Safari Live – Day 158 | National Geographic

this program features live coverage of
an African safari and may include animal
kills and caucuses viewer discretion is
well good afternoon everybody and
welcome aboard once again for another
sunset Safari we’re coming to you live
from the Torchwood concession in the
greater Kruger National Park of South
Africa
my name is Ralf kirsten and on the
camera I’ve got Davi today as my wingman
helping me to navigate this area which
is totally new for me so I’m very
excited I’m going to be heading on into
new landscapes and I can’t wait now this
afternoon we’ve also got Tyler out on
foot also very exciting and James will
be heading out with the vehicle as well
we’re sitting at around about 26 degrees
Celsius sort of around at 75 degrees
Fahrenheit so it’s a lovely warm
afternoon and I’m hoping that they can
catch up with some lions but we will
look for everything we can and it will
be very exciting so that is what the
plan is for this afternoon please don’t
forget to send us your questions and
your comments on the hashtag Safari lava
on Twitter and on the YouTube live chat
and get involved in the largest game
drive in the world now this is all just
so new to me I’ve just crossed the
boundary out of Jummah so I am totally
stucked and I am ready to rumble I hope
you all are too and please send us all
your requests of what you would like us
to be finding today because some I think
we’re gonna get lucky so let’s start up
and it’s head on down the road
and we’ll head towards first rocks which
is where there has been some lions they
like to hang out in that area and while
we drive on down the road
I hear that tyler has found something
that is so funny you know we’re just
admiring the sound of a virtual Starling
as it flew on by and then our eastern
scarlet butterfly flew away my name is
Taylor mccurdy and on camera with me as
I said earlier is Berg and well we’ve
been having no luck since this morning
on Safari so I’m really looking forward
to the bush walkers afternoon Hobie of
course is down the way just being shaded
by a tree at the moment as he waits for
us to move on from my butterfly which we
will do now because it just disappeared
so I have to tell you if you didn’t
watch the sunrise Safari my day started
off like that where everything I try to
put on camera to just magically vanish
birds animals it was terrible
anyway so we’re gonna try and not have
an afternoon like that because it will
watch out for the bird literally watch
out for the bird Hey sometimes as
hornbills dive down so low end up
ducking I know they do that in camp when
they go from tree to tree and then they
bang the disco ball that’s hanging from
a bush reloading right anyways let’s go
and see some wildlife and James he’s got
a could you we’ve got so much wildlife
over here sunday wildlife yeah hold had
food rules so many of them there’s one
we probably got four here I’ve decided
that I am going to see here in this
whole Safari and toreano’s not going to
signal’s for everybody
hello I hope you’re having a lovely
afternoon where have you happened to be
in the world my name is James Henry on
camera today we have got Craig
Samet that was his very speedy thumb
going past the front of the lens not fly
he’s talked to us using the effects for
laughs and of course the chest cream on
YouTube that is all the housekeeping I
have to do today I don’t need to tell
you where the lose are because you are
in your own homes and therefore I don’t
need to tell you that sort of thing all
not stand up on the back of the vehicle
because you can stand up as many times
as you like
look at this kudu running across the
road is actually a huge herd of about I
mean a huge herd of kudu which is not
necessarily a huge herd per se they’re
about ten of them here let me just go
forward a little bit some of them the
other side of the river some of them
there we go they are very secretive
normally and they also they tend to
panic quite easily which means that
seldom will they stand still for very
long this guy thinks we can’t see him
you see oh she thinks we can’t see her
I’ve decided that my favourite feature
of the kudu is that sort of white
clown’s lipstick that they wear and
there’s another one over here
great how are they running there we go
hello incoming little baby I’m just very
nice it was a world-class kudu sighting
Adsit let’s continue
my plan this afternoon is to hit down
towards sort of treehouse waterhole
Telepan and those two water holes are in
this south western central areas of
Jummah and then maybe we’ll pop down to
Chitra a little bit later the reason for
that is there was there were tracks of
female leopards going down here some
from sometime yesterday evening we
didn’t find them – all right at the end
of the bush walk so we’re not really
sure where they went
particularly fresh but we’re gonna head
down that way and see if we don’t cover
somewhere that wasn’t covered in the
vehicle this afternoon and maybe the
Lepidus has decided to come and have
something to drink
at one of the pans that’ll be very nice
we think possibly shadaloo four year old
but we aren’t sure we don’t really know
this road which is called Philemon zip
is now kind of a boundary I guess
between shadows not shadows and should
you lose territory and tandi’s territory
shadows territory is now in the ether we
there’s the bird Craig its shouting it
is a Kristen Bobbitt it’s on the bottom
right hand side that rather dead looking
nob form tree that’s the one you know
they’re two of them shouting at each
other they keep calling throughout the
winter you know they’re not migrants
obviously because they’re still here
but many birds will go silent in the
winter months and these chaps seem to
keep going and I remember this from when
I lived in Johannesburg and there were
one of the few bird species that came to
the garden were actually quite a few
bird species but they were one of the
more colorful ones and you’d hear their
call throughout the winter often if you
put out a piece of pawpaw or something
in the morning
that’s a pepino to the rest of the world
then they’d come and fight over it shot
at each other that kind of startled and
irritated look that remains on their
faces all the time so I’m running out of
steam for his calling funny I know the
colors aren’t great on this but to get a
picture through no one’s fault
but there are some lovely yellows and
formed by melanin zand keratins
not keratins why do I always say
keratins carotenoids is what I mean
those are the pigments that make the
really nice let us turn right here long
filaments cut line road down towards
now the next thing that Taylor’s going
to show you will hopefully not fly away
like the first thing the tailor to
is a tree and this young lid would is
not going anywhere well not anytime soon
I suppose of an elephant came around and
maybe tried to feed on it
although do you not actually ever see
elephants eating lid would lose they
taste like I don’t think oh sorry
there’s a lot of strong as I thought it
was gonna be sorry thick not very nice
tone hmm just tastes very leafy like
standard leaf anyway so it’s not very
nice but I always find it unusual when I
see laid wood trees and especially when
they’re so small like this because it
often tricks me when you look at the
bark of this lid would you think to
yourself but that doesn’t look anything
like the big ones that grow along the
drainage lines and the rivers look how
smooth it is
whereas on the big trees when they stand
taller than 10 metres that also layer of
bark it’s quite hard hard and mmm forms
these amazing ridges and that’s a lovely
would just sort of look at that’s also a
lovely wood to burn but good luck trying
to cut it down being so tough now huh
fig and I are really feeling defeated
today because well the butterflies and
and insects are of course warmed up and
like they were here this morning and and
have been flying around which is I think
what’s happened with our eastern scarlet
that we had earlier and I’m sad I didn’t
bring a butterfly book with me because
there’s so many of them around today
which was really nice we’ll try and put
a couple on when we can and if they sit
still for long enough there’s something
else I just noticed down on the ground
and it’s these yellow fruits that caught
my attention now looking at that I’m
thinking where did that come from
immediately I looked up to see if it was
from above but it isn’t I mean that’s
got to be careful when I move this one
because the plant that I actually ended
up just moving is what produced these
fruits now Kirsty says they look like
apricots well that’s what they look like
when they’re ripe and then have a look
come look what they look like when
they’re not right yeah Ryan get down
there yeah angle it nicely with the Sun
I’m really different this looks like a
little watermelon Hey just exclaimed a
baby watermelon so these are not edible
to you and on this is the poison apple
the Apple
and you’d be careful because it doesn’t
little thorns along here they’d like to
grab you if instead let me show you the
ones over there you see that tiny little
thought so you actually don’t even see
it but it’s very prickly very very sharp
there you got to be very careful of them
it looks like something was eating the
fruit maybe an insect of sorts maybe a
bird picked it at remember animals
digestive system are completely
different and how’s that cursed not the
seed of an apricot but the seed of
tomato well it looks like tomato seeds
very cool and mystery fruit hey this
could confuse someone but very cool to
see
anyways that doesn’t look like much of
the seeds have been fake feasted upon I
don’t know how much fallacious fruit
really has to it I’m going to open
another one have a look it doesn’t look
like it’s got much at all but I’m sure
it’ll be the birds or something that’ll
be dispersing that feeling back in my
foot pins and needles that’s always a
fun one all right well I’m not gonna
keep you for much longer because I’m
going to send you to Ralph’s now who is
bumbling about I’m tortured and bumbling
you we are indeed I’m still just
discovering the place and my first
impression is is that there’s quite a
few nice open areas a little bit of
grassland like
Davi can maybe just swing across here
and just give you an idea and nice open
grass with quite a few sort of cluster
leaves thickets and then we’ve got these
general drainage lines as well and I’m
just moving through just going
everywhere having a look for now
obviously it’s still very similar in
terms of the kind of vegetation the kind
of vegetation but as I said is nice open
areas and we’ve just compost first Rock
and I will go back there a little bit
later just to show you if you haven’t
seen it nice open area almost similar to
that of the black rocks in the Maasai
Mara quartered
that kind of scene there and of great
potential for for elephants and lions
when they’re on top of those rocks now
Aaron you can find some jackals in open
areas like this and like I said I think
it was yesterday that actually I spotted
a jackal in the dark I haven’t seen many
jackals in this area of the Kruger Park
stop
just you so we’ll have a look for that
and yes it is perfect kind of terrain
for them but I’m not quite sure why this
is so few of them here as well as the de
civets
because you know the tracks that are
found in in areas just nearby to this
particular part of the Kruger has lot of
civets
and they’re probably the most common
track along with jackals and yet in this
particular area they few and far between
so it’s quite interesting tonight and I
wonder why it might be because of the
the number of leopards you know maybe
maybe that’s big that’s a good reason as
le I’m not holding my breath to spot any
ostriches obviously there is potential
there could be the odd one but you know
this part of the Kouga it’s not the the
most ideal habitat for ostriches
although there are some ostriches being
a very desert adapted animal they do
occur here but not in in great numbers
so we’ve got the odd chance that we
might spot one as well but remember we
are bordering on Juma so we can expect
to find very similar animals here as
well slightly different terrain
obviously we were in a different part of
of this area but it’s it’s still leading
into Juma and it’s and it’s pretty much
the same in terms of the animals that we
should find but you never know and I’m
just gonna keep on looking around and
see what fancy things that are hiding
here in the bushes very exciting I love
going into new areas getting lost I’ve
got my map with me just trying to find
my way around but for now I’m just going
on whatever way I feel I’ve decided to
Darvey when we get to a ride we say
which way right or left and so as I
continue trying to find my way around
Torchwood let’s head you back to James
you know I think he’s trying to find his
way around Juma he’s after three and a
half years I’m at least three years I am
able to find my way around Juma
thankfully sort of there is a Franklin
crested variety as far as I’m aware
and apparently this is my third
anniversary here not today as Judy H
pointed out hunt but my anniversary is
on the 23rd and last year I ballooned
the fact that none of you wished me a
happy anniversary on the 20th and Judy H
pointed out of course that I was being
ridiculous because my were I was being
ridiculous anyway but my anniversary is
only on the 23rd of May so that gives
you all enough time to get a nice card
in the post for me perhaps a small
bottle of apple juice something of that
nature so that I might celebrate my
anniversary and a new hat by the way the
new hat and it is there is I told you
there was one has arrived it is in hot
sprite this is it’s Steph’s house and
with any luck I’ll have it before the
end of the week along with a new shirt
this one is getting a little bit old
Kirsten says I’ll have to do a fashion
show I’m afraid there’s nothing about my
wardrobe that could be described as
fashion much as I like to think of it as
no curse and I can’t wear my stripy
shorts they’re in Kenton where they
belong
our holiday shorts I had bought some
stripy shorts everyone and I tried to
wear them on Safari one day and I was
told now in certain terms by Earth
Kirsten and Rebecca that they were not
going to fly my blue shorts have also
been rejected by all except some of you
quite like the man or so were you and I
are in agreement at least there wasn’t
anything at tree arts waterhole except
to terrapins which took fright and
climbed into the water and swam away so
we’ve continued from there pop around to
the little pans down here this morning
of course hooker Murray was coming out
