South African National Parks (SANParks) today announced the arrest of six suspected poachers and the fatal wounding of two others in two separate operations. In the first operation, Crocodile Bridge Rangers made contact with three suspected rhino poachers. In the ensuing pursuit, two were fatally wounded and the third managed to escape back into Mozambique. A hunting rifle, ammunition and other hunting equipment was recovered on the scene.
In the second operation, six suspects were arrested by the SANParks Environmental Crime Investigative Unit, with the support of the SAPS, in a follow up operation outside the western boundary of the Kruger National Park (KNP). A hunting rifle, ammunition and two cars were confiscated. The arrests follow two weeks of successful operations, resulting in 35 suspected poachers being taken into custody and brings the total arrests in the KNP for the month of October to a record 54.
The KNP has experienced an increase in armed incursions recently, resulting in 14 contacts between armed poaching gangs and Joint Forces consisting of SANParks Rangers, SAPS and SANDF.
The latest arrests bring the total for the year within the KNP to 144. This is the highest number of suspected poachers arrested in the KNP to date.
Commenting on the latest situation in the KNP, the Acting Chief Executive of SANParks, Dr Nomvuselelo Songelwa, praised the actions of the SANParks rangers, and the SAPS and SANDF forces engaged in the fight against rhino poaching: “I would like to thank the men and women of our Joint Forces for the courage and tenacity they have shown in the fight to safeguard the rhino population in the KNP. We are very proud of them and their actions. We are focused on winning this war at all costs and I can promise South Africans that we will leave nothing to chance in protecting our rhino in this iconic park and in our other national parks” concluded Songelwa.
Issued by:
South African National Parks Corporate Communications
Verity and Dean Cherry had an African dream in 1999 and started Nhongo Safaris® to eliminate the logistical challenges of international visitors on safari. We provide a once in a lifetime experience for wildlife enthusiast that demand quality overnight safaris in South Africa and most particularly the Kruger National Park. We want to enrich our visitors’ experience by providing Luxury Safari Packages or African Safari Holidays and maintain our position as leader in Kruger Park Safaris.
Featured post
Some of Nhongo Safaris Fleet of Open Safari Vehicles
The photo shows some of our fleet of Open Safari Vehicles used while on safari in the Kruger National and Hwange National Parks. These ve...
Friday 31 October 2014
Thursday 30 October 2014
On Safari With Karen From 21 October 2014
21 October 2014
This morning
it was time to pack up and leave Nkambeni Safari Camp, as it was time to move
on. On the road out of camp we started by spotting two elephants in the
distance. Then on the tar road a giraffe was walking around with a baby giraffe
by her side. Well, by her side not really, as when the mum walked off the baby
kept on standing behind a tree. When a male giraffe arrived at the seen and
checked if the mum was ready to mate again by sniffing her bum, the baby looked
quickly around the tree before disappearing in the other direction.
We decided it
was our last chance to see the leopard cubs, so we went to visit them straight
away. And oh boy, were we lucky this morning. All three of them were out and it
was all playtime and adventure for these three little ones. With mum gone they
dared to venture more and more away from their den hole, and they were chasing
each other, climbing tree stalks (falling down them too), trying to catch each
other, pushing each other off rocks or out of trees. It was a wonderful sight
to see those three cubs explore the big wild world. So we spend the rest of the
early morning sitting with these wonderful leopard cubs! Ok, we had a little
bit of attention leftover for the slender mongoose that crossed the rock
nearby, but the rest was devoted to the three musketeers.
When playtime
was clearly over, as the cubs started to fall asleep on sight and one by one
disappeared into their den hole, we took leave from the sighting and went for a
little coffee break at Pretoriuskop. We would spend the night here later, but
as it was still too early to check-in we set off again to see some other parts
of the park.
Once again we
spotted a mummy warthog with two tiny little piglets. Babies was definitely a
theme this morning! Furthermore we saw elephants, plenty of wildebeest, zebras
and a secretary bird before we turned down the H3. To stick to the special
birds theme we then saw some ground hornbills too, as well as more elephants
and some white rhinos (including a mum and a baby, still keeping the theme
here).
Just before we
got to Afsaal we had an amazing sighting of this big white rhino bull which had
an itch. And not just one itch. He was scratching his belly, and all around his
backside over this little bush. All that popped to mind is Balou in Disney's
Jungle Book, which in his Bear Necessities song finds a tree to scratch!
After an early
lunch break at Afsaal we decided to go take a look down at the Mlambane river
before returning to Pretoriuskop. We weren't planning on staying long, but we
got distracted by this big herd of elephants. First we saw only one, but we
could hear plenty more of them in the bush. It was rather ghostly as we saw
trees move, heard branches break and even heard munching and some "tummy
rumble" sounds elephants make to communicate. Then one started crossing,
and slowly more and more came out of the bush and followed. There were
elephants of all ages and sizes, a teenie tiny baby (another one for the
theme), youngsters, teens and adults and elderly. One very big elephant was
intending to feed the youngsters some fresh green leaves as in 1...2...3...big
pushes and she was pushing over a large tree! It was right next to the road,
great to see and luckily she pushed it away
from us ;).
Then bit by bit they all moved off and so we set off again, making our way back
to Pretoriuskop.
Back up the H3
and then Napi we had plenty of sightings. We saw lots of elephants (no young
babies this time), a klipspringer, giraffes, zebras, a brilliant male warthogs
showing off his tusks, kudus and let's not forget the impalas! While checking
in the guests enjoyed watching the vervet monkeys huddling together in camp as
it started to cool down and they were getting ready for the night. A tiny little
vervet monkey was shared between the mother and some aspiring mothers before it
got tucked away between mum's nipples to have a drink. It was the end of
another great day of this 7-day safari.
22 October 2014
Today we started
wet, as it had started to rain earlier this morning. Trying not to let it
bother us, we once again packed up and set off for a final drive down Napi. We
didn't get far before we had our first sighting of the day: a leopard in a
tree. It was the same tree as two days ago at the end of the day, so probably
the same leopard. However we spotted only one leopard this time. After looking
at her in the tree for a bit, she had enough of the onlookers and jumped out of
the tree. We saw her again sitting on a little termite mount further into the
drainage line, but then she started moving towards the road. Slowly she walked
down into the drainage line and had a little bit to drink of the water. Then
suddenly she sprinted across and hid herself away in the lush green bushes on
the other side of the road. Leopard gone, we were on the road again.
