March 24, 25, 26
Our day
yesterday started with the warthog charge and ended with our flashlight picking
up the glowing eyes of a hyena only meters from where we were walking to our tent in the Skukusa campground. Notices
in the bathrooms of the campsite warned of hyena and the danger they
are to campers. One line read “their teeth can shatter bones”. Yikes! We did not see that hyena again.
We stayed in
Kruger in the Skukusa campsite for three nights. On our first morning we
drove alongside hyena napping on the side of the road just outside our campground.
Not far along our first close sighting of giraffe.
Then three lion lion lazing in the tall grass.
Then next day had everything. Travelling
to Lower Sabie we saw crocodiles lounging on the side of the same pond the
hippos were having a dance.
Baboons, monkeys, zebra and most spectacular, a pride
of lions taking down a warthog who had innocently wandered into the wrong
neighborhood. A loud squeal was all that was heard and that pride was feasting.
They are efficient killers and eaters.
Male eating first.
Females getting the leftovers. Doesn't seem like one warthog would go that far.
During slow times of not seeing any large animals we resorted to bird watching.
Nearing the end of our day, we again came across elephants on and beside the road. This one had had enough of vehicles for a day and started coming towards our van. Slowly and then the pace increased. We kept backing up at a steady pace, but he was keeping up. When they flap both ears that is a warning sign. Both ears were going. Most elephant charges are false and luckily this one turned into bush before hitting us.
Jack did not let it get far enough into the bush for as we went to carry on along the road it came charging out of the grass and shook its huge head as we drove past. No one was happy with Jack's decision as that was too close.
We recovered from that charge only to find another grumpy elephant a little further up the road. The kids are ante elephant now.
Our drive back after 8 hours that day saw even more elephants trumpeting, jumping at each other and running hard through a river.
We came across a troop of baboons. One caught a ride on our hitch for awhile.
Back at camp we made our supper and sat amongst the largest crickets and grasshoppers.
Later when
we were stopped viewing some elephants by a water hole, a car with a familiar
couple parked beside us. Jasper and Monique, a couple from the Netherlands who
we had camped beside in Oudtshoorn, Knysna, Addo and now saw in Kruger. That is
amazing how that happens. In a large country to come across the same people 4
times sounds impossible.
We watched these elephants splash themselves and then come up onto the road behind our van.
During slow times of not seeing any large animals we resorted to bird watching.
Nearing the end of our day, we again came across elephants on and beside the road. This one had had enough of vehicles for a day and started coming towards our van. Slowly and then the pace increased. We kept backing up at a steady pace, but he was keeping up. When they flap both ears that is a warning sign. Both ears were going. Most elephant charges are false and luckily this one turned into bush before hitting us.
Jack did not let it get far enough into the bush for as we went to carry on along the road it came charging out of the grass and shook its huge head as we drove past. No one was happy with Jack's decision as that was too close.
We recovered from that charge only to find another grumpy elephant a little further up the road. The kids are ante elephant now.
Our drive back after 8 hours that day saw even more elephants trumpeting, jumping at each other and running hard through a river.
We came across a troop of baboons. One caught a ride on our hitch for awhile.
Back at camp we made our supper and sat amongst the largest crickets and grasshoppers.
