Africa Wild

Thankfully, our sightings picked up considerably during our next morning's drive, including 12 different lions.









Due to the drought of 2019, thirst was a major issue for all creatures, great and small.





As always, I can't resist the adorable squirrels.

After 2 nights at Twee Rivieren, we moved on to KielieKrankie for three nights.













A lion was feasting on an eland and had attracted quite a number of jackals.

























So, what was all the fuss about?





Nothing says "Bon Appetit" like a pair of cavity-riddled dentures on the end of a dried up old snout.

Magnificant shots, ExFmem,

great number of jackals and good to see elands that close and many

It still looks terribly dry, but everybody seems to be eating all the same

A male lion all alone with a kill and furthermore, he cannot even eat in peace surrounded by those small hustlers who want to eat for free

The view from Kielie Krankie seems to go to the end of the earth,,,,,,if it were flat

Dog behaviourists can tell us why your dog gnaws your shoes (nerves or boredom), chases squirrels (because it's fun), and "runs" in his sleep (he's dreaming). But there are some behaviours that leave even the most experienced scientists scratching their heads. That includes one of the most perplexing dog hobbies: rolling in stinky things. From dead fish to poop, some dogs just like to cover themselves in odiferous smells that leave their owner gasping in wrinkly-nosed disgust. Whether you understand or not, here's how to cope.

Why Dogs Roll In Poop
While there's no definitive answer, there are many theories about why dogs roll in poop and other smelly things. Mother Nature Network has laid out the most popular theories, including these two:

Your dog is trying to hide his own smell: The ancestors of your couch potato didn't get kibble in their bowls twice a day; instead, they had to hunt to survive. By rolling in their prey's smell — or its available poop — they could hide their own scent and approach dinner without scaring it away. Your dog is simply obeying an ancestral instinct that has been passed down for thousands of years.
Your dog is communicating with his "pack": By rolling around in a smelly mess, your dog can communicate with the rest of the pack (maybe just you) about this awesome thing (could it be food?!) that he has found. This theory plays out at the Wolf Park research facility in Indiana, where a research associate told Mother Nature Network that after sniffing a packmate that has rolled in something, other wolves have been spotted following that scent back to its origin. This helps with hunting: by understanding where their prey has been, wolves can better track their prey.
Your dog is leaving his own scent behind: As BBC Earth proposes, your dog might actually be trying to leave his own scent behind. This falls in-line with another dog behaviour: marking. We're all familiar with the image of a dog urinating on everything, especially right after another dog has done so. This is often assumed to be a territorial behaviour to let other dogs and animals know that this is your dog's area. It could also be as simple as communication to other dogs that your dog has been there and investigated the smelly odour.

Exquisite, Ex!

What can one say? Great pics and layout as always!

The earth IS flat, Lis..

Wow, wonderful photos and great sightings

You weren't joking about the captures with your first collage

Whatever that jackal was rolling in... it looks gross and smelly

And, yes, there were a lot of lions around again this time. We excelled our previous head count record significantly...
But I didn't know that the lion project was still going on as I haven't seen a single lion wearing a collar over the last trips.

Great photos - best of all is the nice view at Kielie. Can't quiet make out if it's sunset (my guess) or sunrise though.

Stunning pics and sightings as usual Ex!!

Beautiful ExFmem.....:)

Thank you, each, for commenting - Pumbaa, RP, harrys, Flutts, and Michele - I know how busy we all get, and taking your time to comment is much appreciated.

Sis - thanks for the dog-poop explanation. It goes a bit further into the whys, and offers ancillary reasons/benefits I hadn't considered.

Mel - glad you "got" the Captures play on words with the chosen pics. Yes, the KK pic is sunset Also, we saw more collars on lions than ever before, but was told by one of the Camp attendants (forgot who ) that the collars were all to be removed in the next few days. They do "mess up" wildlife pics, but are certainly necessary from time to time.