Shortly after
we saw a small herd of buffalos lying down close to the road and as one of the
mothers was still standing, a little calf was taking the opportunity to have some
milk. Not sure if the cow gave still milk though as the calf had to hit the
udder quite hard a couple of times, but it didn't seem to bother the cow. We
also had a couple of white rhino sightings. A baby was drinking from her mother
here too, but it seemed to be a lot more gentle than the buffalo calf.
Down the road
we saw some wildebeest, impalas, our second secretary bird (but might be the
same one as yesterday), zebras, a shouting red crested korhaan, black headed
oriole, a so far unidentified blind snake, a juvenile bateleur and just before
breakfast we had a glimpse of another leopard walking down the road parallel
but in the dense bush.
We enjoyed our
breakfast at the Skukuza Golfclub, where in the end the hippos came to greet us
too. We then left on our way to Satara. We first drove over Ellooff, where a
leopard tortoise took its time crossing the road. We also saw a large troop of
baboons on the H1-2, including a mother with a tiny baby. Yeah, I know, lots of
babies this tour!
A quick
pitstop at Tshokwane before continuing on the H1-3, but we didn't get far. A
big male lion was having a meal out of a zebra. It looked like a very fresh
kill, and the male was making the most of it. Somehow it seemed impossible he
ate it all though and the answer to get came after watching the male feast for
quite some time: one by one the females of the pride as well as some youngsters
came walking over the hill in the background. Well, I say walking, but it
looked more like dragging or staggering. They were so full the bellies were
protruding like big balloons and it showed in there ability to walk. They laid
down in a big huddle and started washing the blood from their paws. We counted
at least 8 females and youngsters walking into view as well as another male
that kept a bit more distance, and not to forget the massive male that was
still feasting on the leftover zebra when we left the sighting an hour later.
Now I almost
forget to mention that while watching those lions we also saw plenty of white
backed vultures waiting for some scraps (but we were pessimistic they would get
some) and three blackbacked jackals. When it was just the male feeding on the
zebra two of those jackals were rather brave and came quite close to the male
and his kill. One even stole a bit. But as soon as the rest of the pride turned
up the jackals resided to waiting on the sidelines.
When we
finally set off again we drove to Satara without many stops. There weren't many
animals around in this windy and rainy weather, or maybe they just thought we
had seen enough. But we did get to see two groups of 4 ground hornbills (one in
a tree, and then flying down, one further on just sticking to the ground),
another crossing leopard tortoise, lots of giraffes, some live zebras and
wildebeest. And to prove carnivore animals have a varied diet we found
skeletons of giraffe, wildebeest and buffalo all quite close to the road.
We checked in
at Satara where the guests tonight had their evening safari. They were lucky
enough to see even more lions tonight, two lots of them (they said about 10
more lions are added to their count), one including two big male lions playing.
They also saw a herd of elephants with babies, a herd of buffalos, hyenas,
spotted eagle owl and some unidentified animals.
23 October 2014
Before we had
even left this morning we already had our first sighting as a family of banded
mongoose was breaking into the camp. Most of them got away with sneaking in
through a hole in the fence, but one or two actually got zapped by the electric
wires. OUCH! And the spark scared off some of the members of the family too. We
sat watching them playing for a bit before continuing, and spotting a vervet
monkey on the roof of the kitchen and his friend just jumped up clearly having
something stolen from that area. And all that before we were even out of the
gate of Satara.
Across the
gate were 3 giraffes and not far down the road two hyenas were spotted (no pun
intended). Furthermore down towards Tshokwane on the H1-3 we saw Burchell's
coucal, magpie shrikes, plenty more giraffes, a sadlebilled stork, and two more
young hyenas. And then a long stretch of nothing.
Just before
Tshokwane there was some life again with zebras, lots of wildebeest, a kori
bustard came walking by, a martial eagle and a bushbuck was feeding across the
river while we had breakfast.
After
breakfast we settled in for a drive down the H10 to Lower Sabie. First we
stopped at the two Mlondozi Lookout points (Nkumbe viewsites), to take some
pictures of the beautiful view and we spotted some giraffes and zebras in the
distance. Then it was down through the plains where we spotted plenty of
wildebeest, even more zebra, twice a reedbuck, slender mongooses sitting still
long enough for pictures and a black chested snake eagle flying away with a
live snake in his beak! And we saw so many warthogs on this road, we stopped
counting. But none of them stood still long enough with its face towards us for
a picture. Or we weren't quick enough to take one, that's more likely...
We stopped
watching an old bull elephant pushing over a tree for two younger bulls to feed
off the top. When the tree didn't completely fall over right away, after using
his head, he used his feet to push it down completely. Very handy creatures,
those elephants, using every tool that is at their disposal! We also saw a herd
of elephants later on and an ostrich family consisting of mum, dad and at least
7 offspring. But the little ostriches kept on moving around in the grass that
is just as tall, so it was difficult to count them. Oh and not to forget we saw
a red crested korhaan trying to impress a female. He had his crest all up and
bright, jumping up and down in excitement and cooing to the lady. Unfortunately
the lady though, she didn't seem too impressed. He kept on going for quite a
while and then took a run at her. Well, she would have none of that! She spread
her wings and took off, with the male instantly following in pursuit...
Lunch was
eaten at Lower Sabie and then we stopped at Sunset dam, where the crocodiles
were floating in the water or lying on the shores, yellow-billed storks were
feeding, an openbill was snoozing, and so were the hippos, and a grey heron was
snoozing on the bum of a hippo who didn't seem to mind.
Then further
on we suddenly spotted a lion in the bush just past Sunset Dam. He was walking
through the bushes and sometimes lying down. And another one showed and a
little bit later we even saw a third. We stopped at an open spot in the hope
they would walk across for a good picture, and so they did. But we got more
then we bargained for as we suddenly noticed some impalas. We pulled forward as
the lions started stalking and then made a half-hearted attempt at the impala.
No luck, but they did come out of the bush and started walking in the road.
First just the two of them, later all three. We had some good shots in the
beginning, but then let some other cars pass to take a chance. Then the third
one came through the cars and kept on walking alongside us in the traffic jam
(which had grown in great length by now), sometimes lying down and getting back
up to follow its brothers. The three young males were followed by about 40
cars, give or take a few, for a walk down the road that took them an hour.
After 1,5 hours of following their every move, the walked down into the
riverbed and we finally decided to leave them.
