After we left St Lucia, we went on an early morning game drive at Hluwhluwe-iMfolzi which is the oldest game reserve in Africa. It originally was conserved by the Zulu people during the reign of the Zulu King Shaka who set the grounds aside as his private hunting reserve. The King and his people realized that certain animals were becoming less common and so they decided to conserve an area and the duel parks of Hluwhluwe-iMfolzi were created.
So although this post jumps around a bit as far as the time-line of my trip went, because the photos are from Kruger and Hluwhluwe. I'm putting it in now for two reasons. First, everyone likes and wants to see animals and the Big Five are what most people really want to see when they go on a safari. Second, because the Big Five do not refer to the five biggest animals, the five most beautiful (although some might say so), the five most dangerous, or anything like that.
The Big Five include the Rhino, the Elephant, the Lion, the Leopard and the Cape Buffalo. They are called the Big Five because for a Zulu warrior to advance to the top in rank, he would have to successfully hunt and kill each of the Big Five. I put the Cape Buffalo at the end of the list because the Cape Buffalo is actually considered to be the most difficult to hunt and kill.
This is a small herd of Cape Buffalo that we could see in the distance. Unfortunately of the Big Five, the Cape Buffalo is the only one that I didn't get a really good photo of, so this will have to do. Cape Buffalo are considered the most difficult to kill for several reasons. First, they have very tough hide and piercing it with an arrow/spear is nearly impossible. Second, they do not seem to be terribly affected by pain and will fight until they are dead. This isn't an animal that gives up. Also, they are very, very smart.
For example, inexperienced hunters would come upon a single Cape Buffalo and the buffalo would run away. The hunter would pursue, expecting that the animal was running scared and he would try to wear it down and then kill it. In reality, the animal is leading the hunter into an ambush of the herd. And Cape Buffalo do not bluff charge; when they charge, they mean it. Another interesting fact is that they are very territorial when it comes to their migrating routes and will remove anyone, or animal, that dares to hang out on their trails. So quite dangerous but interesting animals.
Here is one of the first elephants I saw in Kruger. This is a female and the short legs you can just see under her belly are those of her baby! Elephants are also very smart animals and can be quite difficult to enclose. In fact, Hluwhluwe and iMfolzi used to be separate parks; however the elephant's traditional breeding routes were between both parks. Many years the park's board would try and keep the parks fenced and separate only to have the elephants break through. So after a while they gave up and merged the two. Elephants are actually over-populated in Kruger and there are almost 14,000 of them. Still, very beautiful and majestic animals.
This was the only male lion I saw on my tour and he was with a cub hiding in the bushes behind him (you can't see in this photo). He's an older male and the scars on his hip and eye suggest he's fought long and hard for this position. He actually wandered across the road in front of the car and laid on the ground. To give you an idea of the size of him, the top of his head came up to the side mirrors on the Range Rover driving in front of us! And this would be one of the many reasons you are forbidden to get out of your car in Kruger.
And here are three White Rhinos. We actually came up on them while they were sleeping in a Rhino pile next to the road! White Rhinos live in the more open grasslands and are gentler than their Black Rhino cousins. Black Rhinos are highly endangered and the only one I saw was a rescued baby at a rehab centre (more on her later!). White Rhinos have been saved from extinction but they are still under constant threat. 97 rhinos were killed in the fall in Kruger alone last year by poachers who are hunting them for their horn. It's quite sad and hopefully someone will be able to come up with a better way to protect them soon.
And here is the last of the Big Five and one of the rarest animals to see; the leopard. I was incredibly lucky because I saw THREE leopards on my trip. Most people go their whole lives without seeing one. This guy was the only one who I was able to get a photo of. He (or she?) was lying in the tree having a nap. Leopards are solitary (lions are the only big cats who are social) and are known for their tree climbing abilities. They hide their kills in trees to prevent the lions from getting them.
And that's the Big Five! I cannot imagine how one warrior armed with just a bow, arrows and a spear could possibly kill all five of these animals, but apparently it happened. I'm just so glad I had a chance to see them!
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