By Roxanne Reid
Everyone goes to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in the hope of getting a thumping good sighting of Kalahari lions. Sometimes, just sometimes, they get more than they bargained for.
Everyone goes to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in the hope of getting a thumping good sighting of Kalahari lions. Sometimes, just sometimes, they get more than they bargained for.
Tucked into a corner of the Northern Cape about 250km north of Upington, the Kgalagadi is an abundance of open spaces, blue skies, red sands and camelthorn trees. When we went there in May/June, it didn't let us down. It never does. Even if we don't see lots of animals and birds, the spirit of the place is always special.
Within 30 minutes of leaving the entrance gate at Twee Rivieren, we saw a lone cheetah sitting on top of a dune, four lions lazing opposite Houmoed waterhole, and two cheetah walking in the Auob riverbed before crossing the road in front of us.
Within 30 minutes of leaving the entrance gate at Twee Rivieren, we saw a lone cheetah sitting on top of a dune, four lions lazing opposite Houmoed waterhole, and two cheetah walking in the Auob riverbed before crossing the road in front of us.
Finally, just before we turned east onto the lower dune road, we saw a dozen meerkat in the riverbed, scurrying about in search of food and keeping a wary eye on a bateleur circling overhead. We thought we were set for the biggest sighting extravaganza of our lives.
Over the next few days, though, sightings were variable. Some days we saw almost nothing apart from buck and birds; others were crammed with cheetah, lion, bat-eared fox, leopard, spotted hyena and our best ever sighting of a brown hyena in peak condition. Even a herd of fast-running eland and a jackal munching greedily on a ground squirrel.
Over the next few days, though, sightings were variable. Some days we saw almost nothing apart from buck and birds; others were crammed with cheetah, lion, bat-eared fox, leopard, spotted hyena and our best ever sighting of a brown hyena in peak condition. Even a herd of fast-running eland and a jackal munching greedily on a ground squirrel.
On slow days we found interest in puff adders and cobras and dozens of tiny striped mice skating across the corrugations of the sand roads like miniature hovercrafts.
But there was one sighting we were very pleased to have missed – and believe it or not, they were lions. Our neighbours at the campsite in Nossob found them at the view point just north of camp. Unlucky for them, the lions got the better of that encounter.
The trouble started when a couple of young lions started to nibble the back bumper of their Toyota Fortuner. When hapless Mr and Mrs Fortuner tried to ease away slowly, the lions dug in, hanging on with their mouths and front paws, using their back legs as brakes in a determined effort to stop their new chew-toy from absconding.
Apparently, other visitors on the scene got a huge laugh out of this comical sight. Less funny were the deep tooth and claw marks on the bumper. Imagine trying to explain that to your insurance company back in the Big City.
If you have an exciting tale of a close encounter with a wild animal, I'd love to hear it in the comments below.
More about the Kalahari
The trouble started when a couple of young lions started to nibble the back bumper of their Toyota Fortuner. When hapless Mr and Mrs Fortuner tried to ease away slowly, the lions dug in, hanging on with their mouths and front paws, using their back legs as brakes in a determined effort to stop their new chew-toy from absconding.
Apparently, other visitors on the scene got a huge laugh out of this comical sight. Less funny were the deep tooth and claw marks on the bumper. Imagine trying to explain that to your insurance company back in the Big City.
If you have an exciting tale of a close encounter with a wild animal, I'd love to hear it in the comments below.
More about the Kalahari
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