My 2014 Kruger Highlights

[Heksie]

Thank you RP, Lis and RogerFraser for your comments.
Roger I've heard that hyenas walk up to 60km a night in search of food and they hunt actually more than scavenge as we believed to know...

[Heksie]

Episode 16… The dogs are back in town

One of my must see animals that are high on my wishlist is the beautiful but stinky painted dogs. I love seeing them in the Park, mostly as I know that they are an endangered species and they intrigue me; only the alpha pair mates, the other dogs help with hunting and raising the pups. They are also one of the world’s best predators as they hunt in packs and chase their prey down until it is exhausted and then they start feasting whilst the animal is alive. I didn’t say they are the most humane animal, but definitely very interesting and exciting to watch. I have been lucky with my sightings of them, not very good, next to the car sightings, but, good enough to photograph, so here are my doggy highlights…

April 2014
I entered Pahabeni Gate at 17:00, knowing that I was cutting it close, I had to be at Skukuza by 18:00 and I had +-40km to go. So not looking anywhere I just drove with the mission to get to camp without a fine and not speeding. But as Oom Paul likes to gooi a few surprises every now and then, about 20km on the S1 guess what came out of the grass ready to hunt. I was only able to take a hand full of kiekies and then I had to move again. Definitely not the way I would like to spend with them…





July 2014
So our annual trip in July entered Kruger Gate and the morning started great with a lion sighting, then a hyena even before our first impala and as we drove the H1-2 to Tamboti, something caught my eye, I reversed as I thought it was a hippo drinking… But what we saw was so much better. It was dogs on a bushbuck kill in the riverbed, then they were frolicking, with what I believe to be the alpha male and female trying to mate… after a while they started disappearing and mum asked where they ran off to? When I looked in front of me and seeing they were all in the road, it was a great way to start a July trip, even though the sun wasn’t on my side for nice kiekies?













January 2015
It was nearing the end of my trip and I was a bit sad as the previous two years I had seen wild dogs on Christmas day, this year we only arrived 26 December, so as we waited in front of Phabeni Gate the one morning, to get to the leopard cubs early, I had a discussion with one my Echo Africa JJ friends (we have been chatting at the Gates for over 2 years now) and I expressed my need to see dogs… What would we see less than 5km from the Gate (it was a brief sighting and then they disappeared into the bushes but a great one nonetheless)




March 2015
I was lucky enough to have two sightings of the same pack this long weekend trip for me. The day I arrived I got to them on the H1-1 about 3km from Skukuza, but they were snoozing and had nowhere to go so my pics were gagga. But the next day when Wendy and I went on an afternoon drive, I spotted them at the S114 junction and we parked next to them. We left a space big enough for another car to park between us, so we could enjoy the sighting and didn’t block the dogs, we sat with them for just over 2 hours when a JJ of Jock gooied Wendy the filthy eye and was showing signs towards her, he also commented when I spoke to Sparrow that we were blocking the sighting, which upset me a lot. Oh well, nothing can be done about this, and here is the proof…











To be continued…

[Bushcraft]

A hyena stole your number plate

That’s a small junior

You have been very lucky with dogs

[Lisbeth]

Excellent Wild dog sightings Once I only saw them sleeping, because of the stink...

[Richprins]

Love the rare stuff in the riverbed, Heksie!

You are a lucky girl!

[Flutterby]

Great doggie sightings. I also love hyenas and could spend ages watching them. I just love those baby mongooses...too cute and the pearlies are also pretty cute!!

Unfortunately, I didn't get any pics at our leopard cub sighting...it was before I had my DSLR, and they were too far away for my muk 'n druk.

[Toko]

Oi, you have all the doggie luck on every trip, Heksie

How many different packs have you seen during all your trips?

[Pumbaa]

Gorgeous hyaena shots, Heksie,

as well as doggies for me both species are very interesting animals, as you say maybe a bit stinky but always worth to stop, watching and photographing them

[Heksie]

@ BC
We sat on the stoep at Sabie Park having a few beers and checking out the hyenas, we had about 7 outside when I heard a crunch and I shone towards my car that was parked +- 20m from the house. I shone with the flashlight but didn't see anything suspicious so we kept kuiering. Then after a while one of my friends commented that the one hyena has a reflector jacket and then it dawned upon me that the crunch earlier was my number plate...
It was a tad funny as we were intoxicated, but I did stress a bit cause there is always traffic cops waiting outside Nelspruit and I kept the pieces of number plate as proof for if I would be pulled over, I was glad it didn't happen as I don't think that they would believe my story.