of or towards the boundary from Arethusa
so it might just be worth checking our
eastern boundary to find the western
boundary sorry to find if his checks
haven’t come across well we’re not going
to spend a huge amount of time trying to
track him because tracking a leopard
news of the day is really very difficult
and as odd weather persists when there’s
quite heavy sort of summer-ish gray
clouds in the deep blue winter sky it’s
been very pleasant day temperature-wise
there so ash on complain we should be
grateful and the other thing I wanted to
point out here because if you will just
pan the camera around sort of been
generally is how fast suddenly all of
the Cambria Tom leaves are changing from
green to yellow to brown
I think it’s happened in the last week
suddenly they’re switched off blink and
they’ve assumed their winter colors and
leaving the wilderness with a gentle
call um I don’t have many thoughts on
the Royal Wedding Harry’s going bald
like me that’s good why I’m probably not
good for him but you have to get over it
his brothers bald his father’s bald dish
it’s about interesting there’s a
squirrel it’s it’s actually quite an
interesting discussion there’s nothing
to do with Safari of course but their
royal family I once said to a chap I was
staying down in hotels fugitives drift
Lodge on the battlefields a Zulu
battlefield and I said what is the point
of the monarchy I mean it’s just a
ridiculous outdated crazy sort of thing
I mean how in the 20th in fact by that
stage 21st century can there be any
point to it and he explained to me that
while it might not have any major
leadership role to play in the country
economically the royal family is worth
messes to the United Kingdom you see how
many thousands of people want to go and
see Buckingham Palace how many millions
of people around the world would have
watched that royal wedding they are an
enjoyment generator of income for the
United Kingdom which I found fascinating
so they don’t just take a whole lot of
taxes and kind of expect to live off the
land they actually seemed to make a very
enormous contribution to the UK’s
economy all right that’s the last thing
I have to say about them let’s head on
to the schools now they’re having a very
pleasant Sunday afternoon frolic on this
but RDP you are very happy to see
scrolls well good I think they’re very
sweet
and if you can watch them for long
enough they’re almost always doing
something interesting that is of the
tree squirrel for those of you don’t
know much smaller than the European gray
squirrel and the only Skrill species
that we have in this particular area
couple of squirrels in South Africa
including the ground squirrel which uses
its tail as a parasol joining is rather
amazing right squirrels have disappeared
we are going to disappear Taylor is
about to appear well maybe just a stick
and some prints on sand and we’ve got
some female leopard tracks was crack
cool so here’s the pad and here are the
toes so they don’t look particularly
fresh but the ones we had just a moment
to cut up on the road are definitely
from this morning I think James may I
showed you towards the end of the Bush
walk as he was coming up from Philemon
step so we think it could possibly be
shoot on our way back from elephant
Plains where she’s been for the last to
24 hours the last two days or three days
at least so there’s a possibility we may
see it so that’s quite exciting so we’re
gonna try and stick on then I’m trying
to see where they good yeah actually go
all the way along here and that’s where
her bees led us is actually down this
little mitre drain and well I don’t know
where we’re gonna go next from yeah I’m
unfamiliar with sure dude whose roots I
mean every time it runs normally header
it’s been a little bit further to the
west and this is going towards anyway
alley to it back towards twin dance
which we we did see her once at the top
here at quarantine and she went down in
a tracks went I think a little bit more
Eastern we interesting to see what
happens and then something that she do
remind eat as a scrub here and we’ll
plan today that sort of resembles a
scrub Hayes tale with much imagination
and that’s this plant over here this is
quite cool it’s quite a prickly plant as
well it’s not very nice to sort of touch
quite robust I don’t think anything
really eats at a concert have ever seen
an elephant pull it off the ground and
munch on it now it’s not a grass it’s
actually I think it might even be a herb
it’s a bush though and you can see it’s
quite steaming over here you can see how
the leaves that are divided but it
doesn’t look very nice okay pasta that
I’ve ever read anything about it being
poisonous no just never really know just
any animals eating it it doesn’t also
grow in abundance though you don’t see
much of it you just see it popping up
every now and then huh very prickly okay
well should we catch up with Herbie
let’s keep going
so we going jump onto this which kind of
turns into an animal pathway which is
quite nice lots of thorns there lots of
debris I think that was brought in by
the tractor though although the
elephants do favor this area too and
lots of creatures do it’s not a
particularly great area to walk in as
you can see look how thick it is with
grass is quite tall so we’re gonna have
to be quiet as we navigate through this
area
Ralph however is it a much more open
we on very big flat rocks yeah it must
be said this here is called second rock
and this is the perfect shot I would say
for finding predators in winter I’m sure
they’ll come out here and bask in the
Sun with the rocks holding quite a bit
of heat and it’s probably the perfect
site for sundowners for guests as well I
would imagine that and the guards that
mood move on this property do come
through here and stop off for sundowners
or a nice coffee break in the morning
but it’s a lovely spot to look at as
well and we do see as we start panning
there you will see off in the distance
there’s the Drakensberg even starting so
it’s a beautiful little site this we
haven’t seen too much in the way of
animals just yet but well it’s still
early in the afternoon
as it starts cooling down a little bit
will we get to see a little bit more and
then that’s when I’m gonna be putting my
concentration a little bit more on to
finding those predators that we love to
see but for the time being I’m just
enjoying being here on Torchwood we’re
in the north-central part so not but we
haven’t gone too far just yet and just
enjoying it IndieGoGo I like that you’re
asking about these rocks because it’s
probably quite fascinating in terms of
the geological formations yeah and this
is all granite just by looking at it
from here and it would obviously be very
volcanic so you’ve got a very coarse
sort of minerals within granite and it
does make for quite sandy soils as well
once it breaks down so all along the
edges there and the fringes of this rock
you’ll have pioneer grass species
because that’s where you’ve got your
first succession stage starting to
happen as these rocks wither and break
down and then also next to it like there
you’ll see plants like the red bush
willow and also sickle Bush and here’s
one of those little butterflies I don’t
know if that’s an didn’t sit well enough
for so lots of white on it and didn’t
see any of the other colors you do see a
lot of the orange tip the whites at this
at this moment in time and it’s quite a
large butterfly that but I didn’t see it
long enough to be identified but there
you can see some sort of class the
leaves in the background is some
marilla’s and then is all the general
trees especially going down into the
ravines you know thought you have some
Jacko berries and they pretty much ever
greens one of the only trees that you’ll
see dark green at the moment and that
there are some sicko bushes and some
sweet thorns down there and then the
rest of the trees starting to lose all
of their leaves
so very pretty and I think well the
discovery of this new Traverse needs to
continue I’m very excited let’s uh let’s
hit on art and see what else we can find
very very nice
I like the spot and it’s obviously with
this what does flat rocks like this it’s
a good site for animals to come and get
a drink of water as well take care I
agree with you thanks for your comments
such diverse vistas and and lovely area
for Stephane predators absolutely total
agreement tie care and lots of new space
to get lost in and find little secret
nooks and crannies I love it
love knee areas it’s like going to the
Masai Mara for the first time now joy
from Hong Kong I think we could be in
with a good chance of us seeing cheetah
and because of these open areas as I’ve
heard once before on the radio with the
guys that said this cheetah here on
Torchwood so that’s since I’ve been here
so it’s not necessary necessarily that
we’re going to see them all over the
place but there is a good chance of us
finding some so we’ll just keep our eyes
open and these kind of open areas a
perfect habitat for them but you know
they do quite well also in the thickets
but as I say since I’ve been yeah I
haven’t had any cheetah on Juma I never
hear on Torchwood
so as my hunt continues for animals
yes we’ve thrashed you to it absolutely
mangled you beyond recognition to the
finding of animals to be fair I knew
they were here that’s not really what I
came down here those of you that are
wondering that is a real the best a
young one born probably in December this
year not this year we haven’t had
December this year that’s impossible
December last year putting it as nearly
yes see turning to agree and really this
herd as I’ve said to you again and again
some so well with the disappearance of
the Lions from this area who have been
charged to Craig
they’re all messing to come towards us
that’s very nice normally they’re just
and the lights really quite pretty at
the moment it’s not soft as it might be
but it’s great wonderful passing the
course David get you would consider this
a completely ridiculous thing for us to
be doing common as common as you like in
Kenya but here to have a sighting of
wildebeest laughs this is fantastic
just count the little ones one two three
four five six
does anybody remember how many there
were to start with one two three four
five six maybe
Conrad’s is six so I think that they’ve
all survived all in fact more one two
three four five six six it is six
yeah they fared rather better than than
gyptian Gosling’s which may have gone
from seven to zero rather quickly so
it’s sad as if you don’t know been
following the fates of Egyptian
Gosling’s and one of them died and then
their wrists stated purpose of waterhole
for some time they comfortably and now
it all disappeared including their
parents and I’ve been another waterfall
absolute panic unique I think that is in
a brilliant description of them he said
they look like cow horses they do look
like cow horses the reason that panic
there was not because Craig waved at
them or said something nasty it’s
because there’s a warthog that’s come
down to a little pan behind the stick it
we’re looking at just behind that
thicket there Craig is there is a water
pepper water Pig and we just carry on a
little bit first and see if the water
Pig isn’t confiding enough to let us
look at in there he comes
it’s just seen us don’t worry and Mail
water Pig thinks he’s hidden in the
shade doesn’t know about the sharp eyes
some you aged just nine years old the
answer to your question is well almost
some of the animals aren’t here are very
good at surviving without water the
Steinbach is one such animal
there are desert adapted in many
respects the leopard is another that can
survive almost without water
black-backed jackals do very well in
some dry areas but warthogs and
wildebeest for example are animals that
need to drink very frequently so they
will not do well in any kind of dry or
desert environment now I can tells the
young male of course by the fact that he
has four warts on his face two big ones
next to his eyes two small ones behind
his great big canine teeth the ones that
have just erupted from the side of his
mouth he’s very nervous of being looked
at and male trying to find his way in
the world the young males trying to find
their way in the world can often be
slightly nervous of being looked at
Craigie you get quite nervous being
he’s very crystal clear this afternoon
as I’m sure you saw when Ralph was
showing you the mountains we were going
to try and do the same there was a
telegraph line and work was a power line
or so a telegraph line cutting our
picture in half so it gave up on that
we’re going up a mandora road now
through the central western regions
Kirsten what was that foul thing you sit
they’re just basis basically saying I am
old what ages middle-aged okay
any idea 42 is middle-aged is Kirsten no
good what I’ve got a few months then I’m
ah 45 to 65 is middle-aged Scotch I’m a
spring chicken I’ve got another three
years of youth to go that’s been testing
very exciting to be a youth again when I
thought I was middle-aged a new lease on
life do you ever I sometimes this has
got nothing to do with safaree as well
but I can’t find anything safari ish
right now do you ever have dreams of
going back to high school and being back
in high school I do from time to time
and it’s almost like a new lease on life
because you go back to high school but
with the knowledge that you have as a 40
year old puts you in a rather
advantageous position I feel but with an
extra 20 years all right well let’s go I
believe we’re going across not to
so you are so funny
I’ll have you know it’s almost been
eight years oh no no that’s wrong
that’s right no that’s wrong I finished
in 2010 at the end of the yes and I
suppose that’s right
Oh anyways yes I was in high school not
so long ago it’s nice being young James
very nice
you enjoy your experienced years but we
are standing in a pool of water perhaps
James if you dived into one of these
puddles of mud it might be the Fountain
of Youth who knows you won’t know until
you give it a try and you could pop up
looking like you’re fresh from high
school no I was hoping to find some
evidence of elephants that have been
here perhaps splashing themselves with
mud and then leaving a very muddy trail
that we can follow but that’s not the
case at all it doesn’t really look like
match has been in here besides the odd
could you there’s been a couple of
Impala that have come down to have a
drink but soon this is not going to be a
very nice place to come and wallow in
it’s getting very muddy very quickly and
I can’t imagine too many things are
going to want to have a drink from here
well I don’t think the elephants would
be drinking from here I think they
