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Leopard Hills, Sabi Sands, South Africa — October, 2015


Tom Kellie

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Thank you so much for this amazing, lyrical trip report. It brings back so many memories for me.

 

Like others here, I'm so impressed by the details you observe and include. Yes, we all live them, and if we're lucky we sometimes even notice the bright color of the yellow flower or look up the inspiring name of a blossoming branch (a Galactic Arm indeed), but almost no one thinks to share them. They feel insignificant. Even for all my love of nature, and animals, and thinking I'm seeing the details (look at the eyes of that cheetah! Look at the fur on its paw!), you remind me that nature is a fractal -- the closer you go, the more there is. There's always deeper in, and further to go. Thanks.

 

Great pictures as well -- you got wonderful ones of the wild dogs, and of the hippo baring his teeth! Can't wait to read more.

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Your poetry has gotten increasingly ambitious by rhyming the scientific name of species! I was also going to point out how delighted I was with the nyala/Valhalla pairing, but @@Atravelynn has got it covered. :)

 

Should you ever see your zorilla, I'll expect you to do better than to go with the obvious rhyme.

 

Great pictures all around, as always.

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@@Tom Kellie, I hadn't realized that this was all in the first drive! Wow.

 

~ @@Peter Connan

 

Indeed it was. The zebras begin the next day's morning game drive.

South Africa, and Sabi Sands in particular, welcomed me with a varied mix of sightings.

I'll never forget how energized I felt after the initial game drive.

For that reason I'll return in 43 days!

Tom K.

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my emphasis is on the bush experience

 

you had a great wildlife experience, whenever I have seen wild dogs they were constantly moving

 

~ @@COSMIC RHINO

 

Thank you for taking time to visit this trip report.

The bush experience exceeded all of my expectations.

Sighting after sighting kept me looking everywhere, clicking the camera shutter.

I'm very glad that you've had wild dog sightings, as they're an exciting species to watch.

Tom K.

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@@Tom Kellie

What amazing sightings for one drive!

I love the elephants, and am very pleased you saw the nyala - I think many animals look ordinary in field guides and are much more beautiful in real life.

The dog sightings and photographs are stunning - especially the pups being fed

Excellent.

I am enjoying the poems (my first language is English but I would be unable to attempt such an approach!)

 

~ @@TonyQ

 

Thank you so much for your encouraging comments!

The nyala were far more impressive than I'd expected. The intensity of the pelage colors was such that they were easy to photograph.

The quatrains are written with an ABAB rhyme scheme. A different approach to highlight the special qualities of Leopard Hills and the safari there.

What a surprise it was to be surrounded by wild dogs. I hadn't even thought of seeing them at Leopard Hills.

There's much more to come...

Tom K.

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The sleeping Lions are great, not one is bothering to so much as open an eye for you. Your presence is apparently worthy of no attention. Love it.

 

~ @@elefromoz

 

Yes!

Their utter nonchalance when we were in their presence reflected our insignificant status in their estimation.

What a way to be brought back to earth — snubbed by lions!

Tom K.

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Thank you so much for this amazing, lyrical trip report. It brings back so many memories for me.

 

Like others here, I'm so impressed by the details you observe and include. Yes, we all live them, and if we're lucky we sometimes even notice the bright color of the yellow flower or look up the inspiring name of a blossoming branch (a Galactic Arm indeed), but almost no one thinks to share them. They feel insignificant. Even for all my love of nature, and animals, and thinking I'm seeing the details (look at the eyes of that cheetah! Look at the fur on its paw!), you remind me that nature is a fractal -- the closer you go, the more there is. There's always deeper in, and further to go. Thanks.

 

Great pictures as well -- you got wonderful ones of the wild dogs, and of the hippo baring his teeth! Can't wait to read more.

 

~ @@hannahcat

 

Thank you so, so much for your warmly generous comments.

Such encouragement means a lot to me.

As you've shared an especially fine trip report in Safaritalk, your kind observations are especially valuable.

Game drives include such a range of detail, as each fresh scene is a composite. A biome consists of life from microorganism communities up to apex predators, all with the heavens above.

As Leopard Hills was an especially welcoming, wildlife-intensive location, there is much more to share.

With Appreciation,

Tom K.

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Your poetry has gotten increasingly ambitious by rhyming the scientific name of species! I was also going to point out how delighted I was with the nyala/Valhalla pairing, but @@Atravelynn has got it covered. :)

 

Should you ever see your zorilla, I'll expect you to do better than to go with the obvious rhyme.

 

Great pictures all around, as always.

