We paid another short visit to the hyena den and watched the pups playing for awhile. All the hyenas in this area will use this den to birth and raise their pups. They are surprisingly cute.
Our Jeep was headed out onto the savanna when we got the call that the other vehicle had found lions! Back we went along with about 6 other touring vehicles but we got the best spot as the three male lions crossed the road right in front of us! Oh my, they are magnificent! One male had been injured so he was struggling to keep up with his brothers but Mr. Fish seemed to think he would heal and that the other two would make sure he got food.
Back out into the marsh land we passed Leopard Rock but did not see the leopard although later in the morning the other jeep did watch the leopard cross in front of them in pursuit of an Impala.
One field held a wildebeest, 2 elephants, 3 giraffe and herds of Zebra, Cape Buffalo and Impala. During our mid-mornig break an elephant passed within 30 yards of us so we watched him go to the watering hole for a drink. A jackel was lounging on the wet ground nearby. On the way back to lunch we saw a secretary bird as it was hunting for snakes. Very interesting.
We left as usual for our afternoon game drive at 3:30. As we drove around we saw white backed vulture, Hottentot teal duck, kori bustard, and 5 giraffes, a heard of zebra and then at least a dozen elephants with their babies playing in a waterhole as they splashed and rolled in the water and mud. Three hippos were off shore watching the fun. The hippos had to travel 40km over land to reach this area! They came from the Chobi River area because the river has flooded out a lot of the grazing area so there is stiff compition for grass and territory. Its only a 2-day walk.
As we headed back to camp we passed a male and two female kudu. They are magnificent antelope. Then the call came in that a leopard had been spotted!
Mr. Fish’s jeep arrived first and he took off cross country to keep an eye on the leopard but then he had to stop because of a flat tire! Luckily we were with Stanley who arrived in time to take up the chase. We got some great pictures before the leopard disappeared in the brush. A quick tire change and we went home excited to be so lucky to see this leopard which was a different one from this morning. Leopard count - 3.
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