Lions feeding on black rhino

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

www.wild-wings.co.za

Black Rhino Photos

Just in case you were doubting the reliability of my black rhino sightings, here are a few photos to prove it. These two on the right were the mother and calf seen from Nkumbe viewpoint. Later two more crossed behind them. The two below were seen the following morning along the H10. Considering that they are both fully grown, I suspect them to be a male and female. Needless to say, it was very special indeed.

Greetings,

Simon

Kruger National Park safari guide with Wild Wings Safaris

Diceros bicornis ridiculis

For those of you who don't know, Diceros bicornis is the Scientific name for a black rhino. A rhino that is very rare and seldomly seen in the Kruger Park. In fact, before this safari my total has been 13 black rhinos seen in Kruger. But nature has ways of surprising you and dealing you the unexpected. What happened on my latest tour is unheard of.
During the last two days of my safari I've had a total of 4 black rhino sightings with 7 individuals. That is the same amount as white rhinos I've seen for the safari. It is absolutely unreal.
It started at the beautiful view of Nkumbe, where I've seen black rhinos before and would be my hotspot for them. Our attention was drawn to a mother and calf rhino, but on closer inspection I noticed that they were black rhino. The calf clearly walked behind the mother, a characteristic for black rhinos. While watching them, a bit further in the distance, another black rhino pair (mother and younger calf) strolled in the opposite direction. These were my first black rhinos for 2008, but not the last. Later that afternoon my excitement returned as we saw another black rhino browsing on the bushes along the Sabie River. That made it 5 in one day.
The last day unbelief started setting in as 2 rhinos, spotted in the distance by one of the guests, ended up being black rhinos as well. This time they seemed to be two adults, probably a male and a female. It's absolutely unreal. I've been coming to the Kruger for many years (30+) and it's the unexpected that makes me want to go out there every morning to see what excitement lies ahead.

Let the black rhino luck continue...

Simon

Kruger National Park safari guide with Wild Wings Safaris