just be using it as a mud bath I don’t
think a buffalo would mind too much
drinking this one actually didn’t
parlour in fact they just drink
whatever’s in front of them
some animals are pickier than others
when it comes to fresh water and no
spiders actually I wonder if I wander
around in the corner if I look over here
where there’s a bit of grass I might
find some spiders Pere the Buffalo those
are always a mystery and at the moment
they seem to be actually I spoke to a
friend of mine and he said that even
they have not been seen Buffalo and he
went he works down at mala mala and well
that’s a property notorious for well
just animals all over of the variety of
kinds it’s a very very very beautiful
property and he said the Buffalo been
sneaking in and they literally
disappearing straight off of the
Traverse back down towards the same
asabi River and whatever other rivers
might be down and around a little bit
further to the south and to the west so
that’s quite crazy he says I just pop on
so I don’t know that obviously hanging
around a bit further down there I’m
trying to see if I can see anything but
no spiders normally there’s some creeks
water spiders here they’re always
catching things but I wonder where
they’ve gone now perhaps it’s a little
bit too cold for them maybe in the shade
anyways that’s the raft we can carry on
from this little mud wallow but it’s a
pretty cool spot I would love to bring
guests here just to take them out of the
vehicle maybe have a little stop a
little stretch of the legs and just to
show them what sort of goes on around
and mud wallow
you know seeing all the vegetation
around that that’s completely covered in
mud there’s probably I mean the leaves
aren’t too covered in mud but there’s
lots of mate going down further so maybe
from an elephant or something standing
here wandering away or even a buffalo or
a rhino coming past and just scraping
along it as they go out cuz you know
they’d love to use the bushes for a
little scratch too so that’s also a
possibility and then fur gonna have to
do a bit of walking my friend because
there’s something very cool that I need
to show everybody so I’ll meet you here
I’ll see you in a minute it was a long
walk a fig to freedom they JB I would
say yes most of the umpires have
finished their act we’re not really
seeing them as aggressive as they were
this morning we watch to posture at one
another for a good couple of minutes and
didn’t really seem like they were going
to fight at all
we’re not hearing the gurgling sounds
right through the evening like we were
just a few weeks ago so I suppose we’re
at the tail end now it should be ending
shortly but have a look at this
beautiful
what’s one what was once a little
vacation tree it’s docked at the moment
courtesy ah so look at all the mat on
there so this is the rubbing post this
is the official rubbing post for this
little pan I’d love to know how many
different animals have actually been
here and scraped off of the excess mud
and then it’s not just that oh my
goodness if you look inside yeah Wow
what’s going on there’s a whole lot of
ants you there’s some well not huge ends
whoo bees also told me that he can hear
something are they preparing that look
on one of those LA’s so we’ve obviously
normally after a bit of rain the ground
is nice and soft and termites and ants
will release heads look like cocktail
and sexually in the way that they are
cocking their tails that may be one of
them and I think that was a little wind
and it’s it could have been a prince or
well start a new life start a new colony
somewhere else that is really amazing
I’m not trying to not get pricked by
thorn so I can see hmm I doesn’t seem
like they’re attacking it I mean they’re
just helping it guiding it everybody
‘welcome saying well dan good back on
your adventure maybe something along
those lines that’s awesome to see so
there we go might as well check on the
termite mounds tonight maybe something
for Ralph
Jayne’s to do a little bit later because
they’re typically more releasing just as
the Sun has set that sort of first hour
of darkness might get some cool
silhouette shots of them taking off just
gotta find the right termite mound will
hold in the ground for the ends very
cool
now why is it who be had actually your
fascia thorns sorry what you don’t get
stuck on those thorns food yes these are
nasty pieces of work yet who be gave me
the signal he said something was going
ah ah I don’t know if it was baboons
although it was a kudu barking but who
bees over there so we’re gonna go that
way
I think he obviously wants to go and
follow up and hope you pointed in that
direction and funny enough James has
just heard some alarm calls in the
distance well we’ve been told about
alarm calls in the distance and I was
just thinking to myself well they’re
know and will believe me when I say this
that if hookah Maury did come on to Juma
the likelihood is that he’s gone towards
Galago pan which is just near the camp
just near the final control and so I
thought to myself I think we’ll go and
check there well blow me down if I don’t
get the radio call saying there are
monkeys alarming and Tagalog a pan right
now go and have a look so that’s what
we’re doing at great speed
it’s where David eStore and I ran down
the road this morning on our run we were
going this fast it’s probably faster
even we were going so fast now getting
our pants down there but if Google
Murray is coming from this end I think
he’s going to pick up at the we’re
Taylor Dan so I’m going to go down that
way first and then we’ll approach from
Audrey is around looking there as well
I’m gonna stop and listen just yet you
just get into the area first and either
a lot of Impala looking relaxed on the
damn camera as well which doesn’t bode
up for no that is a bumpy and another
Oh unique was a terrible dream you
dreamt last night that Hoku Mori died
I’m sorry about that hope he didn’t deal
barb it flying overhead alrighty we’re
arriving at the booyah teller dam now
there’s a booby trap in the road here
masquerading as a drainage bump whoops
go one more all righty now we can switch
this is very children looking in parlors
and get pans in that way but there seems
to be no more sound coming from that
direction okay let’s move quickly here
we go
I hope I haven’t picked the wrong
monkeys will not alarm call for anything
unless it’s serious so it’s leopard or
lion there’s some pretty runnin not Anna
panicked manner just sort of jogging
so there is a lion or a leopard around
here parlor looking relaxed we’ll stop
on the top here hello kudu
have you seen any leopards hmm describe
that response is nothing short of
yes she certainly does have a lot of
oxpeckers on there’s there’s birds with
how he must be careful we don’t want to
drive too fast and drive over a whole
lot of tracks
the same time you don’t want to drive
mr. to block I’m afraid I don’t know I
haven’t checked up recently you say is
this anybody is there any update on
husana I haven’t heard any update on him
I’m afraid last one I had was that he
was on elephant Plains there’s a long
way to the west of us but that was it I
believe he did have a meeting with the
Anderson Mail the meeting resulted in
probably his scuttling away as fast as
possible
yeah Anderson mayor is not to be trifled
with very large mail in the western
karate we’re into the area now but I
can’t hear any monkeys alarm Herbert is
let’s quickly go across the tailor and
find out what she’s gonna do to help of
the cause here we are we are we are
we’re going to change we’ve just we’ve
just been held up for a second with some
bones from here this was done very very
old done but unfortunately for us no
actually fortunately for us what am I
talking about it makes it a bit easier
to see what’s going on so I need a stick
because I’m not touching that with my
hands let me break a stick off quickly
so while you have a look happy two
seconds okay little sticky here we go so
this looks like vertebrae when we’re
thinking maybe an Impala or something
like along those lines is lots of bits
of bones here and maybe from a hyena cuz
oh well that would be very very soon I’d
be quite surprised to find so many bones
in a lion or leopard done I mean if it’s
something really small like a baby Dacre
or Stian book you’ll find the lines and
nipples will crunch right through it or
a baby in Pilar but that’s not the case
yeah maybe some of the shards of bone up
and sort of digested and only really
hyenas other teeth that are powerful
enough to crush through that’s a bone
like this some of lions unfortunately
don’t quite have that capability mmm
delicious but that’s enough food poking
poopy what’s the plan that way back
together girl who ABCs we gonna go be
going in that way so we are gonna have
to if we want to help James we’re gonna
pick up the pace now so well we will do
we’re gonna just me end over here but
once we get onto a road I think we’re
going to actually try utilizes the roads
and big animal pathways where possible
depending which is going to lead us on
the quickest route sometimes the animal
pathways are the quickest but we’re not
going to be wading through thickets like
this I don’t think we’re going to choose
the path of least resistance today and I
think somebody else is choosing that
pathway today is Ralph I wonder what
well exploring is exactly what we’re
doing and we just as I said just driving
up and down every single road we can
come across
and yeah we we were a little bit out of
signal for a little while so just taking
another ride heading back in a westerly
direction just to get us back in that
wavelength where we can broadcast back
to everybody but as I say for the moment
it’s a little bit quiet but I’m not fast
it’s all exciting and Davi and myself we
both enjoying it yeah just looking at
the new terrain and hoping that
something pops out in front of us but
yep we’ll wait a little bit later it
seems James and Taylor buzz all over
those alarm signals I’m really hoping
that that is shadaloo haven’t seen her
for a little while so I hope that she’s
decided to show up and then here –
Gallagher pan that’ll be wonderful look
at this this is like a little bit of a
psychic patch yeah maybe you can see a
lot of these well there’s some young
late woods some sicko bushes there’s
these overcast leaves and obviously the
red bush willows so when it’s dominated
like that with a finger grass and some
of the herringbone – so it’s just one of
these little sodic sites you know you
often have a bit of a place where your
water is seeping out and then it will be
evaporating and leaving a lot of the
mineral salts and then you have a lot of
these particular trees growing in this
kind of areas nice and open but it’s
quite devoid of animals for now just
keep searching around as we go and
enjoying the new space what does the
next corner hold for us what are we
gonna find
I’m gonna wait till it’s dark and get
lost around yeah that’ll be nice and
Davi and let my bet you run fatso we
don’t have a map we’ll end up in the
Kruger and that is a joke by the way
that’s just a Jack crossroads Davi we
try right ha ha see I love this kind of
navigating oh in this some red grass
yeah to meet a tree Andra that this is
the corner grass we want to see because
this is very nutritious grass and you’ll
be finding animals feeding on that more
sir than a lot of the other grasses but
it’s not dominating it’s just a little
bit of little patches patches of it not
quite unlike in the Masai Mara
especially in the Lamora triangle it’s
dominated by their dread grass and
that’s why the elephants and all the
animals are are they fattening
themselves up and just eating grass
which is for me fascinating never seen
elephants eating grass like they do in
the Masai Mara and in the more a
triangle to be specific Wow very very
Philip there’s not a particular time
that elephants will necessarily go into
must together they did it’s normally
fortnightly or every three weeks once
they become or get to sexual maturity so
it’s sort of once it’s around 20 years
all the sudden they will come into once
sometimes twice a month they were going
to must sir and it will be different for
every single it individuals just
depending on his age and when he was
born and all of that so yeah and that
that then ensures a nice cycling of
Bulls coming to massed at different
times randomly and that’s one of the
things in the bush as well randomness is
one of the most important ecological
factors because nothing is really always
in tune you’ve just got random things
happening you know like I often think
when I go for a run and the lizards are
running away from me if they run away
from me they could be appeared to
whiting there and it’s just total random
that I was running there that the
Blizzard ran away and then there was and
he ran in a particular direction away
from me and then something mark now that
and you know things happen randomly
which is actually quite scientifically
proven to be one of the best
ecological factors that keeps the
diversity in the bush so we even studied
that in ecology randomness was one of
our real subjects that we we went
through and one of the real important
factors Archer like for instance way
seed lands totally random it might be
blown by the wind it might be dropped
with the baboon having eaten the fruit
and then sitting on a termite mound it
might be carried by a bird stuck on its
Pole and walked off on a random branch
so there is so much around randomness
that you could go on for days about that
a spider throwing his little web into
the wind and way it randomly gets blown
and hooks on a branch and you know all
these little random
randomness that can turn into patterns
as well it’s quite incredible er
randomness one of the very important
topics that we did discuss and study
it’s quite strange to say that you study
randomness well it’s very interesting eh
so there’s a lot of things that do not
happen through sheer random saying it
must be nice to study well it’s pretty
random to study I would say but it’s
yeah pretty strange that randomness can
be so specific and so make for such
unique biodiversity and it seemed very
important that you do have randomness
then not everything needs to be set by a
pattern and I mean you can have birds
landing randomly with migration they get
blown of course you have random weather
patterns you have you know the this
randomness is basically infinite so yeah
it’s like we’re the two might swim the
alights when I go out of the nest and
they just land randomly at a place and
they randomly meet up with another
random female or male you know and then
they they dig in a random spot and
hopefully it’s not on the right because