@ Lis
Yes they do stink a lot, we visited Hartebeest Reptile and Animal Park recently and I got the horrible distinctive stench, I immediately commented that it was the dogs and Voila there they were

@RP
Thanks, they did try next to the car as well but the kiekies are poef...
I do enjoy them dogs a lot, even though they have that nasty smell, once I even almost vomited as I was driving next to them ...

@Flutts
Eish, I remember the mik&druk days hehehehehe
Thanks for the comments

@Toko
I do not know how many packs I've seen...
But I can say on which roads?
YOu are going to regret asking me this quesiton...
The H7 (once 30+ Dec 2012 and once 8 Dec 2013 so don't know if they are the same pack? +-8 dogs Dec 2011 near the S39)
The H11 (my first ever sighting, was +-10 I think April 2008, +-6 dogs December 2008)
The S1 (4 dogs April 2013 about 2km from H11, 5 dogs Dec 2011 near Nyamundwa and 3 dogs close to Phabeni Gate Jan 2015 and 5 Dogs about 20km from Phabeni Gate April 2014)
THe H1-1 (I think it was 11 dogs March 2015, 8 Dogs April 2013 at MAthekanyane, Lighting, only him, just past Klipsringerkoppie April 2013, +-15 dogs at Delaport bridge April 2012, +-8 dogs between Mathekanyane and Delaport Dec 2011, +-10 dogs about 4km from Skukuza October 2012)
THe H4-1 (2 dogs near Lubye-Lubye Dec 2013, +-15 dogs near Nwitamhiri causeway Dec 2012)
The 1-2 (Skukuza low water bridge +-20 dogs April 2008, +-12 dogs between the Maroela loop entrances July 2014)
The S130 Gomodwane Loop (+-8 dogs near the S137 junction December 2013)
The S22 Stevenson Hamilton loop (+- 5 dogs Dec 2013)
I hope you can make sense out of this... (The problem is that I don't have all the dogs in one kiekies sometimes not even the pics self, so it is just guesstimations, but this is all my dog sightings that I have had)

@ Pumbaa
I do agree fully, they can stink I'm still gonna stop and sit with them

[Heksie]

Episode 17… the less appreciated carnivore

Maybe you don’t feel the same about this critter, but I do hope to have at least one sighting of them when I visit the Park. I have had experienced that when we would park and enjoy their antics, people would not even slow down when they pass them. I know aren’t big, don’t look like a cat or sleep in trees. They still are a gem that the Park offers, and an important tick that I have to make when visiting the bush.
September 2013
A BBJ seen on the S29, coming from Mlondozi


July 2014
We left Tamboti early as our next stop was Sable hide, and we wanted to do the S100 as well. We were on the H7 and spotted one munching on an impala carcass. We enjoyed the sighting so much but the people just kept speeding past us which made him a bit nervous so he kept on moving deeper into the bushes.









And as always the Capricorn loop delivered one as well


We were actually blessed with a lot of sightings of them in the Mopani area. We had a SSJ at Mooiplaas but he ran off to quick for a kiekie, Then we got two more BBJ on the Shongololo loop that ran in front of our car.
December 2014
We drove the S21 that morning and I spotted a SSJ in the clearing about 4.7km from the S114, he was chilled until a few JJ’s arrived. I was totally flabbergasted when one stopped and announced to everyone ‘Oh, it’s a black backed jackal’ and then immediately moved on… Eish if only he knew…



And then it was raining heavily one day, but as usual nothing would keep me from doing a drive so I went to Lower Sabie and on the H10 I found a few of these critters.





I also saw one chewing on a tortoise that was run over in the road, but as I crept closer another car came from the front and scared him away not allowing me to get one pic. But it was a great sighting (note: the guy wasn’t speeding but even doing 30-40km/h would chase any jackal away)

To be continued…