Pink in Pilanesberg

User avatar
Amoli
Posts: 6032
Joined: Fri Jun 01, 2012 4:30 am
Country: South Africa
Location: Kempton Park
Contact:

Re: Pink in Pilanesberg

Post by Amoli »

Flutterby wrote:I may be wrong, but I've always thought that Pilanesberg is understocked.
I have been thinking of this and made a list of my sightings. This trip I had 78 different sightings in 1.1/2 days. It is about the same as we had in December - yet half of what I saw this time round, I did not see in December. And half of what I saw in December, I did not see now. There are still a lot of animals of which some mites have posted, that I have yet to see. I am happy wih this amoun of sightings in any park. \O

Maybe sightings also depend on the time of the year.
Right now Pilansberg is so overgrown and lush that I do not think you will see Klipspringer or for that matter any cat lying more than a meter from the road.


Pretoriuskop
Satara
Shingwedzi
20-30 Dec 2014
BunnyHugger

Re: Pink in Pilanesberg

Post by BunnyHugger »

After Mankwe we decided to head in a different direction than we had been the day before. Driving along we got a few nice shots of an ellie posing for us. A single lone ellie and not a very big one at that. Little did we realise at the time but we were about to have the sighting of our lives for most of us.

Before we get onto the big reveal, I think I'd like a small detour.

As we ambled along the road, it was discovered that with the exception of Amoli and myself, everyone else was a Pilanesberg virgin. It was about my 5th trip and as mentioned before, the last one was some 12 years ago.

I recall back then seeing many Sable and a lot more buck than I saw this time out. Also a lot of Rhino back then. I think it was during the 97 trip that I saw a caracal as well.

While on the sunject of then and now and maybe not entirely fair, but I'd like to do a few comparisons between Pilanesberg and KNP. No, silly tarts, not the size. The overall experience. Back in the mid 90's,it had been some time since I had last done a KNP visit, but I loved the hides at Pilanesberg. It was different. The roads were in fairly decent shape so no complaints there. Cost-wise, KNP is hugely more expensive. I don't have the foggiest as to why SANPARKS management think it's a cheap holiday. It's not. Pilanesberg is much more reasonably priced. (This is a comparison between the cost of camping for a group such as went there this past weekend. (28 and 29 January 2012).

I noticed that the grounds had deteriorated somewhat which was a great pity for me. Bakgatla was an awesome camp. It still is. It's just not what it used to be. One thing I did notice is that they no longer put fruit on nails around the trees. It used to attract the fruit eating birds which made being in camp a lot more attractive than it is.

Another thing is the potholes in the tar roads. Pilanesberg management, if you are somehow reading this drivel, please do something about the roads. You have a magical game reserve. The scenery is brilliant, the game is fair decent, but you guys are missing a trick by letting the roads deteriorate like they have. And you don't even have the lunatic truck drivers delivering goods to shops inside the reserve. Please fix the roads to make a good experience great.
Oh and one other thing, please can we have a few hints with our maps next time we enter. My SO really, REALLY, REALLY wanted to see some cats. We couldn't find even one.

Seriously, you could maybe restock on the sable, have a few more of the general antelope and maybe a few more cats. Other than that, it was a great weekend. The ablutions were clean, the pool was sparkling and the whole place was free of litter. Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. So nice to see a clean reserve for once. SANPARKS, you are missing many tricks, not just one or two. Get your act together, clean up the reserve and stop this hotel nonsense. Get back to the business of conserving nature and clean up that pigsty. I'll be a penny to a pound of ellie poo that most of it is from you diamond class visitors anyway. Oh, and one more thing, I never saw one speeding idjit either. Yep, no speeding in the reserve. If they can do it, you can too. You just have to want to. So get off your lazy boy chairs and out of your airconditioned offices and do you work. O/ O/. It is after all out taxes that pay your lazy butts.

Nice one Pilanesberg. Take a bow. Keep it up and we'll be back with our friends for sure.

(Anyone have one of those buncha flower thingamajig smiley dis tings?) Please insert here.
\O


BunnyHugger

Re: Pink in Pilanesberg

Post by BunnyHugger »

Flutterby wrote:Nice summation there BH!! \O
Now we just want to hear about dis-ting that was so fabulous!!! :shock:

Patience dear peeps, patience. We still have a way to drive before we get to the super dooper dis-ting sighting. All will be revealed very soon. The narrative of this TR wishes to thank all patrons for their custom and attention in the drive so far. We are merly giving everyone a small taste of what it's like to drive around for hours on end and see very little. Thankfully, there was a bee eater on just about every tree and one or two other birds to keep us from being completely bored.