then they get squashed by moving through
but you know all these termite mounds
they would have started off by randomly
getting to a little spot that stopped
him from moving any further and that’s
where they started and now we’ve got all
sorts of different randomness that birds
will land on it the boons will go and
now cheeky pinky bass I think I’ve got
that right our high bias cheeki breeki
bass
well the randomness does keep nature in
chick absolutely I agree with you and
that’s why it’s such an interesting
topic so yeah please feel free to send
in any any of your random sort of
systems that you see in nature how
things happen randomly that that cause
then the diversity or the uniqueness of
nature very very interesting topic that
I mean like the lipids sometimes they
can also just be randomly walking up a
road and then they you know you’ve got
to Impala that are fighting and Lakeisha
dulu she’s absolutely random in her
movements but was there being so random
she comes across quite a lot of
potential food sources because she’s
sick zagging she’s going up to him right
now she’s coming down she’s jumping up
the tree she’s playing with her prey you
know so that randomness I think makes
her actually more success successful
then if she was just walking around on a
sit root on every single die doing
exactly the same thing that randomness
really mixes it up and actually puts her
in a better position so it’s good to be
now Kathy I haven’t seen any random
animals just yet I don’t see two random
gray-headed bull sharks that seem to be
chasing each other quite randomly and
there’s a squirrel running up the road
let’s see our random he’s gonna be
watching they just did up there and I
bitchy
it’s gonna be two seconds and he’s good
I love the way they love their way there
and the track that they leave it’s
always it’s always one two one two one
two it’s very random check it was from a
very end of animal that’s rear-ended
when you say Davi I think which way left
okay random chosen let’s see here we go
and now straight okay so while we got up
this random road and hope for anything
random to jump out the bush let’s see
John over to James and see how random he
is I don’t think that I’m very random at
all randomness in nature is actually a
fascinating concept as it is in
economics for example and it is the
cause of Black Swan events in nature and
in economics we’re looking at a red
we had no sign of any track hot so ever
and when huge din the way that Kirsten
has just used it for example that’s so
random it is in fact nonsensical there’s
nothing random about that horrible what
she means is how obscure which is
different from being random I think
Kristen would you like to come back what
I don’t think that there were two words
it can be used interchangeably I might
be wrong that he’s having his good
Sunday bath
everyone should bath at least once on
Sundays so that you’re fresh for the
week Craig you know I like to baths on
Sundays have my weekly bath on Sunday I
nearly even had a shave today you can
believe it but then there was no hot
water and I decided now that would be so
I can hear the only thing I can hear
alarm calling at the moment are some
chin spot bath is’s and there but I’m
not sure that that’s what they’re
reporting it 11 Theresa I can do my best
you want to see a yellow build hornbill
I don’t see why we shouldn’t be able to
find one for you they’re common so we’ll
maybe try and find one a few I’m gonna
go up this way because Aubree went down
that way
towards the rear Taylor water hole where
we saw lots of general game very relaxed
so we’ll just listen up for the radio
and then just see if we don’t pick
something up going up this road here
it’s great said to me but they’re not
alarm call for something else like a
number or something yeah they might they
might also alarm for an aerial predator
like a crowned eagle I suppose there
might from Marshall Eagles Craig
suggested they wouldn’t alarm for many
of the smaller things that squirrels and
Franklin’s and Mongoose would alarm call
for all right we’ve got all brie going
down Central Road Cecilia the best time
to see were words to see birds in this
part of the world sorry Kirsten I can’t
hear you the game drive radios going
here going out with the name no vendor
there’s time to see Birds is between
November and April basically all of the
birds are backed by well mid-november
and they will stay here the migratory
species until around about April and
then they’ll all go back up to the north
very angry Franklin’s there next to this
or behind this herd of Impala and
parlour looking so there’s Franklin’s
again really upset but you know they
could be upset at anything just a little
suspicious that it’s around this
particular area so the Impala cast their
eyes towards that area that didn’t worry
too much about it we can drive down
there it’s on the old hyena den Road
[Music]
it gets here somewhere it is yours and
it’s a hyena I’m gonna check out the old
Franklin’s still shouting
I feel like they’re close enough to the
Impala that the Impala would have
reacted more angrily if they’d seen a
true you can hear that but I can’t see
okay let’s carry on because whatever it
you can see the empower are still
the old hyena den is nice to pop past
no one is at home hasn’t been for some
no a wild alarm call chase Taylor and
Herbert are coming up here and so that’s
the best for a way to find predators
basically on foot we are James we’re not
fire actually we’re about to pop out
onto Central maybe only 200 meters from
via Teledyne so we’re almost there we’ve
been marching we watch out for let’s
take a step to the left lift a guard
enough to guide you anyway so we’re on a
big animal pathway as you can see it’s
just quite nice this is a very well worn
line I’ve actually shown it to you a
couple of different times of scenes in
Ghana and walking down it I’ve actually
seen tandy walking down a Corolla many
times with tranquila and husana and tail
and who else lots of big animals too
elephant’s like to walk it as you can
imagine it’s quite a nicer and ice
perfect because it’s open and then you
can have grass or leaves so you can feed
on the tooth you know if you’re on the
road you’re a bit restricted you kind of
just got grass that’s growing there and
then the vegetation starts a little way
off but yeah just listening as well we
can’t hear any of those alarm calls just
yet that James has got up ahead
no brawn it’s fairly easy to find your
way in a reserve but that’s also because
I’ve been based here for almost two
years now
and you kind of just get used to it and
you use the Sun to orientate yourself
you use of course or you can use stars
not that we’re walking around at night
but if you get a bit lost in the evening
and then of course as you going about
you start to notice well certain things
certain landmarks big termite mounds
Messimer ruler treats big knob thorns or
lid words that have been pushed on over
so you’ll use those as well
and you just get familiar over time if I
always say the first game reserve you
work on is the hardest to learn and then
it becomes substantially easier along
the way as we didn’t find it too hard to
navigate
mara was actually quite easy in fact it
was near the escarpment on one side you
had the river on the other such staying
between and when you wanted to go home
keep the river on your right keep this
government on your left-hand side and
head north you’ll eventually find a road
that looks familiar
so that’s really the plan well let’s
plan when you’re starting up was it’s
very easy no we’re still just trying to
make up some distance before the Sun
Goes Down because it’s gonna go down
quickly but we’ll hopefully find there
whatever is scaring the birds James how
irresponsible offense did she say live
life yes the game drive radios exploded
to life in my ear anyway here we are
with an elephant bull uncle he’s just
sort of examining us he just was
wondering kind of aimlessly down towards
us here and then stopped when he heard
us as we did when we saw him probably
seems to be recently tossed out of his
shame poor little fellow lonely on the
Sunday afternoon see how close he comes
I’m just going to be very quiet he poses
no danger to us we obviously pose no
danger to him okay here we go so
sometimes these young bulls will just
pretend eat and become relatively
entertained by the presence of a human
being you know there’s such social
creatures elephants and I think being
pushed out on their own is sometimes
that’s not gonna make any friends
whatsoever
it really is manners from the bowels of
the bowels I’m just I’m not starting the
engine because I don’t want him to feel
like we’re a threat I’d rather like him
to just come and say hello to us so it’s
a little awkward with the aerial in the
he’s now hiding behind the bush thinks
they are cheeky Jemma you said yeah you
love young bulls because they’re so
cheeky they’re cheeky but they’re also
inquisitive and I think he’s being
cheeky
just yet it’s just being inquisitive no
don’t go away come on stay with us let’s
just watch carefully if he is actually
eating this he just sort of pretending a
Anana now you see you watch him now it’s
look at his reaction to us as soon as we
started the engine he started to feel
threatened immediately the tail came out
and he took a few steps to get away from
us and eyes turned to face us and
flapped his little trunk over his tusks
so he was immediately threatened by the
starting of the vehicle and that’s
normal he’s on his own young bull I
wouldn’t say he’s more than 18 17 18
years old and the confidence that he
felt in the herd that resulted in his
bullying the young youngsters and
eventually getting thrown up by the
matriarch that confidence has evaporated
sorry Shawn I’ve got a little bit about
what gets tossed out of heard I missed
the wrist sorry about that
oh do elephant cows if we get tossed are
that not at puberty but there must be
some splitting of herds because
obviously hers don’t just get bigger and
bigger and bigger they they split and in
this area ten to fifteen s about the
average size of a herd in total which
means that at some stage they must split
up now whether that’s a I don’t know
what should we say not physical
altercation but permanent disagreement
if you like that it occurs between two
cars in a herd and one takes perfection
off I’m not sure whether it’s just a
slightly more distantly related car
moving off on her own to set up her own
herd I think that’s much more likely
because it gets unwieldy moving around
in a big herd out here ten to fifteen
seems to be the optimum number so you
know the short answer is no they don’t
get tossed out at puberty like these
chaps do but they do split from time to
Marty Ralph Kirsten is still knocking
about on tour children I hope and he
he’s found some water yeah this is
called lead wood damn well it’s live
wood water hole led with damn let wood
pan whatever you want to call it and
there’s obviously a number of lead woods
around there is one solitary hippo and
there’s also a pair of Egyptian geese
sorry for all your Gosling fans I had
done seen a Gosling’s with them so we
haven’t solved the mystery just yet
unless they miraculously appear out of
the grass is also a couple of water
sicne just running around there there’s
one of them I think there’s another one
somewhere part of a pair there’s a
bearded woodpecker hitting on a branch
nearby and so nice little spot for
birding and the Torchwood Lodge is just
behind us so this is a view that they’ve
got from the camp at night with a nice
spot light down over this little pen
here and then signs of elephants and I’m
sure you’d have all sorts coming through
here at night lipid – lion – jackals and
Caracol maybe even porcupines all sorts
it’s a lovely spot it’s very nice very
take care yeah I’m pretty sure that they
would have called Torchwood
after the ballon artis is probably a lot
I’ve seen a few I haven’t seen sort of
hundreds of them that would suggest that
the place is called debt but yeah we’ve
just pretty much run a sort of cross
through the through the traverse for now
and as I haven’t seen too many but yeah
sometimes you know there might be one
particular area that they call this
place after maybe as we go down the
Strand each one in front of us is also
part of the Meany which also includes
and links back up onto Juma now I’m
gonna continue down and let’s see what
else we can find
but it seems James has got my favorite
mammals to show you once again well here
we have some elephants but they’re
obviously the herd from which that
youngster is being excluded slowly
they’re not very relaxed they’ve seen
something that’s made them feeling upset
made them feel upset not feeling upset
now the big cow to the right-hand side
of your screen there with flapping her
ears that’s her she just went like this
she went as she did that that started to
move forward
the younger cow that ears out
is showing not extreme discomfort but
certainly a level of discomfort that
would make me want to back off if it
wasn’t for the fact I see she’s not a
cow at all the young bull and this big
cow at the back is clearly administering
a little bit of discipline that’s what’s
I suspect that she is the reason that
young bull was on his own not putting up
think the little cough is shouting
because she wants milk now Kirsten that
was not me that was the little cough
Destin’s directing the show by the way
in case you’re wondering who I’m talking
now here comes that’s the young bull no
that’s the youngster was standing in the
middle of the road with his ears art
Ashley it is possible but it’s very
unlikely no it is a car you know that’s
not a young bull it is a car just not
if you really interesting she’s got very
small mammary glands which indicates
either that she hasn’t had a baby I
think she’s pregnant actually if you
look at the belly she they are she’s
quite heavily pregnant but I suppose
perhaps as with human beings elephants
have mammary glands of different sizes
it makes absolutely no difference to
their efficacy as deliverers of milk
that’s quite interesting
never thought of it like that um
regarding elephants that have never seen
humans before yes it is possible it’s
very very unlikely in the Kruger
National Park it would certainly be
possible in a place like what should I
say in an area like Gorongosa in
Mozambique as possible more remote areas
possibly some of the more remote areas
of Zambia you know you looked quite
large swaths of land that don’t have any
people in them that’s possible but it’s
it’s unlikely that in on a continent of
1 billion people of the elephants
haven’t somehow somewhere come across a
