Night Game Drive

 

My first visit to Kruger National Park spoiled me forever because there is nothing cooler than a honey badger. Looking for wildlife in the dark provides a window into the lives of Africa's nocturnal animals.

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Night is a special time in Kruger when animals can get some relief from the scorching summer sun. But danger lurks in the shadows.

Hyena pups wait quietly along a park road while their parents are out hunting. The young hyenas are vulnerable to other predators so they stick close to their roadside den and draw no attention to themselves. Hyenas routinely hunt at night, using their loud whoops to startle and confuse antelope like impala. 

A white-tailed mongoose looks like a cross between a fox and a cat. This is the only one I've ever photographed.

The little mongoose never ventured any closer for a photo.

On one night game drive we were surrounded by a large clan of hyenas hunting impala and we were right in the thick of it. The hyenas whooped from every direction, panicking the herd. It was unnerving. 

A white rhino disappears in the tall grass.

Elephants form a united front after being startled by our safari truck on a park road. Elephants see poorly at night so ganging together can be an effective defense against predators like lions as long as they hold the siege line. Eventually the elephants let us pass.

A pretty civet crosses a park road. These raccoon-like animals are strictly nocturnal. I didn't see any civets on my last visit.

A civet hunts the undergrowth outside Satara.

A Wahlberg's fruit bat roosts in the thatch eaves of the reception at Lower Sabie. I love the little white eye spots on its head which might provide some protection from predators when the bat is asleep. It's always watching!

A leopard cub hurries to catch up to its mom on an evening hunt.

A shy bushbuck shows up in the lamps of our lights.

A lone Cape buffalo was a surprise find one night outside Lower Sabie.

A shy genet posed for a photo in the thick undergrowth. I saw a couple of these little catlike animals.

A female bushbuck's eyes glow in the darkness of the Lower Sabie rest camp.

A giant eagle owl is indeed a giant. These are the largest owls in Africa.

This rock python crossing the road was the only snake I saw during my last visit. I wasn't mad. I was staying in tents where a snake would have been most unwelcome.

An African wildcat haunts my campsite at Satara. This resident animal is habituated to campers, but it was still very cool to see this wild forebear of domesticated cats. I had just gotten back to camp after a game drive and grabbed some lights to go look for her when I turned around and saw she had come to say hi. She didn't stick around long. Once she realized I didn't have any steak or chicken to share, she was off to the next campsite, turning her nose up at the tuna I offered her. Some cat you are.