New Territory

[Pumbaa]

WoW PJL,

simply incredible - the Lion sighting itself is already brilliant but the interaction with the buffaloes made this sighting even more incredible

[Richprins]

God grief and f#$ what the %^&*% how the^^&???


This is really unique photographically, Peej. Lighting, viewpoint/POV, framing, timing, short range and action...speechless!

[Mel]

What-a-sighting!!!

There are some serious great shots in there

Just a pity for Duffy & Dawn and Co. that the expensive dinner fought back

[PJL]

Thanks Flutts, Lis, Pumbaa, RP & Mel for the comments! Apologies that it has taken me sooooo long to get this TR moving again, but we've had building work going on at our house which is swamping my time

After all the excitement of the previous day, we had yet more fun to look forward to as we took a trip to the Born Free foundation at Shamwari
They are a rescue centre for big cats that have been mistreated or kept in poor conditions, and can't be returned to the wild.

There isn't a huge amount of advertising about the place, but anyone can go for a visit for a nominal fee (not Shamwari prices ). Friends of ours are involved in running it so we were treated to a bit of a 'behind the scenes' tour. You can see more about the foundation here: https://www.bornfree.org.uk/shamwari-bi ... -sanctuary

Our plan for the day was to head over to Addo main camp for lunch after our time at Shamwari, then take a leisurely drive south to see what we could find. However on our way to Shamwari a friend called me to say he had found the lions again - the buffalo exchange didn't result in anything overnight, but they had just killed a red hartebeest next to the road!! Plans would have to change slightly and we would head in the south gate of Addo to try catch up with the lions later in the morning.

So back to Shamwari... it has quite a grand entrance



And the foundation centre is a smart place with an amazing view







We started out with an introductory talk and video with a bunch of Shamwari guests who were probably wondering how us commoners had snuck into the place



Then it was off to visit the cats that are part of their sanctuary. It's such a shame that people mistreat animals - the results were obvious from things like blindness, deformity etc. On a positive note, the enclosures are a decent size so at least they get to live out the rest of their lives in relative comfort. With the large enclosures, there's no guarantee of seeing them from the viewing platforms, but some lions weren't too shy and came to see us.











There was no sign of their leopards much to the dismay of the paying Shamwari guests, but as I mentioned we managed to get some behind the scenes treatment so once the others had departed we went hunting for the spotted cats. They were much further up in their enclosure but fortunately we found them









They really seemed to enjoy walking with us - even gently calling from the other side of the fence. The kids absolutely loved it!!



The leopards continued back down the hill with us which made for some more great photo opportunities









It had been a thoroughly enjoyable and worthwhile visit, and our next stop in Addo would prove to be quite decent as well

TBC

[Richprins]

This looks like a top place, Peej!

Why not begin a thread?

The animals look well-fed, I must say.

I'm sure the kids had a ball, as you say.

[Lisbeth]

The leopard does looks rather sad though. Not hunting, the big cats have probably lost the purpose in life, but at least they are looked after well and have space that looks like bush

[Flutterby]

They all have sad eyes.

[PJL]

Thanks RP, Lis & Flutts for the comments. The animals do look rather sad, but they're definitely better cared for than their previous places so that was good to see

I couldn't wait to see whether the lions were still around with their new hartebeest kill in Addo. After the gate formalities we drove straight up the southern access road and soon found a pile up of cars opposite Peasland waterhole.... they were clearly still around

Initially the lions were rather difficult to see - particularly when on the kill as they had dragged the hartebeest into a ditch. But once we managed to squeeze into a slot with a bit of a view Dawn kindly came over and lay down close to us





A couple of the young boys weren't too far away either





The peace was interrupted by a herd of elephant which had Josie on high alert



The lions quickly scattered as the herd didn't like them being around, but it wasn't long before order was restored and the girls found a nice shady spot to relax



The other lions slowly made their way back to the kill area as well...





It was nice to see the bond that Josie has with her family



Just when we thought the lions would pass out and sleep for the rest of the day, a herd of zebra came trundling rather close by which got the girls up very quickly. It's amazing that even with full tummies their instinct for the next meal kicks in



A rather half-hearted stalk took place and the zebra fairly quickly realised what was going on. They kept a close eye on the lions before moving a much safer distance away.





Despite the late entry to Addo, the lion sighting had been full of activity. It was time to head towards the main camp for lunch and we would see what else we could find along the way

TBC

[Lisbeth]

Those lions look really great! Healthy and satisfied

[Richprins]

Lovely sighting, Peej!

Ja, they are like robots! They can be stuffing themselves at a kill, kill another passing animal, then go back to eating!

That is why there is sometimes wholesale slaughter of weak herds during drought...they can't help themselves...