After that it
was a straight run down to Skukuza. We did see another new animal: a hinged
tortoise in the middle of the road. But also plenty of the ones we had seen
before: hippos, buffalos, a large family of vervet monkeys with a newborn baby,
elephants, steenboks, guineafowls, kudus including some nice bulls, waterbucks
and of course, impalas!
At dinnertime
we had some nice sounds of the bush surrounding us as various frogs, toads and
bushbabies were letting us know they were there!
24 October 2014
Today we had
breakfast when the restaurant opened after which we packed up and set off for
our last safari. We drove down Kruger road and Doispane to Phabeni Gate. We did
see some last animals like impalas, kudus, elephants and buffalos. We took some
last pictures and then in was time to leave the Park.
After an
eventful drive down to Nelspruit as a truck full of sugar had fallen over on a
very busy crossroads, we arrived safely in Nelspuit. Here we said goodbye to Hennie,
Jan, Charlotte and Dirk. I hope you had a great safari and when you get home,
and look at the pictures, you'll know how lucky you have been with all your
sightings! Watching those pictures will make you go on safari all over again.
Tuesday 28 October 2014
On safari with Curtis from 19 October 2014
19 October 2014
The start of a
new tour and after driving down from Nelspruit we checked in to Nkambeni lodge.
The first activity was a sundowner drive which is a nice relaxing way for the
guests to acclimatize to the safari way of life. Luckily after a week of rain
the sun had come out and everyone got to see a beautiful sunset overlooking the
dam where pods of hippos are getting ready to leave the water for their evening
munch. On the drive back to the lodge impala, kudu, buffalo, rhino and giraffe
were spotted.
20 October 2014
The next
morning, after a good cooked breakie it was time to get out on the road.
Straight away on numbi we came upon three separate sightings of buffalo. First
two dagga boys and then a small herd and then a much larger herd of more than a
hundred. Immediately after two male elephants crossed the road in front of us
and further along we found a group of giraffe. We headed to the spot where the
leopard cubs have been seen recently, but before that another great elephant
sighting, this time a female herd with a tiny little baby just a few months
old. At the leopard den we were to be disappointed as the cubs were hidden away
from all the cars outside. Although disappointed by this we would forget this
blow by the end of the day. Along Napi it was fairly quiet with few sightings
of elephant, buffalo,impala, kudu and a couple of steenbok. A fellow guide
informed us of a lion sighting so we made haste and headed that way. We were in
luck as as we drove onto the bridge we found four lions sat on the bank, to our
left. Three lionesses and a lovely black - manned male lion. As one lioness got
up and disappeared into the shade something caught my eye to the right and as I
turned I saw a leopard walking out of the grass and across the river bed before
disappearing back into the grass. With the excitement of seeing the leopard we,
just for a minute, forgot about the lions which one by one got up and moved
away from view. After all the joy of seeing the two cats at the same sighting
we moved off down to Skukuza for a quick break.
Back on
the road we headed down along the sabie river where we found African wild dog.
Two deep in the bush and then eight others close to the road. At first they just
were lying down resting but then they all jumped up and enabled us a much
better sighting. From then on, all the way to lower sabie we had lots of
wonderful elephants and plenty of hippos, baboons and vervets on the road as
well as the impalas, kudus and Bushbuck. We stopped at sunset dam to look at
the hippo and lots of crocodiles and also spend a bit of time looking at the
birdlife around the water which included plovers and lapwings, storks and
herons and those very noisy geese.
At lunch I was
informed off a possible cheetah sighting just a short drive from lower sabie so
after lunch we headed straight down there. We were lucky to find them hiding in
the shade of a tree. We were informed that there were three but we only spotted
two. Although they spent most of the time in the grass. They were kind enough
to sit up occasionally giving us the opportunity to get some nice photos.
Time to head back
to the lodge and as we drove back down the river we found a young male lion
lying hidden. It seemed like he was trying to hunt impala but was quickly
spotted and so started to walk along the river bank. We spent ten minutes or so
following him before he moved into the reeds. Further along we found more
ellies and a mother and calf rhino before we came across another lion
sighting, this time two females taking cover from the sun which was now
burning down on us. We were now running out of time and so we just drove
pointing out all the ellies and buffalo, impala, kudu, zebra, wildebeest,
giraffe and Warthog we saw along the way. We did stop a couple of times for
rhinos and we had one final surprise as we came across two more leopards. One
sat in a tree and the second sat at the bottom of it. Unfortunately time was
running out and we had to make a dash for the gate before we got locked in.
21 October 2014
This
morning we drove with the intention of hopefully finding the leopard cubs at
their den. We passed buffalo, zebra and giraffe before we actually got to the
den. Once there we were in luck as all three tiny cubs were outside playing a
game of rough and tumble with each other. There was not too many cars at the
sighting but as you can imagine this is a rare sighting and everyone wants to
get some great pictures. Patience was needed and it took over half an hour
before we were in a prime position to enjoy the sighting. As the number of cars
decreased we were allowed to enjoy this beautiful sighting for an hour more
watching as the three cubs stalked and pounced on each other, playing
around as all kittens do, getting valuable practice in for when they are much
bigger. A truly great sighting which the guests and myself will relive time and
time again. Finally we decided it was time in giving others an opportunity to
view the cubs and we headed down Napi. We got lots of general game, all the
different antelopes as well as three big bull ellies who were debating with
each other who had dominance. When they had finally agreed they then went about
their own business which means they resumed eating. We also had a first glimpse
of a klipspringer for this tour as well as a few very nice rhino sightings
close to the road.
But this
morning belonged to three tiny little leopard cubs!!!!
This afternoon we
went out for a just short drive. Firstly we headed down Napi where we found a
couple of buffalo in the drainage line but then our attention was turned to a
hyena which moved off quite abruptly as the buffalo got closer. We watched as
he found a nice bush to lie back down and got little more than the occasional
head looking up. We then turned around and headed back to the leopard den. This
afternoon the cubs weren't in such a playful way with just one popping it's
head up and looking around. The other two were hiding with mum further in the
bush and after quite a bit of time and effort searching for them we spotted
mum. Unfortunately it was the briefest of looks as she sloped away into the
undergrowth.