well aged for you learn to get yourself
into trouble by asking this question
because your mother’s going to ask why
are you asking it you say to the
elephant’s ever hi pretend they’re
feeding and when they’re not actually
eating no they don’t they don’t need to
willow because their mothers don’t tell
them they have to eat they just get
hungry and eat so although their mothers
will show them what to eat they don’t
check how much they eat so they don’t
feel like eating theirs don’t eat unlike
us when we’re little willow like you for
example I’m sure there are lots of
things that your mum and dad tell you to
eat and you don’t like to eat them and
so you sort of pretend to eat them and
maybe you feed them quietly to the dog
under the table or slip them into your
pocket don’t forget to take them out of
your pocket if you do do that we’re
learning about you but when I was your
age my mother used to make me want make
me eat pears and I couldn’t stand eating
pears I still don’t like pears because
I remember that very distinctly and
scrambled eggs I used to pretend eat my
scrambled eggs but we had a very hungry
dog at home she quite like scrambled
eggs didn’t even montes very fat
Labrador doesn’t look anything like
these elephants this is a young girl
elephant just off to the right hand side
now it’s a bit of lighter than those
other ones
hello yes that’s right you on camera no
it’s quite interesting let’s just get
back here so now that way crepe the way
she’s moving that same car was just
giving us the open eared look and stay
so obviously the matriarch of this herd
Brooks no trifling with and so
everyone’s a little bit on edge and
she’s tossed up that main male that we
saw earlier
she might accept him back if he behaves
well Saskia I think that what happens is
that they they slowly start to move away
from the herd it’s not a kind of cutting
of the ties so they’ll spend increasing
amounts of time away from the herd and
then rejoin it again and increasing
distances away from the herd and then
rejoined so they rejoin all the time I
don’t think they they probably even join
some herds that are unrelated to them
just for little periods for short
periods until they’re really off ready
or feel sufficiently confident to go off
on their own for extended periods pretty
sure these elephants will eventually
fetch up at either the Gallagher
waterhole all the pan at we’re teller
and just be able to hear the tearing of
the grass but I have heard no further
alarm call of any sort whatsoever
now Tandy was seen late after drive at
the sub dam so that’s where we’re gonna
head now it’s in the far northeast
corner first we will wait for this
rather large cow to come towards us and
see what she does
hello my dear you are not small you also
not to be trifled with ah here she is
also pregnant I think she’s got much
bigger memory in the glands cheeky geeky
bets in a theory yes that is exactly
what would happen you say what would
happen if a car ran out of milk with the
others help yes they would elephants do
pickup orphans so it’s quite possible
that a nursing cow would allow a cow
whose mother was producing insufficient
milk to nurse from her it always
happened but yes they are friendly like
that they are familial like that she’s
telling the others to get on with it
go on move on also pretending to eat
there
oh she said act may be an actual bite
maybe she just wanted that tree for
I think they’ve been to water actually
already I don’t think that they are
going down towards it so you can see
they’ve got bits of mud on them they’ve
obviously had their drink thrown their
mud all over themselves and now they’re
having this Sunday dinner mm-hmm of
silver trust a leaf how delicious and a
relief Taylor might be quite close by on
the termite man so if she is on the old
hyena den tell her that the elephants
are coming her way would you oh no
they’re coming our way
as in where I’m standing right now well
then we best best be be we be quick then
so we get out of the path where the
elephants it looks like there were a few
here we passed some done now I can hear
James just started up his vehicle see
isn’t too far away from us
so basically we’re at this termite mound
that once was a hyena den it’s not how
you knew then anymore and we’re not
gonna get too close
firstly I’ll show you why is because if
you look over here there’s a track that
track over there is of a warthog and
there are lots and lots of water
tracks going in and out of this aspera
it’s quite a deep one it goes in quite a
far back I don’t think there’s anyone
inside at the moment but let’s not take
a chance maybe there’s a porcupine or
something but you can see it was key a
hyena din at some point there’s a piece
of hide I’m not gonna pick it up I’m not
sure what it’s from it’s also covered in
mud at the moment so it could be from
anything and then there’s obviously part
of a skull part of a jaw which I would
imagine is that from maybe something
like an Impala or even a bush back what
are you from I wonder it’s been eaten
hmm punched away a bit the little hyena
Cubs that we’re here we’ve had fun with
this trying to have a look what that
could actually be it’s not actually a
very big skull too big to be I think
something like a steer book or a daycare
it might just be a young hole it’s got a
fully developed teeth though I wonder
what it was and so I don’t you think
maybe maybe like a bush buck or
something well quiet like a female
female bush buck maybe I think the skull
would extend a little bit more but yeah
very interesting very cool it’s nice to
know that somebody else is using this
home load while by you nazar away I’ve
not touched something that doesn’t smell
very nice I don’t know what I just
touched there’s another buyer actually
just over here – this one doesn’t seem
to be used as not sure that that one
seems to be active there’s some water
hog tracks coming on around here walking
her down and around doesn’t look like
there’s any hoof prints going all the
way down inside this one is not as sort
of dug art as the other side very cool
though very nice to see it’s actually a
really big trim up man you realize how
big it is until you step out of the car
you come and stand next to it it’s
massive it’s much bigger than any other
termite mounds I’ve seen the hyenas
living in very cool no I don’t actually
just think that that there’s warthogs
living here I think that there’s some
porcupine looks like a porcupine was
digging in I was eating some of the
roots and you know what thank you food
that city when you thought that there
was water I mean a porcupine living here
as well know who was might even vm could
yell we all say it was fake I think may
have been vm saying he saw some evidence
of porcupines around here this makes
sense too so maybe there’s a couple more
tunnels too now poor guy the natural
habitat of a wart ogres well typically a
burrow created by an aardvark or any
animal that can dig warthogs can dig
fairly well too and they’ll use it out
because it’s nice and hard is a bit of a
shovel tooth they need to shovel out
some dirt so living in a burrow of sorts
it doesn’t have to just be returned my
man it can be straight down into the
ground – and and then while they eat
grass so anywhere where there’s grassy
sort of areas that’s what they typically
if you don’t know every now and then
double fruit as well where
wherever you find those kinds of things
that’s where water will hang around so
this is actually perfect for them
nice spot get the afternoon Sun look at
that
so maybe come home a little bit earlier
lay down in the dust enjoy the Sun
listen to the calls of leopards and the
night and hope that hooker Moore he
doesn’t come and find you
he’s a specialist we’ll try hunter that
feather and waits for them must be
terrifying being a water rat we’re gonna
keep going I think we got to move away
and art from these elephants now we’ll
see what Herbie has to say let’s go to
Ralph and see if he’s moved on from laid
wood damn yep we have moved on a little
bit just we’ve got lots to explore and
discover so there wasn’t too much
happening lately with Dan so we thought
we’d just continue on the exploration of
the new Traverse very pretty area this
again we’ve been driving along there
more while Nene drainage line which is a
mouthful but at least here we’ve got a
good opportunity of finding lipids in in
these little drainage lines possibly
still lying up in the shade and also
maybe there’s some lions around doing
what they do best but that Sun has
started to head towards the horizon so
and it’s cooling down quite quickly as
it does at this time of year as soon as
that Sun starts to hit that lower angle
you start to feel the chills and
especially now when you’re driving away
from the Sun it’s immediately in the
shade it drops a couple of degrees
immediately so yeah that’s that time of
the day now now we need to keep on the
move and see if we can find any
predators that are doing the same but
that was a lovely waterhole that led
with damn I’m gonna be back there go and
check that area out as well as those
rocky areas especially in winter I think
are gonna hold some animals on a nice
cold winter’s morning
coming up I can just see those lines
lying on those rocks be perfect perfect
so and we also saw a lot of euphorbias
euphorbia candelabra candelabra however
you pronounce that and like those big
chandeliers that you get type of candles
on the end apparently Kerstin telling me
that James show do the other day those
euphorbias a little bit behind me I’m
just keeping on the move because I just
want to see if we can find any animals
moving around I can hear some Koki
Franklin’s calling funny Franklin’s
those are very small ones actually when
you first see them you’re much mistaken
them for like a grass now my little map
which way we going we’ll take this main
road left yeah I want to get onto a road
that’s called lion track I’ve got a
feeling there might be some Lions on
lion track but oh god yeah just in front
of us is that a female spotted would
does now we D in Washington I hope that
I can show you some lions because you’re
saying that you’d love to see some well
I’m gonna hit for lion track I think
that’s probably the best spot to spot
lions and look at this little emerald
spotted wood does doing what they do
based foraging along the road and
generally doing it into the Sun you see
so my little tracking theory is a
brilliant way to workout and the time of
day that this animal was walking because
they normally walk into the Sun and so
if you’ve got a emerald spotted would
dove that walked over a check you need
to look if he was going east the west if
he was going east then it’s normally
that he walked over it in the morning if
he was going west then he would have
been walking over it in the afternoon so
you’ve got a little bit of a timeline
there if you look at it more spotted
would dove tracks and if they’re going
over on top or if they’re underneath the
track line check and then you know using
that as as a nice way to judge when the
check that you’re looking at to trying
to work out when that animal moved
through there with regards to little
emerald spotted wood doves and I’ve got
a lovely coal a very food and the the
zulus and sangan’s they said that it’s a
very sad bird that call especially
because he’s saying that his sister sick
his brothers in jail his father’s a
drunk his mother died last year and I’m
so sad said he said story coming from
the emerald spotted wood does shine but
yeah Alex you just think of him as a as
a very good tracking assistant so it
seems everybody is looking for birds and
finding them let’s head off to James and
see what beautiful bird he has I’ve got
a beautiful virtual Starling that it is
sitting on a tree sure I did there Craig
mm-hmm yes and it’s just sitting there
not doing anything except warming in the
Sun possibly eating the odds is it was
fruit couldn’t find one yes I’m on the
tree there we are not before the court
hole we are the world’s most boring
hippopotamus of living and there is no
sign of the Egyptian geese and the
Gosling’s I’m afraid and nor was there
any sign of Fundy or for lumber
ah it’s quite devastating that these
Egyptian gooses have disappeared but
it’s entirely possible given the
distance they walked to get to the Ruhr
teller waterhole that they’ve just gone
somewhere else that they weren’t heading
back here at all and they headed off in
this direction they’ve gone to find
another water wholesomer us well done
Oh our Lara I think very effectively one
is taken back to that classic Disney
movie of the 80s called the incredible
journey where I said two dogs and a cat
or two cats and a dog or something make
their way over Hill and Dale to get home
no it’s not homeward bound Kristen it
was made before you were born anyway I
think they find the instinct for finding
home or exceptional and my evidence for
that is Cinderella the young male
leopard who was shadows son he went into
rehab
for rabies for six months came back we
don’t know exactly where he was released
for some unknown reason there’s a whole
veil of secrecy over that anyway he was
released back into this area and made
his way straight back into his mother’s
territory so he knew exactly where he
was after her six-month absence so I
don’t think it takes him very long to
learn an area at all and whether or not
they’re actually picking landmarks or
just feeling familiar or picking up
smells or whether they have some kind of
ability to navigate like birds do using
the Earth’s magnetic field some birds
are able to do that I don’t know but I
think their ability to know exactly
where they’re I was exceptional alright
homeward bound
we did see some of what Ralph is just
well some biases in action because the
stop T on is a couple of horn balls
around with these little dwarf monkeys
and monkeys are not really relaxing with
our prisons are now is shooting straight
into the Sun so now he’s got to play
nicely with his settings they may be
overexposed but look now all the little
dwarf mongooses are starting to get your
next let’s not quite nervous that we
here they can hear me talking as well
very close to them who the ones even
standing up of course as I said that you
went down real good look at us like a
surrogate very cute mumbles were just
right there they’re not quite as oh this
one looks like a young one a little baby
the smaller one anyway looks like it
could be a baby no that one’s got a bit
of a wet patch on its back or it’s
missing some here one of the two what’s
happened to you Betty you get you get a
trust cool maybe a raptor or something
got all of him and he managed to get
away
hmm quite a big wound on its back at one
