You can’t miss
the “Big Five”,
namely the Elephant,
Lion, Buffalo, Leopard and Rhinoceros.
Running free
and wild is synonymous with the vast open spaces of Africa, whether it
be the lopsided gallop of the giraffe, the deceptively sedate canter of
the elephant, the prancing, bucking, stop-looking-back gallop of the
wildebeest.
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| 7% of
the world’s known mammals can be encountered on just 1% of the earth land
mass - South Africa is famous for its spectacularly rich mammal fauna,
comprising of 230 land and 43 marine species. Blessed with ecologically
complex and diverse habitats ranging from grassland to desert, Cape fynbos
and woodland savannah, almost all of Africa’s classic big game species
can be spotted in South Africa's parks and reserves. |
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| We
were bewildered as we drove through the classic bushveld wilderness, Africa’s
oldest wildlife sanctuary - the Kruger National Park. And to Makhaya
Game Reserve and Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary, from dawn to dusk
and in the night. Be it in front, behind, left or right and even above,
we spotted mammals largely impalas, wildebeest, giraffe, elephants, zebras,
warthog and birds such as hornbills, eagles and (lucky enough) even vultures.
It wasn’t
difficult to tell what the animals were when they were less than 10 to
20 m away. It became much difficult to distinguish them when they were
hidden behind the bush, and let alone the identification of their sexes. |
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| However,
with much pointers from our experienced guide, we were able to tell the
difference between a male and female giraffe. But still not for the eagle
hovering up in the sky. Well, sad to say, most of us may have helicopter’s
view but not “binocular”eye-side! |
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Dawn
in Africa is like the moment of creation.
Colours
range from the deepest orange to the soft pink of ash-filled skies during
the dry season. Bird songs filled the air; white-brown robin chats sing
with liquid voices, forest hornbills bray like donkeys, francolins cackle
and doves coo
– a fitting
reward for dragging yourself blear-eyed from the warmth of your tent to
be sure of being on the road by 6 a.m. Anyone who has been on safari soon
adapts to the well-worn routine of dawn rises. It is essential to be among
the animals by first light if you don’t want to miss the best of your game
viewing predators, particularly the big cats– the lion, cheetah and leopard. |
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