Bald Man's Comb - Irish Proverb

 

Kruger Park - Skukuza

With a few more separate impala sightings on the road, the remainder of my journey into Skukuza remained uneventful. Skukuza is the administrative headquarters and the largest rest camp of the park. In the early 20th century, it was also the overnight stop for tourists who travelled on the Selati Railway from Crocodile Bridge.

The construction of the Selati Railway was a highly controversial affair. When gold was discovered in the late 1800s in the nearby region, the government decided to build a railway track for transportation. They awarded the contract to two brothers who turned out to be corrupt, embezzling funds, falsifying accounts and bribing. Embroiled in a public scandal, the government immediately ceased all construction, abandoning partially completed works for the next decade. When work finally resumed in the early 1900s it took another decade to complete the job.

By 1923 it was taken over by the South Africa Railway and rolled out a nine-day train tour through the lowveld. The tour proved very popular. Each week a total of 250 trains travelled through the park until 1963, when plans for expansion were considered in conjunction with the high number of wildlife accidents. To keep them safe it was decided to relocate and expand the railway around the park. The last train to run through the park was in 1973.

Selati Bridge in Skukuza is where the tour train used to stop overnight. Today it is home to a fully refurbished train that recently opened as luxury accommodation. Adjacent to the train is a walkway with stunning views of Sabie River and the bushveld. A great place to watch wildlife drinking or frolicking in the river.

This seemed like an ideal location to wrap up my journey and reflect on the wonderful animals I encountered along the way. Although I only visited a small portion of the entire park, the wildlife is in abundance as was evident by my sightings of zebras, giraffes, elephants, buffaloes and antelopes.

Farewell for now.

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Kruger Park - Antelope

Nkuhlu Picnic Site was a quiet and tranquil resting spot on the banks of Sabie River. It was dotted with picnic tables, beneath the shade of Natal Mahogany trees. Stretching my legs and enjoying a snack, I kept one eye peeled on the river for any potential sighting and the other on the monkeys or birds hanging around, waiting for the chance to swoop in and steal my picnic.

It reminds me of a story I once read. It was mid-morning at a picnic site with a handful of families around preparing breakfast when suddenly, a woman screams: ‘Leopard! Leopard!’. Lo and behold, a leopard had wandered onto the site, drawn by the aroma of the sizzling bacon piled up high on a skottel (BBQ grill). As you might imagine, everyone cautiously retreated away from the leopard, who besides a cursory glance, padded towards the skottel. Jumping up and resting his front paws on the skottel, the leopard tucked into the bacon. The game ranger tried to scare it off, but the leopard wouldn’t hear of it. Taking his sweet time, the leopard took a half hour to polish off the bacon and when done, just hopped down and slipped back into the bush. It’s fair to say that it covered one of the Big 5 sightings for the day.

As I returned to the main road, I came across a family of impala. The ram and two calves were patiently waiting on the side of the road for the ewe to prance across it and join them. These graceful animals are amazing jumpers, leaping as far as 33ft (10m) and as high as 10ft (3m), and they are incredibly fast with a top speed of up to 55mph (90km/h). Although they could never outrun cheetahs, one of their predators, the impalas are adept at swiftly changing direction, running in a zig-zag fashion; add to that their jumping capabilities and they have a good chance of escaping.

Barely half a mile further, I came across a whole herd of impalas, grazing on the shoulder of the road. Impalas are one of 21 antelope species found in Kruger Park. They are easily distinguished by the black streaks on their tail and down their hind legs. With 130,000 adult impalas in the park and being prolific breeders, they are the ‘least concern’ on the conservation status.

Let me leave you with another Kruger story. One day, a cluster of parked cars were on the lookout for five cheetahs that were seen in the area when all of a sudden, an anxious herd of impalas broke through the brush, leaping across the road, seeming to be fleeing for their lives. Just as the last impala fled into the bush, a cheetah burst out of the brush, hot on its tail. The impala must’ve taken a sudden turn whilst in the thicket because both of them reappeared speeding towards the parked cars. The impala was so desperate to escape that it leapt straight through the open window of a tourist’s 4WD, whilst its pursuer skidded and slid under the car. Luckily, the shocked passenger had the presence of mind to swiftly open the door and let the impala scramble across his lap straight out of the car and disappear back into the bush. As the excitement died down and the vehicles dispersed, the road returned to normal with no evidence of the action that transpired.

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Kruger Park - Giraffe

I finally reached the end of S28 and turned right onto a tar road adjacent to Sabie River. Shortly after, on the right, were two elephants facing each other. I couldn’t tell what they were doing as their heads were tucked behind a bush. Perhaps they were eating the leaves, but they sure looked like they were having a secret meeting.

Travelling beside the river, I passed Lower Sabie Rest Camp, one of the major camps in southern Kruger. The nearby Sunset Dam is highly frequented by a variety of wildlife and birds, making it a favourite place for watching the sunset before retiring for the night to the camp.

About 7mi (11km) past the dam, just off the road to the left were three giraffes, standing still observing the traffic. These tall and lanky animals with two horns called ossicones, are the tallest animals on land and just like the zebra, their spots are unique to each one of them. Surprisingly, they are related to the okapi, who are often mistaken for being related to zebras because of their striped hind and legs.

