Addo Elephant National Park (January 2011) *

[Ronnie]

Early Morning Lion Sighting

It was very misty when I travelled to Addo Park early one morning a few weeks ago. After entering the park in the south I soon came across this ellie crossing the road in front of me. I turned off my vehicle to watch him and to take in all the early morning sounds and aromas of the veld. It was then when I heard the roar of a lion in the distance. I immediately decided to head in that direction. I was not disappointed finding five lions lying in the tall grass. A lioness with her two young male cubs and two adult male lions. WOW what a sighting..

A misty morning sunrise at Colchester













Male Lion lying alongside my vehicle




Here is a short video slideshow of one of the adult male lions coming alongside my vehicle, lying down and having a sleep





I spent a hour and a half there with the lions in the morning and when I returned there later in the afternoon on my way out of the park I still found them in the area and was able to spend more time with them. I will be posting more pics.

[Ronnie]

Here they are:










Here is a slide show of the five lions



Here is a video of the two sub-adult male lions playing

[Peter Betts]

Bitterbal 'on full brights' near Marion Barrie waterhole

WHAT a lion!!!

[Peter Betts]

Kudu Bull at Hapoor

[Ronnie]

Elephants at Hapoor Dam

Here are some pics of ellies at Hapoor Dam that I took on one of my visits there. It was a hot day and there were a number of family groups at the waterhole each taking their turn. I noticed there was this small group of ellies that were standing to one side in a very tight group protecting a very small baby ellie. I have circled the baby ellie to make it easier for identification. You will notice that all the ellies looking after and protecting this baby ellie are females. When this group decided to leave they headed straight in the direction where I was parked and passed right by me. How fortunate I was to take these pics and a very short video.

Here are the pics I took










Here is the short video




When watching this video take note of the big ellie on the left and closest to my car.
You will notice her having to move over to make space so that she does not bump into my car
as the tight group move past the front of my car. WOW how close.

[Ronnie]

Flowers

With all the rain that has fallen in the Park there have been an amazing amount of flowers. Here is a selection of some of the flowers that I have taken pics of and then enlarging them revealing the delicate detail of the flowers that is often not seen with the naked eye. When I look at these I am constantly reminded of the beauty and intricacies of nature. Take a moment and enjoy.

[Ronnie]

Would it not be lovely if a camera could electronically capture the scent from the flowers and veldt and when one opens the image on a computer the sent is then electronically recreated...


Ellies having a drink with the young one going on its haunches, easier to reach I guess

[Ronnie]

Lion Sighting

One afternoon on a recent visit to the Park I had stopped to watch a herd of eland and red hartebeest behaving nervously. A car approached from the front and as they passed I waved to greet them. They stopped a short distance passed me and reversed back to me and stopped alongside. They were a young couple with two children in the back of their car. They told me that it was their first visit to the Park and asked where they could find any lions. I said to them that I had not seen any lions that day but that I had seen some elephants next to the road not far away. They thanked me and off they drove with great excitement. I sat there in silence watching the eland and red hartebeest for about ten minutes when there in the distance I saw a lion make his appearance from the bush. I saw in which direction he was walking so I moved and parked in a spot where I thought that he was going to cross the road. Well I was not disappointed as he crossed right in front of me. I was the only one there as he walked passed on his way to have a drink at a dam and paused for a moment on the dam wall surveying the area around him maybe plotting where his next meal was coming from. If I had not stopped to watch the eland and red hartebeest behaving nervously I would not have seen this lion. What a sighting.

Lion approaching me




Lion surveying the area from the dam wall




A video of the lion approaching and crossing the road


.

[Peter Betts]

The lions name is 'Nomad' the newish male imported who I still have to see..I think I can recognise where this was taken?? Which loop was this Ronnie?

[Ronnie]

Ah I have just watched the video and it is much more recognisable..Very South loop to the right?? as you come from the gate..It looks afternoon ?/ crazy the Eland are always there with the view to the N2 in the distance and 3 weeks ago I too stopped at that same spot to glass the big Eland Bulls..Where is the dam there?? Ronnie. I always miss that loop coming in early in the morning and go straight to Nglube loop which as you know starts on the right straight after this loop But always go and look at the Eland on the way out..Great luck and well done..But I see they couldnt resist putting one of those aweful collars on him..so undignified

Hi Peter,
You are correct with the location of where I had the sighting of the lion.

Here is a pic of the dam. The lion in the pic is standing on the wall you can see in the background
I took this pic when the Mbotyi loop was opened and it was not yet indicated on the Park road map given to us at the gate.
There was also a road leading to this dam but it has now been closed off with short poles planted in the ground, some of which are now lying on top of the ground