Cheetah mom and cubs bonding.

Early one morning we were driving along and up ahead on the right were a few animals moving towards the road out of the bush. A little further we recognized them as a family of cheetah. They were doing something that I could not really understand at first. Mom was licking the face of the youngster. Was this to remove blood off his face from the kill they just ate or was this just a bonding activity licking each others faces. I truly don’t know. But it certainly went on for a while and I think she was cleaning his face and afterwards he cleaned hers as well. Flies are terrible sometimes out in the bush and with a face covered in blood it’s a fly magnet. Nobody really wants that to happen to them and so I think she cat-like was just cleaning up the kids before they headed off.

The african rock python and its prey!

We had an amazing experience one day in Kruger. We were heading to the dam to do some birding and its kinda out of the way a little. So we were a little surprised to see a few cars parked by the road about 800m before the lake. Wondering what was happening when we could not see much of anything we looked around a bit and lo and behold there was drama unfolding.

A giant African rock python had caught an impala and was constricting it in the tall grass. WOW! An impala is a mid size antelope and weighs about 40kg so it would need to be a fairly big snake that could overpower that impala. Now constrictors are themselves vulnerable when they are constricting their prey especially out in the open like this and they don’t move very fast either so a group of hyena or a few lions could make short work of a large python. I have seen a video where a honey badger killed a 15 foot python. So the snake was very aware of his/her surroundings and came up once in a while to suss out the surroundings for threats to itself.

We watched for a while and when it all seemed to be quiet we left. We returned a couple of hours later just in time to find the snake dragging the impala into the bushes so he/she could swallow it in peace. You can imagine the strength it would take a snake, an animal with no limbs for traction to drag a 40kg animal through the tall grass. They are really powerful. A python is pretty much all muscle. They would eat a meal like this and digest it for about a month or so in a thicket and this is actually when they are really vulnerable cuz they cannot move at all virtually and have no ability to constrict anything in defense. So they find a deep dark place to hide and stay there till they are all set for the next round. COME ON SAFARI WITh US AND HAVE YOUR OWN AMAZING STORIES TO TELL - www.dreadlionsafaris.com

The best network in Africa!

The best network in Africa is owned by…….? Not who you would think. It is the vultures who have the best communication system and its all in the air. Vultures have the best network in Africa. There was a notable case where a vulture tagged in the morning at Pilanesberg National Park was found late afternoon on a carcass in the Kruger park. A distance of 500km and more. How did he show up? Let me tell you these guys are exploring Africa by air.

How the network works is simple. Each vulture keeps track of the ground underneath for feeding opportunities and also keeps track of his buddies up to 5 km around him. So each individual has a radius of about 10 km around him or her. Its like a tic-tac-toe grid that each vulture is in the middle of. So his neighbours keep track of him and he does that same for them. So when one drops down to look at something better, soon the neighbours realize that he has moved and as one moves downwards the neighbours start and …. You guessed it, their neighbours and so on and on and on. So when 1 vulture drops down fast it is seen by all the vultures through the relay system and in no time the word is out. Nothing is seen yet on site, till out of a clear sky you have 100s of vultures in a matter of a few hours perched around near a carcass waiting for the lions to finish so they can dig in. Its incredible how this happens in such a short time when you cant even see 1 vulture at the outset.

On a rare occasion a vulture will spot a carcass in a tree left unattended by the leopard who put it there and sure enough they will latch on to it and eat it right there. In ancient times hunting tribes would look for circling vultures and head to the area in the hopes of getting a portion of a meal.

The vulture also has special eyes that can see very far and also very clearly. They can reportedly spot a mouse from thousands of feet in the air. Their eyes have two foveas with special nerves in the cornea that enable them to do this despite sunlight being so strong up in the air. So these guys are built for long distance and close up zoom. The amazing thing for me is how each vulture eats a different part of the carcass so all get their share. Some eat the flesh, some eat the organs, some eat the sinew especially, and of course the Lammergeier, or Bearded Vulture is the champ, he eats the bone and marrow. They take the bones up into the air sometimes hundreds of feet and then drop it on rocks below. The smashed bone is now in jagged shapes that they can actually swallow whole and digest completely. It looks like it could tear the skin in the throat open but they are immune to that happening. Pretty amazing how it comes together perfectly in Nature. COME ON SAFARI WITh US AND HAVE YOUR OWN AMAZING STORIES TO TELL - www.dreadlionsafaris.com

THE LITTLE KNOWN FACTS ABOUT HYENAS!

