Where Have All The Lions Gone?
- Virtual Traveller 86
- May 6, 2020
- 3 min read
Day Three: Country No.12
South Africa Arrival Time: 01:56am
Northern Zululand
My flight from Livingstone to Nelspruit was a quick one - taking less than two hours. I had arranged a private flight into the game reserve courtesy of my travel agent (honestly, it is possible to do this!).This was the first of two locations I visited on safari.
Situated in Northern Zululand, and adjoining the Mozambique border, “Tembe is comprised of 30,000 hectares of land which was historically owned by the Tembe tribe – the ancestral custodians of the area. Nkosi (Chief) Mzimba Tembe donated the land for the formation of this Game Reserve, and it is still owned by the Tembe tribe community, while its precious bio-diversity is managed by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife; the KwaZulu-Natal conservation service.” (wildlifeact.com)
It has “over 200 of the world’s largest Elephants, which are also the last remaining indigenous herd in KwaZulu-Natal.” (wildlifeact.com). This includes the big “Tuskers”- elephants with tusks weighing more than 45kg. The park‘s location is very remote, deep in the sand forests and wetlands of northern Tongaland. You can spot the “Big Five”- elephants, lions, leopards, black and white rhinos and buffalo. There are also tiny Suni antelope - only 35cm high! It also has over 340 species of bird.
Groot Marico
The second base was on the northern border of South Africa and Botswana, in an area known as Groot Marico. Within the the Madikwe Game Reserve is the Tau Waterhole, an animal and wildlife oasis that includes elephants, giraffes, lions, zebras and cheetahs. “Along with these animals this area attracts over 27 species of game and is a prime spot for bird watchers. The waterhole also houses resident nile crocodiles that prey on birds and other animals.“ (explore.org)
Due to hidden webcams I was able to spend time watching the wildlife in real time. There is no guarantee you will get to see anything but the webcams operate almost constantly so with a little patience... I spent time during both day and at night. Patience paid off and I got to see lots of different animals. Apart from a very brief glimpse of a leopard I sadly didn’t get to see any of the big cats. The lions seemed to choose a time that I wasn’t watching and I actually missed some amazing footage (I saw the highlights of this later).
However it was very exciting to be watching live action of such wonderful creatures. The elephants and giraffes were amazing and seeing a Zebra come so close to the hidden camera was great. The tenderness of huge baboons with their babes was also really moving. As for the crocs...MASSIVE!
The above pictures are a selection of the many live screenshots I took. Many pics were blurred due to moving animals but I am chuffed with what I got. Have to say, this is extremely addictive watching. You can have 12 cameras on screen at any one time (explore.org); so with a bit of patience you get to see plenty of animals in action. I spent far too long here “on safari” - over 4 hours - so I am going to have to speed-up if I want to fit all 26 countries into the allotted time!
Departing South Africa: 06:08am!
P.S. I still check back on the off-chance I might get to see some lions in live action!
I’m trying to raise funds for NHS Charities and for the Scoliosis Association UK. You can read more about why I am doing this on my Virgin Money Giving Page. I’m so grateful to all who have donated thus far.
Sources:
https://explore.org/livecams/african-wildlife/tembe-elephant-park
https://wildlifeact.com/about-wildlife-act/reserves-we-work-on/tembe-elephant-park/
https://tembe.co.za
https://explore.org/livecams/african-wildlife/tau
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