5. Jaci's Sabi House - Part II: Wildlife

Of course the real reason why we're there is to enjoy the amazing African wildlife.



Twice a day we would get aboard the open-air truck that would go searching for animals. While the drivers did have prodigious tracking skills that often found wildlife for us, they also communicated with other trucks if they found some of the more impressive creatures. The reserve doesn't allow more than three cars to converge on a big sighting, so sometimes you have to time your arrival. The amazing thing though, and even I'm not used to this, was that the trucks follow the animals into the bush while evading larger trees and riding right over smaller ones. Very surreal, but incredible to follow a leopard or elephant while they walk for a few kilometers.


Yellow-billed hornbill

Eventually we came across a beautiful leopard who was clearly looking for food. Apparently they spend a great deal of their day eating - everything from mice to larger buck, but they make sure to get their calories in. I was once again surprised how small they are compared to lions. Of course, if a leopard wants to eat you you'll have no chance, but they're still half the size of the king of the beasts. A leopard female is about 50kg and a male about 90kg, but lions start at 150kg for females.












A giraffe


Stopping for sundowners and snacks


A chameleon


A dung beetle - these are fascinating and extremely powerful little creatures that use the stars to navigate with their dung balls.


Sunset




Trouble brewing - One evening we were out at dusk and I started to see a big build up of clouds and noticed far off heavy rain. We started to make our way back to camp but the clouds were faster and soon we were in the middle of the bush in a building African thunderstorm. Despite the odds of being struck, I'm really scared of lightning and this was the first time I was feeling unsettled in the bush. We were in an open top car on a plain with lightning falling around us. Despite being well on our way we were caught in a torrential storm and nearby lightning strikes that left me pretty irritable for the rest of the night. Luckily we had ponchos to prevent us from being drenched, but I wasn't irritated by the water. My family thought it was the best experience ever but I hated it.

The next day we came across our first lion pride. They were mostly young males.








Lions look like big cats but when they stare at you with their predatory eyes you immediately realize how dangerous they are and that you are clearly in the food category.


African Giant Snail - this was the biggest snail I've ever seen with at least an 8-inch shell. Apparently there is a farmer growing them for 'snail steaks' as a delicacy but I'm not sure how its going.

We were also lucky to see African Wild Dogs. These are very rare and beautiful. They behave just like dogs do and they were chasing one another around fighting over a steenbuck head that they'd found. Death by these dogs is the most brutal of all as the pack tears you to pieces - unlike the cats who bite your neck and put you out of your misery. The dogs also have incredible stamina and a pack can run down antelope over 50km or more until they're exhausted. We were also lucky to see a few puppies. The pack is led by an alpha and beta female.






Zebra with a strange pattern - looked like a QR Code


Nyala


Waterbuck

Later we were lucky to come across a pair of white rhinos, who were once common but have been decimated by poachers for their horns. These two were dehorned to make them less alluring to poachers and were frolicking in the green trees.





The next day we saw one of the legendary male lions of the reserve, Dark Mane. He used to be a very powerful and large male who dominated the region but two years ago a buffalo broke his leg. Normally this would be a death sentence for a lion but he survived. He limps around and follows other prides. He still has enough power to chase lesser lions from the kill and get some meat, but he isn't a leader anymore and has been chased off a few times by other males. Admittedly, he was looking a little thin when we saw him and I didn't think he had much time left.







... and how right I was! A few days later we left the reserve and he accompanied a pride to try take down a buffalo. Unfortunately the buffalo herd rallied and chased the lions off but because of his limp he was caught by them and they threw him around for almost half an hour. Sadly, he died of his injuries that night and that was the end of a great male lion. I have since come across the footage of him being killed by the buffalo herd on various websites - and he really had no chance. I guess sometimes the buffalo wins but it couldn't have been nice to witness.




Hippo

Although the big cats are beautiful and intriguing, they're actually boring because all they do is sleep. The best animals for me are social animals like elephants who walk around in families and interact. Its incredible to watch them socialize - from older elephants who can be sixty years old to little babies who can't even use their trunks. They're incredibly dangerous animals if they feel threatened but if you know their body language they are peaceful to be around and will even let you drive close to them. It's all about mutual respect.


An angsty teenager




A grumpy old man



Ultimately the safari came to an end and we drove back on our last evening before exiting the park.