Africa Wild

30th Lower Sabie continued

As we hit the northern junction of the S86/H1-3 we decided to travel a little further north as the few km before the start of the S86 often produces leopard and 2km later we spotted 2 cars stopped and a leopard was relaxing in the grass close to the road.

This had the potential to develop into a fantastic sighting as the leopard seemed relaxed, but 5 minutes later an OSV arrived and the guests were completely overexcited and half were standing up in the OSV and the other half talking so loudly that you could have heard them a 100m away. At the same time another car arrived and the driver was leaning frantically forward with his camera and set his hooter off. The leopard got up instantly, walked off into the bush and disappeared.

The Cow was wilder than I was for a change.

“They caused this. Stupid people!”

I have stuffed up a few trips getting involved with doff people at sightings like this and it ruins your day, so I just started up, turned and headed back towards Tshokwane for a chow and we only stopped once more for some kudu hanging nervously around the riverbed.


This time the Cow, Hawkeyes and I had wors rolls, but the 2 junior rats were still suspicious of the kudu wors and shared hot chips instead. At R45 for a wors roll it certainly isn’t cheap, but it’s good quality wors in my opinion, besides I refused to follow our initial pre trip plan of the Skukuza Golf Club because the aunty there had pissed me off with the shoe policy and I wasn’t putting my safety boots on again which were the only shoes in my luggage.

At the H10/H1-2 junction we had seen a baby giraffe carcass on the way up but there were no predators in sight so we had just continued on, however now there were some vultures around so we decided to park off a little before heading back down the H10 to camp.

I find vultures rather ugly and scally but the clan seems to enjoy them and after 5 minutes it seemed safe to leave so I started up and pulled off, but as I drove down the road Albert, who was still staring at the vultures through the back window, started squealing

“LION, LION!”

I hit the brakes, turned and went back, arriving just as a lioness chased all the vultures away.

The lioness checked us out for a while, chased another vulture and then decided it was time to show her strength and she started to move her kill deeper into the bush.

The dragging and stopping for a rest continued until she was fairly deep in and once she was happy she went to lie down in the shade of a bush, so we continued on down the H10 which was still fairly quiet, however just before the S29 northern entrance we found a father ostrich with his juniors next to the road which was a very cool sighting for all, so we parked off for 15 minutes just watching.


The Cow got excited on the H10 Bridge for a bird cruising around; I think it’s a Jacana. A little way onto the H4-2, on the way to the leopard carcass from earlier, the Cow spotted a lion sleeping halfway down to the river and the leopard carcass was untouched, however a gang of cars were parked off staring at the carcass, so we turned and headed for Sunset Dam which produced more birds for the Cow.

It was now around 1:30pm, Bushpig’s flu/sinusitis had kicked into high gear and we were moving to Talamati the next day, hence we decided to spend the rest of the day charging cameras, doing shopping for odds and ends, getting organized to move and just relaxing around camp. I thought this would bother me big time, but I made an early fire and actually enjoyed just parking off with the family around the afternoon braai. Besides, I purchased my first beers of the trip and they went down rather well.

To be continued

Bushcraft wrote: ↑Wed Oct 31, 2018 1:27 pm 30th Lower Sabie continued


This had the potential to develop into a fantastic sighting as the leopard seemed relaxed, but 5 minutes later an OSV arrived and the guests were completely overexcited and half were standing up in the OSV and the other half talking so loudly that you could have heard them a 100m away. At the same time another car arrived and the driver was leaning frantically forward with his camera and set his hooter off. The leopard got up instantly, walked off into the bush and disappeared.

The Cow was wilder than I was for a change.

“They caused this. Stupid people!”

I have stuffed up a few trips getting involved with doff people at sightings like this and it ruins your day, so I just started up, turned and headed back towards Tshokwane for a chow and we only stopped once more for some kudu hanging nervously around the riverbed.

You can Keep it ....What a shame ..The Jeep Jockey probably cut his guiding competence Certificate out of a Kid's Colouring in Book ..Love the power of the lioness WOW ..you try and do that ..Awesome animal the Lion

The OSV drivers ought to give their guests a lesson on behaviour at a sighting

The giraffe kill must have been rather heavy, but it looks as if the lioness has cubs, so nothing is too much for her

Nice birds

I refuse to talk leopards

fish eagle kill....

wow

The lioness is a nursing mum

I lost track of the leopard count… But don't you dare to post just one episode with none in it.
I got so used to see them here by now

Great stuff And it would have been even greater if the leopard had dropped on the bushbuck.
A sighting like that is high on my wishlist

We were at Olifants, BC!

Ja, the lioness has cubs by the look of it, so probably a solo kill? Such power!

More and more ostrich families being seen lately - maybe just coincidence?

I don't think an OSV driver can keep a herd of foreigners quiet when they stop next to a leopard like that!

I suppose it is ok to be barefoot at a picnic spot?

Those little ostriches are so cute

And another leopard, Bushcraft,

but gladly you saw as well Kudu and lions and a lot of different birds - Your sighting were indeed brilliant