Indeed we were first. The hippos were making their way back from grazing into the shallow pools. A way into the park we discovered a group of batchelor impalas. But they were acting strangely. They were all huffing out of their noses, which is a sign of distress. They were all looking in the same direction. Our guide knew something was up. We waited and looked all around to see what the threat might be. After awhile the guide decided it was a false alarm. The next vehicle after us, however, saw the leopard charge out of the bushes and pounce on one of the hapless creatures and carried him off just like that. We saw the leopard kill, we just don't know which one he was.
We came across a large troop of baboons enjoying the yellow fruits from the vines on the trees. Some younsters were playing king of the mountain on a signpost. One was trying to get to the top and used the one there's tail to swing around it. We had a great time watching their antics. I uploaded the video to Youtube because it was really fun to watch.
We saw a longtail bird which has this really long black tail on the male but only when he wants to find a mate. It was three times as long as he. We also saw a swamp boubou bird. Next, Thompson spied a monitor lizard, but it took several minutes for anyone else to catch a glimpse even though it never moved. It would have been about 3 feet long.
We finally saw a kudu by himself. He had a bird on his back picking off the insects.
We arrived at the lion kill site and there were two vehicles there! There were now 6 lions feeding on the juvenile elephant. The male lion was watching under a tree. He had black hair behind his main mane of gold. There was a younger male nearby who had a peach fuzz mane starting. Thompson said he would be kicked out of the pride when he fully matured. The whole pride comprised of 10 adults. There were 4 cubs in the brush but we never saw them.
We continued on the road further than last night and within one sweep of the head saw elephants, impala, warthogs and baboons.
There were giraffes in the distance.
Large groups of impala seemed to be around every corner. Their coats are shiny and clean and the markings attractive. Even though they are the most ubiquitous animals, I always enjoy seeing them and how they prance/run.
On our evening safari we saw much the same, watching elephants with their young, sometimes even a two month old. We also saw a lone bull in must. He was a sorry sight, trumpeting at us, leaking sperm, and weeping from his temporal gland. The hippos are also fun to watch especially when they are wandering around or peeking out of the water and snorting. Baboons seem to play around, up trees, wandering all over the place. There is usually a baby or two on the mama's back or under her belly holding on for dear life. Warthogs snort around, wag their tufted tails in the air as they seem to trot. We always laugh when we see them. The vast savannah is beautiful.
This time of year it is green with grass and leaves. It is the slow season because it is the rainy season. Your trip can be totally reuined by a few days of rain. Thompson said he had one group that had rain 13 of 17 days so that they could only do one activity a day. The green grass and leafy trees make sighting animals hard to do, especially elusive, lone animals like leopards and cheetahs.
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