14 March 2016
After an early
breakfast, we set out for our morning Game Drive amid cool and cloudy
conditions. Although there was a fair bit of rain around we managed to escape
most of it during our drive. As there was also a bit of a chill factor due to
the wind, our first hour or so was relatively quiet.
However, we
were lucky enough to find a few Spotted Hyena out of their den, one crossing
the road in front of us on approach and heading off into a thicket, while
another was lying by the den entrance; barely giving the passing vehicles a
second glance! Not too long after that we came across a small crash of 3 White
Rhino, consisting of 2 adult females and a calf of just over a year old,
grazing on the fresh grass after the recent rains. Although they were partly
obscured by some bushes and a large termite mound we managed to get a decent
view and some pictures before they headed back into the thicket.
We had a
pretty good morning for reptile sightings as we found both Hinged-
and Leopard Tortoise, Marsh Terrapin, Giant Plated-lizard and Nile Monitor; all
in or right next to the road!
The highlight
of the morning was our first elephant breeding herds of the Safari, as we found
2 herds in close proximity of each other. Both were on the move and feeding as
they did so. The second herd was near the road and we got a very good look at
them, including a calf of just about a year old. The first herd we found was
quite large with about 40 members, including 2 very active young males, about 3
and 5 years old respectively. These 2 were the main attraction as they chased
each other back and forth playfully, the prize apparently a stick, as this
changed hands (or trunks) every now and then and invariably the one in
possession of this highly regarded piece of vegetation was the one being chased
by the other! We observed their antics for some time, before they moved deeper
into the bush and it was time for us to move on.
Another good day
with great variety, even though we had little luck with the cats today!
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