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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