22 October 2014
This morning
we welcomed two new guests to the tour and after breakfast headed out on
another drive. Immediately along numbi we spotted plenty of animals all
enjoying some fresh greens such as zebra, wildebeest, warthog, buffalo, impala
and kudu. Along Napi we had some good elephant sightings both of bachelor
groups and also female herds. Then we came across a lovely crash off three
rhino close to the road including a young calf just a few months old. After
this we turned around and headed down to shithave dam where we found a male
lion lying on the dam wall. We sat watching him for quite a time but not much
movement, just the occasional head looking up and rolling over and a
couple of stretches. Not even a hippo or a Waterbuck could interest him. Then
it was time to say goodbye to Michael and Liz, it was great having you on the
tour and I know just how much you have enjoyed yourself on safari. Hope you
find the time to go through all those photos you took!!!
This
afternoon just a short drive around the area where we found baboons, vervets
monkeys, common duiker, steenbok, common reedbuck and giraffe as well as lots of
buffaloes and a herd of elephants down at the dam.
23 October 2014
Setting
off this morning, with a cup of coffee in the guests hand, we headed down Napi
where we found impala, elephant, kudu and a nice herd of buffalo to start with.
We then came up to the flat rocks where we found a couple of stationary
vehicles, after scouting around we found their point of interest. 4 hyenas
relaxing in the grass close to the road. We watched as they just chilled before
one by one they moved off out of view. Carrying on we came across more antelope
and a couple of elephants before taking a turn down to Transport dam. The dam
was relatively quiet today with just the hippos, a few impala and the water birds.
Planning to stop at the golf course for breakie we took a detour where we found
four more hyena lying next to the road. A fifth was hiding in the grass but we
saw nothing than its ear. Again we watched until they disappeared into the
grass. Carrying on we came upon two rhino sighting, the first a lone male
relaxing in the dirt and then two more close by. We turned onto Kruger road
where we got the first two amazing cat sightings today. It started with one of
the guests shouting "stop" because there on the right was a huge male
leopard spraying a bush in his territory. We turned the vehicle as he walked to
the road and crossed in front of us. As he walked into the grass on the other
side it appeared it was going to be a brief sighting but this fellow had other
ideas!!! He started to walk parallel to the road sometimes coming close and
then walking a bit further into the bush. We therefore were able to anticipate
his direction and could position the car, around all the others by this time,
in the more open spaces getting some shots of him. At one stage he climbed up
on a small rock and posed for us before walking within a meter of the car and looking
up at us. After roughly thirty minutes and 1.3kms he had enough and crossed
over the road again and moved into the bush to end a great viewing. He gave us
such an opportunity to get a great photo or actually about 300 as my guests
managed.
We stopped
off at the golf course for breakie and while eating watched as the hippos came
out of the water and stood on the sand bank as well as making a lot of hippo
noise.
Back on
the road we headed down along the river spotting our first Bushbuck and nyala
for these guests. Seeing endless hippos and buffalo and a nice herd of
elephants cross the road while we tried to take a photo of the impressive horns
on a kudu, who by the way was very camera shy and hid behind an acacia tree.
We
then heard about three cape clawless otters down at sabie bridge so we headed
down there but to no luck, however it did give us an opportunity to see a
couple of crocs sunbathing on the sandbanks.
We then headed to lunch at lower
sabie where elephants and hippos could be seen from the restaurant deck. As we
set back the way we came Karen called to say she had found lions just a couple
of kilometers down the road so we made haste only to find them well hidden in
the bush. We waited hoping that they would get up and move closer and our hopes
were answered as slowly two adolescent males moved closer to us with a third
just behind. They continued to move closer until they were standing next to the
car on the road. For the next 5 kilometers and for nearly an hour we were able
to follow them as they walked along the road. On a couple of occasions they
took the opportunity to try and hunt impala both times failing miserably as the
impala spotted them and alarmed call. Every now and again they would stop and
we were able to drive up next to them and admire them as close as it gets.
Having said that having a male lion look at you at eye level in an open vehicle
can get the heartbeat beating a little bit quicker. Finally they started to
walk into the bush and this was our cue to move on. After such an encounter
time was running out and we had to make haste so we just drove. Sometimes it is
nice to just sit and watch as the scenery passes you by and see what you can
see. Endless amounts of impala, kudu and hippo we passed as well as a troop of
baboons and vervets on the road before we turned onto Napi. This road was quiet
this afternoon but we did find a nice sighting of klipspringer and lots of
general game.
A great
day out with lots of great sightings but with two encounters with the cats that
no one will ever forget.
24 October 2014
After the
success of the last couple of days we were in the lucky position of being able
to be very choosy in the sightings we stopped at and so while we drove past a
lot of different things we did stop at some very nice sightings. The first was
a large bull elephant which was close to the road and hungry, he stopped at a
large marula tree reached up stretching as high as he could and snapped down a
branch. As everyone had turned off their engines we were able to hear fully the
eerie sound of him chewing the branch and then he spat out the outer bark. We
then moved onto a sighting of three rhino including the mother and calf. They
started to move closer to the road into the open area and we got a look at the
little calf which is usually hidden by the grass. As they moved to the road it
became apparent they wanted to cross but a vehicle was blocking their way. Mum
took a disliking to this and gave the car a slight nudge with her head. Maybe a
good story for the driver in the future but not sure the hire car company will
think so. We then came to the flat rocks on Napi and found a traffic jam
all looking at a cheetah which was laying down on a termite mound. It was quite
far away but with binoculars we could get a clear look. After a break we headed
down the river and came to a very interesting sighting of over 100 vultures and
marabou stork lying in the sand. Its their favorite place to take a bath!!!
As we came
up to lower sabie we found two lion sightings, the second was a group of five.
A male and female lying in the shade of a tree with two females and a young
male more hidden in the shade of the long grass. The first sighting though was
a very different sighting. Two females and two young males had made their way
along the river bed up to a large herd of buffalo getting within 30 meters
before being seen. This created a standoff for about twenty minutes before the
buffalo started to move off. This gave the lions a second opportunity and they
took it moving closer and closer to a small group of buffalo which was lying in
the water and slightly separated from the rest of herd. At about twenty meters
from this smaller group the lions disappeared into the reeds and we
waited......and waited....and waited some more!!! Then suddenly the buffaloes
started to run. We watched as a buffalo started to run up a slight hill before
the two female lions jumped on to its back, one of them biting into its back.
The two young males too inexperienced didn't know what to do and stood around.
Suddenly the buffalo started to cry out distress calls and then the rest of the
herd changed direction turned and ran towards their comrade. Now when hundred tone
of buffalo come charging it doesn't matter if you are a fearsome lion you run
and that's exactly what these four did. Making their escape up onto some rocks
but the buffalo weren't having that as they harassed and chased and challenged
the lions on their rock. Eventually it calmed down and the buffalo stood their
ground as the lions lay on the rocks with just a few meters separating the two
groups of animals by now. We waited for twenty minutes to see what may happen
and eventually the buffalo moved off with the lions staying put on the rock.
