May 2009 : Kruger National Park, South Africa

SOMETHING WAITS AROUND EVERY CORNER

What can I say. You simply need to see this to believe it. I have never before seen the amount of wildlife, and the concentration there of, in my life. You do not drive for more that three of four minutes without seeing some kind of mammal. Zebras by the hundreds dot the landscape, and large groups of rhinos are not uncommon. Elephants are still abundant, and herds of buffalo still make use of the water in the Nwanetsi. It will be an interesting winter though. The water levels are slowly dropping, and winter is upon us. There is very little chance of more rain, and we can only hope that the little bit of water lasts us though winter. Regardless, it will be an exciting season. Watch this space for some of the most amazing things ever.

Zebras are everywhere. The rich palatable grasses on the concession, and lots of water are a huge draw card for these beautiful grazers. Large buffalo herds are still to be found. They are extremely water-dependant, and same as with zebra they enjoy the sweet grasses. These lone bulls are also dotted about all over the concession. These gentle giants stand out above everything else. You can see tall necks moving about almost anywhere you look. Journeys of almost twenty giraffe are not uncommon. North to south, east to west, rhino’s are everywhere.  Their nervous nature makes them difficult to approach, but encounters on foot are priceless. Zebra, wildebeest and giraffe all in one photo. It’s a common sight at the moment, with huge herds blending together in the grasslands. What a sight to see.

Black Rhino! It does not look like much, but it’s one of less than three hundred black rhino’s found in Kruger Park. It’s amazing to see these animals, and we have had a couple of sightings this month, including a cow and her youngster.

 

We spotted him at the base of a large Leadwood, his spots blending in perfectly with his surrounds. His attention was not on us though, but he was focused on something at the top of the tree. Bundled up on the thinnest of branches was a female leopard. She balanced precariously 15 meters up. The male must have chased her up this tree. Leopards are not the most social of animals. They are extremely territorial, even the females. They are even aggressive with one another when mating, never quite letting their guard down, and often snarling at one another. The only real bond between leopards would be between mother and her offspring. They are often allowed to roam their mother’s territory for some time after becoming independent of her. Hopefully these two leopards will soften up towards one another, and then we can add some youngsters to the population.

The female quietly slinks away. She is perfectly camouflaged on the rocky cliffs. He is a big male, and as he looks back at us he reminds us who is king. What a champion.

 

 

The mountain pride was at it again, providing us with some amazing sightings. The pictures above show one of the lionesses feeding on an adult waterbuck. Despite popular belief about lions not eating waterbuck due to their pungent scent glands, they relish them. She made sure that all the meat was eaten, even around the face.

Below shows a lioness dragging an impala carcass into nearby shade. She was alerted to the presence of the carcass by vultures. Lions often use vultures in order to find carcasses, and are not fussy. They will scavenge on old rotten meat. The cant afford to be fussy, as they do not know when their next meal will come.

 

His territorial calls kept us searching for him for days. We got sight of the couple on numerous occasions, but each time they would disappear into the rocky ridges as if they were merely shadows. Then one night we stumbled upon a magical moment. The two were mating. It is something not often seen, especially not in wild lions. It is as if they allowed us to view them. He was very protective of her, and had been guarding her against any interlopers for the past two weeks. He made his presence known by intense roaring, sending the message to all other rivals…”This is my territory, stay out of face my wrath”.

She would lure him into mating by walking right by his face, and presenting him with temptation. This would happen up to four times an hour, for up to three days. They hardly hunt during this period, and all focus and attention is on the task at hand. What a privilege to witness such a secret event, under the cover of darkness.

 

Swift and effortless, a beautiful dance. Their shapes are hardly distinguishable in the fading light as they bound after one another. Play is an important part of lion society. Cubs play much more than adults do, and it’s a way of learning. They see, they stalk, they chase and they pounce, all instinctive behavior that will help them in hunting for the future. It’s beautiful to see the curiosity in a lioness’s eyes as she waits for her sister to come around the bend. She gets low down to the ground, and as soon as her unsuspecting sister is within a few yards, she jumps out and both go running away. This is almost a daily ritual, as it loosens and stretches their muscles before hunting. They are inactive for most part of the day, and playing is almost a trigger for the rest of the evening escapades.

 

Wherever you go, elephants appear out of every corner. You can hear them trumpeting no matter where you are. There is so much life on the concession at the moment. Water is still plentiful and it is a huge draw card for these beautiful animals. Herds in excess of one hundred animals are not uncommon. Babies meet up and play and tumble. They are so fond of the water holes, and it bring out the childish side in even the oldest of females. One young bull pictured bottom left, had so much fun with water, and kept pouring it in to his mouth, completely immersed in his new found game. These herds are constantly on the move, and every day new herds appear on the concession. It’s a beautiful time to be out here.

 

Never before have I seen an elephant with the confidence that this bull has. He is big, and he knows it. His tusks glisten in the afternoon sun, like swords on a battle field. He characteristically rests his large heavy trunk over his tusks when he walks, a learnt behavior. He simply oozes confidence, and everything moves out of his way. He is in full musth, and he is on the lookout for receptive females. Females will only mate with the strongest of bulls, since this is the best genes. This bull is king. Kruger Park is known for their very large tuskers. Nwashinangana, as this bull is known, is one of the largest emerging tuskers in the park at the moment. He is showing great potential for more growth, as their tusks develop the most between the ages of fifty and sixty years.

He has been spending a lot of time in our area, and it is an absolute privilege to be in the presence of this living legend. With the weight of that trunk being too much, the big bull characteristically rests his trunk over his red-stained tusks. The tips of the tusks are worn down from many years of use, helping him to rip branches from trees and dig up roots from under the ground.

 

Those old feet tell a thousand stories. Having walked thousands of miles, they have seen many different landscapes. They bear witness to a life fully lived, etched with character. Cracked soles and chipped toe nails tell the story…” I am wild, I am free, I walk where I please”

 

With enthusiasm and energy only a jackal could muster, this Black-backed Jackal tormented these vultures. There was an impala carcass nearby, and the jackal did all in its power to keep the vultures at bay, so much so that he hardly noticed the smaller Hooded Vultures sneaking in behind to steal scraps from the carcass. The jackal would run this way, then that way. It leapt in to the air with teeth bared, but the vultures were just out of reach. Lions would also chase vultures, since they signal the presence of a free meal, and other predators may come rushing in from all directions.

 

Whilst on drive, we spotted several vultures descending at great speed. This is usually indication of a carcass. We were not quite prepared for what we would find. As the vultures flew up in to the air, a Lappet-faced Vulture stayed behind, triumphantly perched on the still body of a hyena, a sad sight indeed. Hyenas are amazing creatures with an unfortunate bad reputation. This hyena was very old with worn down teeth, and smooth paws from many nights spent patrolling of her territory. How she died remains a mystery, but it could very possibly have been lions. They were seen in that vicinity the night before, and lions would go out of their way to kill another predator, especially male lions. It is a way of eliminating competition, even though they do not directly compete for the same food source.

All text by Marlon Du Toit All photographs shot on location Singita Kruger National Park May 2009