Tuesday 10th September 2013

Just as we were finishing our pre-walk briefing we heard lion on the other side of the river bed. From that point on it was hot pursuit through the bush for about an hour. JP was simply tracking her by ear, heading towards the her roar or an alarm call of an animal. We had to move really quickly to keep up with her.

We narrowed it down to a small block but still we didn’t see her, JP was convinced that at some-point we would have walked passed her as close as thirty metres or so.

I felt so tired today, this is despite having my best nights sleep so far as it was not cold at all last night. Being absolutely shattered on a very hot day meant that I didn’t get the most out of today’s bird lecture.

In between lunch and study time I went to the far end of the camp where no one would be walking and swept the path smooth so that it would catch the tracks of anything that walks through the camp tonight. There’s a good chance that there may be lion prints as Margaux had the telemetry devise out which suggested that the lioness was at their end of the camp. It must be fairly serious as JP took his rifle to bed with him.

The afternoon game drive was a good one, I was sat up on the tracker seat and therefore had front row seats for almost all of the sightings. First up was a breeding heard of eles and then after we back tracked and headed towards the river. On our way we came across a young bull elephant that got a bit miffed and Margaux had to talk (shout) him down which was very impressive.

Heading to the kopi for sundowners we saw three klipspringers and then a pair of hammerkops mating. Poor Clifford nearly had an accident with his zipper when he was down the track and a lion roared. Everyone finished their beers and then it was back in the Landy, spotlight out and off in search of the lion.

Now it’s last minute revision ahead of guiding tomorrow, up at 0430.