After
lunch we passed the scene again and the buffalo were still there but the lions
had taken cover in the reeds not to be seen. We drove back down alone the river
stopping for families of baboon's and monkies which never get boring with their
antics before we came to our third lion sighting. Two large males sitting next
to a kill. They were a fair distance away but we still had a nice look with the
binoculars. We then found two hyena next to their den who both moved on quickly
into the grass.
Our final sighting was of two rhino who walked up close into
the open and then crossed the road just feet in
front of us and then posed for photos on the other side.
25 October 2014
This
morning was unfortunately the last day of this safari tour and we set off early
to maximize the time we had left. We headed down Napi spotting buffalo and
elephant when we heard about a cheetah sighting nearby. When we got to the area
we found two cheetahs, the first lying at the side of the road and the
second hidden away in the grass. So hidden it took quite a while to locate it.
Although the cheetah popped his head up and occasionally looked around the
sighting was amazing. Patience was required and so as other safari trucks and
the public came and went we stayed put. In fact ourselves and a second vehicle
stayed put for two hours and it was just us two who were there to notice a
elephant walking along the hill in the far distance. Actually two others
noticed the elephant and they were the cheetahs. Why a huge elephant would
interest the smallest, most feeble of the large cats is beyond me. But it did
and they started to get up and walk with intention. It didn't take too long for
common sense to prevail and they decided to go back to their favorite pastime
which was relaxing. Finally one of them disappeared into the grass and we left
them to it. We went back to Pretoriouskop for some breakie and then a drive
down Numbi where we saw impala, zebra, elephant and buffalo before we left the
park. Thanks to Eric and Francis for a great five days. I know you enjoyed the
wonderful sightings we had especially those of the leopard and lions. Safe
travels to Cape Town.
More coming
soon!!
Monday 27 October 2014
Department of Environmental Affairs notes indictment of South Africans in the USA for rhino poaching-related offenses
The Department of Environmental Affairs has noted the indictment of two South Africans by the United States Department of Justice. The indictment of the owners of Out of Africa Adventerous Safaris is noted. We will monitor developments related to the case.
The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, also known as the Hawks, assisted the US Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division in their investigation.
The Department understands that there is a criminal case against Dawie Groenewald and 10 co-accused who are expected to stand trial in South Africa in August 2015 on 1 872 charges including racketeering, the illegal trade in rhino horns, fraud, corruption, assault and the illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.
Legal action by the United States Attorney General’s Office comes less than a week after the Police and SANParks officials successfully apprehended 14 suspected rhino poachers in joint operations in the Kruger National Park.
“The success of the joint operations undertaken by the SAPS and SANParks is an example of the commitment of South Africa’s police and rangers to work together to eliminate rhino poaching from our country,” said the Department.
The three highly successful operations had been undertaken in the Kruger National Park between Friday, 17 October 2014, and Sunday, 19 October 2014.
The arrest of the 14 suspected rhino poachers brought to 113 the total number of poachers arrested in the Kruger National Park so far this year.
The Department congratulated all those involved in the operations.
The Department is confident that joint operations such as these will send a strong message to all those intent on poaching any species, particularly rhino, in our national parks, provincial reserves and on private conservation land – that they will be caught and face the full might of the law.
The successful arrests in the Kruger National Park came as the number of rhino poached in South Africa since the start of 2014 increased to 899. The Kruger National Park continued to bear the brunt of rhino poaching in South Africa, having lost 581 animals since 1 January 2014.
A total of 109 rhinos have been poached in Limpopo, 74 in KwaZulu-Natal, 57 in Mpumalanga and 53 in North West. A second rhino has been poached in the Northern Cape.
Since January 2014, a total of 282 alleged rhino poachers have been arrested. Among these are an alleged rhino poaching syndicate leader.
South Africans are urged to report incidents of poaching and tip-offs to the anonymous tip-off lines 0800 205 005, 08600 10111 or Crime-Line on 32211.
Issued by:
The Department of Environmental Affairs
The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, also known as the Hawks, assisted the US Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division in their investigation.
The Department understands that there is a criminal case against Dawie Groenewald and 10 co-accused who are expected to stand trial in South Africa in August 2015 on 1 872 charges including racketeering, the illegal trade in rhino horns, fraud, corruption, assault and the illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.
Legal action by the United States Attorney General’s Office comes less than a week after the Police and SANParks officials successfully apprehended 14 suspected rhino poachers in joint operations in the Kruger National Park.
“The success of the joint operations undertaken by the SAPS and SANParks is an example of the commitment of South Africa’s police and rangers to work together to eliminate rhino poaching from our country,” said the Department.
The three highly successful operations had been undertaken in the Kruger National Park between Friday, 17 October 2014, and Sunday, 19 October 2014.
The arrest of the 14 suspected rhino poachers brought to 113 the total number of poachers arrested in the Kruger National Park so far this year.
The Department congratulated all those involved in the operations.
The Department is confident that joint operations such as these will send a strong message to all those intent on poaching any species, particularly rhino, in our national parks, provincial reserves and on private conservation land – that they will be caught and face the full might of the law.
The successful arrests in the Kruger National Park came as the number of rhino poached in South Africa since the start of 2014 increased to 899. The Kruger National Park continued to bear the brunt of rhino poaching in South Africa, having lost 581 animals since 1 January 2014.
A total of 109 rhinos have been poached in Limpopo, 74 in KwaZulu-Natal, 57 in Mpumalanga and 53 in North West. A second rhino has been poached in the Northern Cape.
Since January 2014, a total of 282 alleged rhino poachers have been arrested. Among these are an alleged rhino poaching syndicate leader.
South Africans are urged to report incidents of poaching and tip-offs to the anonymous tip-off lines 0800 205 005, 08600 10111 or Crime-Line on 32211.
Issued by:
The Department of Environmental Affairs
Tuesday 21 October 2014
On Safari With Karen from 16 October 2014
16 October 2014
This morning
we set off with a mission to find a lion. Any lion would do, big or small. But
as it had started raining last night and it was still raining this morning we
started losing hope quite quickly. We left as soon as the gates opened and on
camp road found two buffalos who thought this early visit while they were
having breakfast was rather inappropriate. They didn't take the slightest
notice of us. One scratching its back on a tree, the other munching on the
grass on the side of the road a meter away from the car. Even starting the car
again gave no reaction at all!
