Pilanesberg Game Park (south Africa)

[Canisbellum]

These are some old photos I just found and scanned which I took at a game park I volunteer in. Taken with a Pentax SLR with a 400mm lens(possibly Sigma)

We used to arrive on a Friday evening and set up camp in our camp site in the park. This was enclosed with about 8 or 10 strands of solar powered electric fence which served to keep the nasty's out of your tent. Things like Lions,Leopards, Elephants and other furry and toothy beasties.

Saturday was work day with a couple of rifle bearing guards to keep the hungry beasts off your back while you worked, Saturday evening was time for a game drive followed by some fireside conversation and a few drinks.

BTW a Lion moaning outside the camp sounds a lot like cell phone vibrating on a table just much louder :), and listening to a bunch of Elephants feeding next to the fence tends to have a bowel loosening effect.

The camp site there is a fence there but its literally a few strands of wire so you cant see it unless you are on top of it.

The work party, we were putting in posts for a supposedly Elephant proof fence at a Hide.

Breeding herd of Elephants

This guy we stalked up on a Sunday morning walk through the park. I couldnt take a pic any closer as the sound of the shutter could have initiated a charge.

Hornbill

These were feeding along the edge of the road

I could nearly reach out the car window and poke this one.

Springbok rams sparring

Edited March 2, 2014 by Canetoad

[Canisbellum]

Part 2

We drove around the corner you can see there and this guy was coming the other way on the road about 50m in front of me. Needless to say I gave him right of way and the bugger made me reverse back about a 100m before he got of the road.

This guy was feeding near the road

This bird was on something I couldnt see in the grass untill a Crow arrived and chased it off.

If you look carefully in this you can see the Hawk is upside in this

[tdierikx]

Awesome photos! I'd love to go to Africa one day...

T.

[Canisbellum]

It's a nice place if they could sort the management out. All this only 2 hours drive from Johannesburg. 1 of the few things I miss.

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[Little Gifts]

Those pics haven't lost any of their magic! You must've had some cool experiences there!

[persephone]

They are interesting oics - and taken from so close :)

[Canisbellum]

They are interesting oics - and taken from so close :)

Thanks

Sometimes the "so close" leads to clenched butt cheeks as besides for the fact that they are used to cars these are wild animals and if you stepped out of the car you could become a take away or splatted pretty quickly.

One weekend the work party was called off in a hurry as a ranger had seen some Lions heading in our direction and not long after we left they were spotted where we had been by some tourists.