stage if it was and wind would I think
it was the clock it was a beige see how
close they are to us with the vehicle
right next to them and I’m making nice
yes look at this there’s all sorts
happening with these little guys
coming out all over the place and
Kristin says is a bit of action just
nearby to me I’m actually on my way to a
sighting but it’s one of those animals
that probably not going to be moving too
far so I will be on my way there shortly
but we’ll just enjoy these these little
mangas for a little while here hey I
love watching monkeys the piece today
family also one of the ones that the
sort of anal markings they’re anal gland
so they mark their territories there
must be some kind of little resource
yeah I don’t know if it’s insects around
as I said the horn balls were here also
feeding all right I think it’s time to
start up and head on down let’s go see
if we can find these some animals just
up the road yeah not far from us I’m
gonna see if I can catch up with him all
right so I’m gonna listen out on the
radio and find out exactly what’s going
on but I’m sure there’s all sorts going
on with the bush walk team let’s head
over to them and see how the game we’re
just standing in the golden light
Hayford just doing this waiting
patiently and we waited patiently now
have a look at this I almost I basically
almost died this often I’m just joking I
didn’t almost die but I almost fell into
a very big hole now what we’ve got over
here is quite interested it’s an
intricate system of burrows beneath the
earth but unfortunately it’s all
collapsed you can see look how the sand
has just fallen down over the entrance
of that tunnel
and I don’t know if there were maybe
porcupines or family of warthogs living
here because it’s an extensive area and
then this is what can get you into a lot
of trouble with the vehicles as when you
him off-roading here and you can’t see
it because of the tall grass
you will go straight down and probably
get the vehicle quite stuck now this is
epic I’m Kaila Ron is just sunk straight
down into the middle now you wouldn’t
want to fall in there and the rest of it
is all hollow underneath and it’s
amazing it’s a huge tunnel Network and I
don’t even think we can begin to guess
how far these tunnels go in and how how
much space is actually underground here
but a perfect spot for warthogs for
porcupine even an aardvark hyenas
tortoises well not down in here now
Steve you said while I kind of wish I
had a big powerful torch kind of like
the ones we have on though on the
vehicles that I could shine on down in
here and just see exactly how deep it
actually is but I thought that that was
quite amazing we’re lucky that we found
this because now when we do come
off-roading in here which is an area we
try and navigate I know we’re not to
drive we’re not to bring a vehicle
anyway because I even think if we extend
to where I’m walking now I think even up
to about here we could be in a little
bit of trouble and luckily for us none
of us are heavy enough to make the earth
collapse I mean it’s probably about that
thick but a vehicle that weighs well
over a ton probably being a bit of
trouble fantastic where did Herbie go
now this way how did this say I heard
him whistle
shall we go that way so we haven’t
picked up any signs whatsoever of a
predator obviously that’s what we come
to walk in this area here the elephants
getting closer and closer so we’re going
in the opposite direction and this is
where the alarm calls were coming from
we were chatting about whether the
pervert monkeys that were alarming they
were Vivat monkeys could have seen a
predator all this way and I think it
depends on which tree they were sitting
on but I do think that it is possible
but this is a fairly sandy animal
pathway that we’re now on and I think
that we would be able to see some tracks
especially if they were fresh I don’t
think would be too much of a problem
someone was running here however maybe
an Impala just dashing across this
mmm now Paco who is only five years old
I’m trying to think of what alarm calls
I think are quite scary mm-hmm and you
think of any when you hear a kudu and it
does its big bark standing right next to
you but you don’t know that the kudu is
there cause it’s hiding away and they’ve
really well camouflaged that’s scary
do you know what just gave us a really
big fright now we’re some birds can you
believe it the Franklin’s they are
probably the most terrifying they’re
only scary when you’re on foot because
you’re walking walking and they panic
and they’ve seen you now they go do we
pretend that we’re not you and just sit
quietly in the grass and then they go
Kay okay right everybody we’re going to
pretend we’re not yeah we’re gonna hide
from the humans and then last minute one
goes I can’t do it on two scared and
then flies but it’s right at your feet
and then you jump back Herbie and food
did a bleep of about two metres
backwards I also got afraid I was
blinded by the Sun so I was like oh I
don’t know what’s gonna get me anyways
but they give you a fright jackals don’t
have a very nice alarm call it sounds
like somebody’s screaming which is not
very nice when they when they are
shouting or howling into the night hmm
who else what about a baboon baboon goes
job ah I don’t say that but that’s what
I have to say too making a baboon son
Ralph actually does a very good Baloo
Baloo not a balloon and a dune alarm
call we’ll have to ask Ralph Paco can
ask Ralph to make a baboon alarm call
for you I’m sure he’ll be obliging
Kirsty who’s directing this oh sure she
says a human yes we don’t have a very
nice one and we normally use colorful
words when we get scared hey food right
darlin see the drainage line we go this
is a lovely area it’s really is quite
nice for walking and only going to get
better and better in winter it’s very
very pretty now it seems as though just
as we are taking the path less traveled
today so ashamed I wonder where he’s on
we’ve just checked the brown ivory tree
which in Ghana had his kill and exactly
a week ago I think he whacked that in
parlor and stuck it in the tree when it
was raining and it’s not there which
means that some of these taken it out of
the tree perhaps a bird drafted or
tungee wind up and scavenged it but we
do have some information that
Tandy’s tracks are going south down
drakensberg road which is not too far
from here
just on the far west east east east I’ve
also had a lovely message from Kirsten
MacKinnon Smith that says apparently
project alpha you confirmed that the
incredible journey was also known as
homeward bound so we were both correct
she then sent me a rude sign with a
picture of project alphas tweet and
there was a rude sign with it that I
can’t share with you this is what we put
up with on Drive you know trying to
concentrate trying to do the best we can
and we get abuse from the final control
just to be useful won’t hurt you to the
shocks
terrific
yeah there’s little water oil up here on
the Drakensberg road drive down there
and see if we do not get lucky there’s a
yellow volt humble who wanted to see a
yellow blonde oh there it is there it is
quickly Craig that’s going to fly away
and have a birthday Teresa there you are
are you not pleased Teresa how could you
not be especially it’s a very confiding
it’s not a chameleon is it it’s a little
cat I did
that’s a mantis you’re absolutely
correct well I’m Drake a mantis poor
mantis crushing the wings they’re
crushing the chitin in the wings and the
exoskeleton that’s what this is it’s all
about because obviously there’s no
chewing finding teeth in hornbills bills
like finding hen’s teeth and down the
hatch it goes swallow hope it’s not
wriggling and jiggling and wriggling
inside her well and Theresa epic
yellow-billed hornbill siting there
let’s continue room if ever you are
wondering about the road names here and
you want to know where we are or how and
eventually I imagine that we will be
able to give you an actual live feed of
where we are but the the Google Maps map
of Jummah has all the road names on it
and so if you ever wondering if I say
I’m on drakensberg Road you can actually
go and look and see exactly where we’re
driving torchwood not yet it’s got the
roads but there’s never numbers the
names Janssen this is a unique feature
of this wonderful vehicle known as the
Land Rover Defender
the wheel turns so much because what is
known as the steering box I don’t know
what that is it’s a box that just has
something to do the steering inside is
well shall we say temperamental to say
the best so you can see that when I do
this the car hardly moves but if I Drive
in a straight line what you’ll notice is
that the car will suddenly start turning
one direction there we go in our going
off to the left so it does its own thing
and that’s why it looks like we’re
moving all over the place the actual
fact that a straight line is driven with
the steering wheel at that angle there I
yes there are ton DS tracks that’s not
the male leopard going down this road as
they found a young male leopard just
down here I’m on my way where’s my game
Drive radio I’m on my way just down here
hold on Craig don’t go anywhere I’m
going to finally give you something to
now if it’s a young male leopard would
it possibly be the magical hot Hannah
back from the West would it be tomba
it’s the next road junction is where he
nearly there everybody stay with me now
I can’t hear sorry cuz I’m gonna turn
you down so I can hear ovary bulbs go
haha that’s very exciting here is this
and you see him this one next one
now oh there is on the ground either
eating something or his own foot that’s
wonderful thank solves there he is
everybody he’s back home in Ghana it’s
not what’s on that stinking everybody
it’s all right little do matter slight
anticlimax but it’s still nice to have
him
I thought those tracks looked a little
bit large myself hello hello now we had
those male leopard tracks
you know what Herbert said lost
yesterday he said he thought this cat
and his teeth are in fantastic shape for
a diffident of his age nothing wrong
with his composition
he’s obviously played a great deal of
attention to keeping them clean said
means businesses Kettner he’s looking in
superb nick muscled and absolutely fine
down the road just it all read get out
of the way by getting out of his wife
now what we’ll do is we’ll alternate as
we go down the road everyone so you go
in front then I will go in front then
he’ll go in front carry on orbs calling
it’s just sniffing some elephant dung
there I’m not sure why somebody’s always
he marked there I suspect handy she was
around here earlier I’m thinking of
okay while we do that
Ralph Kirsten has managed to find his
first big tortured cat Wow everyone here
these female lions that just started
walking towards us through the block I’m
not sure which group which pride these
lions are from I’m thinking that it’s
maybe the in coomer’s but I have no idea
just yet we’ve just seen some lions
that’s all I know so we’ll just wait and
see once we can get them a little bit
closer
they were my ball towards us now I’ve
just gone down so I’m just waiting a
little while before I go rushing in
there and then they walk back up towards
us where we are anyway so that’s why I’m
just staying stationary for the minute
we just let them do their thing as they
were on the move we saw three of them
I’m just pretty sure there are some more
moving through the bushes but there’s
one that we can see and it’s funny they
walked and then I just slide down all of
a sudden but I are still awake and
looking like the might get up again so
it’s just why it’s a little bit and if
they don’t move then obviously I will go
in a bit closer and get a bit of you I
just want to wait and see what they get
up to you
for the time being so yes the first
I’m looking around maybe we’ll even get
a hunter who knows it’s the perfect time
of day there’s still lots of light and
it’s getting nice and cool and they’re
looks like tracing flowers day a little
bit this female in particular she looks
like she’s got quite well rounded is
there no real Nick’s or cuts in them to
talk of good-looking female that
looking south towards us so Rothko
asking if it could be the Torchwood
pride I’m sure it could be giraffe go
we’ll have to wait and see and get a
little bit closer on the on the
identification sir absolutely it could
be the Torchwood pride all the in
coomer’s quite easily be the Torchwood
pride yes I don’t think I’ve seen him
before
so will be nice to see them wonderful
new place new pride of lions possibly a
locket look there’s another one just
underneath that silver cluster leaf
I’ll be on the left that’s where that
one went down there she’s just picked
her head up
there it is and oh this running out is
I’m running towards him just come in
here we are and I can hear some contact
awesome looks like a young male
sub-adult and I come perfect and I
wasn’t even trying to be punished so the
contact I wonder what’s been going on
they look like they’re waking up off to
their days sleep lots of yawning a
little bit of energy and it is all sorts
of little contact calls going on oh it
sounds like there’s more coming okay I
think I’m just going to get it a little
bit closer in here Davi this is a bit
frustrating if we’re not really seeing
much meaning a little bit far get it
clear of you shift all sorts the other
okay so how many getting yeah a little
bit percents and we’ll get a perfect
view but let’s send you off to James it
seems to ting Garner’s on the move two
feet from where I’m sitting you’re a
magical he’s just depositing some
popcorn okay
we’re just gonna let all we get past I
did a whole special bundu bash to try
and get around in front of him and then
he lay down in the road alrighty the
Lions are else Gordon are on the move so
let’s go back to them as that one is
disappeared behind the bushes but we’ve
got lots of stuff happening in front
yeah this is awesome there’s a couple of
little sub-adults a Cubs yeah so I don’t
think that this is that uncle MERS I
think it must then be the torch with
pride and they look rather skinny so
that would be well worth watching
because I think they could be a hunter
on the card see how this evening might
only happen much later but our
and there’s all sorts I haven’t counted
that meaning there was one that just
came past us now and there’s two three
four five six seven eight nine there’s
at least ten eleven
that’s not twelve thirteen so definitely
not doing kokoomus to bigger pride than
that there’s lots of them around here
all sorts happening what minimu that’s a
very good question why don’t males
develop a dewlap and seems that seems
like that lipids are pretty much the