The big MAKULU dis-ting is about 15 km from current position in the trip. We are so close, you can smell it the way PN can smell and Ellie. I'm just giving them a chance to come up with anything they would like to add, like pickshus, comments or a Nogga or two. Besides, this has been thirsty work and I need a break. Time for IO and a smoke.


JoeKing
Posts: 418
Joined: Fri Jun 01, 2012 8:53 am
Country: ZA
Location: Muldersdrift
Contact:

Re: Pink in Pilanesberg

Post by JoeKing »

BH

There are between 25-35 lions.
about 8 cheetah (some say only one...)
and at any given time 12 leopards as they easily scale the fence.

Have a look on your map and you'll see only half of the parks has roads. maybe going on a walk in the non-tourist areas will change your perception.

i also believe that the current number of cats is fair, as then too many territories will start over lapping. they should look at the cheetah situation, and also the WD pack.

they have dwindled from a pack of 20 to the current 6.

also having more lions(i know you said cats in general) will put bigger strain on the cheetah, WD and ofcourse the Brown Hyena population.

I love the park the way it is, and i can say that in a hand full of trips 6/30+, tat i didnt see cats.

I do agree about bakgatla's camping ground it has really deteriorated.

and the roads well one thing at a time.

They just completely paved the lenong view point as that was bad, very bad.

Also there was speak about NW parks board buying up land between Pilanesberg and Madikwe. to create a corridore for game to move.

In my eyes sanp can learn alot from NW tourism/parks board. they are doing a stunning job.


http://s1243.photobucket.com/user/jeroenkel/library/
http://s1243.photobucket.com/user/jeroenkel/library/South%20AFrica%202015-02

some of my Kruger and Pilanesberg Pics
User avatar
JustN@ture
Posts: 756
Joined: Thu May 31, 2012 11:00 pm
Location: Joburg
Contact:

Re: Pink in Pilanesberg

Post by JustN@ture »

Well after the wake up and coffee...hmmmm, we got in to the park and did the route.
sightings were great but no cats again...

Ostrich
Image

Marabou stork
Image

Image

Image

Image

and then of course the SPECIAL ONE.....

//\0--

//\0--

//\0--

//\0--

//\0--

Image

-O -O -O -O -O -O


Let us permit nature to have her way. She understands her business better than we do.
BunnyHugger

Re: Pink in Pilanesberg

Post by BunnyHugger »

Flutterby wrote:Image
Like 'ssssup Flutts. It's not every day one gets to see a posing ellie. She was actually doing a dance routine in the middle of the road and kept us entertained for quite some time. In all my years of game viewing, that was a first for me.


BunnyHugger

Re: Pink in Pilanesberg

Post by BunnyHugger »

Well why not??
Ellies are Makulu beats. Yeah, I know, dis one was a small ellie, and dancing the way she was was well, pretty awesome for all of us. Pity we didn't have a video camera. Maybe the lads will post a sequence of her Whacko Jacko steps. Then it might make more sense. \O


User avatar
Penga Ndlovu
Posts: 2404
Joined: Thu May 31, 2012 9:38 pm
Country: Bush area
Location: Grietjie Nature Reserve, Phalaborwa
Contact:

Re: Pink in Pilanesberg

Post by Penga Ndlovu »

Flutterby wrote:Firstly, that was me biting me nails in anticipation of the MAKULU dis-ting!

Secondly, was the dancing ellie the MAKULU dis-ting?????
Hey. She was tapdancing.

Never seen something as daft as that.

-O


"Longing for the bush is a luxury many have.
Living in the bush is a luxury that only a few have"
BunnyHugger

Re: Pink in Pilanesberg

Post by BunnyHugger »

Damn good thing JN had that moerse big lens with him otherwise we might not have got the pic we did, small as it is. Give that man a "Nogga". -O -O


User avatar
JustN@ture
Posts: 756
Joined: Thu May 31, 2012 11:00 pm
Location: Joburg
Contact:

Re: Pink in Pilanesberg

Post by JustN@ture »

-O -O -O

It was a BIG ellie FAR away....or is it a Small ellie Close up O** Image

here you go sorry but had to suspend the wait a bit longer //\0--
Flutterby wrote:Image
Flutts, here's your dancing ellie

Image


Let us permit nature to have her way. She understands her business better than we do.
Post Reply

Return to “Travel Tales of Pilanesberg Game Reserve”