The rest of the morning was just as wonderful, although they did not see any more big cats. Felix was secretly hoping to see a leopard, as he knew from his Big Book of Safari Facts that this was the hardest cat to find.

‘They sleep in the trees and even drag their prey up there to eat because they are Completely Camouflaged under the foliage and light that filters through the leaves,’ he told Zed earnestly.

They saw so many other wonderful things, though, that it didn’t matter about not seeing a leopard. At one point they came across a clearing where a family of banded mongoose, just like Kabelo, were digging in giant pinky-red termite mounds, squabbling with each other and chasing and nipping at each other’s tails.

‘How did you get hold of Kabelo to give him to Mo?’ Felix asked Bibi at one point. ‘They move so fast!’

Bibi chuckled. ‘I hope you are not thinking of trying to catch a pet for yourself,’ he said.

Felix flushed a deep red, and dipped his face so that the visor on his baseball cap hid his cheeks. ‘It’s just that I can’t see how you could have done it.’

‘I did not catch him exactly,’ said Bibi. ‘I found him when he was very sick. He could have died if I had not taken him to the sanctuary where they care for the animals that are ill.’

‘You take wild animals to a vet?’ asked Mum in disbelief.

‘Sometimes we have to – there are specially trained vets who have to come into the reserve occasionally to help sick animals. Usually it is not for a creature like a mongoose, as the mongoose is not a protected animal. We do have to let nature take its course. But I love animals so much, if I see a sick animal and I can safely help it, I will always try,’ said Bibi. He chuckled. ‘I made my father so cross when I was young! He was a hunter and he did not see the point of helping animals to get better. I was always bringing creatures home and hiding them in the village and in our hut. My father would say, “One day you will be a man and you will not be able to do this any more. You will be a hunter like me.” But then I studied and passed my exams to work in conservation, and that is how I became a game driver. I never wanted to grow up to kill things like my father.’

Felix was amazed at this story. ‘So you saved Kabelo?’

Bibi nodded. ‘Yes. But the problem was that he got used to humans. Now he will not go back to the wild. So really, I think it was not a very sensible thing to do.’

‘Did you hear that, Felix?’ Mum said, glaring at him. ‘So don’t go getting any ideas!’

‘Yeah, but it was kind, man,’ said Zed admiringly.

‘Yes,’ said Felix. ‘It was.’

They stayed watching the mongoose family for a while longer. Felix thought it was funny how much like human children they were. He imagined Sophie Disbry and Millie Hampton as the two cross, bossy mongoose, jabbering at the smaller ones. Then a bigger, even bossier one came along and split up the group. That’s Flo, Felix said to himself.

‘Time to head back for a proper second breakfast!’ Bibi announced.

‘Already?’ Felix was sure they had only just started out on their drive.

‘Too right, man!’ said Zed, making a big show of rubbing his tummy. ‘I’m starving. It’s nearly eleven o’clock.’

Bibi turned the jeep around and they headed back to the camp. They passed a herd of zebra grazing. While Felix was filming them, some giraffes lolloped by, their ridiculously long necks waving like bulrushes.

‘Did you know that a giraffe’s neck has only seven bones in it?’ Felix said. ‘And that is really weird because humans only have seven too!’

‘That can’t be right,’ said Mum.

‘It is, Mma,’ said Bibi. ‘Their necks are very muscly. They use them to fight, you know, as well as to reach the leaves at the top of trees!’

‘Wow, I would love to see them fight!’ said Felix.

‘Fighting’s not cool, man,’ said Zed gravely.

Bibi laughed. ‘You were the one asking me about nature taking its course!’ he teased. ‘I would like to see you tell a lion not to hunt or a cheetah not to kill. They have to do this to live.’

Zed nodded. ‘I know. But it’s kinda sad.’

‘Not really,’ said Bibi. ‘It is survival. What is sad is when man comes and kills for sport. My father used to hunt the big game: lion, rhino and so on, to sell. That was sad. Man never kills big game to eat. But animals kill other animals because they have to in order to survive. Even in conservation we have to understand about the food chain.’

Felix drank in every word.

He was about to ask some more questions when there was a loud cackling and shrieking from the bush and Bibi had to stop as a horde of monkeys came careering out in front of the jeep.

‘Oh no!’ Mum cried, covering her head with her hands. ‘Not this again!’

Zed reached over the back of his seat and put his hand on Mum. ‘Don’t worry, sis. Bibi knows what to do. This isn’t Shortfleet Safari Park.’

Sure enough, as Bibi revved the engine and began inching towards the group of monkeys, they scattered to the side of the track.

‘Remember, they see the jeep as a bigger animal,’ Bibi explained. ‘They do not see us inside. If I rev the engine, they think we are growling at them, threatening them.’

‘Cool!’ said Felix. ‘But how come they have not completely run away?’

The monkeys were simply sitting on the edge of the track now. Some of them were staring at the jeep; others were baring their teeth and making jabbering noises.

‘They are curious animals,’ said Bibi. ‘They like to show off a bit too. You see those ones making faces at us? They are trying to prove that they are brave and strong. It is a warning to us not to mess with them. But as soon as I do this –’ he revved the engine again – ‘they will move back.’

They did! The smaller monkeys shrieked and ran up the nearest tree, and a mother with a baby on her back followed them. The larger males backed off, but did their best to stand their ground at a short distance, puffing out their chests and gnashing their teeth.

Zed chuckled. ‘They are just like us, really,’ he said.

Mum peered from over the top of Zed’s seat. ‘Oh, yes?’ she said. ‘How d’you work that out?’

‘Look at the mother up in the tree,’ Zed said. ‘She’s telling her kids off, making sure they are safe and that they don’t run into danger.’

As he said this, the mother grabbed a particularly bouncy young male and gave him a slap! Then she tweaked his ear and sent him packing with a screech.

Everyone laughed.

‘At least I never do that!’ said Mum.

‘Look at that one, sitting on the branch above the mother!’ said Felix.

The monkey had been surreptitiously picking nuts out of the tree and was now hurling them down on the mother. She immediately swung up to him and gave him a cuff around the ears too!

Felix captured the entire scene on film.

If I watch them closely enough, he thought, I might come up with a plan of how to get one to take home for Flo. I wish Mo was here right now. I bet she would help me.

He looked at the adults. There was no way he was going to be able to get his hands on a monkey with them around.