On Safari

On Safari

Africa » South Africa » Free State » Drakensberg
April 13th 2006

Published: April 14th 2006

This past weekend I went on Safari to Kruger National Park. This massive wildlife refuge (it's bigger than the Netherlands) was created in 1898 in response to the poaching and encroaching associated with the South African gold rush. It's hard to use words to describe my experience in this amazing preserve, so instead I will use mainly pictures. I would like to describe one experience I had on t... Read Full Entry

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Breck Thrash

secondhandbreck

I'm off again. Leaving the friendly confines of the Sooner State for another adventure. I am going to tentatively call this chapter of my life, MIA in the RSA. I hope that this journey to South Africa leads me to some self discovery, some rest and relaxation, and of course some communicable diseases. If you want to join me, feel free to hop aboard Air Breck and fasten your safety harnesses. It's gonna be a.......... full info

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Lone Male

These are the dangerous one, alone, scarred and old, he might decide to charge at any time.

The Steenbok

This tiny little antelope was only a few feet tall even though he was full grown. Steenboks mate for life so the death of one of a pair means that the other becomes a widow.

Kudu doe

These antelope are some of the larger antelope in Africa. They have beautiful markings and are incredibly beautiful animals. We ate lots of Kudu biltong (jerky) while on the trip.

Saddle-billed Stork

One of only 40 of these stork in the park. We saw this guy at a waterhole while trying to find Rhino in the southwest corner of the park. He was lounging with a single Impala buck, both of whom will come into play later.

The Hungry

We spotted this lioness walking alone back toward the waterhole when we were leaving. Tieni said she looked hungry and was probably nursing newborn cubs. So we turned the ol' bus around and so we could see what unraveled. Even more rare than spotting a hyena is actually seeing a hunt in progress.

Catching the Scent

At this point she was about half a mile from the male impala and she began a her stalking.

Staying Alert

She was getting close at this point, actually able to see the impala. But he as still too far for her to make her charge. But the buck seemed ignorant to her presence.

The Forelorn Look

Maybe it was a snap of a twig, or maybe it was a scent on the breeze, but suddenly the male impala jumped up and stared at the lion. He saw her and proceeded to follow her at a distance making sure to not lose her.

Settling for a drink of water

So even though we never saw a rhino, we felt privileged to have seen a genuine hunt, a hunt that ended like most hunts do, in failure.

The Family

Besides the monkeys, elephants definetly seemed the most human of the animals we saw. They play and snuggle and seem to embody a lot of the emotions that we have as well. This family had the smallest baby that we saw during the trip. A little 3 month old calf.

Close up of the little one

Rough Housing

14th April 2006

Brenda
non-member comment

This is fantastic!
Such an amazing experience. Thanks for sharing. :)

14th April 2006

anonymous
non-member comment

wow what amazing pictures! i can't believe how many cool things you are getting to do! the zip line sounds fun...i did something like that at summer camp but we weren't flying off of a cliff and we didn't have a waterfall, just a slide, so i'm guessing your experience topped mine!

14th April 2006

kelly
non-member comment

oops
sorry the last comment about the summer camp zip line was mine, i forgot to put my name.

14th April 2006

Noelle
non-member comment

Awesome
Breck, I enjoy so much your blogs and the pics. they make me laugh and feel as though I'm there. Thank you for sending them to me ! Noelle (your LA. landlord)

17th April 2006

Sasha
non-member comment

Zoo Life- unplugged
Breck, these are wonderful photos. Thank you for taking the time to share them. I love reading about your time in Africa. You'll really appreciate all these journal entries a few years from now.

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