Down Numbi tar
and Napi it was buffalos all over the place. As we've seen so many yesterday,
just had an amazing view of two and we were on a mission, we passed them all.
We also saw some nice duikers, all standing still in the cold rain. A loop
around Shabeni had given us two klipspringers and a troop of baboons passing
by. One baboon on top of the koppie was looking very miserable, cold and wet.
If possible he would have drowned his sorrows in a nearby pub given the look of
him.
Close to
Shitlhave Dam we saw three giraffes. The dam itself was quiet. A couple of
white egrets, two green-backed herons, blacksmith lapwings and a few impalas
coming to drink. A hippo showed his ears, eyes and nostrils, but that was it.
Down Napi we
saw even more buffalos, zebras and a couple of red-crested korhaans doing a
little dance. By the looks of it he wanted to mate but she wanted none of that!
He kept on mounting but she wiggled free. In the end she ran away and he
couldn't keep up. You go girl! Our new animal of today was a blue wildebeest,
just one male on his own.
Our loveliest
sighting this morning was a rock. Oh no, it is not a rock, it's a white rhino!
It was walking towards a side dirt road and we stood and watched it coming out
of the grass. And then this little baby rhino bounced out of the grass next to
mummy! Too little to be seen in the grasses we were all surprised the big rock
had a little rock. They were so cool around our vehicle that we had an amazing
sighting. When another vehicle suddenly reversed she got a fright and started
protecting her baby. With her baby in front of her she pushed it away from that
vehicle, back into plain view for us. Now more cars had arrived and she swiftly
crossed the road to safety shielding her baby from everyone else. On the other
side of the road her baby bounced happily around the mum again while the mother
started feeding on the fresh green grass.
Then it was
time to make our way back to the gate as it was time to say goodbye to Matt and
Shelley. One last look around the scenery, but the rain intensified and all the
animals were hiding away. Except for buffalos, as we caught the tail of a herd crossing
just before we reached Numbi. I hope Matt and Shelley had a wonderful time and
find better weather up in Cape Town! The lion mission failed, so we will save
it for next time.
A quick return
to Nkambeni for a break and to pick up some of the guests who had been on a
bushwalk. They encountered buffalos and zebras and learned lots about tracks
and other little things that make the bush teeming with wildlife. They had
enjoyed it immensely and a big thank you to their bushwalk guide Simon who had
made it so great.
We set off
late morning just before lunchtime when it was just easing off with the rain.
As the sun was shining, we decided to try our luck again with the loop that is
now know as the leopard loop. We stopped at the infamous rock underneath which
the leopards should be hiding. There were about 9 giant plated lizards lying on
this rock sunbathing so we had something to look at, but we wanted something
else. And this time it was fifth time lucky!! We sat very still for a while and
one by one out of their layer came 3 tiny little leopard cubs, probably about a
month old. They first adjusted a bit to the bright light and then started
playing. One tried climbing onto a rock, but was too eager and fell down again,
which made us giggle. Another was catching it's brother or sister's tail. It
was such a great sight watching these three newborns playing around we stayed
for quite some time.
When other
vehicles showed up we decided to be nice and let them have a look. So we moved
off and continuing our drive onto Napi. We saw a couple of steenboks before
arriving at Shitlhave Dam where three elephants were swimming. We sat watching
two young bulls play while the third and biggest one of them all came out of
the water and started throwing sand over himself before having some nice
sicklebush to munch.
When all bulls
were out of the water and crossed the road in front of us, we set of towards
Skukuza for a late lunch. We saw zebras, the young hyena pup close to Transport
Dam, more blue wildebeest, almost drove over a chameleon (but noticed him just
in time), stopped in time to let a couple of crested francolins cross the road,
saw some lovely white rhinos lounging close to the road, 5 kudu bulls and some
giraffes.
On the way
back it looked like a storm was brewing so we took the quickest route back,
which was down Napi again. We made a quick stop at Mathekanyan to look at the
view and photograph the storm, before trying to stay ahead of it on the way
down. A couple of days ago when we turned around we saw all new animals on the
same road, but this time nothing has changed. Same hyena pup, same white rhinos
and lots of elephants on the way back. The crested francolins and chameleon
however had moved off. Their place in front of the wheels was taking by an
impala ram (the ladies on the other side were worth the risk of almost being
run over by a safari car), red-crested korhaan (different kind of suicide for
this bird) and a bird party consisting of 2 red-billed hornbills, a
yellow-billed hornbill and 4 grey louries that pointblank refused to move off
the road.
We got a tip
about a male lion on Circle road so with the risk of the storm setting loose
above our heads we decided to check anyways. We were lucky in finding this lion
lying down in the high grass. As he was still a young male, his mane was the
same colour as the dry yellow grass and therefore he blended in very well. Not
a great photo opportunity so we waited as long as we could to see if he would
rise. His companion that was rumored to be at the same place was lying flat
somewhere around and was nowhere to be seen. When time run out we had to
continue and were happy that the fella at least had sat up with his head and
not like his companion lying completely hidden.
As the storm
started we drove back to Numbi Gate, quickly stopping for a duiker and a
warthog on separate occasions. When we arrived at the lodge the weather had
completely changed! We started the drive with a lovely afternoon sun and
returned with a proper South African bush storm: thunder, lightning, wind,
downpour and hail!! Unsurprisingly the power didn't survive this pounding of
nature and we spend the evening dinner with candles.
17 October 2014
The storm last
night created havoc. Many of us hadn't slept well as the wind kept on trying to
fly the tents away and some were even having some rain inside. When having
breakfast it was still raining and no matter how we looked at it, all was wet.
We took a bit of a slower breakfast, dreading going out in the wet and were
happy when it cleared up a bit. We packed up the car and set off for what would
be the last game drive for Kaye and Sarina.
On camp road
two buffalos showed that they didn't care about the rain much and they were
munching the grass with as much gusto as always. On Numbi tar we just missed a
small herd of buffalos crossing, but we caught the tail end of all butts turned
towards us. We took a drive down Circle Road, continuing on Fayi Loop, but
yesterday's lions were no longer in the area. They had moved off before the
rain had stopped, so didn't even see the tracks. However we did see some
duikers, zebras (including one pregnant one and unfortunately also an injured
one (a mum with a youngster to make the impression worse))), a skin and bones
of what used to be a giraffe, plenty of reedbuck and a hippo head in one of the
streams.
