Being a game ranger must be some spectacular treat!
This is when you have the opportunity to witness first hand, Africa, in its natural form. For a moment you can escape into bygone eras where animals roamed freely across our continent; as a ranger, you get to share in some amazing experiences that the bush has to offer…
This series of photos was taken on yet another perfect winter afternoon game drive. We departed from the lodge and headed towards the wetlands area in search of any illusive creatures, to see what we can see…
As we approached the airstrip, who do we find out in the open? Non other than our four boys! Amakhosi’s pride and privilege (refer to: Amakhosi’s Pride & Privilege posted 20 July 2010)
They were out and about cruising along the airstrip, with Blue Wildebeest watching their every move. Clearly not interested in hunting, they were rather on patrol, marking their precious territory. This is a ritual with any big cat that has his patch, amongst other species. But what a treat to watch these four boys do their thing!
Now; scent marking the perimeters of their territory is extremely important, as they leave a lot of information behind in whatever they choose to leave behind. Whether it be rubbing their faces and necks up against tree stumps, leaving scent and fur behind so that whoever passes after the scent has been left, will know exactly who was there, how many of them, male or female and the information overload just goes on! It is truly amazing if you think about it. We humans are at a serious disadvantage if you think about it in this way.
It was intriguing to watch them locate this tree to scent mark, they generally mark in the same areas every time, the same rock, the same dead stump or tree.
Two of the boys opted to leave their scent in the form of urine, up against the stump of the tree. High enough so that it is head height for all, of his kind, and of course the other big cats! Another wandered off and the fourth one thought it well to climb the tree and do his business up in the tree, as if to say, this whole tree is ours! With great accuracy he left his present on the branch and dismounted with grace, and they slinked off into the African sunset! Breathtaking!
Don’t you just love Africa and all the special surprises the bush has to offer for those who choose to dwell in it!
You can’t deny wanting to share these experiences with the rest of the world! It’s all waiting here for you at Amakhosi!
This is when you have the opportunity to witness first hand, Africa, in its natural form. For a moment you can escape into bygone eras where animals roamed freely across our continent; as a ranger, you get to share in some amazing experiences that the bush has to offer…
This series of photos was taken on yet another perfect winter afternoon game drive. We departed from the lodge and headed towards the wetlands area in search of any illusive creatures, to see what we can see…
As we approached the airstrip, who do we find out in the open? Non other than our four boys! Amakhosi’s pride and privilege (refer to: Amakhosi’s Pride & Privilege posted 20 July 2010)
They were out and about cruising along the airstrip, with Blue Wildebeest watching their every move. Clearly not interested in hunting, they were rather on patrol, marking their precious territory. This is a ritual with any big cat that has his patch, amongst other species. But what a treat to watch these four boys do their thing!
Now; scent marking the perimeters of their territory is extremely important, as they leave a lot of information behind in whatever they choose to leave behind. Whether it be rubbing their faces and necks up against tree stumps, leaving scent and fur behind so that whoever passes after the scent has been left, will know exactly who was there, how many of them, male or female and the information overload just goes on! It is truly amazing if you think about it. We humans are at a serious disadvantage if you think about it in this way.
It was intriguing to watch them locate this tree to scent mark, they generally mark in the same areas every time, the same rock, the same dead stump or tree.
Two of the boys opted to leave their scent in the form of urine, up against the stump of the tree. High enough so that it is head height for all, of his kind, and of course the other big cats! Another wandered off and the fourth one thought it well to climb the tree and do his business up in the tree, as if to say, this whole tree is ours! With great accuracy he left his present on the branch and dismounted with grace, and they slinked off into the African sunset! Breathtaking!
Don’t you just love Africa and all the special surprises the bush has to offer for those who choose to dwell in it!
You can’t deny wanting to share these experiences with the rest of the world! It’s all waiting here for you at Amakhosi!
