Greetings from the Vuyani Safari Lodge
Been here just under three months and it has been a really interesting and fun learning experience.
Between me and Justine we are doing all the safari excursions on the Moditlo Game Reserve and have seen some pretty exciting stuff.
A Leopard and Wild Dog sighting really stands out as a highlight when on a safari holiday.
The leopard sighting took place on a morning safari, I only had one guest on the vehicle as his wife
decided to have a sleep in (mistake?!!?) we headed up north and I was actually trying to find the lions as
they had been eluding me for a good couple of days-as they do:) I could not pick up on any fresh signs of the
sneaky lion so I headed towards Porcupine Dam for a cup of coffee which would sooth the feeling of defeat. š
As I came up on to the southern side of the dam wall something caught my eye on the on the far side of the
wall where I had been planning on having a hot drink. I immediatly said “LION” as that was defintely on
my brain the whole morning. I quickly tried to calm down and have a closer look with my binoculars and realised
it was a Leopard suffice to say I was now even more excited as iI had not been lucky enough to have a good
Leopard sighting with guests yet in a little while !!!
Once my nerves had calmed I moved slowly forward to try get a closer look. It turned out to be a very young
female who was very inquisitive and we spent about 45 minutes with her. She actually followed me down the road at
one stage which was a real treat. Jim, if you’re reading this, thanks for being part of a really great experience!
We also had some real luck with the Wild Dogs for a week and they were sighted no less than 4 times and one of those times really stands out. We bumped into 3 dogs as we rounded the corner and they became mobile. Dogs tend to either be sleeping or running (hunting). We tried following them but they move at such pace it’s almost impossible to stay with them unless they stay on the road, unfortunatly they moved off the road into the thick bush. We realised they were headed towards an open area so we headed as fast as we could to the open area hoping they would appear. Low and behold we found two Rhinos in the open area. A cow with her young calf. We stayed with them and the next minute some one said “Dogs”.Ā The three dogs had suddenly appeared where we were hoping they would. So now we had Three dogs and Two Rhinos in the same space which is some thing very special to see. The Dogs made their way to the Rhino and where very inquisitve. I cannot say the same about the Rhino who had a calf so was very high strung, tail curled right up which shows aggitation.
The Rhino chased the Dogs and really showed them who’s boss!!!! The dogs moved off so we followed and that’s when something funny happened. I had been busting to go to the loo for ages so the vehicle was stopped and a bush was found. Guests were informed if they see anything to let me know. As I had finished IĀ heard Jon-Jon “They are coming back”. As I turned to head for the vehicle one of the dogs had come back and turned the corner in front of us. Not sure who got a bigger fright, me or the dog. An angry bark was heard and the Dog turned and moved back from where it came. I climbed in the vehicle and my heart was
definitely up a notch or two. After that we had a much deserved drink for another “hard day at the office” š