Two elephants
were munching close by before we turned onto the now famous Leopard Loop. We
just wanted to try to have a last look at the little cubs before setting off.
And once again we were in luck as we got a glimpse of two of them climbing out
of their hiding hole. However cars kept starting so they didn't last long out
in the open as their reaction to strange noises is good: hide, hide, hide!!
Now it was
time for us to go down to Nelspruit where we had to say goodbye to Sarina and
Kaye. Thanks for joining us ladies, and hope both of you have a nice flight
home! Hope you go home with great stories to share from your safaris and the
proper African storm.
At the same
time while saying goodbye, we welcomed Gordon and Mary to this tour. Their
first drive is the Sundowner Game Drive. As they left it was sunny, but
nowadays, here you never know... More about that later.
Meanwhile
Kerry, Emma and Claire had been on the Panorama Tour. On this tour you visit various
beautiful sites around the Blyde River Canyon. When they get back, they'll tell
us all about it too!
The Sundowner
Game Drive stayed dry and was thoroughly enjoyed. Before they stopped for
drinks at Mashawu Dam, they saw zebras, giraffe, buffalo, a white rhino, kudus,
impalas and the very seldom seen tsessebe. Their free drinks were joined by
hippos that were playing in the dam itself and two elephants that were feeding
on the other side of the dam wall they were standing on.
18 October 2014
We woke up
after a good night sleep to a bright new day with plenty if sunshine. We set
off after breakfast down camp road where we saw buffalos in the distance. The
drive started quiet seeing our new animal only on Shabeni Loop: an elephant was
munching on a bush. Furthermore we also saw some impalas and buffalos.
We took a
drive around Circle Road and Fayi Loop seeing lots of waterbucks and duikers, a
red crested korhaan, a couple of giraffes in the far distance and plenty of
zebras. A couple of eagles were flying above trying to find a thermal that
would take them someplace else.
And of
course we ended up on leopard loop. All three of the cubs came out to play in
the sunshine. As it was a nice and warm day they were a lot more active and we
watched them play and explore for over an hour. Then they got tired and had
disappeared into their safe hiding place for a nap. This was our cue for taking
our own break at Pretoriuskop.
Just
before the entrance gate though we stopped for what looked like a relay by
dwarf mongooses. One would run up to the road from our right, stop and look. A
second one ran up and as soon as he reached the spot of the first, he froze
while the first on the scene ran across and froze on the other side of the tar.
Then a third pushed the second across the road, the second the first into the
bush. And then a fourth did the same... But then there was no fifth so he just
ran across after letting another car pass by.
After the
break we set of for a last quick stop at Shitlhave Dam. On the way we got a
glimpse of a herd of sable antelopes through the burned trees, a warthog in the
distances and a couple of steenboks. Upon seeing us they got a fright and ran
away, both in separate directions. Realizing this they both turned and ran
towards each other, startling each other by their own move. In the end the male
settled for running after the female (what else is new!)
At
Shitlhave dam five giraffes were feeding on the green leaves. A waterbuck was
actually standing in the water, but otherwise it was a quiet spot. Then we had
to turn back to Numbi Gate as we were running out of time. We saw plenty of
duikers on the way back, a buffalo right next to the road and a mother and baby
giraffe. Some last pictures of swallows and whitef-ronted bee eaters on the power
lines and we arrived back at Numbi Gate. Unfortunately it was goodbye for Emma,
Kerry and Claire. Thanks for the fun times on this safari and hope you enjoyed
it as much as I did! Maybe we'll see you again on another safari, as the safari
bug never goes away.
As new
guests joined us in the afternoon we set course once again towards the leopard
cubs. On camp road we encountered a family of reedbuck and saw some buffalos in
the distances. Then on Numbi tar we spotted zebras and impalas as well as kudus
and more buffalos close to the road. A pretty lilac breasted roller was shy
because as soon as the cameras were out he flew away. The same happened with a
duiker, well, he didn't fly away, but ran.
At the
leopard cub sighting there were already some cars. We did get a glimpse of the
cubs but they weren't out to play for long and unfortunately our visual was
against the sun. When we had moved to a better spot the cubs were napping out
of sight. We waited quite some time but no luck, so when cars started arriving
and others kept on starting and left their engine running we cut our losses and
drove off.
On the
route back to camp via Napi we spotted two warthogs. They spotted us too and
kept on running away alongside the road and after reversing for about 500m we let
them go as we didn't catch up with them. We saw a lovely white rhino and some
more kudus before we ended up in the middle of a herd of buffalo. Parts of the
herd were grazing on both sides of the road, but none crossed.
We came
back to Nkambeni Safari Camp where our welcome/goodbye dinner is being served
in the boma tonight!
19 October 2014
As today was
the last day for some of the new guest we set off once again to try to find a
lion. I can inform you already that, once again, the mission failed. However we
saw lots of other good things on our morning drive. It started on camp road
where a family of zebras was feeding in the drainage line, and we also saw a
duiker.
Up Numbi tar
we spotted two of the three of the reedbuck family we noticed in the drainage
line yesterday afternoon. In the background there were some buffalo too. We
took a loop around Shabeni where we found more buffalos and had a lovely
sighting of two klipspringers. The female was feeding while themale stood
watch. He gave an excellent show of how well a klipspringer can hop on little
rocks. And then they switched rolls with the male feeding and the female taking
over the watch.
Around a
corner we saw a slender mongoose, three giant plated lizards, and a tree
squirrel all in one spot. The tree squirrel was being mobbed by a forktailed
drongo. The slender mongoose just passing by on his way to someplace else. And
the three giant plated lizards were just hanging out in the sun to warm up.
Then down Napi
we had a family of dwarf mongoose crossing the road at great speed, while a red
crested korhaan had a very slow morning as she walked across in slow motion. We
noticed a couple of bateleurs flying in the sky. Of course we did see impalas
today and also a very handsome kudu bull.
On Napi Boulders
we saw our first elephant for the day. He was in the distance and just showing
us his bum so we didn't stay long. Back on. Napi for the return journey we
spotted a herd of elephants at some distance, and a pretty young sable bull.
Whitebacked vultures were circling on a thermal which one by one took them in a
direction of wherever the wind would take them.
Of course now
that we know they are there we once again decided to go see the leopard cubs.
However this time around we didn't see them. We got glimpses of movement
between the branches but they didn't come out. Then again, there were lots of
cars around so they might have been a bit shy. Before we got parked in we took
our leave and quickly stopped at Pretoriuskop.
