when we’re in Africa?’

  ‘If my princess wants to see elephants, then elephants she shall see,’ said Peter. ‘I’ll have them line up and trumpet for you.’

  ‘That’s not very funny, Dad.’ Aesha groaned.

  ‘Are we going on safari?’ Joe asked excitedly.

  ‘Absolutely!’ said Binti. ‘And we’ll be going to Tanzania to visit my family as well!’

  ‘Whoopee!’ said Joe.

  He had met his maternal grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins twice before, once when he was still a baby, and the second time when they had spent ten days in Tanzania three years ago when he was six. It was difficult for them to visit more often, because Tanzania was so far away and because his parents’ hectic work schedules left them with very little spare time. Peter was a wildlife photographer and Binti was an international vet, both of them in demand to work on conservation projects all over the world.

  Once in a while, Binti would sigh wistfully and say how much she missed her homeland. ‘I love my life in England, but I loved my life back home as well, especially the animals and the wide open spaces.’

  Joe remembered the swathes of grassland and the dusty roads and bustling towns, with Mount Kilimanjaro in the background, its peak capped with snow. They hadn’t gone on safari last time they were there because he was too young. Now he couldn’t wait for what he was sure would be a big adventure.

  ‘Will we be allowed to watch when they release the rhinos?’ he asked his father, who had just stood up from the table to rifle through the Sunday papers.

  ‘That I don’t know,’ said Peter. ‘Rhinos are dangerous animals when they’re upset – a bit like your mum when she gets out of the wrong side of the bed – and they might be upset after a bumpy trip confined in a truck.’

  ‘Cheeky!’ said Binti, standing up as well. ‘But if you want a dangerous animal, you shall have one. I don’t know how many times I’ve asked you all to tidy the garage, but if it isn’t done soon we won’t be going anywhere because I can’t even get to the suitcases! I think you should make that your project for today.’

  ‘Watch out, you two – your mum’s about to go on the rampage! I think you’d better do as she says,’ Peter urged, cowering melodramatically behind a cupboard door.

  ‘You too, Dad!’ exclaimed Aesha. ‘There’s loads of your stuff in there.’

  ‘My “stuff”, as you call it, is the essential equipment of a highly regarded, not to mention highly sought-after, expert in the field of photography,’ her father replied haughtily.

  ‘It’s still essentially in the way,’ Aesha retorted. ‘You can’t expect us to be tidy when you’re not. You’ve probably given us an untidiness gene.’

  ‘The state of the garage has nothing to do with genetics,’ Binti declared. ‘Now, off with you – all of you – before my rhino gene really kicks in.’

  ‘Quick!’ squealed Joe. ‘She’s coming after us. Help!’

  Chapter 2

  Joe enjoyed tidying the garage, much to his surprise. He came across toys and games he’d forgotten about, two of which he decided to reinstate in his bedroom.

  When his father found a box of photographs from their trip to the Philippines, they sat together on an upturned crate, going through them and recalling where they had been taken.

  ‘We’re supposed to be clearing up, not reminiscing,’ Aesha grumbled, though she kept stopping to look over their shoulders and her own efforts were somewhat half-hearted.

  ‘There’s a lovely picture of you here,’ Peter said, grinning and showing it to her.

  ‘That snorkel mask really suits you.’ Joe laughed.

  Aesha snatched the photograph and tore it up.

  ‘You’re mean,’ she said. ‘Anyway, Dad, you look like a pot-bellied pig in that one.’

  She pointed to a photograph Joe had taken of their father in his swimming shorts holding up a bunch of seaweed.

  ‘I do not!’ Peter protested hotly. ‘That finely honed body could model for any number of top magazines, if only someone would discover it.’

  ‘Yeah, wildlife magazines!’ Joe hooted. ‘We could take photos of you posing with an elephant and ask people to spot the difference!’

  ‘I have such cruel children.’ Peter sighed. ‘Nobody understands what I have to put up with.’

  There was a sudden barking at the door. Joe jumped up and opened it to Foggy, the family schnauzer, who made his way straight to Peter and put his head on his master’s knee.

  ‘Nobody except Foggy,’ Peter added, stroking his ears.

  ‘I don’t know why he likes you when you’re the one who sticks him in the doggery every time we go away,’ said Aesha.

  ‘Waggy Tails Boarding Kennels is the equivalent of a five-star hotel but for dogs,’ Peter countered. ‘He’ll be treated like a superstar while he’s there.’

  ‘Do they treat animals well in zoos?’ Joe asked.