Hyena cubs are a common sight in the Kruger. The hyena clans den in the Culverts and storm drains which are a convenient location for the cubs to grown up out of sight and looked after by mom. The interesting thing about the cubs is that they actually change colour as they grow older. The cubs are born totally black and are of course totally dependent on mother’s milk for the first few months.

The mother will keep them hidden in a den for a few weeks as they grow older and stronger. The other interesting thing is that usually 2 or 3 cubs are born and only 1 is a female. If there are 2 females the stronger one will overcome and even kill the other. The reason is that in hyena clans the hierarchy is very strictly overseen. It is also a matriarchal society. What that means is that there is an alpha female who is the only one who mates most of the time, the other females would mate depending on the alpha female’s discretion. The new born female is already instinctively aware that she is the princess and 2 is too many. So the hierarchy goes lke this, Alpha female, new born female, all other females in a line all the way to the end and then Alpha male. So if you think you are an alpha male then you best not join a hyena clan or all the ladies outrank you.

Anyway the cubs are born totally black and then they slowly start fading into the adult colour. They fade from the face backwards so you can often see half and half cubs which are so cute to look at. The black colour is to protect them in their den, so no predators get a look at them and they can be camouflaged in the den in the darkness. Jackals honey badgers lions leopards martial eagles are all in the running when it comes to who preys on these cubs and the hyena clan is very wary for this reason. COME ON SAFARI WITh US AND HAVE YOUR OWN AMAZING STORIES TO TELL - www.dreadlionsafaris.com

The boss of the Kopjies.

When you explore Africa you come across some amazing creatures that don't really get enough press. Klipspringers are one of those. Dainty little antelopes that love on the rocky outcrops across the country. In Kruger we call them koppies or Kopjies which is the original Afrikaans word for these rocky outcroppings of granite. They can be from 20-80 meters high and are composed of broken down granite boulders for the most part sticking out of the otherwise sandy soil that prevails in most parts. I saw these beautiful antelope on the top of the Waterberg mountains in the Marakele National Park and got a few decent pix. Klips are actually rocks and springers are jumpers so they are rockjumpers.

They mate for life and are highly territorial. Notice the deep extra 'nostril' on the cheek. It is a scent gland and they mark off their domain with the scent from it to let other klips know that they own the area. Funny thing is if an intruder shows up and its male then the male will fight it off. And they play rough! They have been known to fight to the death! If it is a female then the female fights it off. Their hooves are hard on the outside and soft on the inside that helps them grab on to the rock and not slip just like the better known mountain goats such as ibex and others. They are small only about 3 feet high at best and have hair that is hollow. this helps them stay warm and also pads them if they were to fall. Pretty cool. So like I say come and explore Africa there is something different right around every corner.

COME ON SAFARI WITh US AND HAVE YOUR OWN AMAZING STORIES TO TELL - www.dreadlionsafaris.com

The three stooges of the Kgalagadi.

In all my times in the Kgalagadi, there are 3 players that always stand out and always get my attention. The pale chanting goshawk, the ubiquitous jackal and the star of the show, the honey badger. I have taken to calling them the 3 stooges of the Kgalagadi.

These inseparables, or so it seems, are always up to something. Of course it is the honey badger doing the heavy lifting just poking his nose into everything looking for food and the other two just hang around waiting for leftovers. As the world is, some people willing to work and others willing to let them work. LOL. Anyway i hope you like the photos.

One hot day at the waterhole.

We were in Kruger PArk heading for Satara camp from Tshokwane after a quick breakfast we noticed a herd of elephants heading north as well and slowed to keep pace with them. They were looking like they might cross over and head for the waterhole just ahead so we took up position facing the waterhole and sure enough there they came. The thing is that we had not seen the whole herd yet. So as we were parked there they came across the road and heading down the slope to drink and it was then that I realized that the rest of them were on my left and now the car was between two groups from the same herd.

One female was none too pleased about this. She was suddenly apart from the herd, that itself gave her cause for concern. She turned at the waters edge and gave me a couple of real dirty looks but she passed around the back of the car to the rest of the gang giving me and the car a wide berth with no incident at all. It was a bit hairy however having her behind the car and me parked on the embankment but she just passed over and was fine with the rest of the herd.

