The sound of an African wild dog will send shivers down your spine if you hear it for the first time.  One of it’s most striking features is it’s very large round ears. The ears are not only perfect for hearing calls over large distances but are also important for heat loss to regulate their body’s temperature.  They are very efficient and agile hunters capable of reaching speeds of up to 55km/h.  So watch out for them!

Like the African civet, each of these dogs has a unique coat but they also stand out because of their interesting toes. While all other canid species have five toes, the African wild dog only has four.

Bucket list:  Ticked 

Status at the moment:   Endangered (estimated 5 500 left on the content)

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AFRICAN CIVET

These beautiful creatures are nocturnal and you have an off chance that you will spot one once in a life time.  Going around a lot of national parks it was only the second time that I was fortunate enough to witness one.  This beautiful animal will rock up at your camp without you even knowing it as they are masters of stealth.

Each African civet has a different pattern of brown and black spots on their coat. This colour combination provides excellent camouflage in the forest.  Their natural habitat is becoming more and more under threat, because of expanding farming activities, but luckily they are very adaptable creatures and are not on the endangered list for the moment.

Bucket list:  Ticked 

Status at the moment:  Least Concerned

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ZANZIBAR RED COLOBUS MONKEY 

 As its alternative common name of ‘Zanzibar colobus’ suggests, Kirk’s red colobus is found on the island of Zanzibar. Its population is worryingly small today and it is estimated that as few as 1,000 to 1,200 individuals persist, mainly within the Jozani Forest Reserve. A small number of individuals also live on nearby Pemba Island, in the Ngezi Forest Reserve.

I was astounded as to how tame these primates in the Jozani forest are when we went on a walking safari.  Some of them came as close as one meter from where I was standing, sitting down and foraging in the leaf carpet for some food.  For me this was a special experience!

Bucket list:  Ticked 

Status at the moment:  Endangered

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KUDU

A kudu might look big and clumsy but they are actually swift and excellent jumpers. To clear a fence of 2m (6.6ft) high is nothing out of the ordinary.  They are also responsible for many accidents at night in the Karoo area of South Africa.  So be on the look out for them at night.

They have long necks that they use to reach food on high branches. The only other animal that beats them on their impressive reach is the giraffe.

The meat of the Kudu, having a coarse grain, can easily be mistaken for beef.

Bucket list:  Ticked 

Status at the moment:  Of least concern

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WILDEBEEST OR GNU

There are two species – blue and black – and another species that are only found on the African continent.   The black wildebeest has a lovely white tale, almost horse like, and the blue wildebeest has an all black tale. These strange looking (somewhat ugly) animals are already extinct in Malawi, but was reintroduced successfully in Namibia again.

The blue wildebeest is best known for the yearly migration that takes place in the Serengeti.  The Great Migration sees over 1.5 million wildebeest, 200,00 zebra and a host of other antelope traveling cross country.  During the migration period around 250 000 wildebeest and 30 000 zebra are killed off every year as a result of predation by carnivores, but also from thirst, hunger, and exhaustion.  If they can survive the migration stint they have a life span of up to 20 years!

Bucket list:  Ticked

Status at the moment:  Not threatened

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GERENUK

“Look, it’s a deer! It’s a baby giraffe! No, it’s a gerenuk!”  This is about the best description for a gerenuk that I have stumbled upon.

This strange deer is related to the gazelle, but only differences between the gerenuk and the gazelle is that gerenuks have a more solid skull and an elongated neck.  The elongated neck is definitely the gerenuk’s most outstanding characteristic.

The name ‘gerenuk’ means ‘giraffe necked’ in the Somali language and is also known as ‘Wallers Gazelle’.

We were fortunate enough to spot these rare animals on the horizon while crossing the Chalbi desert in Northern Kenya.  The image, which was taken with my mik en druk,  while driving, is a bit blurry, but this is my proof that I have seen three of them!

Bucket list:  Ticked 

Status at the moment:  Conservation dependant

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“You either get the point of Africa or you don’t. What draws me back year after year is that it’s like seeing the world with the lid off.”  — A A Gill

The post INCREDIBLE AFRICAN ANIMALS appeared first on TRAVELBUCKET.

Let’s start off with some interesting and lesser known facts about the trunk of an elephant:

Feeling the vibe:  Aside from smell, the trunk is sensitive to vibrations; from the ground it can sense the rumble of faraway herds and even far-off thunder.

Mighty muscles:  An elephant’s trunk has eight major muscles on either side and 150,000 muscle bundles in all. It is so strong that it can easily push down trees or roll over a vehicle.

Move it:  Like the human tongue, the trunk is a muscular hydrostat – a boneless muscular structure that allows for its excellent maneuverability.

Phenomenal sense of smell:  So sensitive is an elephant’s trunk that it is more capable than a bloodhound’s nose and is said to be able to smell water, citrus and apples  from several miles away.

How to approach an elephant

• • Slow down as soon as you see and/or approach the elephants.

• • Assess the area for possible escape routes if necessary.

• • Make sure you do not have any citrus with you as they will trample a vehicle to get to it.

• • Take extra care if there are juveniles in the elephant group – keep your distance as the mothers can be extremely unpredictable with small ones around.

• • If you are in an open safari vehicle, do not stand up or make sudden movements on the vehicle or speak loudly.  Although their eyesight is not good an elephant might feel threatened and can cause an aggressive response.

• If an elephant shows threatening behaviour, slowly retreat and give it space.

Some of the most obvious threatening behavior displayed by elephants are

Spreading the ears:  The elephant faces an opponent head-on with ears fully spread (at 90 degrees from the body). They also spread their ears when they are excited, surprised or alarmed.

