This guy was not happy to see me. Instead of grazing, this Cape buffulo spent almost 45 minutes trying to behind a tree. Of course, when behind the tree, the animal could not see if I had left, so every few minutes it would peak around the tree to see if I was still there — about 100 meters away and across a small watering hole.
This got me wondering if there is a habitation gradient in the Park — for I was now some 100 km north of the more crowded parts of the park, close to Joburg — and these animals do not see the same level of visitation. Plus, I was out some 20 km away from any main roads.
Which brings me to one part of the title: survalence. The animals, especially the big predators are watched like anticipated boiling pots. Most of the human population is looking for them and when they are found are under a constant gaze and traffic move. It’s not unlike being in the zoo, in some odd respects.
more on this later! Getting up at 4 am has it’s costs.