  ‘Good zoos do,’ said Peter. ‘When I went to London Zoo to take photos for a magazine project, I was shown to a meal preparation room where the walls were covered with menu boards for each species, with special diets for the elderly and sick – including one f
or a gibbon with no teeth! Not only that, but the meat and vegetables were top quality. There was even a shelf lined with large jars full of spices so that the keepers could add variety to the animals’ meals. In fact, I thought about moving in!’

  ‘Cool!’ said Joe. ‘Can we go in there one day?’

  ‘You’ll have to ask your mother to arrange it,’ Peter replied. ‘But the answer will be a big no if we don’t get a move on with this garage.’

  He stood up and gently pushed Foggy back out through the door.

  ‘Do you think we’ll see leopards when we’re on safari?’ Joe asked, as he repositioned his bike so that it wasn’t blocking his mother’s filing cabinet.

  ‘It’s not very likely,’ Aesha piped up. ‘Leopards are extremely rare and they’re very well camouflaged.’

  ‘You’d think their spots would make them easy to see, wouldn’t you?’ Joe said thoughtfully.

  ‘Shadows make trees and grass appear dappled, which plays tricks with your eyes, and that’s why leopards and cheetahs are hard to pick out with their spotted coats,’ Peter explained. ‘But the safari guides know where they’re most likely to be sighted, so we might be lucky.’

  ‘It would be so cool to be a safari guide,’ said Joe. ‘Can you imagine spending all day tracking animals in the wild and watching them hunting and playing?’

  ‘I bet it would soon get boring,’ Aesha responded.

  ‘I don’t think it would get boring at all,’ Joe said hotly. ‘It’s nowhere near as boring as working in an office, is it, Dad? Is this tidy enough now?’

  ‘I think it should just about pass your mother’s high standards,’ Peter said, picking up two large suitcases and signalling for Aesha to open the door.

  Foggy, who had stationed himself on sentry duty on the other side, leapt to his feet the moment he saw them and looked up, as though expecting some sort of treat for his dedication.

  ‘All done?’ Binti enquired, when they walked back into the house.

  ‘It’s spick, span and spotless,’ Peter assured her.

  Joe disappeared up to his bedroom, in case his mother had any other chores for him. He wanted to immerse himself in a book about African wildlife that he had found on her bookcase. He knew about ‘the Big Five’ – elephants, rhinos, lions, leopards and buffaloes – and that they would see zebras, wildebeests and lots of different antelopes, but he was keen to find out if there were any lesser known animals that he could keep a lookout for.

  Stretching out on his bed, he was thrilled to read that he might see hippos, and giggled at a photograph of a group of them wallowing in a muddy river. He wondered if there were crocodiles as well.

  It would be so cool to see a crocodile, he thought to himself. Crocodiles must be the scariest animals ever!

  What surprised Joe most was the discovery that ostriches live on the savannah, and he hadn’t realised they were so big until he came to a photograph of one standing close to a giraffe.

  ‘I hope we see an ostrich and a cheetah and a leopard and a crocodile and a hippo,’ he said to Peter, who had poked his head round the bedroom door to ask if he wanted to go to the shops with him.

  ‘I don’t think Surrey is renowned for its wildlife!’ Peter said, chuckling loudly.

  It seemed no time at all between the day they retrieved their suitcases from the garage and the day before their departure, when Joe carefully cushioned his camera in the middle of his case. In just a few hours they would be on their way to Kenya and a whole new world of adventure would open up before them. Joe was certain that this would turn out to be one of their best trips ever, especially since there were so many animals to be spotted. He had checked his camera over and cleaned the lenses, taking special care with the long-distance lens his father had bought him for their trip to India, where they had helped with vulture conservation.

  I’ll definitely need that. He grinned. I definitely won’t be taking close-up shots of a rhino!

  Joe hoped to follow in his father’s footsteps as a wildlife photographer, though sometimes he thought he would prefer to be a vet like his mother. Either way, he wanted to be involved with helping animals. His friend Adam had told him he was the luckiest boy in their school because his parents’ professions gave him the opportunity to go to such amazing places. Joe couldn’t help but agree. In the past few months he and his family had been to eastern Russia, the Philippines and India. Now they were about to go to East Africa.

  On the last day of school it seemed no one wanted to talk about anything else! Everyone asked Joe about the animals he was going to see. They even devised a rowdy game where they charged around the school field in teams, some of them rhinos and some of them elephants, and the winning team was the one to knock over the most opponents. It made Joe feel important, even though he was on the losing team of elephants and had a number of bruises to show for it.

  ‘All my friends wish they were going to Africa with me,’ he said to Binti on the way home. ‘Can one of them come with us one day?’

