Friday, October 31, 2014

Close Encounters


Was this old male lion dangerous . . .




. . . or just having a bad-hair-day?



The question is: when on a game-drive in an open safari vehicle, how long does it feel safe to stop next to a hyena, even if it has a tame, dog-like appearance?


Less threatening, even if it is the largest mammal, is a Northern Right whale, visiting our shores at this time of the year & now counting as number 6 of the BIG 7 (no longer only the BIG 5).


An interesting encounter was with this Marshal eagle & its prey - which at first looked as if it could be an enormous snake, until we "discovered" it had legs . . .



. . . then drove around the tree & saw it was a leguaan! The magnificent raptor certainly had a typically fierce look about it.



As close an encounter with a hippo, especially at night, as this was, is more dangerous than probably "meeting" any of the above animals "along the way".