Schotia Safari

Schotia Private Game Preserve abuts Addo, so we took the opportunity to go on our first safari.   The 32 of us were divided into land rovers, and each rover took off on a different path for an afternoon/ evening safari. 

Schotia safari!

Eating, not eaten - yet!

 Schotia is thirty years old as a game preserve, but the land has been in the Bean family for six generations.  For many centuries, it was a large cattle farm.  I don’t know how many acres they have, but the land they own stretches as far as my eye could see.   Now they have the land “stocked” with native African animals.  But it is not a zoo; they don’t feed (or cage) the animals.  The animals live “naturally” – and the effects of a recent giraffe kill by lions were evident, with bones, hair, and sinew strewn about in one area.

The afternoon and evening were perfect.  We were able to spot many of the 40 species that inhabit their lands --- and, not far off in the distance either.  Because these animals are used to the land rovers, we were able to drive very close.  

We stopped for this rhino, for example, which grazed right by and in front of our rover.  Seeing them this close, I can easily appreciate what I've always heard - that they date to the dinosaur age.  If you cover the horn with your hand, its face looks exactly like a dinosaur's.  They have very poor eyesight, but great hearing.  I was intrigued by the almost eyelash-looking hairs on the edges of their ears.

Note the ear-lashes!

That one looks like a tasty treat!

There seemed to be only one animal the animals were afraid of; most had posted sentries watching for the lions.  And, they should be afraid.  This guy seems to be saying, "Come just a little closer."

Sentries

 One of the highlights of our time concerned the lions.  As we were driving along, someone spotted two lionesses coming out of the bush quite far away, but headed in our direction.  Our driver simply stopped and turned off the jeep.  We waited to see what they would do.    They kept coming, and then they called -- “Meoorr.”   Suddenly, five lion cubs came out of the grass ahead of us, bounded down the road we were on, and ran to their mothers.  Our guide explained that the lionesses had hidden the cubs because they had to go out hunting.  The female lionesses didn’t bring any meat back, but the cubs did nurse upon their return.  We sat and watched that, too.   It was quite the sequence of touching scenes – one the ranger said he hadn’t seen enacted in his years as a ranger there.  

Yum!