It’s a delight to watch a herd of elephants relaxing at the waterhole. There are so many special little interactions and it is not unlike a big human family gathering. The older ones more sedately drinking cuz of course they need a LOT of water. The youngest ones with moms and nannies around to keep them safe and the youngsters were pushing shoving ducking and spraying and generally goofing off. A great sighting. Kruger rocks! COME ON SAFARI WITh US AND HAVE YOUR OWN AMAZING STORIES TO TELL - www.dreadlionsafaris.com

Thieving hyenas!

Cheetahs are delicately built creatures and have literally no defence sytem at all except to run away. Especially when faced by animals like leopards lions or hyenas who could do them serious harm or death retreat is the first and only option. This puts a lot of stress on cheetah moms who have to hunt daily to feed their brood. A cheetah kill is often a spectacular sight. A high speed adrenaline charged chase across the savannah that can attract a lot of attention from far away even. So when this mom and her 2 surviving cubs were eating a group of 3 hyenas barreled right in and took over the carcass. It was my first time to see this takeover attempt and I was amazed at how fearlessly the hyenas just barged in with no regard for anything and just took over the kill. The poor cheetahs had no option what so ever to resist.

There is a reason they cant resist and that’s because even a scratch or a bite from a hyena can take their performance down by 10% or 15% for a few days. The margin between predator and prey especially for cheetah is very narrow, its prey has a 100meter head start and runs very fast as well. So if the cheetah is not performing at optimum then its likely she will miss much more and that could be life or starvation for cheetah mom and her cubs. She just walked away and gamely started scouting for her next hunt. The hyenas were the victors on the battlefield once again.

COME ON SAFARI WITh US AND HAVE YOUR OWN AMAZING STORIES TO TELL - www.dreadlionsafaris.com

NOW YOU SEE ME......

In the bush you have to be in tune with your surroundings and sensitive to the animals you see and what they are feeling. Its not always simple to do and often you don’t get a amazing reward for it but when it clicks its very special. I was driving along the southern river road and we had stopped to watch a herd of elephants walk by. Lovely to see those majestic animals walk across the bushveld. Just as I was moving along I noticed 2 female kudu looking at a clump of logs and bushes rather anxiously. Seemed like there was nothing there at all but the 2 kudu females were convinced there was something there. So I stopped and looked from where they were, nothing. Moved forward a bit, nothing. Moved directly in front of the log covered with bushes and switched off the car. Got the binoculars out and stared into the clump of vegetation. All at once I saw movement. There was something there!!! But what?? Was it worth spending time here for what could be a sleepy warthog? Anyway, the kudu were still anxious so I kept at it.

Soon enough a little head peeped up through at me and I go the jolt of my life. It was a baby leopard. ‘Leopard’ I shouted to my guests in a stage whisper and every one glued their eyes to the bushes hoping for a new glance. Now I was a little concerned. If this little bloke was here alone and we attract attention then jackals, hyenas, honey badgers and worst of all lions may find him and that would be the end. No trees in the vicinity less than 30 meters away. It would be curtains for the poor bloke. Then some one said ‘That’s not a cub’ followed by someone else ‘Seems like there are two’. All this while I have been taking pictures and hoping to catch the movement into something tangible. So I went back over the photos, one by one. Sure enough. Mom and the little one were together. It would have still been hard to take the little one to safety from where she was so another couple minutes and we were off. What a cool sighting. Nobody in sight to tell either. The kudu were right to be nervous, but they outweigh a leopard almost 3 times so no real danger there. COME ON SAFARI WITh US AND HAVE YOUR OWN AMAZING STORIES TO TELL - www.dreadlionsafaris.com

THE NSEMANI LIONS.

Deep in the heart of Kruger is a beautiful waterhole called the Nsemani dam. The dam abuts the road and while parked there one can have a panoramic view of the dam and the surrounds and naturally such a large dam attracts wildlife of all sizes, so it’s a game viewing paradise. I had heard that the Nsemani pride that lives around the Nsemani dam had small cubs, and quite a few so that day on safari, I decided to go look for them. Apparently they drink late just after sunset and I was hoping to find the pride lazing about near the waterhole. They were not there. We cant really hang around there too much at that time cuz the camp gates will close and so I left, a little disappointed.

