Yesterday, we had heard the Lions roaring nearby our staff village so we knew they were somewhere in the south of the reserve, so we decided to stay around this area with our guests.
And then a crash of rhinos appeared around the corner! Lucky! They were very relaxed. You can see in many of the photos how close they moved to the game driver. You will also see that their horns have been cut off, and this is a very effective measure to deter poachers. We do this every year, so that way our rhinos hold no value for rhino horn poachers. It’s sad this has to be done, but this is an effective protection for them, and that’s what counts.
We pressed on in hopes of finding the cats – Aggy picked up fresh tracks just south of MRL and the hunt began! And finally we found them: On the Eastern River “Road” (it’s actually a dirt track) – they were on the move (rather swiftly) and they did not give us too much photo opportunity. But Aggy managed some great shots anyway as well as all our guests. Hendrick seems to think they are looking for their next meal – the next few days will be interesting!
I also noticed that all photos are now showing a “patina” effect as if they were a few decades old. But that is due to the peak of the dry season, so nature has turned grey and yellow-ish, giving all photos this tinge. It does give them a certain kind of iconic look, and that’s why many photographers like the dry season for their safaris. Personally I prefer it a bit greener, but that’s just a personal matter. This is also very pretty, I do admit it …
