The Circle of Life

By Katie Peige

Wow, it’s been an amazing two days in Kruger National Park! We started off early from Wits Rural for an eight hour drive to Olifants Camp. Apparently we had one of the most successful safaris just on the first day! It is amazing to see the animals despite the devastating drought here. Apparently, no one has ever seen the bush as bare as this since this is one of the worst droughts in 100 years. Despite the lack of water there were plenty of animals and many people have said that the lack of water could be good as the lions, leopard and cheetah may have more of a bounce back with the ample supply of weakened prey. Early on in our game drive we saw an injured hippo that was apparently the loser to a fight over a bit of river that was too small for two hippo. He had a bad gash in his cheek and will likely become dinner to some carnivore soon.

So on the first day we saw almost everything: hornbills, dwarf mongooses, kudus, impalas, warthogs, vultures, baboons, buffalo, zebras, giraffes, wildebeests, hippos, ostrich, elephants, lions, and the rare sightings of a leopard and a (very far away) cheetah (there are only about 300 in the park). The different safari guides seem to have a communication network so we were informed that we were going to where the leopard and cheetah had been spotted. It was incredible to see the most beloved animals up close doing their thing. They never seemed to mind that we were close. According to the guides, the animals see cars as just another large animal, but if we were on foot we would probably be charged which is why it is against the rules to get out of the car. It was an incredible day. We were able to see four (lion, leopard, elephant and buffalo) out of the big five, but the rhino was nowhere to be seen.

We arrived to Olifants Camp and stayed in beautiful huts with thatched roofs complete with a kitchenette, private bathrooms and beautiful beds. The camp overlooks Olifants River, and so our hut had a breathtaking view and in the distance you could see elephants, hippos, zebras and giraffes.

The next morning, despite my exhaustion, I woke up early (5 AM) with my hut mate Leigh-Ann to go on the dawn bush walk tour. It was incredible feeling so small in such a vast environment. It really put into perspective how large these animals are and how little food there was as a result of the drought. We spent the next hour or so examining the various types of animal dung which is distinctive for each species and even different for white versus black rhino.

Following a delicious breakfast back at camp, David and Melissa each gave lectures about wildlife management and the water situation, respectively. David spoke about how some scientists think that the elephants cause too much destruction and therefore should be scaled back. Historically, the scaling back was done by culling the elephants, often times the entire herd. Thankfully, the park hasn’t done this in years and have tried other means such as transporting the elephants to other areas of Africa or putting them on birth control. Interestingly, the older female elephants who are on birth control have been known to steal baby elephants from new moms in the herd. David also lectured on the very distinct lion pride in the northern part of the park that is now infamous for specializing in hunting humans, mainly the refugees that were fleeing Mozambique during the recent civil war there. I can’t imagine how terrifying that would be to flee for your life from war to be encountered by a hungry lion on the way to safety.

On a much more pleasant note, that night we enjoyed a beautiful braai on the river, a private party under the stars illuminated only by luminarias set out on two long tables. With a high powered flash light, crocodiles could be seen in the river below. Over grilled meats, potatoes, veggies and some pudding, we discussed our trip, our lives and the history of South Africa.

The next day, while the other group went on their bush walk, we were treated to another amazing game drive. The highlight of which consisted of watching a large heard of buffalo make way for a watering hole that happened to have a large pride of sleepy lionesses next to it. After staking out what appeared to be a dramatic show in the making including the cast of a black jackal and a lone female impala barking a warning, we headed back with the buffalo as they decided to turn back and not be breakfast.

We left Oliphants Camp and journeyed farther into the park and were delighted to see herds of elephants chowing down on lunch, a huge flock of ostrich and many more birds. We headed to Shingwenzi and the landscape changed dramatically to a scene that reminded me of the Lion King when Simba runs away into the jungle. There was thick greenery aided by the Shingwenzi River and to our delight we spotted elephants in the water, tons of hippo, and the largest crocodiles I have ever seen. Due to the drought the mighty river was much smaller which made for tight quarters to the hundreds of crocodile that were used to dramatically more elbow room.

Our next big adventure to look forward to will be the home stays. I am not exactly sure what to expect but I am excited to stay with a family and experience village life!