As a child I had always wanted to visit Africa and go on Safari. To see firsthand the natural bushveld, get up close and personal with the animals and experience the call of the wild. At last, I was finally going to get to the African bush.
My objectives were simple, I wanted to see the animals. Lots of them. Emphasis was on the iconic leopards and lions. Armed with a new camera and not really having the time to investigate its attributes, taking pictures became a process of catch as you can. I got lucky. The ‘Big Five’ PLUS, did not disappoint.
Mesmerized, excited, my adrenalin pumping, a male leopard simply going about his business, strolled up close and SO personal that I could actually pet his spots.
When our ranger got wind that a pride of lions were close by, resting on the bank of the Sand River, we raced out to see this magnificent pride. Eight lions in all: young brothers and sisters, a lioness without a tail and two young cubs – all simply napping on the river bank as if they did not have a care in the world.
I later learned this pride was called the Tsalala Pride, and that the little male cub would be lost in the wild for 5 weeks only to lose his life to a scar nose Majingilane male lion –his father after reuniting with the pride.
The Young Tsalala Lion Cub
When we came upon a pack of wild dogs- 13 in all- with their yapping pups going at a fresh kill, our Ranger told us that this was a very special sighting. They had not seen this pack for over a year.
One of the dogs from the pack
Heading back to the lodge one evening, we rolled by a scorpion the size of a dollar bill and an angry bull elephant in ripping down every tree in his path. There was a sighting of a male leopard dragging his kills- two antelopes- up into a tree. We sat watching him crunch on the open carcass. Two hyenas gathered below waiting for the spoils to drop.
A Very Large Scorpion
One afternoon, while we ate lunch on the open deck of Tree Lodge, a herd of elephants with their young meandered through the tall grasses below us grazing on the vegetation. An early morning outing produced a group of hippos wallowing in the muddy waters with only eyes exposed. Then there were the zebras playing. The rhinoceroses staring at us- always in pairs. Nyalas, water buffalo, exotic Leadwood Trees, vultures, fish eagles and dramatic sunsets. Africa exposed. Mother Nature at her best.
A pair of White Rhinos
A beautiful vulture in the morning sun
Written & Photographed by: Marjory Moskowitz
Rich Laburn is filmmaker, photographer and writer who is based at Londolozi Game Reserve in South Africa. Spending his time capturing scenes of the wild and communicating the beauty of the African bushveld, he runs the Londolozi Blog as a way to entertain and engage people wishing to visit these wild lands.
