Having heard of a dead rhino at Ximangwaneni dam near Muzandzeni, I knew I had to go and investigate to see what kind of scavenger activity there will be. Surprisingly, when we got there, I realized it was a rarer black rhino carcass. The carcass was already some 4 days old, a fact which our nostrils reiterated. A pride of 10 lions were still feeding from it. As most of them have already had their share, a few individuals took turns to feed in peace without the constant aggression of other members. Vultures were also descending and tried their luck when the lions left to lie in the shade. That normally didn’t last very long as some of the lions were determined to defend their bounty. During the night the rest of the pride went back for another feeding session before leaving the rotten rhino to other scavengers. The following day we went back and were surprised at how much of the rhino has been eaten. Vultures were very active to get their fair share and we saw all five vulture species represented in the Kruger on one carcass. They are the Whitebacked Vulture, Hooded Vulture, Lappetfaced Vulture, Whiteheaded Vulture, and the endangered Cape Vulture. The scene was so engrossing that we spent several hours to enjoy the ways of the wild. It was truly something documentaries are made of.
Simon Vegter
Wild Wings Safaris
1 comment:
Wow! Nice shots... and great blog!
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