Sighting: Big Game for Christmas at Pafuri
Location: Pafuri Camp, Makuleke Concession, Kruger National Park
Date: 25 December 2009
Observer: Enos Mngomezulu
On Christmas Day this year, I took the Meyer family on an afternoon game drive. Within our first kilometre we were enjoying a sighting of an adult male lion close to the banks of the Luvuvhu River. He had just caught a young baboon - in fact, one of the guides had found him by responding to the frenzy of loud baboon and nyala barks, as these animals reacted in alarm to the sudden killing of one of their own.
We enjoyed the sighting and then left the large male lying in the shade with his prize, expecting to see him reunite with his pride after dark. As we moved along the northern banks of the Luvuvhu we saw a couple of elephant bulls and then two consecutive breeding herds, all of which had been attracted to the waters of the river because of the heat of this day. This is pretty standard at Pafuri where elephant viewing during the dryer months of the year is very good. We were very surprised as we watched the second breeding herd however to notice no fewer than six white rhino grazing nearby. The rhino were in two groups of three and we gazed our fill before moving off for well-earned sundowners on what had been a hot but thrilling afternoon.
Nature wasn't done with us yet though. About two hundred metres from the rhino and elephant sighting, we spotted a female leopard about 20 metres from the road. While we viewed the leopard, an elephant bull in musth started approaching the vehicle. At the same time the leopard started moving along the road, and I reversed along the road keeping an eye on both animals. Over the next 15 minutes the elephant moved in between us and the leopard, sometimes obscuring our view, as he contemplated our vehicle. Eventually as we reversed to follow the leopard which was moving away from us, the elephant bull decided to pass and left us with our leopard. The leopard crossed the road behind us and started stalking some impala, at some stage being lost to our view in the undergrowth, allowing us to leave the sighting and stretch our legs with a cold drink.
After sundowners we headed back to camp, it was now getting dark and we sighted one buffalo bull along the road to add to our mammal tally for the afternoon that had also included kudu, impala, vervet monkey, bushbuck, waterbuck and warthog.
That was my Christmas present!
Location: Pafuri Camp, Makuleke Concession, Kruger National Park
Date: 25 December 2009
Observer: Enos Mngomezulu
On Christmas Day this year, I took the Meyer family on an afternoon game drive. Within our first kilometre we were enjoying a sighting of an adult male lion close to the banks of the Luvuvhu River. He had just caught a young baboon - in fact, one of the guides had found him by responding to the frenzy of loud baboon and nyala barks, as these animals reacted in alarm to the sudden killing of one of their own.
We enjoyed the sighting and then left the large male lying in the shade with his prize, expecting to see him reunite with his pride after dark. As we moved along the northern banks of the Luvuvhu we saw a couple of elephant bulls and then two consecutive breeding herds, all of which had been attracted to the waters of the river because of the heat of this day. This is pretty standard at Pafuri where elephant viewing during the dryer months of the year is very good. We were very surprised as we watched the second breeding herd however to notice no fewer than six white rhino grazing nearby. The rhino were in two groups of three and we gazed our fill before moving off for well-earned sundowners on what had been a hot but thrilling afternoon.
Nature wasn't done with us yet though. About two hundred metres from the rhino and elephant sighting, we spotted a female leopard about 20 metres from the road. While we viewed the leopard, an elephant bull in musth started approaching the vehicle. At the same time the leopard started moving along the road, and I reversed along the road keeping an eye on both animals. Over the next 15 minutes the elephant moved in between us and the leopard, sometimes obscuring our view, as he contemplated our vehicle. Eventually as we reversed to follow the leopard which was moving away from us, the elephant bull decided to pass and left us with our leopard. The leopard crossed the road behind us and started stalking some impala, at some stage being lost to our view in the undergrowth, allowing us to leave the sighting and stretch our legs with a cold drink.
After sundowners we headed back to camp, it was now getting dark and we sighted one buffalo bull along the road to add to our mammal tally for the afternoon that had also included kudu, impala, vervet monkey, bushbuck, waterbuck and warthog.
That was my Christmas present!
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