You can’t visit the kitchen or the ablutions without tripping over them. They’ll scamper over your groundsheet, shade beneath your braai, dig manically for insects in the sand you’ve swept around your pitch, clamber about your furniture and feet, and forensically investigate your whole camping area like a team of over-zealous hotel inspectors. Say hello to your new neighbours, some of the most captivating camp residents you’re likely to meet in the whole of the SANParks network.
We first crossed paths with this marvellous mob around two years ago and were instantly smitten. Often unnoticed in those days, they would sneak between the riverbed where they spent their days and their occasional den in the camp, in an old ground squirrel burrow in a quiet corner near the Namibian border. Sometimes, perhaps to explore fresh feeding grounds for a change, they would disappear under the fence into the farmlands over the international border. No passports required.
Forever on the move, they foraged in the Auob riverbed beyond the camp fence in a loose group, keeping in contact with each other through constant vocalisations, the suricate version of social media. They were a much more cautious mob back then. It was noticeable how they would bunch up in a tight huddle when returning to overnight within the camp’s confines, checking carefully before crossing open spaces and then making a quick dash for it.
Chill factor
Denne historien er fra Summer 2019 / 2020-utgaven av Wild Magazine.
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Denne historien er fra Summer 2019 / 2020-utgaven av Wild Magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Seeds of success
A champion at the indigenous nursery at Skukuza, Meurel Baloyi is on a mission to make all the rest camp gardens in Kruger water-wise.
Six of the best
|Ai-|Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park guarantees visitors a solid serving of adventure, often with a dash of adrenalin on the side. The rugged mountain desert now boasts even more outdoor activities.
Marvellous meerkats of Mata-Mata
Brace yourself to be welcomed suricate-style the next time you pitch camp at this ever-popular spot in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.
Who's who?
Even regular park-goers struggle to distinguish a rhebok from a reedbuck. The differences are subtle but significant.
Friends of the fluffball
White-fronted plovers breed in summer – the same time many people take their seaside holiday. A significant decline in their numbers means life is hardly ‘a day at the beach’ for these birds
Festive Karoo
On a Christmas holiday in the Karoo, a keen birder and his family soak up the heat in four Wild Card parks. Their reward included special sightings, endless views and a wilderness feeling.
Love struck
A leopard mating ritual is a rare and thrilling sight. Even more extraordinary to witness an amorous affair involving three members of this elusive Big Five species in Kruger.
Challenge the clock
For centuries Table Mountain National Park has inspired exploration, from hardcore climbing to gentle walks. Now runners and hikers can set a record or push boundaries for a personal best on an epic adventure to the top of 13 peaks.
Loud and clear
Woodland kingfishers are common in most rest camps in the Kruger National Park. Enjoy their evocative call during the summer months.
BEACH MODELS
Rocky shores and sandy beaches are where you’ll find the African black oystercatcher. Summer is breeding season, so look out for nest scrapes close to rocks and kelp.