White Rhino Hunting



2 White Rhinos

From my diary Monday 14th October:
The weather was perfect, a little cold but I rugged up in my purple jacket and 3/4 possum gloves. The wind was chilling as Lawrence revved up the jeep which bounced and rolled over rocks, ruts and sand.  We went all over with little result for awhile before being alerted a couple of cheetahs had been sighted.
Unfortunately they were obscured by the dense bush & we only saw their shadowy silhouette  take flight.  Lawrence is a whizz at tracking the wildlife. He would often slow down and check for their tracks in the sand.  We were soon in pursuit of two white rhinos. They were mammoth in size!  Lawrence proved his 4WD skills taking the jeep off the beaten track knocking down small bushes while we ducked the thorny branches which ripped our coats and skin if we weren't paying attention!  We followed the rhinos as they trudged through the bush, stopping for awhile before they ambled on. I had to pinch myself to know I was really a witness to the animal kingdom today in Makalali.  Not only did my camera work overtime; my video button captured both movement and

Impala, one of many
 

environment of the moment. We spied a mother zebra and her baby and a herd of impalas sprinting away. The locals call the impalas,'McDonalds' because there are so many of them!  On a more serious side, the impala is a snack for the lions while a zebra or giraffe would be a main meal.  All the animals in the reserve are 100% wild and dependent on the ecological food chain. There is no human intervention. Lawrence stopped the jeep in an open area and made us a coffee each , adding a swish of Amarula, a liqueur which definitely warmed us up! The coffee was accompanied with a treat of tasty home- made cookies.  Safely back to camp at 9am and a welcome breakfast awaited us.  We asked Lawrence to take us cheetah hunting on our next safari.  More food, a little rest and the next safari awaits us.