Rains down in Africa

Rains down in Africa

By Ryan Jack

With the rains having finally come to Madikwe Game Reserve. There has been a huge change to this beautiful place we call home. The dry, brown and dusty bush has erupted once again with life and colour.

All this new growth has allowed for a huge amount of herbivore activity at our waterhole. The ground that was once brown is now green and teeming with the constant activity of Zebra, Wildebeest, Impala, Waterbuck and our ever favourite behemoths, the Elephants, who arrive and leave in seemingly endless waves of herds and giant old bulls. There is never a dull moment with the Elephants around as they drink, feed, chase each other and sometimes even swim right in front of your rooms, as if there just to show off to you alone. The waterhole is almost always a buzz with the movements of a multitude of animals of all different shapes and sizes.

As befitting one of the most successful months of my time here, the highlight of it is something even experienced Rangers would find breath-taking.

As myself and Kyle were on our way back into camp one evening after a fairly successful drive which included Elephants, Buffalo and an African Wild Cat with kittens, we were greeted as we turned a corner to the sounds of  struggle, Kyle shone next to his vehicle only to find that a Caracal, one of our most secretive cats, had taken down a Dassie (Rock Hyrax) right next to the road, about a meter away from our vehicles. The struggle was intense as each did not want to lose, witnessing how the Dassie struggled against the Caracal, who by this point had a death grip with her jaws around the Dassie’s throat. After about fifteen minutes of this life and death struggle, while lacking the size and sound of a lion hunt but no less epic, it finally came to an end as the Caracal was finally able to achieve victory. And that is how we left her, triumphant but tired, as we left to go enjoy our own dinner back at the lodge. 

The sudden burst of greenery throughout the bush of Madikwe Game Reserve and the ever ready Rangers and Staff of Tau Game Lodge cannot wait to welcome you into our home and treat you to everything the bush has to  offer.