 

~ @@Marks

 

Ah, the ever-elusive Zorilla...my ‘African grail’.

I haven't given up. I'm waiting for the distant day when a guide or camp/lodge operator contacts me to say that Zorilla sightings are feasible if one stays for a week.

Were that ever to happen, off I'd go, ready to take night shots of a fleeing Zorilla, its jaunty black and white tail flying behind as a banner for all seldom-observed nocturnal species.

It gives me great pleasure to know that Zorillas are somewhere ‘out there’...rarely seen but nonetheless safely ‘out there’...a fickle yet worthy species for my safari daydreams.

The ultimate satisfaction would be to finally bring back a Zorilla image to post in the mythical “Show us your Zorillas...” topic.

Let others hoist their sails for pangolin, okapi, aardvark, bongo or honey badger sightings — my quest remains focussed on finally seeing a Zorilla in the wild.

Thank you so much for your very thoughtful comments.

Tom K.

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Aepyceros melampus gathered in a bachelor herd,

Peacefully grazing near a giraffe mother and child.
From their gentle and low-key demeanor it might be inferred,
That they were civilized and well-bred, not at all wild.

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Impala Bachelor Herd Near Giraffe

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Impala May Safely Graze

 

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Giraffes may appear both docile and meek.


While browsing on foliage with its muscular tongue,


This giraffe wanted to play hide-and-seek.


How precious the innocent pleasures of the young.




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Can You See Me?



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Young Giraffe Taking a Star Turn



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Sidelong Glance



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Young Giraffe Striding



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Vigorous Neck Mane



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Who Be You?



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Photo Session Over...





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First a young giraffe, then another,


Likewise browsing lowveld vegetation.


We could tell it was the mother,


Keeping her eye on the situation.




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Mother Giraffe Browsing Nearby



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Sampling Foliage



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Female Giraffe with an Oxpecker



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Neck Pattern



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Effective Camouflage



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Lighter Rump Patterning



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Browsing a Small Tree



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Mother Giraffe Portrait





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After the giraffes, a waterbuck sighting had begun,


Unexpectedly the atmosphere shifted,


The placid male waterbuck abruptly started to run,


Morning's tranquility suddenly lifted.




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Heart-shaped Hooves



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Rapid Departure



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Running Waterbuck





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A Male Cheetah and a Hyena




~ After leaving the mother giraffe and her baby, we sighted a male waterbuck grazing near a forested patch. By happenstance, on that particular game drive I was the sole passenger in the safari vehicle driven by ranger Jehanne Van Heerden, with Ronald as the tracker. Although there wasn’t anything at all out of the ordinary about our approach, the waterbuck acted unusually skittish, trotting away before breaking into a run, yet not appearing to be concerned about us. Jehanne paused to listen to Ronald, who pointed to a small forested section about 200 meters distant. Upon pulling up there a male impala was standing near a small herd of females, making loud, high-pitched snorts and stamping its front hooves. Jehanne told me that it was an alarm call indicating a major threat in the immediate vicinity, adding that there had been radio reports that morning of a leopard on the move. Guided by Ronald, he drove into the brush, dry twigs crackling under the tires. They both actively scanned to the left where the male impala continued to broadcast its snorting alarm call.


My left eye lacks vision, thus all of my reading, work, sightseeing and safari wildlife spotting occurs through my right eye. Therefore while Ronald and Jehanne concentrated on the left, it was natural for me to scan the moderately dense forested area to the right, although there seemed to be no activity there. As they talked I strained to see anything moving in the tangle of brush, fallen branches and grass. It was shortly after 7 am, thus cool under overcast skies with low light. Suddenly I saw a spotted tail going over a large fallen branch under a densely-leafed tree. “Leopard, over there!” I shouted to Ronald and Jehanne, pointing to where the tail had disappeared. The vehicle carefully yet swiftly headed to the gap, going around the fallen branch. About ten meters away the big cat was trotting. Jehanne grinned and said: “It’s a cheetah! Good going!”, as we began following it through the brush, maintaining a reasonable distance so as not to unsettle the moving cat. My first South African leopard turned out to be a cheetah!


For the following thirty-five minutes we remained with the male cheetah. It paused three times, resting on the ground, tail twitching, remaining vigilant yet often briefly closing its eyes. Jehanne told me that it was the first cheetah sighting they’d had in over three months and therefore a significant event. Had Ronald not pointed out the impala’s warning snorts, we wouldn’t have been there to spot the cheetah. With Jehanne’s expert off-track driving, it was a team effort, which buoyed our spirits, with broad grins on three faces as Jehanne announced on the radio the location of the cheetah sighting. Yet something seemed odd about the cheetah, which pricked its ears looking past us towards the trees. Several times I looked in the direction of its gaze, seeing nothing. Looking again I saw an adult hyena skulking, approaching both our vehicle and the resting cheetah in an oblique pattern. It circled back and forth before approaching the cheetah, which sat up, hissing and baring its fangs. The hyena walked away, sulking at a distance, as the cheetah once again rested. It was a memorable experience and my first major game drive sighting. As subsequent events turned out, that was not the last of the cheetah.



