DR JO ON SAFARI
Destination: Kruger, South Africa
Reserves: Makalali, Sabi Sands (Lion Sands)
While studying zoology I learned about zebras and lions and leopards and buffalo and antelope and all sorts of other fascinating creatures. I had seen them in zoos. I had never encountered them in the wild until now…
Two safaris every day day for a week, the first at 6am – and at a cold 3C – and the evening one at 3:30pm. Even if you are not a morning person, the prospect of seeing wild animals has you jumping out of bed.
Civet, Mongoose and more.
Highlights
Lion encounters
After 90 minutes of searching for lions, we saw 3 giraffe heads over the trees ahead and and as we drove into the clearing where they were, then started to run. “Why are the giraffes running? we asked. Just then a lion appeared in front of our vehicle. “Lion!” everyone called. We followed two male lions for the next half hour, who were more interested in lazing around than hunting. It was rather amazing to watch one stretch its entire body vertically up a tree, then scratch its claws against the bark – a natural scratching post.
After we left them, we turned the next bed in the road and there were 7 lions lying on the track…
On another drive, we came across 4 lions, two males and two females. One female was leading the two males on a hunt, followed in the rear by the second female who was pregnant. She moved slowly along the tracks and we followed her.
How amazing to make eye contact with a wild lion as she squatted to urinate! And how my life, everywhere I go, is filled with peeing pussycats, big or small!!
By now, I was hooked on safari trips…
More highlights – Elephant encounters
and Leopard encounters… coming soon
Meanwhile, you can listen to Dr Jo’s stories on her encounters at Pet Talk Radio. Listen here
DR JO’S SAFARI HIGHLIGHTS – ELEPHANTS
Every safari drive is different. You never know what you will encounter. You can drive for an hour seeing little or perhaps seeing hundreds of impala but little else. Then you turn a bend and there is a zebra crossing. Yes, literally, zebras are crossing the road in front of you!
Elephants are magnificent creatures and I had 2 special encounters at two separate reserves. One with a group of elephants including a couple of young males, one who was very inquisitive…
One young make broke away from the group, after tussling with his brother, and decided to investigate our vehicle. “Don’t worry” our guide advised. “He’s playing!” Amazingly, in spite of the elephant approaching with flapping ears and knowing that his trunk can pull a fully grown tree out by its roots or overturn a safari vehicle, I did not worry.
Watch our Elephant encounter
On another occasion, we spotted a group of about 12 elephants wandering along the road in front of our vehicle. With them was a tiny baby, less than 6 months old. The baby struggled to keep up with the group but several of them walked beside him. He fell down a ditch in the road and the others helped with their trunks to lift him back on to the road. Just beautiful to watch a bonded family.
We also were lucky enough to spend time watching a female elephant and her young, 2 year old bull calf. They were on a dry river bed and the mother had dug a water hole. We watched the two elephants interact including the calf nursing from his mum. At this age he would be eating leaves and plants as well as still receiving milk. He will stay with his mother until he becomes a boisterous adolescent, at around 12 years of age.
Amazingly the mother was calm enough to allow us to watch her and her baby. At one point she did appear to become a little agitated and so we moved on. See this
Elephant & Baby encounter
What a priviledge to be able to observe interactions like these. One I shall never forget.
Read on for Dr Jo’s Safari highlights of a Leopard encounter
DR JO’S SAFARI HIGHLIGHTS – LEOPARDS
I was swapping little cats for big ones. Swapping my animal print home decor for real living animal coat patterns… watching Leopards.
We heard about a leopard and her cub and raced off on an extra Safari trip to view them in a reserve near Lion Sands, where we were staying. What a beautiful sight to see the mother leopard and her cub, a female, relaxed enough to be playing together on the ground. Mum had made a recent kill of a bush buck and had dragged it up a tree (the kill was so fresh that blood was dripping down form the tree). Having this supply of food for her and her cub, left her free time to be able to play and relax over the next couple of days.
This sighting and watching the interactions between mum and cub were too good to miss and so we went back the next day. By this time, the prey in the tree was rather fragrant (smelly). Mum and cub again were relaxing on the ground with the cub occasionally pouncing on her tail or coming in for a rub and cuddle. Being a single cub, mum had to be a playmate, as well as main provider of food.
These animals were so relaxed around us which is great for future safaris. The cub, as she grows, is unlikely to run away from vehicles and humans, as so many other animals do. Instead her socialisation process has included positive encounters, albeit from a distance, with us.
You can watch them in the following video, the cub exploring and the mum climbing her tree, followed by her cub also climbing. A magic moment of our safari…
Truly the most amazing part of my safari.
Read more about Dr Jo’s safari…
Love your ‘peeing pussycat’ comment! I loved seeing your photos while you were gone; I felt like I was living vicarously through you for that time. Thankyou for sharing your amazing adventure with us. I’m looking forward to the next chapter!
Thanks Rae McInnes. It was absolutely unbelievable – a holiday of a lifetime – until I do it again 😉