Mock charging:  The elephant rushes toward you while spreading its ears and just stops short of its target while kicking up dust.   This will also be accompanied with trumpeting.

Bundu bashing:  The elephant causes a commotion to demonstrate strength, tossing its head and tusks back and forth through bushes or other vegetation while making a noise.

Charging:  The elephant rushes toward you with its ears spread and its head raised or lowered while it has the apparent intention of following through. Its trunk may be tightly curved under so that the tusks can make contact first. A real charge is usually silent and extremely dangerous. I think it is time to get away as soon as possible!

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Did you know?  That an elephant’s skeleton makes up 16.5% of its total weight in order to support its heavy mass?

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Hope you enjoyed these facts.   Also read about the bee and elephant project in Kenya. You can follow them on Facebook @ Elephants and Bees Project.

Be responsible and travel safely in the wild!

Love will draw an elephant through a key-hole —– Samuel Richardson

The post ELEPHANT 101 appeared first on TRAVELBUCKET.

Maar miskien is die kamp ook nie vir almal lekker.  Daar is nie ‘n winkeltjie of restaurant fasiliteite nie.  Ook nie gras staan plekke nie.  Jou naaste inkopiesentrum gaan wees by Berg en Dal ruskamp ongeveer 10 kilometer verder aan.

Daar is ook nie WiFi in die chalets nie, maar wie kom nou wildtuin toe om op die internet te lê?

Maar as jy stilte soek weg van die gejaag en gemaal in die wildtuin is dit ‘n baie lekker kampie om in uit te span.  Die kampplekke het nie almal gras en bome nie en sommige effe skuins, maar ons kon daarmee saamleef.  Tussen die jong kremetarte voor  die sowat vyf chalets is daar egter lekker groen grasperke met bankies wat oor die rivier uitkyk.

Alhoewel die gemeenskaplike kamp kombuis met die chalets gedeel word was dit  elke dag sprankel skoon gewees in die tyd wat ons daar was.  Daar is ook ‘n gemeenskaplike vrieskas tot die beskikking van die besoekers.  Iets wat vir my lekker was is die “quick hot water point” waar jy jou koffiefles vol water kan maak voordat jy vroeg oggend uitwyk om te gaan diere te kyk.

Die ablusieblok het elke dag genoeg warm water gehad beide aan die mans en dames kante.  Elke staanplek het ‘n elektriese punt en ‘n gemeenskaplike kraan.  Vir twee dae was ons die enigste kampeerders in die kamp.   Salig!

Elke aand vir die vier dae  wat ons daar gestaan het was ons gelukkig gewees om iets interessant te sien.  Op ons eerste aand het ek my UV flitslig gevat en bietjie rond gestap om te kyk wat ek sien.   Tot my verbasing was die boom waaronder ons gestaan het oortrek van skerpioene.  Wat het ek geleer?  Moet nooit sommer in die donker aan ‘n boom vat nie.  Jy mag dalk net ‘n pynlike verrassing kry!  Die tweede aand het ‘n sivet kat sy opwagting teen die draad gemaak.  Hy was baie nuuskierig en het ons lank dopgehou van anderkant die draad.  Wat ‘n prag dier!  ‘n Klompie hiënas het ook hulle draai kom maak laat middag.  Alhoewel dit erg droog was het ons tog ook soms seekoeie in die Krokodilrivier wat teen die kamp verby loop, gehoor.

Hoekom hou ek hiervan? 

• Geen dagbesoekers word toegelaat nie
• Geen winkel/restaurant in die kamp
• Skoon kombuis en ablusie geriewe

Wat hou ek nie van nie?

• Omdat die kamp so naby aan die grens van die Wildtuin is sien jy fabrieke se rook op die horison
• Laat in die nag hoor jy trokke oppad na die grenspos by Komtaipoort

The post MALELANE RUSKAMP (KNP) appeared first on TRAVELBUCKET.

On our recent trip I took some time to photograph the beautiful buck faces hiding in the grass and foliage.

But I think the first prize goes to the cutest curious baby Kudu, with  its white moustache, peeking through the trees to us!

Despite the severe drought all the animals seem to have babies and all looked in a good shape considering the extreme drought conditions.  Park officials reckon that it is the worst drought since 1991.  We can all just hope and pray that the rain will come soon in this part of the country.

 The meaning of “pass the buck” for those who do not know the expression:

pass the buck

The post PASS THE BUCK appeared first on TRAVELBUCKET.

Here pets who served with their masters are remembered.  Some died of old age and some died in the line of duty – defending their master and the Park. Here  Spotty, Lappies,  Percy, Hebet, Tessa and many more rest  in peace and are remembered by way of commemorative stones.  However the legendary Jock of the Bushveld  that also traversed Kruger with Sir Percy Fitzpatrick you will not find here.

Tucked away under a thatched roof we found a well-stocked library with books ranging from law to French dictionaries, to all sorts of science and reference books as well as all the major daily newspapers.   Must say the comfy leather chairs in the cooled room looked very inviting to me in the sweltering and humid conditions.   What an elegant place to escape the heat outside!

But on to the Stevenson-Hamilton museum to sharpen those history facts.  The small museum adjacent to the library gives an interesting overview of the history and all the major role players in the establishment and development of Kruger Park.  Amongst others I have learned that In 1927 the first three tourist cars entered the Park at a cost of £1 each.

My husband,  being a direct descendant of one of the Voortrekker families, really enjoyed reading  the interesting titbits of Louis Tregardt and his son, Karel Tregardt, and their  treks  in the Lowveld and through the Park area.  As we have a copy of Louis Tregardt’s  (Trichardt) diary my contribution to a bit of useless information is that he had dyslexia and spelled his surname in six different ways of which Triegaardt is still the closest to the original version.

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