INGWE GAME LODGE, nr Hoedspruit Northern Province of South Africa

An Afternoon in the Savannah

"We're in Africa!" We followed our host through the green and peaceful
grounds of Ingwe Game Lodge, our home for the next five days with excited

anticipation. Our room was simple yet tastefully furnished and the outdoor

shower added the exciting final touch.

After a long shower and a quick laze on the enormous bed (well, it seems
that way after five weeks in a hammock) we join Thomas on the wide verandah

for a refreshing cup of local Rooibos tea. John, our young, enthusiastic,

and dedicated host and driver pulled up in his landrover "mover" and
introduced Axon, his tracker. He gave us a few 'do not's' to observe durin
g
the drive and placed his large rifle in place, close to hand, across the
bonnet. "It's a 485" he said observing our stares, then added "only for
protection" while he assured us he'd had no cause to use it.

We settled into the mover, camera's ready - just Mike and I and two other

day guests - and took off. Axon, our tracker, perched on his seat on the

vehicle's bonnet scanned the bush for sightings. A sudden point to the
right and John stops the vehicle with precision and caution. A small group

of Impaler and young were grazing in the bush. The weather was a little
overcast. Not the best light for photography however it was all very
exciting, even though these animals looked quite familiar, like deer, and,

as we would discover during the next few days, are abundant in the Savannah
.

From our open vehicle a little further down the track we observed Waterbuck
;
a camera-shy Blue Wildebeest and Burchall Zebra. A Bush Buck crossed the

track in front of our vehicle and we had our first sighting of Eland, the

biggest antelope in Africa. Shortly after we saw Red Hartebeest; Kudu and
a
rare sighting of Kemsbrok. Axon was doing a fine job of scanning the bush

for colour and movement as we drove along. Even when we had stopped , it

took me a little while to pinpoint and focus on the animal. Some were
obscured slightly by branches, yet others close and clear on the edge of th
e
track. All these animals are antelope type animals, to offer you a vague

description. Some small like deer, others large. The male of the species

with horns according to their age - the bigger the horns the older and more

important, the male. Whether deliberately or coincidentally it was
worthwhile viewing them all on our first drive, as on subsequent days we sa
w
many sightings of these animals which, had we stopped to view them, would

have interrupted our efforts to track and successfully view "the Big Five",

that is, Lion, Elephant, Leopard, Rhino and Buffalo.

The afternoon light faded into evening and bush song gave way to nocturnal

hum. The radio crackled and a series of radio conversations revealed that
a
leopard had been tracked nearby. More radio conversations, some off-road

driving crunching over young saplings and fallen branches, and a distinct

growl, led us to a beautiful three-year-old male leopard. His smooth, sand
y
coat just visible in the long grass. He lay unperturbed yet perhaps a
little annoyed at this disturbance to his peace, as we manoeuvred into a
good viewing spot. He rose. We followed as he marked his territory.

Almost as exciting was our 'mover' breaking down right at that moment. As
I
watched the leopard disappear into the night I turned to the description fo
r
leopard in our field guide and read:
"Although leopards may take to man-eating =85
=85 this has not apparently been recorded for Southern Africa."

It went on "=85 trapped, wounded and threatened, the Leopard can be extreme
ly
dangerous but under normal circumstances, it is shy and withdraws from
disturbance." Could a broken down vehicle in his territory, I wondered,
cause him to feel trapped and threatened? I wasn't going to get out to
discover this. The first something out of the vehicle was the rifle in
John's capable hands. Followed one by one by the three males who
individually assessed the problem!

Tonight's sundowner cocktails were not going to be "a lookout point high
above the savannah for breathtaking views of the mountainous terrain."
However it was no less exhilarating, sipping my apple juice and nibbling
savouries in the darkness of a leopard's territory, than high above the
savannah while the sun set on the horizon (that was Saturday evening's
delight after a unique encounter with the Lions).

We were quite safe. A second vehicle went ahead to observe the leopard's

movement while spare parts and tools were on their way to us. The problem

was the fuel pump which, without spare parts, was impossible to repair as i
t
was encased within the vehicle's fuel tank. Two hours later we were back a
t
Ingwe Lodge dining by the lamplit pool, but not before we had also observed

a nesting 2.5m female crocodile; a white-faced owl; a bird of prey and a
Bush-Buck ram, all expertly caught by Axon's spotlight.

Ever keen to introduce us to the bushveld kingdom and share his knowledge,

John chased a fast moving spider (known as a shadow chaser) around the
dining area, without success. But he soon surprised us with a scorpion.
There it was, all pincers and sting, hanging temperamentally in the grip of

his pocket multi-tool. "The bigger the pincers" said John "the less harmfu
l
the bite." He poked a pincer with a fork and demonstrated the strength of

the scorpion's grip.

"Lovely, John" I said "is there anymore pecan pie?"

Day 1 - Ingwe Game Lodge, nr Hoedspruit Northern Province of South Africa



Julie Milne