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During an overcast morning with fairly low lighting,


A big cat's spotted tail came into view,


A ‘leopard’ was actually my first cheetah sighting,


Cheetahs may be seen in forests — who knew?




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Enter a Cheetah



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Reconnoitering



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Which Way to Go?





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Your passage remarkably near,


I sense your brave heart and keen mind.


You appear to walk without fear,


Ready for whatever you find.




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Walking Past Us



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Powerful Stride



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Leopard Hills Visitor



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Healthy, Vigorous, Active



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Sabi Sands Acinonyx jubatus



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Indifferent to a Safari Vehicle



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Enough Consideration — Time to Move On



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Male Cheetah in Leopard Hills





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Gliding through the foliage with brazen stealth,


The male cheetah's camouflage heightened by leafy green,


Having no need for either fame or wealth,


The forest visitor passes through largely unseen.




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Entering a Wooded Area



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Beyond the Foliage



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Prey's Perspective



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Walk Silent, Walk Cautious





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@@Tom Kellie

 

Cheetah in Sabi Sand is quite the find. They are not often seen there, as the landscape is generally not as open as they typically prefer. I'd say that was a pretty great sighting for your first South African "leopard!"

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@@Tom Kellie

 

Cheetah in Sabi Sand is quite the find. They are not often seen there, as the landscape is generally not as open as they typically prefer. I'd say that was a pretty great sighting for your first South African "leopard!"

 

~ @@Alexander33

 

It was totally unexpected. I'd never given any thought to seeing a cheetah in Sabi Sands.

Such a non-traditional ‘leopard’ sighting was a favorable portent for the remaining game drives and days at Leopard Hills.

The cheetah's grace while wending its way through the forested area was unlike anything I'd ever seen.

Thank you for your kind comment.

Tom K.

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Sometimes pulling back for a wider view,


Provides perspective on a natural scene.


Although the subject isn't really new,


Others better understand what one has seen.




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Wary of the Approaching Hyena



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In a Small Clearing



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Resting Near Trees



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Male Cheetah in a Sabi Sands Forested Area





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What dreams shimmer in a cheetah's head,

When it pauses to rest and survey the terrain?
Does it feel weary, needing a bed?
Or are its musings impossible to explain?

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Cheetah in the Grass

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Spotted Predator

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Wide-eyed Expression

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Intently Scrutinizing the Surroundings

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Shifting Resting Places

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Narrow Profile with Tail

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With a Forested Background

 

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A wink, a nod, a piercing stare,


The cheetah rests, free of trouble or strife.


While dozing, ceaselessly aware,


Of such is a predator's daily life.




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Anxious



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No Worries



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Legs and Paws at Rest



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Shut-eye Cheetah



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One Wink



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Inscrutability



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Hyena Surveillance



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Upstanding Cheetah



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Sitting Up



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Enough is Enough





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The cheetah rises, eyes on full alert,


A spotted hyena stealthily approaches,


The cheetah's hostile snarl is sharp and curt,


The hyena decides no more such encroaches.




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Full Alert



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Passing By



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A Few Meters Away



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Close Approach



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The Warning Snarl



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Confrontation Aborted



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Not This Time



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Confirming the Departure



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Another Day, Another Vanquished Hyena





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Stunning sighting Tom!

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Poor old Crocuta crocuta, spotted and strong,


You're as worthy a predator as any others out there,


Often you're treated as if you'd done something wrong,


If I too were a spotted hyena I'd think that's unfair.




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The Initial Sighting



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Behind a Tree Trunk



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Watching the Cheetah



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Crocuta crocuta in Sabi Sands



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Hyena Glance



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Green Foliage, Spotted Hyena



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Leopard Hills Spotted Hyena



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Intensely Staring at the Cheetah



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Ronald Watches the Cheetah as the Hyena Departs



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Skulking Away



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Departing Hyena





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Stunning sighting Tom!

 

~ @@Peter Connan

 

Thank you very much for the encouragement!

It was a sighting that I would never have expected anywhere, let alone at Leopard Hills.

Another example of the reality that while on safari, one truly never knows...

Tom K.

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