Staring Into These Eyes

I was spellbound. Yellow eyes glared at me from only a few feet away. It was night time and he came from nowhere. He stood still for a few seconds, so near I could reach over and touch him. Then he turned away and silently the lion walked back into the dark bushes.

Kruger Park is the main wildlife park in South Africa and part of the holiday history of the country. Motorists first entered the Kruger Park in 1927  - the entrance fee per vehicle was one pound and bicycles were not allowed (really?). 

At the time only daily visits were possible. Later when overnight camps and facilities were established, the typical car roaming the park roads was the trusty VW Kombi, complete with flower fabric curtains which mom made, a trailer for the heaps of camping luggage, and children piling up on the rear seats.

Kruger Park is in warm north eastern part of South Africa. Summers are extremely hot and most visits are in winter when foliage is less and animals are spotted more easily. The park covers twenty thousand square kilometers of Bushveld which  is bigger than many countries - it is the size of Belgium and a third the size of Ireland. 

Thirty eight rest camps and luxury lodges provide overnight stay for close to one million local and overseas visitors per year. It is a sanctuary to one hundred and fifty mammal species, and famous home of the Big Five; lions, elephants, rhinos, leopards and buffalo, some of the largest wild land animals.

My son and I have taken a guided three day hike in the park. By day we walked in the veld and bright sunlight viewing animals at careful distance. At night we slept in tents with hyena’s sniffing around the campsite, and the regal roar of lions in the distance. For one whole morning we watched in quiet as a herd of elephant approached a waterhole where we sat, and come to drink water a few meters in front of us. One elephant came closer to assess the small group of strange human animals sitting by the waterside. It sniffed the air a few times, gave us a long stare, wavered sometime and then turned back slowly to the rest of the herd. 

Elephants are slow moving placid animals most of the time. Never get caught between a mother and her calf. Then their temperament changes quickly. The warnings signs are clear but then it could already be too late: flapping ears, raised trunk, and loud trumpeting. I have narrowly avoided a mauling in a mad scramble away from mother and calf separated on either side of the road. These otherwise gentle and affectionate giants roam in herds and have a lifespan of fifty years. They typically eat two hundred and fifty kilograms of food each day and run as fast as forty kilometers per hour.

Lions sleep and laze away most of the time with young cubs playing around their den. Living in prides of up to twenty, they hunt every so few days, when these giant beasts become the powerful, feared and extremely agile predators they are. The females do the hunting, usually in small groups. Male lions seldom hunt or look for food, preferring to stay at the den, vie for dominance in furious fights, and wait for their supper. (Fill in the remark as you wish). Lions are awe striking; bigger than you would think, majestic and graceful, placid one moment, and fast and fierce seconds later.

Leopards are the loners of the Big Five and you would be lucky to spot one on a visit to the park. Tracking and hunting takes them to speeds up sixty km/h,  a sleek and graceful sight. They are agile climbers, able to leap onto rocks and cliffs three meters high. Solitary, secretive and nocturnal these animals melt away in their surroundings to surprise you with a spotted stare from the road or from the branch of a tree.

Black rhinos are smaller than the endangered white rhino. Pre-historic in appearance, they are edgy, cantankerous and anti-social creatures. Males and females having fleeting pair bonds before each again go their own way. Black rhinos have poor eyesight causing it to storm now and inspect later. The are most unpredictable and one should stay well clear of them. White rhinos are the second largest animal terrestrial animal on earth with a weight of around two thousand kilogram, they are massive beasts. They are peaceful herd animals and stir the emotions with their gentle handling of their tiny calves.

The Buffalo is an inquisitive and placid animal. They are intelligent and cunning when threatened, especially by lions which often follow buffalo herds. Herds have been seen to form a semi-circle with males facing outward to protect the females and calves when there is suspicion of predators lurking. When attacked, buffaloes often ward off lion and alligator attacks, fearless in protecting their tribe. Buffalo stampedes are an unstoppable force of nature.

You will see many more wild animals in a visit to the Kruger Park; monkeys, zebra, giraffe, hippopotamus, impala buck, springbok, wild dogs and baboons to name a few. A favorite of mine is the warthog,  “cute from all the ugliness” as my daughter once said, and endearing as they skirt and dart around the park in small families all with tails upright.

A visit to the Kruger Park is typically a time of bonding and extended leisure for families; an immersion in nature in all its predatory, wild and wonderful grandeur. A place where the animals of Africa roam free. And if you are lucky, a place where you can see from up close the king has yellow eyes. 

(Source of images: Google)