We had a late start today with a 0730
breakfast, so Jaco informed us that as the sun would be rising at 0610 we would
have plenty of time to see the sunrise before any of the day’s plans took
place. Silly me was the only one to get up early. Walking around in total
darkness with only a head lamp, eyes looking everywhere (reflected from the light)
and having been told that there was a high density of leopards in the area made
the solo morning walk one of the scariest things I had ever done. Combine that
with complete overcast and lacking a good viewpoint I was back in my tent at
0620.
A couple of hours later we were picked
up by the day’s guide (Ian) who took us for a hunt for rhinos in the Matobo NP.
The two cars driving us around stopped a couple of times so that we could
continue on foot in an attempt to locate and get close to the rhinos. The white
we should be able to get as close to as 2-3 meters, while the black… not so
much. We were told that seeing them from 100 meters away they would either be
seen running away or towards us (and not in a polite welcoming way).
Ian was very competent and could hardly
stop talking when had warmed up. He was obviously very dedicated to his work,
something he had been doing for almost 30 years. Africa’s version of Steve
Irvin, basically.
When exiting the vehicles he was very
clear about the fact that we could very quickly end up in (extreme) danger if
we saw any black rhinos when on foot, but he was also very good at telling us
of what to do if something went wrong. Basically be quiet, stand still and
crouch down. Be a rock. Only in extreme situations should we ever have to run,
and he pointed out it would be very clear if he ever wanted us to do so. None
of this ended up being necessary, though. He had plenty of experience in all
situations with rhinos and could kill the myth that they cannot make sharp
turns when running at top speed. He could from his own practical experience
confirm that they could make sharp turns; as much as making turns with a radius
of less than a body length. You wouldn’t think it when looking at them, but
they are very nimble.
He also informed us that up to 28
poachers were caught or killed (shot) in the NP. Not since the establishment of
the park, but every month.
After two walks we were driving down a
road and when turning a corner we suddenly saw three white rhinos scurrying
away from the road. We jumped out of the cars and slowly followed Ian into the
bush, following the rhinos at a careful distance. We ended up app. 20 meters
away from them until they decided that enough was enough and ran further away
that it was practical to follow.
Satisfied with the sighting we had lunch
and afterwards we were brought to a cave where bush men had been making
drawings that were thousands of years old. As with the rhinos and wildlife in
general Ian was very passionate about this.
Following, we went to a village to meet
the locals. Here we were introduced to the elder, an 80-something year old
dressed in a leopard’s skin belonging to a leopard he ended up killing in a
fight. He was a great character. Generally all the people in the village
(30-ish, quite a few small kids) were very friendly and we had a great time
there before we had to take our leave again.
Back at the camp Ian had a couple of
anecdotes from years back (note; lighting a lion’s tail on fire is NOT the
correct way to get rid of a lion when it’s sitting outside your tent when you
want to sleep) before taking his leave, had dinner and prepared for tomorrow.
Today’s joke; Jaco admitted that the
sunrise wasn’t until 0710. Oh well, I’ll be saving money on tipping, obviously.
The mood is set when entering the park.
Family of warthogs.
Peek-a-boo!
Hello there!
Is that a big horn you have or are you just happy to see us?
Cave paintings. The drawings at the top are 3-ish meters from the ground.
Ian getting passionate.
Leopard.
Haha, he was a great character!
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