So bright and early the next morning, you guessed it, we went back. Again nothing happening on the road or in the bush on the far side. So we went around the corner to the viewpoint above the river bed and were treated to a wonderful sight. 4 lionesses were sitting in the early morning sun and a couple of cubs lazed close by. As we watched them just lying there a movement caught my eye and sure enough here were more in the back behind the termite mound that lay next to one of the lionesses. Then there was more movement and a few more stood up and stretched. Just getting the kinks out their joints as it were. There are a couple yoga poses that are named after these movements believe it or not.

Lions stretching usually means they are going to move so I moved the car in to a position where they would likely go if they were heading for the shade and sure enough. 23 lions walked by. Just sat there and watched the royal family go past at about 10 to 25 meters. Slowly and casually as if they owned the place which they actually do. Ha! Little ones scurrying along with anxious glances around, bigger ones scoping the area for a potential target, and finally the king just making sure everyone is all ok. It was such a treat, what a way to start the day. What an amazing 30 minutes.

COME ON SAFARI WITh US AND HAVE YOUR OWN AMAZING STORIES TO TELL - www.dreadlionsafaris.com

The portable airconditioner of the bush.

Rhinos are huge. You look at them and really wonder at them cuz they look like they are from a different time. Almost dinosaur in size and shape and the black rhinos have a mean disposition. Those have been hunted to near extinction all for the horn. These are white rhinos, so called by the early settlers who were of Dutch extraction and referred to them as 'weit' meaning wide mouth rhinos. The English came along and figured it was 'white' and we are now stuck with that nomeclature. White rhinos are more placid and considerably bigger than black rhinos. They live in the grasslands and their mouth is perfect for eating grass.

These two mother and calf, have obviously been cooling off in a mud wallow. The idea being you sit in the mud and roll around in it cake yourself all over with the wet cool slimy mud. Then as it dries off it cools you down. Like a portable airconditioner. Then the side benefit is when it is all dried up you scrape it off on a convenient tree or a rock and all those pesky ticks and bloodsucking parasites that are on your skin are sloughed off by the mud being scraped off. Exfoliation in the bush. Most Large mammals do this, in fact even warthogs who are not really that big use the same technique.

This cute little guy has been busy at it as well. Literally coated like icing on a cake. Too cute. COME ON SAFARI WITh US AND HAVE YOUR OWN AMAZING STORIES TO TELL - www.dreadlionsafaris.com

Hippo mock fighting

One thing about the bush, there is a lot of testosterone going around. These young adult hippos are no exception. There is a strict hierarchy and pecking order and it is to be maintained and followed without question. Except of course when it is challenged. Young males of most species are continuously scuffling, fighting, sparring and trying to get ahead. They show off their mouths to each other and try to dominate the other by showing how wide they can open their mouths.

The big bulls weigh in at 3000kgs and they don’t really need to do this kid stuff. They are the for real guys. The youngsters however are constantly questioning their place in the line. Hippo teeth are actually tusks meant purely for the purpose of combat. They eat grass but they do not have teeth to chew the grass. Forward pointed tusks in their lower jaw and the huge canines can do fearful damage in a real fight. Thank God this is just a scuffle and no real damage was done.

COME ON SAFARI WITh US AND HAVE YOUR OWN AMAZING STORIES TO TELL - www.dreadlionsafaris.com

Cheetah mom and cub on the hunt.

Early morning we enter from the Crocodile bridge gate. It’s a chilly morning and the mist is in the air, the river is literally steaming with the swirls of mist rising off the water and I said to myself Kruger rocks. Get through the gate and something prompted a left turn on to the river road. We usually go straight but today switched it up. Impala left and right with the warthogs grubbing for roots around them, a few elephants a little further in just swaying their massive bodies as they grazed. Classic Africa! Eyes peeled for cats we continue along past the open areas through the wooded section. This is leopard country and it is after all leopard ‘o’ clock. Mr. Spots moves around in the morning after a nightly prowl looking for a place to rest up before the sun gets high and its too warm. All at once a lithe body makes it’s way across the road about 100m ahead, followed by another one.

We suppress the shout ‘CHEETAH’ and scoot along a little quicker. Sure enough there they are, mother and cub. She was obviously hunting and climbed up on a fallen log to get a good look around. The little guy also did the same right after. There were some impala in the back in thicker bush and she moved off trying to get a little closer. The little fellow followed along behind her and we turned a corner to find them again which we did. The impala got spooked however and they took off. So you win some and you lose some everyday. We had some good photos and an exciting time and moved on ourselves as well. What a great start to a day in the bush!