After a good night’s rest it’s off to see what new adventures we can find. And find them we did! The leopard had failed to take his prey up the tree overnight and a hyena had taken it. Richard was able to find the hyena and the leopard. The leopard was stalking the hyena! He wants his kill back! In two of the pictures on top right you can see the leopard in the background!
Eventually the leopard retrieved his prey, but he had a problem…he needed to get it up a tree this time to keep it away from the hyena. So he went to the closest tree. But the tree was too vertical.
After several tries to climb the tree, the leopard gave up and carried his prey back to his original tree, about 1/4 mile away. Richard, being the fantastic, knowledgeable Guide that he was, knew to take us quickly around to the tree to wait. Sure enough, here came a tired leopard with his retrieved kill. Since we were the 2nd vehicle to arrive, Richard positioned the jeep on the opposite side of the tree from the other jeep. After successfully getting it up the tree he settled in to rest!
As the morning goes on we see more of our furry and feathered friends – the Southern Yell0w-Billed Hornbill, the Brown Snake Eagle, the Kudu, and the Kori Bustard the world’s heaviest flying bird.
This den of hyenas had several moms and a lot of pups. The pups are soooo cute – the moms so ugly!
At a waterhole.
After coffee break it was back to visit the hyenas. The pups got curious. Yes, that is my leg in one of the pictures!
After another great brunch and a well earned nap, (it’s hard work sitting in a jeep, bumping across rugged terrain, taking pictures) and a chat with our new friends, it was time for the afternoon drive. Wonder what will be in store for us tonight?
The 2 lionesses that we saw the first day finished eating on their kill. When we went back to the spot where the kill was, there were no lions. Again, Richard knew exactly what to do. We headed toward a waterhole nearby. As we watched, the mothers brought their cubs down a steep bank. It was fun watching the cubs experience their first trip down a bank!
Then Richard told us to look back on the top of the bank to our left. Daddy in all his glory – definitely King of the Jungle!
The lionesses and their cubs scattered as Daddy approached the waterhole. The cubs played amoung themselves. They soon tired of that, so they proceeded to jump on Daddy’s back and chew on his tail!
The surprise of the evening was when we arrived back at our tent from the drive. We had celebrated our anniversary just before leaving for this trip and THEY KNEW ABOUT IT! Waiting in our tent was a bottle of champagne and a lovely note wishing us Happy Anniversary!
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