only ones that really pick up that out
of the cat’s the males obviously oh that
one right next to that busy
sharpening his nails as the males and
lions I’ve got that big mine and you
wouldn’t really be able to see it even
if they did get a Juliet so potentially
when the old males get older and into
the later years that potentially would
or could have a dewlap but we don’t even
see it but it does seem to be reasonably
unique to the leopards I haven’t seen it
only Mia the cats never seen it on any
of the females are there and having they
do get a bit older they can get a bit of
loose skin and so on Wow
so everyone agreeing that this is the
Torchwood pride thanks guys for helping
out I was pretty sure that with these
numbers that definitely not them kumis
needing to Torchwood part is that one
was just having a little bit of a
sharpening session there’s a couple of
it’s three vehicles here now that’s the
max that you would have all the guests
also enjoying the sighting as well
perfect timing this law is just becoming
active now couple of youngsters around
so they’ll be fun and games but if
tackling and chasing each other around
and that’s I say we’ve all positioned in
different spots yeah the one and has
come up and lie down in a bush just next
to us but we can’t see her and so I’m
not gonna move just yet just wait a
little bit and see what happens
okay well we’ll wait and see what
happens with these lions but Jones quits
ting gone are walking down the road he’s
still coming we’ve just got into
beautiful position we’re now on our own
with him he’s being serious about his
callings walking along here making a big
noise at Etta dear speaking over
potential fight at some stage of his
life I wonder if Tandy is not around
here somewhere and that’s not what he’s
Vicki this is a very subjective thing to
answer I think Tenggara is heavier
moguls slightly taller but the same sort
of thickness as Hope amore how Kumari to
me is is not a large Levitt is a small
leopard and I think well I mean
relatively and I reckon that Tenggara is
about an average-sized male he’s a good
size but he’s not as big as the Anderson
male and he’s slightly bigger than in
bulla was and the average male mass in
this area he is 63 kilograms so about
130 pounds hundred and forty pounds Amy
sorry about that Bush sorry boy he’s got
also got up because there’s so much Bush
that I can’t turn around turn the game
Drive ready up okay we’re gonna keep up
with him let’s go back to the lines all
right here we go everyone
it seems the 9/7 moved too much so we’ve
still got a very good view that is a
very pretty female there but as I said
they’re looking quite skinny and every
potential that we might get lucky and
watching them do a bit of hunting and
quite nice sell-on Torchwood that it is
reasonably open although in this
particular area that we’re in is a
little bit of a drainage line that the
Lions have come out of so what thick
down there but as we move away then it
becomes a bit more open so could see
them a little bit easier than in some
parts where it’s very thick
especially on Zoomer and there’s all
sorts of little contact calls going on
see can tell females will also mark
territory yes they they will also be
moving around and on their patrols they
do spray on all the bushes next to the
road and any prominent features and each
one piles past end guys and sprays so
yes they will also be marking that
particular area of days art was lots of
spraying and a group of this it’s quite
a sort of a traditional or like a
routine now walk around the particular
territory and then each one was walk
past and have to spray honorable bushes
active and designated as the spraying
bush and then they move on again and
then you know any of the little
prominent features and one of the
females keep sneezing just off from us
here I’m not that one yeah and that
one’s that I was looking yeah okay I
think I’m not
we’re on the road now Davi so I’m gonna
just reverse it’s like they’re playing
on the right there
so if I reverse we might get a nice view
of them on the road here and they’re
playing perfect that’s what we wanna see
come on Sasha rugby skills good tackles
and wrestling match here we go
games on guys making each other
youngsters a little bit of cooling as
that’s gonna happen next
it’s awesome when you’ve got a big pride
of lions like this and there’s all sorts
going on there’s some more making their
way towards the road with these two are
they one looks like it’s got a big
growth behind the back of its League did
you see that Davi
just before it wind down their head like
on its elbow a real big ballet key on
the back there okay I’m gonna see if we
just can get a bit of view here um but
let’s hit you on to the bushwalk team I
wonder how they’re going it’s getting
quite dark now I’ve never scaled the
tree so quickly in my life but food
looked at me and said you wanna climb a
tree and I mean okay I don’t say no to a
challenge should be up in the tree
hey it’s not very stable though it’s an
old tree I think it’s an old Hobie what
do you think this is an obstinate old
knob so now it’s looking at the bark
good view from up here though really
good view you can actually start seeing
down and sort of through the trees now
and she little open pockets of grass
which helps a lot
sorry oh this is the second time I don’t
know if I can know I don’t like go once
Sebastian made me holding the moon but
that was a sustaining on the car and it
was flat so I don’t think I’ll be doing
that remember we did that in the merace
that’s kind of cool I was ordering Ferg
was pointing and I was like what do you
see you oh that big thing I say I’m
probably gonna come down now I think I
think this is what we’re gonna do oh my
goodness
oh don’t know one jinx me don’t say
anything because he’s just said my
tumble how would you feel Kristen if I
read how bad will you feel if I really
hurt myself now yeah make the guilt sit
in easy-peasy
that wasn’t so bad this is James’s tree
by the way I’ve stolen it from him
in
many likes to climb it let’s back of the
tent and we’ve been creeping closer to
home because that herd of elephants
we’re moving on in and are fighting to
get dark right now apparently there’s a
somebody else Archer who’s better
climbing down and up trees
I suppose that’s ten gana I’m not sure
what that meant but we’re still with ten
gana he’s making wheelies on lots of
bushes the popcorn sent all around us is
fantastic and it smells a little bit
like being at the Bioscope go ahead I’m
yeah probably he’s going into the
Muromachi now at battle ear very strong
those of you wondering what are we
talking about it is of course the fact
satisfaction I have not witnessed a
leopard fight I have witnessed many
leopard standoffs but I have not got any
I’ve never seen a fight between two
morality
it’s so rare negative you will not
interfere you do see it from time to
but it is not they will try and avoid it
try and settle their differences with
growling and negotiation before war
takes place you can imagine the damage
the two lepers with that kind of
strength and speed could do to each
other I can’t really get round the front
of him over here I probably could
neutralize Soriano Casas dumped you in
they’re supposed to just touch the key
lightly so that cameraman knows to zoom
I was a seldom-seen a leopard calling
this frequently
he’s very clearly in the mood to Reese
take himself Sam you aged 9 they saw
like this to say to announce their
presence to mark territory for the same
reason that he’s urinating on the side
of the road he’s trying to announce to
any other leopards that this is his
place and that nobody else must be in
his way so that’s why he’s calling and
he does it by basically doing what I was
doing but his voice box instead of being
fixed in his neck Gretel’s and moves up
and down and that’s how he’s able to
make such a noise mm-hmm Epps I’m sorry
we’re gonna have to be patient with him
on the road there’s far too much bush in
unbelievable tea bomb has made it home
to my one of my favorite locations on
this reserve next to the tent we’re
still around you we’ve been puttering
around having a look for things but it’s
been fairly quiet as I think all the
warthogs have decided to go to sleep the
butterflies have settled in for the
evening
and while I’ve already heard part of the
evening chorus by the birds so mmm in
true fashion of course as the Sun starts
to go down in the afternoon we can’t
stay out on foot as all the tables turn
and we might get eaten although we
probably wouldn’t be able to see where
we were going first unless we were
walking with big torches and that
wouldn’t be a particularly fun
experience so we won’t be doing anything
like that we will probably be retiring
to the DRC which is a little far away
it’s literary literally just behind us
goodness gracious
anyways it’s been a fun afternoon not
much aren’t they in terms of little
insects and things that are too quick
for us this afternoon but they should be
frozen again tomorrow morning so for
myself Ferg and her tea we hope you have
a wonderful evening
and while the bush wolf team will see
you bright and early tomorrow we just
got brand him so he’s going to come
wandering past us now and then we will
just listening to see if he can hear any
other leopards calling perhaps he’d like
with dribbling that normally means odd
can often mean that he’s since the
presence of another male with it is kind
I think they appreciate the road a lot
because especially this time of the year
when the grass is so long it’s difficult
for them to see and they obviously don’t
like getting wet in the mornings
especially in the cold mornings so in
much the same way as they’ll use
elephant and hippo paths to move so
I’m just going to gently ease down the
it’s getting cooler now I think his
sound will travel even further in the
cooler air yep and a bit of Gua
remarking sorry bull River I missed your
question okay
yes bull Rev they do saw as well females
that’s how they mark their territories
some people will tell you that they can
tell the difference between male and
the trees on the banks have leave
really I mean the popcorn smell is quite
overpowering sometimes he will urinate
on a bush like that on that gory bush
because nothing will eat it maybe not
that I’ve heard
I mean obviously my ears on anything
like as sharp as his but I haven’t heard
any response to his calling but this
will be gathering attention I mean he’s
being serious about this this is not
perfunctory this is a real announcement
I don’t know if who koumori has been
there’s a water bug watching him he’s
paying no heed to the water buck what
server now the monkeys are calling those
monkeys a see Liam from a good I’d say
eighty to a hundred meters in the fading
he doesn’t care there he is doing his
thing in the bush there this is classic
leopard marking behavior rubbing his
yeah they’re not that far away they’re
about 40 meters away in the tops of the
trees we won’t show you them to you
simply because I want to stay with him
suppose we could have a quick look Craig
is let’s have a quick look over there in
the lid would fluffy Aussie Cohen
beautiful name you have there unlike the
well in fact quite similarly to most
mammal species actually age does not
affect their fertility too much so they
will be able to produce offspring until
the day they die in theory so could most
human beings for example they don’t go
through a period of infertility
obviously you get slightly less fertile
as you get older but it doesn’t that
doesn’t apply to the leopards they will
be fertile until the day that they die
interestingly though when he when we
last watched him mating with Corolla to
produce horse Anna and Shuang Gila I’m
going to drive around the other side
everyone
he and Corolla took six at least six
bitings before she fell pregnant and
daaamn it goes just gonna quickly to say
where he is not gonna work stations
tenganan our mobile north up towards the
junction of vultures nest and the honor
itself where are you now come down into
the drainage and then come up towards
know that sir just helping someone else
get into the sighting
you asked me which way he should come
but I didn’t know where he was so I
couldn’t tell him oh no this is going to
definitely Judea knows doesn’t tell him
that tell him that he wants to mate who
tells females that he’s around Judy if
you’ve ever watched leopards mate it’s
the females that find the males and then
they harass them basically until they
mate with them but they do not go
seeking mating opportunities normally
the males you’re just gonna let this
other fellow in all right ralpherz left
Torchwood and scared that and find where
he’s getting to adventure not well
everyone unfortunately we did have to
leave that group of lions because you
know there are some rules that I’m sure
James explained to you the other day but
there were quite a lot of people
interested in coming to see those lions
so luckily we did have a nice view on
them and while we did have to make our
exit because of that so I’m sure we
gonna be able to go in there again but
there was just lots of interest because
of those particular lions there so
unfortunately we have to leave but
fortunately we were allowed to go in
there in the first place so we’ll take
that one we’ll stick it in the bank and
we’ll go back again I think maybe even
tomorrow or the next day but for now
we’re back at twin dams and I’m going to
just pop pop one else in the air and see
what’s hanging around have a quick
squeeze if anything then we’ll head up
to treehouse dam see what’s up that way
and as you saw I’m getting it’s getting
rather chilly at this time of year and
this time of the evening especially when
you drive with a little bit of a flying
yeah very pretty
evening was there was a lot day in the
reflections on the lights off that’s
very pretty it’s like a mole pond
beautiful light I can have a little
barred owl it calling behind us you do
do do and there’s all sorts of just the
last little bits of the day birds
calling or Franklin and spoof arriving
they lost little say before the night
really is upon us beautiful that
reflection of the trees there as well
that is spectacular
I’m sure we gonna start hearing the
whooping of the hyenas quite soon what a
perfect weight in the day that kind of
light nothing in the way of animals
really but it’s just a stunning scenery
and a perfect shot all right perfect
I’m starving that’s brilliant camera
works here
let’s hit on a little bit further see if
fun oh right you want me to find some of
bush babies now I think last night was
probably my Bush baby for the year with
that way that it’s a set lock that
perfectly but I’m definitely gonna try
