Where to Satisfy The Thrill Of The Chase

By Petro Kotze’

 For some time, simply soaking up the ambiance of our national parks is enough. For other, its the thrill of the chase, boasting about what you managed to see while there and ticking special sightings off your list of achievements. However, its not all about the most renowned animals in this game. There are a number of lists that you can claim to obliterate when exploring...

 

THE BIG 5

The most famous list to tick off on any trip for many visitors is the mighty Big 5. Although many might say that they should not be the only goal of trip, they are still awesome sights to behold. They are the lion, African elephant, Cape buffalo, the leopard and white and black rhino. We have two South African national parks where all five of these majestic animals roam. Of course, the world-renowned Kruger National Park and secondly, located closest to the economic mecca that is Johannesburg,Marakele National Park.

 

THE BIG 7

The Big 7 makes even the Big 5 look small in comparison. There is only one national park that can boast with all of these members: Addo Elephant National Park. To see number six and seven you will have to cast your eyes to the sea. They are the whale and the mighty great white shark.

 

THE BIG 4

Although the Big 4 is the Big 5 missing a member, they still pack a pretty hefty punch. At Mapungubwe National Park and World Heritage Site, all of them can be found if you keep your eyes peeled, except for the burly buffalo. Following the recent introduction of lion, you can also see all of them, except for elephant, in Mountain Zebra National Park.

 

THE LITTLE 5

These creatures represent the sometimes “forgotten” inhabitants of the African savannah, particularly in comparison to the Big 5. They are the elephant shrew, ant lion, leopard tortoise, buffalo weaver and rhino beetle (see what they did there?). while only two members (the leopard tortoise and buffalo weaver) are specific species, the rest represent a group of animals, of which there are various species – so it makes them considerably easier to find. There are literally hundreds of species of ant lion, but you’d do best to look for their familiar funnel-shaped sandpits. The elephant shrew, a small, insectivorous mammal, lives in arid lowlands, rocky outcrops and savannah grasslands, while there are over 300 species of the rhino beetle across Africa and Asia (they are actually a subfamily of the scarab beetle). So, where to see them? Mapungubwe and Marakele national parks would be great options as they fall within all of the targets’ documented distribution ranges. Although the same goes for Mokala National Park near Kimberley, manager Deon Joubert has never actually seen a leopard tortoise or a elephant shrew. All of them can also be found in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, and while a buffalo weaver sighting has been recorded, this would be the most difficult of the bunch to spot here. If you’re around Augrabies Falls, head into the park to look for the round-eared elephant shrew, the ant lion and the leopard tortoise.

 

THE SHY 5

This is where it gets tricky. They are the aardwolf, aardvark, porcupine, bat-eared fox and meerkat. Technically, the aardwolf and aardvark’s distribution area covers the whole of South Africa, except for the Garden Route ( the aardvark’s roaming ground also excludes the Richtersveld). The porcupine also occurs through almost the whole of South Africa, except for a small area in the North-West province. The bat-eared fox frequents the drier pars of the county. The meerkat is widely distributed in southern Africa.

There are a couple of parks where all of them live within the same fences. These include Kruger,Karoo and Mokala national parks as well as the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. The Tankwa Karoo National Park is also a contyender, but meerkat seem to be locally extinct, says the parks section ranger, Letsie Coetzee. The West Coast, Mapungubwe, Marakele (although perhaps not for the aardwolf), Namaqua ans Addo are all great contenders.

While not officially part of the Shy 5, the pangolin, Cape fox, honey badger and brown hyena are also very special sightings. The mighty Kgalagadi protects all of these. Possibly the most tricky to spot is the pangolin. Mokala, marakele, Golden Gate and Kruger should all be contenders.

Good Luck!!