Lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my!

As you have probably already determined, we've had difficulty getting on a computer. We never did get a router at the hunting camp, and these past three days in Kruger National Park, we've had no opportunities at all. So here I am trying to catch you up. First, the hunters each had one more kill: Gene, an Impala, and Duane, a Kudu. Gene is taking home four trophies, Duane three. After breaking his rifle, Duane's bad luck continued another day with a miss at an Impala and no luck sighting a Gemsbuck. However, after he decided to not pursue a Zebra (they never did see any on the hunting ranches) and instead put his $$ on a Kudu (sometimes called the African elk—see picture). He shot a nice one which certainly improved his mood! And we were even able to eat filets from his specific animal (the meats served in camp are from previous hunts, since they really prefer to cure it first).

We had a delightful stay at the hunting camp, and were very spoiled, especially since we were the only clients! The night before we left, 10 people arrived: a large family with four kids, parents, and grandparents, and another couple. Gone was the peace and quiet! Early Monday morning we left the hunting camp with our guide, an extremely personable, likeable, and knowledgeable guy. He drove us to and through Kruger Park, narrating on history, culture, plants and animals along the way. I don't think there was one bird or plant or animal that he didn't know about. Evidently, the travel and tour guides have to be educated and certified in South Africa, and he was incredible! Of course, he was also just a really great guy! The Park is over 7,500 square miles (40,000 acres?) of open range where the animals just roam about, so the gates are locked at the entrances and then also at each camp at 5:30 pm everyday. Of course, you're not allowed out of your vehicle until you reach a camp. We had beautiful sightings of all of the Big Five, except, unfortunately, the elusive leopard. The Big Five are elephant, rhinoceros, cape buffalo, lion and leopard—the five most dangerous animals to hunt. Elephants (different from the Indian elephants we see in circuses) wandered across the road in front of us several different times, as well as giraffe, zebra, and at one point, a very large herd of Cape Buffalo (300 or so) crossed the road, both in front of and behind our car! I felt a little nervous whenever a big bull turned to look at us. These road crossings were very lucky—most of the animals are sighted grazing, sleeping, whatever, in the distance. We did have three separate lion sightings, one on a night tour from one of the camps, where a huge lion was lying in the middle of the road! He stood up in front of our vehicle and simply sauntered off the road. His mane, markings, etc. were just gorgeous! We were able to see him with the spotlights—what a great sight! (but too dark to photograph). And the first night in camp, we heard a lion roaring—could not have been too far away! The two camps we stayed in (again, individual thatched-roof chalets with own baths) each overlooked a river, and we could watch for animals to come to drink in both the evenings and the mornings. Always impala, other buck, and sometimes buffalo, elephant, zebra were seen at the rivers. The animals are not fed or taken care of by the Park; the predators and other natural rules of selection maintain the balance. That is, except the elephants, which occasionally are reduced by destroying a small herd. Evidently, because of their memory, an entire group must be destroyed rather than selecting the old ones or whatever. Kruger animal reserve is incredible, and it is a must-do if you ever go to South Africa. Of course, to fully appreciate the Park, you must hire our guide to not only give you information along the way but to also help spot the animals which are in the bush.Today, Wednesday, we took a flight from near the Park to Cape Town, where we will spend our last three nights before returning home. So we have left the bush to head to the city...