By Roxanne Reid
Any regular Krugerite can tell you the area around Satara camp is Big Five country in the Kruger Park. And sure enough, on a recent five-day stay we’d ticked them all – more than once. We’d also had a small leguaan living in a tree next to our campsite and African scops owls calling every night. These sights and sounds are just as special to us as seeing the Big Five.
Any regular Krugerite can tell you the area around Satara camp is Big Five country in the Kruger Park. And sure enough, on a recent five-day stay we’d ticked them all – more than once. We’d also had a small leguaan living in a tree next to our campsite and African scops owls calling every night. These sights and sounds are just as special to us as seeing the Big Five.
African scops owl snoozing in a tree at the Satara campsite
But although this is Big Five country, there's so much more to it than that. One night a mournful-sounding hyena sang scales (five notes up and four down) at the waterhole just beyond the campsite fence. According to hyena boffin Gus Mills, this is known as the ‘symmetrical whoop’. Experiments have shown that hyenas can recognise individual callers because the structure and harmonics of the whoop don’t change over time.
Because of the polygamous mating system and dominance hierarchy among males, whooping advertises status. The more dominant the male, the more effort he puts into his whooping, so he uses the symmetrical whoop more often than the usual two-note whoo-oop we all know so well. What they’re really saying to the females is, ‘Hey, look how much energy I have; I'm the guy you want as a mate!’
Because of the polygamous mating system and dominance hierarchy among males, whooping advertises status. The more dominant the male, the more effort he puts into his whooping, so he uses the symmetrical whoop more often than the usual two-note whoo-oop we all know so well. What they’re really saying to the females is, ‘Hey, look how much energy I have; I'm the guy you want as a mate!’
This young rock monitor (leguaan) was only about 12 inches long On our last day, just a few kilometres south of Satara in the fresh dawn light, we found a troop of baboons rousing themselves to start the day after a night in the trees. The temperature had dropped dramatically overnight, so they were taking it slow.
Three Stooges lined up on a bare branch, a big male sat on the ground with eyes closed and a smaller one sat on a branch with his hands in his lap as if he was meditating. Little ones, some still pink-and-wrinkly-faced, suckled, took a few steps within reach of mom’s arms, fell over and ran back to her, rode like a jockey on her back for a moment or two then clung on to her tummy for a short ride.
Three Stooges lined up on a bare branch, a big male sat on the ground with eyes closed and a smaller one sat on a branch with his hands in his lap as if he was meditating. Little ones, some still pink-and-wrinkly-faced, suckled, took a few steps within reach of mom’s arms, fell over and ran back to her, rode like a jockey on her back for a moment or two then clung on to her tummy for a short ride.
Baboons with young are endlessly entertaining if you're not focused solely on the Big Five With the baboons as a good start, it turned out to be a big day for babies. On the Satara-Nwanetsi road we saw a hyena cub that disappeared into the den in the culvert. Before long, mom strode in with a giraffe’s lower leg and hoof in her mouth, another cub following her. We thought it would be chow time for all, but mom was in a grumpy mood; she hid behind a bush and snarled at the cub if it came near.
Later we watched a tiny giraffe whose short neck looked out of proportion to its long legs. It gave a spirited if inelegant dance performance, kicking out with all fours as it tried to get rid of redbilled oxpeckers that were being annoying while they carried out their free grooming service.
Later we watched a tiny giraffe whose short neck looked out of proportion to its long legs. It gave a spirited if inelegant dance performance, kicking out with all fours as it tried to get rid of redbilled oxpeckers that were being annoying while they carried out their free grooming service.
Spotted hyena cub on the Nwanetsi road
There was a dueling pair of wildebeest too, pushing and shoving, churning up the dust and scattering other herd members. But at none of these special sightings did anyone else stop for more than a few seconds. Yet there was a pile of cars watching a few lions sleeping in the shade, doing nothing of any interest at all. It makes me wonder why people come to Kruger if all they’re interested in are lions but other animal interactions hold no fascination.
Two wildebeest in a dominance duel focused their attention on their opponent for over 20 minutes Our final morning’s sighting was a sad reminder that it’s not all about birth and babies in the wild. We were crossing a river on our way back to Satara when a white bakkie with SANParks logo on the door came rushing past us. In the open load bay at the back was a German shepherd. Was this a rhino poacher tracker dog? There are apparently some 20 of them being used in the park to fight poaching.
Sad to think that one day we may not see rhino like these in our parks if we don't get poaching under control
As we came around a bend a bit further on six vultures were circling to the left and three others pecking away at something pinkish on the ground to the right, but the grass was too long for us to make out what it was. Another 500m on the bakkie had slowed to a crawl and the dog was frantically running up and down the load bay. I’d have loved to stop and ask the rangers about what they were doing, but didn’t want to interfere with their work.
It’s sobering to think that the rhinos we saw on this visit to Satara might be among the last we see in South Africa, given the rate at which they’re being killed and the extreme measures now being taken to remove some of Kruger’s rhino to Botswana for their own safety.
Like it? Pin this image!
It’s sobering to think that the rhinos we saw on this visit to Satara might be among the last we see in South Africa, given the rate at which they’re being killed and the extreme measures now being taken to remove some of Kruger’s rhino to Botswana for their own safety.
Like it? Pin this image!
You might also enjoy:
More about Kruger Park
Myths about hyenas
Why to visit Crooks Corner, Kruger National Park
Copyright © Roxanne Reid - No words or photographs on this site may be used without permission from roxannereid.co.za
More about Kruger Park
Myths about hyenas
Why to visit Crooks Corner, Kruger National Park
Copyright © Roxanne Reid - No words or photographs on this site may be used without permission from roxannereid.co.za
