Saturday, August 2nd, Namutoni Resort, Tsumeb, Namibia

Greetings!

Even with Kori Bustards, Zebras, Steenboks, Guinea Fowl, Mongoose, Hardebeests, Wildebeasts, and Kudus, we felt somehow that the first game drive of Saturday’s entry into Etosha National Park was a bit weak on interesting things to see. 

Remembering that some of our group was seeing their first real game, the original group was eager for more exciting experiences out of Kiboko.  We kidded Kembo that he had sent the wrong emails out to solicit wildlife participants. 

Then, while all of us were focusing on some impalas drinking out of a watering hole we were pulling up to, Kembo asked us to be very quiet and look to the left in the grass.  As we watched, a leopard was stalking the impalas slowly about a hundred feet from the truck.  As some of us got a couple of shots, a alerting grunt came up from one of the impalas, and they all saw the leopard.  With the element of surprise taken from him, the leopard turned and headed back into the heavy brush.  We all started breathing again, and we knew we’d seen a rare event.

Just outside our resort (Namutoni Camp) as we reached it, we came across a giraffe which had been killed by lions a couple of days earlier.  A single female lion was eating, and both jackals and hyenas were circling and waiting for a chance to get there shares.  We watched for about 30 minutes as she continued to try to tear off a leg, and defend the kill from the scavengers.

Our last encounter was much more heart-warming, as a large gathering of mother and calf elephants made their way from a watering hole to the treeline just in front of our resort.  Few sights are as cute as baby elephants scampering around under the mother’s massive legs.

To see the rest of the photos taken today, click on: Saturday, August 2nd, Namutoni Resort, Tsumeb, Namibia.