Catnapping carnivores
… and dozing denizens
A couple of weeks ago, we were fortunate enough to be spending some time in and around the huge Kafue National Park, in Zambia. We’d been camping at Mayukuyuku and spotted this Nile Crocodile sunning himself (or herself?) on the bank of the Kafue River, below our breakfast location. Not a particularly huge specimen, but we were nevertheless glad that it was some distance from us.
The next morning we departed from Mayukuyuku, and after stopping to check out a few other lodges just outside the National Park, we made our way back into the Park, onto the Spinal Road that leads towards the South. We had time to spare before check-in at our destination (Kasabushi) and so we decided to drive the Shishamba Loop, a detour that follows the Shishamba River, a tributary of the Kafue.
Almost halfway in, the road deteriorated and when we came upon an unmarked turn-off, we had to choose which route to take. (Google Maps doesn’t really work so well when there is no cellphone coverage.)
We took the turn-off, but then the road appeared to get even worse. So we spotted an area where we could turn, near a tree on the bank of a stream. As we approached the area, we saw the following view.
The lions were as surprised as we were and raised their massive heads to check us out. I am always amazed by the similarity between the looks on those faces and that of our own house cat.
After a while, the cats had seen enough and let their eyelids droop into a dozing (and dreaming?) position again.
That evening, and the next, we stayed at the fantastic Kasabushi site. During a late afternoon boat trip on the Kafue, we came across a massive crocodile, in a characteristic pose.
Andy, our boat driver and guide, had seen this animal many times and has named him Rocky. It’s a monster of some 3,5m long. Or more, nobody wants to approach with a measuring tape! Even just lying there, it radiates an aura of primeval power.
I will leave you with the view that greeted us humans, when we woke from our own dozing in one of the luxurious lodge tents. Who doesn’t want to wake up to views like that?