  ‘I think you and Aesha get into more than enough scrapes when it’s just the two of you!’ she replied.

  ‘I promise not to get into any scrapes this time,’ he said.

  ‘I don’t think you can help yourself!’ Binti laughed. ‘You seem to attract trouble.’

  Chapter 3

  The next day, when they were boarding the flight to Kenya, Joe was so excited he didn’t give a second’s thought to the friends he was leaving behind. His new adventure was just beginning and he didn’t want to miss a moment of it. He was used to flying now and enjoyed the routine of drinks and meals, reading and watching films, sleeping and observing his fellow passengers.

  Across the aisle from him, a young man with dark hair, and wearing jeans and a crumpled shirt, was making himself comfortable, tightening his seat belt and plumping up the meagre pillow he had been given to put behind his head. He shifted from side to side, trying to find the best position for his long legs, and returned Joe’s gaze.

  ‘There’s never enough room for tall people,’ he observed. ‘It’s a pity I can’t take my legs off and hang them up somewhere.’

  Joe grinned shyly. ‘An overhead locker full of passengers’ legs would be funny,’ he said.

  ‘Especially if I took the wrong ones at the end of the flight,’ the man replied, laughing loudly.

  Joe wondered why he was going to Kenya and what he would do when he was there.

  ‘Are you going on safari?’ the man asked him.

  Joe nodded. ‘And we’re going to help release some rhinos into the wild,’ he added importantly.

  ‘Are you indeed?’ The man looked very impressed and leant towards him. ‘Tell me more. I’m fascinated by the subject – by anything to do with conservation, in fact. Where are they being released?’

  Joe bit his lip, all of a sudden unsure whether he should have mentioned the rhinos in case this man had anything to do with poaching.

  ‘I can’t remember the name of the place,’ he said quietly. ‘You’ll have to ask my dad. He’s going to be photographing them, but I don’t know where and when, and I don’t think anyone else will be allowed to be there because rhinos are very dangerous.’

  Joe ended the conversation by looking away and opening his book, before scolding himself inwardly for imagining that the man was anything other than an innocent fellow traveller. He knew his father would laugh at him if he voiced any suspicions, because on their way to Russia Joe had decided, wrongly, that one of the plane’s passengers was a smuggler of tiger parts. Peter had teased him about it ever since.

  But what if I’m right this time? Joe wondered. Why does that man want to know where the rhinos are being released?

  The words danced on the pages of his book and refused to make sense. He felt hot and uncomfortable. His parents hadn’t told him not to say anything about the release of the rhinos, but he was convinced that one word spoken casually to the wrong person could put them in danger. He would have to tell them if he saw the man
following them once they arrived in Kenya.

  Joe was relieved when the man fell asleep after they had eaten their in-flight meal.

  ‘Is it a secret where the rhinos are being released?’ he whispered to his mother.

  ‘It’s not necessarily a secret, but I don’t think anyone will be broadcasting the location either.’ Binti looked at him quizzically. ‘It’s not as if it’ll be anywhere accessible to the general public.’

  ‘How will they get the rhinos to the place where they’re going to be released?’ Joe asked.

  ‘They put them into large crates and drive them there,’ said Binti.

  ‘I bet the rhinos don’t like that!’ Joe could just imagine them stamping their feet and pushing against the sides of the crates.

  ‘No, I don’t suppose they do.’ Binti smiled at him.

  ‘How do they get the rhinos into the crates?’

  ‘It must take many men, a lot of ropes and a good deal of patience,’ said Binti.

  Joe cast a quick glance at the man opposite and whispered, ‘No one would be able to ambush the drivers before they reached the reserve, would they?’

  Even as he said this he realised how ridiculous it was going to sound to his mother.

  ‘You’re letting your imagination run away with you,’ Binti said, smiling.

  ‘I just want the rhinos to be safe, that’s all,’ said Joe.

  He was impatient now for the flight to end so that he could get away from the man and the silly thoughts he had had about him. He leant against his mother’s shoulder and closed his eyes.

  When Joe opened his eyes again, he was pleased to hear they would soon be landing in Nairobi.

  ‘I expect you’re excited, aren’t you?’ said his neighbour from across the aisle. ‘I know I would be if I were in your shoes.’

  Joe tried to smile at him.

  ‘Maybe I’ll bump into you guys while I’m in Kenya,’ the man continued.

  ‘We’re not staying in Kenya all the time,’ Joe said quickly. ‘We’re going to Tanzania as well.’

  ‘Then you’re one very lucky boy,’ the man said, before turning to chat with the woman on the other side of him.