A New Englander in New Orleans: Kruger National Park Safari

Sunday, January 27, 2019

Two Sundays ago, I checked something I’ve always dreamed of doing off of my bucket list – a safari at Kruger National Park, one of Africa’s largest game reserves. I spent the majority of the day driving around the park in minibuses. Christine, the wife of my program’s Academic Director, drove my minibus. It was amazing to have her as my guide because she studied Environmental Biology and Geography in university and has extensive knowledge on the flora and fauna of Kruger National Park. I was able to see the big five: African elephant, Black Rhinoceros, African buffalo, African lion, and African leopard. You can see pictures of all of these animals, except the leopard (I couldn’t get a good shot of him because he was hiding in some bushes) below. I also saw monkeys, baboons, giraffes, wildebeest, zebras, crocodiles, hippos, warthogs, antelope, and hyenas. My favorite part of the safari drive was seeing an approximately 2-month-old baby elephant – so cute!

On the open-air safari late afternoon-early evening drive, I was able to witness an incredibly aware event. When driving down one of the dirt roads in Kruger, we approached a pack of hyenas. As we drove past, we realized that they were trying to steal a warthog that two lionesses had killed and were devouring in a ditch surrounded by tall grasses. The hyenas were making various howling noises to attract more hyenas to assist them and trying to get closer to the lionesses, who were very protective over their kill. It was amazing to witness this event from a small distance away, it felt like I had been transported into an Animal Planet show!