New Territory

[Pumbaa]

Thanks for your Information and shots about Shamwari, PJL

and for sure great Lion shots from Addo - Finally you managed to capture them perfectly

[Flutterby]

These lions sure are photogenic!

[Mel]

Quite a successful visit at Shamwari Wonderful leopard shots and I totally believe that the kids enjoyed the experience

And those Addo lions… always had and always will have a soft spot for them. They are truly magnificent.

[Richprins]

Your buffalo/lion pics were in the PE Herald weekend Post yesterday, Peej!

Roaring thunder as buffalo and lions face off at Addo

Living in the Bay in close proximity to the Addo Elephant National Park is a privilege many nature lovers treasure.For some a trip to the world-class park is only on the cards when they have visitors with whom to share it; others try to get there as often as humanly possible.

Freelance IT contractor and photography enthusiast Pete Leyland falls in the latter category – and his most recent visit a few weeks ago paid off handsomely when he and his party were treated to a memorable interaction between the park’s lions and buffalo. The thing about Addo is that you never know what you might see, Leyland says. “We’ve been fortunate to have some other magnificent sightings, too, in Addo – from aardwolf to aardvark and even brown hyena.”




Leyland’s lion-buffalo pictures elicited many responses on the popular website Africa Wild, of which he has been a member for about four years. “My parents were with us as they were visiting from the UK; we’d spent a few nights at the Nyathi section the previous week but this was just an afternoon visit to the park,” he said.

“We came across the lions in the middle of the day as they were feeding on an earlier hartebeest kill. There were three adult females and three sub-adult males. “Most of the lions were full and sleepy, and so we drove around other sections of the park before returning in the evening to see whether there might be a bit more activity.”

The lions were still very relaxed at this point but, as Leyland and his family sat watching, a herd of buffalo was steadily moving towards the lions who were downwind of them. “The buffalo had been grazing in the distance on Mbotyi loop, and as the afternoon wore on, they had slowly been meandering in our direction,” he said. “They were now only a few hundred metres away on the other side of the road from the lions – blissfully unaware of the cats due to the wind direction!

“The herd continued to get closer and closer until they crossed the road in front of our car – still unaware of the lions about 30m away. “The lions, by now, had dropped into hunting positions and eventually startled the buffalo into a stampede back towards the road. They thundered across just in front of us until some of the bigger bulls turned to face the lions. “Very quickly the tables were turned and the buffalo were chasing the lions. “This continued back and forth a few times until there was something of an uneasy stalemate and the lions settled back down at their hartebeest kill.” Much as they would have loved to stay longer and see what happened in the night, the Leylands had to leave due to Addo’s gate closing times.“Having the chase taking place so close to us was amazing,” he said. “The stampeding buffalo were thunderous next to our car.“We later heard that the lions didn’t manage to take one of the buffalo overnight as they were seen early the next morning a few kilometres away with another fresh hartebeest kill.”

To register for Africa Wild visit https://africawild-forum.com

https://www.heraldlive.co.za/lifestyle/ ... -on-water/

[PJL]

Thanks everyone for the input and comments

I've been so short on spare time recently that I'm struggling to get around to finishing this TR off... but it needs to be done

Our travels up to the main camp for lunch produced a few kudu in places, but when we got to Hapoor a pool party was again in full swing



Even the little ones were invited in for the fun







Eventually one of the matriarchs decided it was time to head elsewhere so we had a good laugh at the herd attempting to slip-slide their way out of the water



At Gwarrie pan there were more elephant, including this bull who seemed intent on scaring the resident terrapins



After a good lunch, our plan was very simple; meander back south and hopefully catch some lion activity as the afternoon went on. At Woodlands dam there was a nice herd of zebra making their way down to drink



Further south on Mpunzi Loop we came across yet more elephant, including the biggest bull in the park - Paul. He wasn't keen on photos for some reason so this was about the only shot I managed to get which had his face.



Elephants were certainly the order of the day, and our last sighting before the lions was a small herd making their way along the road near Marion Baree. They were very chilled and one stopped just in front of us to feed her youngster





TBC

[Flutterby]

Certainly lots of ellies around!

[Lisbeth]

It is not called Addo Elephant park for nothing

Yes, certain parties are taking place at Hapoor

Some lovely pics

[Richprins]

Interesting action again,Peej!

I like the "surfing" shot in pic 1!

[Mel]

Oh, what a joyful swimming time for the young ellies

Excellent close up of the feeding / eating

Now I have to browse my photos to see if I've ever managed to see Paul,
since I never got to meet Valli Moosa

[Pumbaa]

Awesome ellie shots, PJL,

especially the little ones are gorgeous