again I just up from us here is Ray
Janet is it G not Jackson Janet Janet
Jackson hangs out so maybe let’s have a
look baby I don’t know if it’s a male or
female I’ve just seen the little straps
of them of the Janet’s in the hollow
tree
I’ll have a look there and see if that
if he’s if he’s active he or she not
quite sure if it’s male or female then
I’ll go and travel those little roads
around tree house damn these savages
track and shabam ooh and those little
roads which is what are we yeah on the
southern boundary and there’s a nice
little roads thereof I’ve seen ting
Ghana there before I’ve also seen a
sauna and other Chinese is worth ting
gone and now but and the Houmas were
here as well the other day when I caught
up with him on foot that song Kumar lion
pride and the elephant caucus is just
off to our sort of north waste now yeah
anything is possible in this area right
it seems like ting Ghana’s got himself
quite thirsty so let’s go off to him he
certainly has and he’ll probably drink
for quite some time now
leopards although as I’ve said before
independent of water largely
they do very much enjoy a drink
especially Sunday evening in hell for a
he keeps hearing something keeps hearing
but some pieces moving around personnel
oh it’s a thing we can’t speak about
coming towards the water hole sorry I
became overexcited you can see the other
chat a little bit earlier about that
ability to orientate themselves and you
can see he knows this area completely
perfectly you know exactly where the
water is there is a little bit more
marking and he will now probably follow
this game part it’s my favorite game
part goes all the way up to that little
pan where I started yesterday Safari
lives show I’m not sure he were watching
or not and then he’ll probably fetch up
at where Taylor Dam Ralph cheetah Plains
Ralph is also seeking popcorn but of a
different kind
Ralph is on the everyone I’ve come here
to this little house of Janet Jackson
and when we arrived I was looking in
this bottom hall there and they were two
individuals so now going up a little bit
further I can just see the little spots
over there but they’ve obviously just
got a little bit of a fright with the
with the sound of the vehicle so I just
want to sit for a little bit they can
hear me talking now so I don’t know if
they’re gonna sell themselves I can see
the spots from this angle I don’t know
if you’ll be able to from that angle mmm
you can see a bit of movement you could
see the tail going up so this tree is
totally Hollow and they’ve moved up in
the tree I think probably into about
that area now but very safe inside they
I would say but at the moment getting a
really good visual on them so I have to
maybe just wait a little bit we’ll see
if they pop their heads out
otherwise we’ll leave them be and we’ll
move along because it is about time for
them to start coming out another one to
stop them because we’re just sitting
here at the front door and not allowing
them to see if they’re show us the hits
I won’t have to be a little bit quiet
for a while and then they’ll have to
calm down it’s a little bit like the
Mongoose when you go quiet and then they
start to relax with your presence and
come out but this degenerates are quite
shy so I wouldn’t be surprised if they
it might be that they are a little bit
camera shy I could still make out a
little bit of a movement in the top all
day but there are up inside you’re not
gonna show us all right shame I think
we’re gonna leave them a little bit to
char for us we’ll have to come back
again we’ll have to a bit you add them
to the vehicle and let them know that
we’re not going to hurt them and if we
come here every evening or you know come
here regularly
they might relax what’s the presence of
the vehicle if they know that we’re not
going to do better for now that you
nervous so we’ll move along and so from
one little cat like species not quite a
cat these guys are part of the must le
day and the piece today that’s sort of
mixed now but let’s go to another cat
there he is still marking along I
thought he’d go into some thicker bush
I’m just gonna give Ralph the
opportunity to go past him this is
another Ralph who’s working with cheetah
planes Parian brim because we’ve had him
in front I’m not sure how they’re
looking at him but they’re being very
very gracious by not spotlighting in
mean it’s almost pitch black out here
so we won’t get a great view from the
how many James his offspring we tend to
think so much of the females offspring
had they survived to adulthood well
horse owners got pretty close Tambor’s
got pretty close they both sort of I
mean well Silas two and a half just
about it’s gonna stop here and tomba is
about to I’m trying to think who else
there was I don’t know who else is all
spring you know I wonder certainly none
of tongue DS had not Tony’s shadows Cubs
made it that he sired who else would he
have sired cubs with he could have sired
Cubs with some of the leopards in
Buffalo but it’s very difficult to know
what’s going on there it’s a really good
question
Cindy Leah possibly he was shadows one
cub that may have made it to adulthood
dispersed as I said earlier he went into
rehab for rabies and he could have
survived to adulthood he might still be
alive somewhere just have him dispersed
somewhere else i I hate to think that
there weren’t any
and we don’t know all of his offspring
of course because females will come out
of their territories to mate with males
I’m sorry we don’t have a vo everybody
we will eventually it’s just a very
thick bush here and so it’s very hard
for Ralph to get out of the way
alrighty we’ll keep following let’s go
back across to Ralph who doesn’t have a
large Cruiser in front well and we are
just also looking for any little knot
Tom cutters I’m trying to see if I can
find a chameleon
cama cama cama cama cama comedian Oh a
bush baby or a Jeanette or a civet or
what tailed monkeys or porcupine or even
loose cannon
Ryan that’s a good question thanks for
asking that now not quite sure but I
think the most amazing thing about my
job is like I was talking about earlier
the randomness because you can come out
and drive every single day and you never
know what you’re gonna see like you know
I think that is the best thing about my
job the total randomness of it I know
I’m gonna be driving a vehicle well I’m
gonna be walking in the bush but I never
know what the bush is gonna throw at me
so I think I would say that’s the best
part
random total randomness as we were
talking about it earlier and I like to
mix it up so and that just keeps the
work exciting because you never know
what you’re gonna get old forests come
saying hey box of chocolates what you’re
gonna get next and exactly like what
we’re doing now what are we gonna find
is it going to be an elephant that has
I checked as Rana or a black-backed
jackal that’s some fighting with the
civet we don’t have to have everything
fighting maybe we’ll have a Impala that
has made friends with the water back Oh
Kirsten says a honey badger giving birth
that would be a good one what about an
owl digging up a dung beetle nest that
would be random what about a bat that’s
eating a baboon spider that would be
cool
what else there’s a waterhole just yeah
we’re hitting now down towards tree ask
them but there’s nothing down by this
little pan over here I’ve just compost
we have found the young coomer’s the
other morning on foot no sign of them as
of yet I heard that they moved down on
Tierra Souza oh there was a random mouse
that ran across the road and speaking of
running on the road it seems Kangana is
back on his he is we had a nice view
anyway he’ll move into an open area
shortly now no Kirsten I’m afraid you
can’t just discussing her kisses timing
has been then well from the top draw as
what I should have done was actually
left and I should have just left him in
front until we wanted to link anyway
he’s going to get out of this vast
forest around us eventually and then
so Center any questions you have about
in Ghana and we’ll do our level best to
answer them has anybody come up with an
answer as to whether he has a known
sky I don’t absolutely and don’t know
that is in Ghana didn’t mate with
somebody before I showed up in Juma he
must have he would have been a nine year
old male I just don’t know who and I
don’t know what the progeny were none of
the youngsters that were around when I
was here though were his because we were
largely of course with Fuller’s
youngsters and I suppose the interesting
part about that is that his territory
definitely shifted as and Voula his
power waned and say he could easily have
I wonder if he didn’t matron Kearney ne
perhaps in the East native in fact
remember he used to he must have mated
with he could have mated with salary she
you know to produce tianni I’m sure
everyone reckons the Anderson male is T
Arnie’s for a father but you know he
used to go all the way onto the elephant
Plains boundary which is way west of
here and that would encompass shadows
territory he’d encompassed salacious
territory she was a famous leopard from
some Bambi Lee and her latest
independent offspring as tianni who’s
just been mating with the hokum or email
she could easily have made it if he
could have made it with qua Teela who is
since deceased
she had three Cubs that died with her
death and I don’t know what happened
after that
before that I mean there could easily be
something that we just don’t know
as a young female who comes onto chitwa
chitwa called civ we would be his it’s
hard to believe that a grizzled fellow
like this who has done so much to get to
this time of his life has not got one
independent or swim see if we can’t get
Rhian diga Chava is in fact and Fuller’s
offspring not ting ganas we’re pretty
sure in fact a wonderful Chavo wasn’t in
bullies last offspring Paula we do need
a leopard flowchart and in fact we’re
getting close to having one on our
website eventually we will have one but
if you go to the website it does tell
you whose females who belongs to who
pretty much not in a chart but it does
tell you who belongs to okay back on the
road here we can try and get around them
eventually a little bit of a road coming
up with might try and get past him okay
the reason we can’t see him is that
Craig can’t put the infrared light on my
of the back of my head because you’ll be
completely blinded by the globe and it’s
got nothing to do with any deficiency in
my head rather the power the infrared
light so it’s either me or the animal
and what we don’t like to do is have the
picture jumping up and down so which is
what happens if you zooms in too much on
the animal okay I think we’re gonna have
to give these other chaps a turn that’s
a nice picture of it and so in the
meantime let’s go across to random
Ralphie yep random Ralph it’s better
than record Ralph I’d say yeah we still
haven’t found anything too random just
yet lots of little Muffy’s and
butterflies butterflies really I think
I’m also moths flying up we’ve seen the
odd scrub here in a present scrubber
which could like I say a lot of these
predators that are struggling whether
they’re being chased by other males or
anything else
geesh if I was a lion that was being
chased by other lions I’ll just have my
little snacks of scrub here’s keep
myself sustained but well that’s me and
I can think like a human
and it’s not as easy if you’re being
hounded by other miles and so I don’t
think it’s gonna be as easy as that I’m
just thinking back to that to that lion
that was spotted here the other day that
was pretty random we’re in a herd of
elephants yeah I’m just gonna turn these
Lots off okay we’re just gonna go to
infrared because elephants do not like
sorry about that guys I’ve got a just as
much as a fright as you did here we are
right in a group of these elephants yeah
I don’t mean any harm and I’m sure you
don’t either there we are carry on your
feeding as there are you can hear them
feeding after that wonderful so you
speak of randomness and it comes to find
you very pretty
elephants yeah I can only hear them and
watch them on the screen in the infrared
because in the darkness yeah I can’t see
them at all it’s lovely to watch them on
the infrared because in this kind of
situation with guests per se I would
probably not stay here at all because I
won’t put the torch on them they really
don’t like it and they can get quite
agitated what’s your putting a torch on
them and well in the dark I don’t quite
know what they’re up to you so it is
actually ideal and very special if we
get to sit watching elephants in
infrared because not your average case
won’t get to see this in the dark so we
actually get to see them outside of
normal game watching times that’s
Merliah thanks for saying that
yeah I feel that is pretty awesome these
elephants are all around us
everybody very relaxed they’re carrying
on their feeding and I love elephants
it’s one of my favorite things in the
world ever to be doing is just to be in
the presence of elephants it’s such a
calming feeling just being around them
yes sometimes they can have different
moods and it can be a little bit edgy
sometimes but on the whole it’s pretty
much like this did this one having a
little sniff at us I think also not the
okay so you’ve had a lovely little
sighting with these elephants in the
dark but I think let’s leave them alone
for now and send you to the nocturnal
animal which is king garnet in Ghana has
found what ralph has found he’s lying
down elephants in front and it’s so
funny to watch his reaction was reacted
very much like we would he’s kind of
stopped dead in the road and looked
interested but the same as asked on our
way back for breakfast for example when
we think we’re almost home and then
we’re blocked by developments he’s kind
of looks disappointed he was standing
there looking from side to side thinking
how can I possibly get around them
without them seeing me as I will take
great displeasure at having him walking
now he’s gonna try we’ve got one minute
left everybody it’s keep going I suspect
a poor fellow behind us is going to need
a bit of a chance in front so I’m gonna
have to let him try you’ll go round this
don’t also want to get running into the
elephants alright yeah everyone I think
that’s going to be probably the last we
see of Yan Qing he’s there is in front
of us you know one last look as he
disappears into the darkness thank you
very much for joining us on the Sunday
sunset Safari we will of course see you
tomorrow at 6:30 huge thanks for your
contributions your questions and
comments I feel I don’t say that quite
enough so thank you very much for those
we will see you tomorrow morning until then bye-bye