The giraffe has an amazingly long tongue, up to 20in (50cm), and quite flexible as it wraps itself around branches to pull the leaves off. Even more amusing is how adept the tongue is at cleaning its own nostrils. A giraffe has seven neck bones, which is the same number as a human but of course the size of each one is significantly larger. A human neck bone is about half an inch ((1.27cm) vs a giraffe’s at 10in (25.4cm). The long legs and necks make it very difficult for a giraffe to drink as it needs to spread its legs to reach the water. It is at these times that the giraffe becomes most vulnerable to predators.

A giraffe may seem awkward when running, unlike the sleekness of a cheetah but, when necessary, it can pick up speeds of up to 37mph (60km/h) and maintain it for several miles/kilometres.

A giraffe’s superpower though, is its ability to live on only 30min of sleep per day. They take lots of quick 5 minute naps during the day and spend the majority of their time eating (16-20 hours per day) or foraging for food. They are experts at sleeping standing up.

Leaving the giraffes to their ‘browsing‘, I head for Nkuhlu Picnic site.

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Kruger Park - Buffalo

Less than a mile further from the elephant sighting was a gang (herd) of about 30 buffaloes grazing to the right of the road. I couldn’t see them clearly without binoculars, so after a brief stay, I moved on and I wasn’t disappointed. Going off-road, I came across an even bigger herd, at least 100 of them, dotting the landscape. Some stopped grazing, some just stared, seemingly not bothered by my presence.


This great hulk of a beast is not to be trifled with though as it is known to be temperamental. One of the reasons it couldn’t be domesticated. When a buffalo gets aggressive, it can charge its pursuer at speeds of up to 35mph (57km/h). Those on walking safaris have occasionally found themselves climbing trees to escape charging buffaloes.

They have few predators due to their mass, a thick hide and sharp curved horns. They’ve been known to fling lions in the air or chase them up a tree when protecting their herd and just like the elephants, they have excellent memory and definitely hold a grudge. They’ve been known to ambush hunters years after the buffaloes were injured by them. They are fiercely protective of their calves, often forming a circle around them and if in danger will engage in mobbing behaviour to fight off the predators.

A story is told of a pride of seven lions lying on a dam wall watching a herd head in their direction. The lead buffalo, followed by another with a calf in tow, followed by the herd seemed unaware of the lions ahead. The lions sensing an opportunity shifted and laid in wait. As the buffaloes approached, the lions swiftly pounced, scattering the herd. The calf, unable to keep up, was jumped on by the lions with such force that they tumbled into the dam. As the lions attempted to drag the calf onto dry land, two crocodiles appeared grabbing a hold of the calf’s leg. A tug of war ensued between the predators until the lions successfully dragged the calf up on the banks and the crocodiles let go. By now the buffaloes regrouped and returned to confront the lions. Picking them off one by one, the still-alive calf eventually broke free of the lions and was safely tucked back into the herd. With a final buffalo charge, the remaining lions dispersed.


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Kruger Park - Elephant

Excitement was bubbling up within me when I had my first glance of a single elephant just to the left of the gravel road. As I sidled up beside it and sized it up, I tried to work out his age. I assume he’s male since females usually stay with the herd. Some other indicators to use are the size of his head, the curve of the line from his eye to the tusk, the thickness of the tusk and the sheer size of it. First of all, the line from its eyes to its tusk has a curve. A straight line is more typical of those under 20 years old. The size of his head and body is significantly smaller than those seen in elephants that are 35+. Older bulls have thicker and longer tusks that bulge out which this one doesn’t. I would guesstimate that this bull is somewhere between 20-35 years of age. Elephant bulls are known to venture out on their own unless they are looking for a reproductive partner and then they join a herd for a short time.

Elephants are the largest land animals on earth. Weighing up to 6 tonnes (6,000 kg), elephants can eat up to 350 pounds (160 kg) of grass, leaves and tree bark per day. The big flappy ears are used to dissipate body heat and the trunk, consisting of 40,000 muscles, is used for smelling, trumpeting, breathing, moving objects and sucking up water. Adults don’t have any predators, but the calves can fall prey to lions, leopards, hyenas, and crocodiles. 

 Living up to 60 years of age, matriarchs lead troops from place to place to forage for food and find water, but they also play a critical role in: influencing behaviour and decisions; keeping the troop safe from danger; and teaching other females how to care for their young. The matriarch is a treasure trove of wisdom, and her exceptional memory gives her the confidence to lead her troop during annual migration.

 When calves are born, they can’t see very well so they use their other senses – touch, smell, sound – to recognise their mums. Calves are protected by the entire herd, often tucked amongst the whole herd as they move. Learning how to use the trunk takes a lot of practice to master it. Until then, it can be quite a menace as the calf often trips over it or steps on it. In the early days calves’ intestines are sterile and in order to digest their food, they need a particular type of bacteria that can only be obtained by eating the faeces (aka coprophagia) of their mothers or others in the herd. Perhaps not the most appealing of meals but for these younglings the bacteria help develop and strengthen their digestive and immune systems. Coprophagia is not unique to elephants as pandas, rhinos, koalas, and hippos, along with other animals, practice it as well. 

These gentle giants are very social and highly intelligent. They have strong family ties, like to play, love mud baths and shower themselves to cool off. Although they travel in large troops of 30-40 individuals, breeding herds are more difficult to find in the park than the smaller groups of elephant bulls or solitary ones. 

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