Making a getaway from his buddy!
A little too close for comfort!
The ambush fails!
Nyala at camp.
Chef Wawa and his magic potkjie kos.
Baby white Rhino with his big daddy!
Small herd of Elephant grazing by the road side.
Mummy & baby!
Maddie, Sam & Cas on the look out from a Hide.
A big Baboon just chillin' in a tree.We had another great day of sightings and were lucky enough to come across a large herd of elephant eating in the dense bush right beside the road. It is amazing how they just walk through the vegetation… one minute they’re there, the next they have disappeared in the bush without a trace. We snapped some wonderful photos of these elephant that were just metres away from the truck. They were grazing so placidly, and it was important to remember that one false move could have caused them to take on a protective and potentially deadly stance. Lisa was holding her breathe the entire time, fingernails dug into the car seat and from time to time shushing Madeleine’s curious inquiries and Desi’s squeals through gritted teeth. She was particularly nervous due to a similar encounter with elephant at Kruger back in the day.
We headed back to the previous day’s kill sight and this time spotted hyena as well as the vultures scavenging from the carcass. As we headed back to camp and were crossing the Umfolozi River, two hyena ran down the river bank, the first with a sizable chunk of Bush Buck in its mouth. It appeared that the second hyena was chasing the first, which proceeded to run across the shallow water and pause on the opposite bank to eat its find. The second hyena was not keen on swimming and had the nerve to cross the bridge, even with all the vehicles that had stopped to observe the chase. It passed within feet of our SUV and snuck up to the first hyena. We were all expecting a fight, but even with all that effort to cross the bridge, the second hyena gave up on his quarry rather quickly. It was amazing to see hyena up so close and personal in their own habitat… not ours! i.e. the camp site. Day 2 and Umfolozi ended with having sighted 3 of the Big Five, Elephant, Rhino and Cape Buffalo, and enjoying a stellar lamb neck and ostrich potkjie. Compliments of Chef Wawa Eades!
We headed back to the previous day’s kill sight and this time spotted hyena as well as the vultures scavenging from the carcass. As we headed back to camp and were crossing the Umfolozi River, two hyena ran down the river bank, the first with a sizable chunk of Bush Buck in its mouth. It appeared that the second hyena was chasing the first, which proceeded to run across the shallow water and pause on the opposite bank to eat its find. The second hyena was not keen on swimming and had the nerve to cross the bridge, even with all the vehicles that had stopped to observe the chase. It passed within feet of our SUV and snuck up to the first hyena. We were all expecting a fight, but even with all that effort to cross the bridge, the second hyena gave up on his quarry rather quickly. It was amazing to see hyena up so close and personal in their own habitat… not ours! i.e. the camp site. Day 2 and Umfolozi ended with having sighted 3 of the Big Five, Elephant, Rhino and Cape Buffalo, and enjoying a stellar lamb neck and ostrich potkjie. Compliments of Chef Wawa Eades!
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