The next morning we didn't mess around. We went straight to the spot where we'd seen the leopards the previous afternoon. Thankfully they were still there. Overnight, the mother had pulled the impala carcass up into a tree. Andrew told us that leopards can get their kills taken by hyena or lions or even other leopards. The hyena and lions can't climb as well as the leopards, so they can keep their catch (so long as they don't drop it).
The sub-adult male waiting for his turn to feed.
The sub-adult male climbing the tree after mom climbed down.
While the sub-adult male was feeding, a fourth leopard came onto the scene. Andrew told us that he was an unrelated male who had stolen from this mother leopard in the past. While this male leopard waiting on the ground growling at the mother, the subadult male in the tree began to struggle holding the impala.
Perhaps, not surprisingly, the subadult male eventually dropped it. The adult male didn't hesitate to grab the impala and immediately start feeding.
The other leopards could only watch as their food was stolen and eaten right in front of them.
We were so spoiled by this leopard encounter. To see so many of them so close while they were so active was a real treat. Eventually, we needed to leave them and seek out our next experience. We drove through the riverbed on the other side of Ngala Tented Camp.
Here's our tent cabin...
We encountered a couple of Red Hornbills. Even the South Africans call them Zazu birds.
Driving down a narrow dirt road on the edge of the reserve we encountered a large group of giraffes that were feeding. Andrew told us that a group of giraffes are called a "tower". It sparked a conversation about other animal groups like a pride of lions, a leap of leopards, or our personal favorite...a crash of rhino.
The final 45 minutes of our game drive was spent on a bush walk with Andrew. He explained to us the importance of the many termite mounds that we saw in the savannah around the river bed. The termites are actually cultivating fungi inside the mounds by bringing wood to feed it. Many animals make their homes inside or around these mounds when the termites eventually decide to leave them.
At the end of the drive, we bid farewell to Kai and Barbara, they were headed to another lodge before they returned to Berlin. Back at the lodge we stayed in our usual routine. Breakfast, nap and then lunch. This time, lunch was served at the pool and the double thick amarula milk shake was definitely a highlight.
Before our afternoon game drive, we met our new companions, a mother and daughter from Virginia. Our vehicle was now completely full of Americans, and we felt very sorry for Andrew...
We saw a ton of animals that afternoon. Here are some large female Kudu.
Bushbuck
Vervet Monkeys
A single male hippo in a small watering hole.
Cape Buffalo lying right next to that watering hole.
Wait....those guys look familiar.
We were overcome with relief to see the two male rhinos from a couple of days ago. Apparently they were not taken by the poacher after all. Andrew told us that the staff had named them Notchy (for all of the notches in his ears) and Limpy (because he had a limp from being shot by a poacher once before).
We bid farewell to Limpy and Notchy and hoped that they would be safe. While it was great that they'd escaped the poacher that previous night, another rhino was not so lucky.
A grumpy bachelor herd of Cape Buffalo.
More Kudu
Wildebeest.
African Sunset
It was our final night in Ngala and Andrew had a special surprise for us. A candlelit sundowner station was set up and we were able to enjoy our cocktails in style before heading back to the lodge.
On the lodge balcony while enjoying pre-dinner drinks, we heard the trumpet of an elephant and were able to watch a small herd walk by on the river bed. The big black lumps in the pictures below are those same elephants.
After that excitement, our group sat down to dinner with Andrew and shared stories and laughs. It was a great way to end an amazing day. We'd have one more game drive in South Africa before setting out for the urban jungle of Johannesburg.
No comments:
Post a Comment