Its a WILD life....

[Richprins]

Wrong thread, Rpopit!

[RobertT]

What. Noticed, deleted before you replied.

[Richprins]

Ja....teetolallers advantage!

[Toko]

Inyati, you have all the luck

[Richprins]

Seeing as Alf is going to Kruger this weekend...

The rarest thing one can experience, or actually one of the most amazing, is the first serious rain in a parched area late Spring. The animals seem to know drought is over, or are desperate, and weird stuff happens!

Was in Orpen camp once, around this time and these conditions, and lo and behold the first serious thunderstorm of the season happened on our first evening.

It had already been a thriller, as the waterhole at camp was pumping (before webcam/spotlight days), and we had been to the fence with torches to look, to be greeted with a blaze of reflected eyes...a whole pride of lion!

We hung over the fence and investigated and jabbered away (don't think it was electrified yet)! One can look at sightings in torchlight perfectly well with binocs!

As we were about to leave, with the approaching storm, I got the fright of my life! (Well, have had many frights in my life....the unexpected moment of my life! )

Just a metre or so away from the fence, in front of us, a buffalo was lying down in deathly silence, and hitherto unnoticed! I am utterly convinced it was seeking the protection of the "camp" so as to evade the lion!



Anyway, no harm done, and after the storm we got the fire going, sitting slightly under the overhang of the rondavel roof to avoid the dripping...can't remember stoeps there yet?

And then Doolittle's menagerie appeared all over...mostly from the wet earth!

Termites, beetles, frogs/toads (So that's where they hide) emerged, and to crown it all, a tiger snake sailing through the branches of the bush/tree adjacent!

A wild evening indeed!

Hyena also started up at the waterhole shortly thereafter!

[Alf]

This weekend you will see even wilder things happening at Orpen

There will be a furry creature taking a bath inside the waterhole slapping the hippo on the behind telling him to pass the soap



He will have a portable braai next to the waterhole making lunch for the cats............

Then braaing the cats too

[Richprins]

Ja...I can see you are going to meet up with your old girlfriends at the outer gate again..

[Alf]

Ja...I can see you are going to meet up with your old girlfriends at the outer gate again..

They told me they are busy over at your place this weekend

Not entering there just to be safe

[Richprins]

You can always go and collect them?

[Alf]

They won't be there

Nellies is far away from Orpen gate