On Monday afternoon, safari enthusiasts around the world gathered their herds (friends, family, pets - anyone they were in isolation with really) and tuned in to our very first #SofaSafari from their homes, hosted live by the Rangers at Ulusaba.
Trevor & Stuart kicked off the game drive by introducing us to a variety of regular bush residents – from wildebeest to a stunning lilac-breasted roller, and along the way we bumped into some giraffes peacefully strolling past the local watering hole. Who knew giraffes only communicate through sight, touch and smell and not vocal sound like most others? They also pointed out a bachelor group of impalas, impalas are the most common antelope in the Sabi Sand, but this was a slightly unusual sighting for April which is known as the ‘rutting season’ as usually you would see mixed groups of impalas as the males start to compete for dominance amongst the females.
Watch part 1 on YouTube here.
Then we moved over to Tom & Brandon who are on a separate game vehicle, they had been following some tracks a few miles away and surprised us with a very rare sighting... a pack of 18 African Wild Dogs. Although they aren’t one of the ‘Big 5’, Wild Dogs (also known as Painted Wolves) are amongst the most successful predators but sadly are also one of the most endangered, making this a high-profile sighting. Wild Dogs tend to be on the top of most peoples safari spotting wishlists - but also one of the rarest to see.
It turns out we weren’t the only ones watching the Wild Dogs; a couple of meters away were a few hyenas, waiting for an opportunity to steal food from the Wild Dogs. Due to the size of the pack though the hyenas seemed reluctant to interact, this time.
We then headed back to Trevor & Stuart who had located the Ottowa pride of lions, who were sprawled out sound asleep with very full bellies after a lengthy lunch. As lions are nocturnal, they’re most active at night and during the cooler parts of the day but judging by the size of their bellies the Rangers didn’t think they’d be on the move for a while yet!
As they say, it’s best not to wake sleeping lions, so we called it a day…
Watch part 2 on You Tube here.
Don't miss episode 2, on Instagram Live this Monday 20th April at 3:30PM BST where you might be lucky enough to meet Tlangisa, the local female leopard and her two beautiful 10-week-old cubs.
Spotted on Sofa Safari #1
• A bachelor group of impalas
• African Jacana (also known as the Lily-trotter)
• A couple of woolly-necked storks
• Weever birds
• A male & female giraffe
• Wildebeest
• Lilac breasted roller
• Pack of 18 wild dogs
• Hyenas
• Ottowa pride of lions