Everyone! at Thanda Safari is getting ready to welcoming our guests back as soon as the lockdown is over 😊 I took this picture of one of our Lionesses inspecting our entrance gate!
In the winter month Giraffes often chew bones to augment the calcium and phosphorus levels in their bodies. This evening I took this short video of a chewing male Giraffe being irritated by an Oxpecker looking for Ticks on the Giraffe’s neck.
The highlight of today’s game drive was the sighting of a breeding herd of Elephants. These normally quiet giants are very noisy eaters when they choose to take down whole trees for breakfast 😊
In case you are on Instagram you can watch my live video from this morning
There are many colorful creatures on Earth but when it comes to subtle variations and delicate nuisances Lilac-breasted Rollers are one of the winners. Two days ago this beautiful bird remained still for long enough for me to take this portrait.
This afternoon’s game drive was very quiet with only a very few sightings. But I got rewarded at the end with a beautiful sunset, Giraffes, Impalas, Wildebeest, Southern Yellow-billed Hornbills and Crowned Lapwings, all on the Thanda Savanna.
It is the first time since my arrival in South Africa – over eight years ago – that we had rain in June. The over 50mm (about 2″) are very welcome.
For a little while there will be water puddles all over the reserve which the smaller creatures use to quench their thirst and the large ones, like this Cape Buffalo Bull, often use for a cooling mud bath on a hot day. I ran into this impressive Dugga boy during last night’s game drive. Dugga boy is a local term for a single old Buffalo bull which is no longer moving with the herd but stay by himself.
Elephants love to eat the inside layer of the bark of trees. This is the ‘transport system’ which trees use to move nutrients and water from the roots to the branches and leaves. Judging by the gusto Ellies enjoy the phloem (transport layer) it must be as desirable to Elephants as ice cream is to me 😊
This is my favorite Thanda Safari Elephant video clip which I took a while ago. I am not sure if I ever shared it with you. Well, here it is (maybe again 😊).