Late lion a real bonus

My last safari was another great one with lots of surprises. It started off as we entered the park with elephant, buffalo and a hippo grazing in the reeds at the Kruger gate bridge crossing the Sabie river. The drive to our camp along the Sabie river produced lots of elephants and entertaining baboons. At some point I heard vervet monkeys alarming. I could see them high up in the trees as they followed something walking below them on the ground. We were not able to see anything, but considering the terrain I guessed it to be a leopard that proved to be ever elusive. After many attempts at spotting it I had to give it up and wonder what could have been. It was not long after that when the magic did happen. With impeccable timing, a leopard crossed the road in front of us. I thought it would just continue to walk and disappear into the bush, but surprisingly it remained very relaxed at the side of the road and allowed for some nice photos (above). It was a great first day.

The following day we went driving through the basalt plains, a suitable area for rhinos, buffalo, and other herds of animals. It did not disappoint. We had 6 rhino sightings and saw 13 in total. We also found ourselves in the middle of a buffalo herd crossing the road. Absolutely magical. Herds of zebra, wildebeest (gnu) and giraffe kept us entertained throughout the day. What remained missing though were the lions, which we kept hearing throughout the night and even on the morning drive. The day ended with 2 enormous hippos on the road as they made their way for their night time grazing. Being a bit nervous they trotted away and it amazed us with what agility these huge creatures could move.

On our last morning the search was on for lions, which kept eluding us to thus far. With only a few sightings of buffalo, giraffe and some other game, it was generally pretty quiet. By breakfast time we still didn’t get any lions, or even reports of lion sightings. The prospect seemed bleak. We were cheered up around the breakfast table when we heard a leopard call several times. The baboons were alarming, but unfortunately for us it remained hidden in the reeds. It was great though to have bacon and eggs knowing that a leopard is not too far off. That’s more exciting than most people’s breakfasts. From the picnic spot our journey took us along a busy 15km road towards the gate again before exiting the park. Having not heard of any lion sightings along the way I resigned to my fate of this being my first tour this year without lions. One of my mottos for the Kruger is that “anything can happen,” and it did once again. Only a few kilometers before the gate we were surprised by a male lion crossing the road on its way to a kill. We saw the vultures circling not too far off, and he was sniffing the air as he made his way into that direction. So in the end we did manage the big 5 again. Amazingly enough, after 3 days of searching for lions, we found one at the very end. In fact, this lion was the last animal we saw in the park before we left. What a bonus!

Simon Vegter

Wild Wings Safaris

www.wild-wings.co.za