Driving in South Africa’s parks is a game sighting endeavor. And for the most part, drivers search the landscape for the so-called big five game (lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and Cape buffalo). Like hunting trophies, we search and watch others search to catch glimpses and photos of these animals.
To capture an image if a leopard is among the greatest prizes. After sorting through a traffic jam of hungry spectators, I did catch on of the more rare animals. What I wish I also captured was an image of the traffic jam as we tried to inch our way in unobstructed views — and by doing so, blocking other viewers. Perhaps, in the not so distant future, the park will be mounted with video cameras and flat screen TVs so you can actually see the animals.
Elephants are a different matter. First, of all, they are spectacular, but also active all day. While the leopard (and other cats), find shade to escape the heat and sleep during the day, the elephant seems to remain active all day. From what I can tell, they pretty much walk all day — while eating.
On passerby stopped to asked me if I had seen anything interesting, and I told him that I had just seen a large heard of impala — but he was unimpressed.
While driving about 10kmh, some zebra were off in the distance and obscured by the vegetation. Perhaps, a preferred location than along the road for gazers to see. After 30 min, a pair of young zebra’s playing several minutes. At one point, they moved into a frame that was less obscure.
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