I just looked through all photos sent in by Mike last week, and while it is always difficult to choose, some always stand out.

I’d say that these sightings last week were the most impressive, not only for the sighting itself, but also the photo shot managed by Mike.

First up a white rhino, a massive bull! They never fail to impress, they always leave everyone in awe. Rhinos are being poached close to extinction these days, so it is great to see them doing so well on our reserve. We will look after them, and protect them, as well as we can!

 

Next up a Kudu, Africa’s largest antelope. They are very common, but due to their size they count amongst my favourites. The lions also like them as a large and tasty meals, but they have to catch them first! Not always easy indeed, as they are good and fast  endurance runners, and they have an incredibly good hearing sense. Look at these huge ears!

 

Undeniably one of last week’s most stunning sightings: a couple of cheetahs out on a hunt. Always amazing these very rare sightings, but they are becoming more and more common on our reserve. As a matter of fact every reserve has a “specialty”, a kind of animal that one sees unusually often there. In the Sabi Sands it is the leopard, for example, in the Kruger Park is is the elephants, and with us it seems to be more and more the cheetahs. Indeed on most reserves they are very, very rarely seen, as they get pushed out by other large cats. Another animal we see unusually often is the wild dogs. We see them on average once a month, on and off, but on most reserves one never sees them at all. (of course the wild dog is rarest carnivore in Africa, so it is truly amazing to see them as often as we do). Of course we see our lions very often as well, here, on average 2-3 times per week, so if you stay here for 5 nights, or longer, then you will have seen them up close at least once, most likely twice.

 

Last up a giraffe! I have written extensively about giraffes in recent times, and there’s a reason for that: they always keep on impressing me by their sheer size, elegance and distinctive shape. Giraffes are as African animals as they get!