29 December 2020
The first leg of our route through the Addo Elephant Park this morning, again managing to leave camp as the gates opened, went past Gwarrie Pan and Rooidam towards Hapoor Dam. Still being early in the morning there was little animal activity around the watering holes but lots to see along the way nevertheless, both big and small.
It was on arrival at Hapoor Dam that the morning turned really exciting as we came across spotted hyenas feeding on the carcass of a buffalo calf, soon to have their feast interrupted by a very annoyed elephant bull. More on that tomorrow!
Annoyed elephant spoiling the hyena feast
I think by now the birds inhabiting Jack’s Picnic Spot started to recognise us as friends, for they were very eager to join us at our breakfast table and didn’t let any rusk crumbs that dared drop to the ground go unpunished!
From “Jack’s” we headed south-east as far as Arizona Dam before turning back to camp along the same way we came, just in case there was still some drama at Hapoor (which there was, but this time it involved elephants waiting for a work crew to fix an errant water pump so they could get their morning drink).
From the moment we left camp for our afternoon drive it was noticeable that there was a sudden explosion in the Park’s Warthog population, as seemingly every sow we saw was accompanied by little bundles of joy – not something we noticed on any of our previous drives.
Another notable encounter in the afternoon, which by then turned exceedingly windy, was with a family of foraging Meerkats, a perennial favourite with visitors to our parks.
But warthogs and meerkats weren’t all that we crossed our path that afternoon and we returned to camp very pleased with our day – again!
If you’d like to learn more about the Addo Elephant National Park’s history and all it has to offer visitors, why not have a read through this post we compiled after our previous visit? And to follow along on our travels through Addo, you might find this map (from the SANParks website) most handy.
Addo map from https://www.sanparks.org/parks/addo/tourism/map.php
DeWetsWild 
Another lovely collection – the warthog piglet almost steals the show!
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If ever there was an animal that’s so ugly it’s cute then it has to be a warthog piglet!
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Pragtige foto’s Dries! Die vlakvarke het my laat dink aan ‘n toer wat ons met ons graad 3 klasse na die Umfolozi wildtuin geneem het. Die vlakvark wat daar tussen die hutte rondgeloop het, het elke keer as hy my sien, op my afgestorm! Die kinders het dit terdee geniet! 🤦♀️😁
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Jy sal bly wees om te weet die vlakvarje loop vandag nog so lekker rond daar in Mpila-kamp dat jy sal dink die plek behoort aan hulle. Ons is baie lief vir Mpila, maar is gelukkig nog nooit deur n vlakvark gestorm nie. Hulle sal lelike skade aanrig met daai vlymskerp tande en ek hoop jy kon darem altyd uit die pad uit kom, Aletta?
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Gelukkig was ek darem nog jonger as nou en moet maar hardloop om uit sy pad te kom! Dit het natuurlik elke keer gebeur as daar kinders naby was om dit te aanskou! 😂😂
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Baie interessant dat hy so vir jou uitgesonder het terwyl daar soveel ander “prooi” in die vorm van die kindertjies saam met jou was!
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Seker maar omdat hulle so lawaai gemaak het!
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I very seldom travel out as far as Arizona Dam as we mostly go to Addo on day visits. The hyenas continue to be active around Hapoor. Lovely to see the birds at Jack’s – they have become so very comfortable with human company there.
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It was the first time we went to Arizona Dam – until recently I didn’t even know that visitors were allowed on the “Heights Road”.
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I think Addo Elephant National Park is a great park for entertaining and enjoying the resident animals. U het goed gedoen om te illustreer dat dit lekker kan wees om die diere te sien, dankie D.
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Baie dankie, H.J, ek waardeer dit. En jou Afrikaans is werklik baie goed!
Addo really is a treasure and wonderful proof how nature will thrive and quickly bounce back when humans take their foot of her throat.
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As usual, I enjoyed the whole post, but I’ve developed a love for the Kudu. They’re so elegant. Warthogs are so not pretty, poor things, and elephants are always cute, unless you’re a warthog with an angry one coming for you. 🙂 I wish I’d known you were in Arizona so we could have meet. Ha!
janet
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So glad you saw the reference to Arizona Dam, Janet, as I actually thought about you when we arrived there and wondered why they’d named such a lush green area after your dry State.
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Ag die vlakvarkie is mooi van lelikheid. Ek hou van jou manier van bondels fotos bymekaar sit. Dit maak dit maklik om gou na almal op hul eie te kyk.
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Baie dankie vir die gawe woorde, Ineke. Ek hou van my goed “ge-orden”… 😀
En ek stem saam, al gaan hulle nie n babafoto-kompetisie wen nie is daar min dinge so oulik soos n baba vlakvarkie.
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Maar dis ook waar dat klein diertjies(babas) uiters oulik en vol waagmoed is in hul bewegings as hul so hul ledemate ontdek. Varkies kan dalk onder mekaar kompeteer maar in ‘n ander katagorie as “mooi”.
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