Then back out
around Circle road. This road was rather quiet with animals, seeing only some waterbucks,
an elephant far away and a dead giraffe. As some of the guests were keen to see
a giraffe we were hoping to see a alive one instead of just this bag of skin
with bones.
At the end of
this morning we drove down Numbi tar, where, apart from the zebras that were
hanging out with them, we found some live giraffes! With just a couple of 100
meters before the exit, pfew. Two were lying down to rest and one just came by
to greet them. Then they stood up and walked in the opposite direction as us,
as we were heading to Numbi Gate. We passed some more buffalos resting on the
side of the road and then it was really over.
Now we said
goodbye to Mary & Gordon, Grace and Debby, which were returning to Jo'burg
and Pretoria to go back to work. Well, the girls are as where Gordon is just
having a few more days of holiday before him and Mary are on a trip to Cape
Town. I hope all of you enjoyed your safari, even though it was a short break
in between work!
In the
afternoon we took a drive down to Mestel Dam for a change. On the way there we
spotted some impala and waterbuck before an elephant came showing himself of
rather close to the road. Another elephant was further into the bush. At Mestel
Dam there were Egyptian geese and blacksmith lapwings with the hippos yawning
in the background.
We continued
towards the overflow where a pied kingfisher showed us exactly how to fish. A
giraffe was crossing the drainage line and on the open area we spotted another
7 giraffes and a large herd of impalas. We turned around and saw most of the
animals in reverse order again before we tuned back onto the tar. Here we
encountered a couple of dwarf mongoose foraging, a couple more giraffes, kudus,
crested barbet and a diderick's cuckoo and lots of buffalos of all ages. We
even saw a leucist buffalo, looking like an old and grey buffalo.
20 October 2014
We woke up to
an overcast morning and were hoping it would stay dry. On the other hand it
would be nice if it wasn't going to be as hot as yesterday. In hindsight, it
was the later, boiling hot in the afternoon, but nonetheless we had a great
day. Here is our story:
As always when
you leave Nkambeni you turn onto Numbi tar. Today we slalomed around various
other safari cars which just started their day tours, as they were stopping for
lots of buffalos and zebras as well as kudu and impalas. And we are spoiled
with seeing those animals already on this tour, so we decided to get ahead.
We turned onto
Napi and had a little giggle about a flock of guineafowls digging around in
elephant poo for their breakfast. We stopped for a crested barbet but before a
photo was taking he already flew away. And we admired the Cape glossy
starlings. White rhinos we grazing and just passed it we had a big bull
elephant munching on the only green bush in a burned area and after a while
crossing just behind the vehicle.
At the exit of
the Napi Boulders we had our first dung beetle sighting of the season. This
little guy was rolling a little ball of poo into the grass and out of sight.
Then it was rather quiet until Skukuza, as we just saw some impalas, kudus,
blue wildebeest and some more elephants in the distance. Like I said, we are
spoiled! We stopped at Skukuza for a break where a leopard tortoise was walking
around on the grass at the entrance and a vervet monkey was strutting around
the public area looking for some scraps. Just before we left we noticed a
brightly coloured tree agama on a nearby tree too.
As the weather
had gotten nicer we decided to continue our day and drove the H4-1 from Skukuza
to Lower Sabie. Here is where it started to become a great day as we got a tip
about wild dogs on the way as we just left Skukuza. We arrived at the sighting
when the wild dogs were just settling in for a rest. We counted at least nine
of them divided in three shady areas, but there might even have been more. Some
were still a bit restless and kept on popping up their heads as cameras
clicked, however others were already fast asleep. And as the temperature had
risen quickly, that wasn't such a bad idea! It was good sleeping or lying in
the shade weather now!
Further along
we encountered some new antelope like bushbuck and nyala, but also saw lots of
ones we already had seen: impalas, impalas, steenbok, impalas and guess what,
impalas! Oh and a beautiful kudu bull looking at us through the trees. We also
saw lots of hippos and buffalos in the riverbed. Some hippos even got up and
showed us more than just their backs or worse, just nostrils.
Just when we
passed Nkuhlu picnic spot, we encountered some baboons on the road. The little
babies riding on Mommy's back. All were heading towards Nkuhlu, probably seeing
if they could rob some tourists of their lunch! We saw some nice fish eagles,
brown headed parrots, bateleurs and yellow-billed kites flying over.
Down at Sunset Dam a big crocodile was lying close to the shore. We parked at
safe distance to have some good photos and after a while he was getting too hot
and crouched back into the water. At the water's edge there were plenty of
yellow-billed storks, Egyptian geese, three-banded plovers and a spoonbill.
After lunch at
Lower Sabie we planned on heading back to Skukuza the same way, but not for a
little detour down the H10. As Curtis had found some cheetahs there, we took a
chance and went to have a look. We did get to see a bit of a head, some flicks
of a tail and four paws in the air when he decided to roll over. All body parts
counted together making up most of the cheetah. There were supposed to be two
cheetahs or maybe even three, but we could only count body parts.
Another quick
stop at Sunset Dam showed us the hippos had barely moved at all, neither had
most of the crocodiles and all the previous mentioned birds were still there
too. A stork feeding nearby taught a lesson to a little baby crocodile by
picking it on the head and body when it came too close to the feeding grounds
of the stork. Then we got a call about lions just ahead up the road. So we took
off in pursuit. We saw the back of one lion walking through the reeds, and
sometimes got a bit more visual.
Other animals
seen on the way back up to Skukuza: a big male giraffe standing close to the
road, lots of elephants in the Sabie river, plenty of hippos, crested
francolins crossing the road last minute in front of the vehicle, two white
backed vultures, more baboons and a sighting with two sleeping lions under a
tree with vervet monkey hopping around in the tree above.
As we were
running a bit late we drove down Napi on a drive by game drive. This time
around it was teeming with wildlife: a herd of blue wildebeest, warthogs,
waterbucks, grey duiker, steenbok and then suddenly a leopard. Here of course
we did stop and after a short investigation noticed one leopard in a tree with
a prey that she had caught, plus one leopard lying behind the tree on a little
sand hill watching plus a hyena underneath the tree. While pulling up the kill
and chewing on it the leopard dropped some bits and the hyena gratefully took
his share.
Then it was
really time to end this awesome day, so back down Numbi tar, saying goodbyes to
plenty of giraffes and buffalos before returning back at Nkambeni.
More coming
soon !!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)