BAOBAB RIDGE PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONFERENCE (MORE)

Kudu cows.

If you don't recognize these.......

Something hiding in the bush.

Wart hogs and piglets.

Grounds with pond at Elandela private game reserve.

Elandela.

Elandela and our group.

Purple wasp common in the area.

Flowering tree, Elandela.

Dragonfly.

Seated on carved wood chairs, Elandela lodge.

Elandela lodge.

Elandela lodge.

More Elandela lodge.

Dining area, Elandela Lodge.

Grounds, Elandela Lodge.

We liked the covered truck.

Flowers on the flowering tree.

Grounds, Elandela.

Two orphaned rhinos raised from babies. One had cataracts which were corrected by an operation. They are male and female and will be released when mature.

These are white, or broad lipped rhinos. They are docile and are grazers, as opposed to the black, or pointed lipped rhinos which are more aggressive and are browsers, with a semi prehensile upper lip for grasping leaves and branches. The white rhinos are abundant, while the black rhinos are endangered. Both are poached for their horn which sells for more than gold per ounce because of Asian demand as an aphrodisiac. The names have nothing to do with their color.

The name "white" came from German "weit" meaning wide, broad, referring to the mouth.

Here's lookin at you.

Apparently dung beetles prefer rhino dung because they make huge dung balls with it, while the ones we saw made from elephant dung were much smaller.

Carina was our tracker/driver at Elandela, who had raised the two rhinos feeding  them every two hours gallons of milk donated by Clover dairy hence one was named Clover, but I can't remember the name of the other.

One of the guides at Elandela explaining about the Rhinos.

Tough hide.

Never approach a Warthog den from the front of the entrance. They back in and exit precipitously when threatened with enough force to break your leg.

Termite mounds are raided by Aardvarks and later exploited by many animals for dens. The outside is like concrete.

Plaited lizard about 18 inches long.

Entering the white lion breeding area of about a thousand hectares.

White lioness. These occur only in this area of South Africa due to a recessive gene. It is not albinism, but simply a lack of the tawny pigment in the fur and the occurrence of blue eyes.

Male white lion. They had just eaten a wildebeest and were panting hard in order to help digest the 20 to 30 kilos of raw meat.

Blue eyes, and what sharp teeth you have!

Lolling around digesting.

Wildebeest carcass remains.

Jackal scouting out the possibilities for later when the lions are asleep.

Vultures patiently awaiting the scraps.

Large Impala buck.

Giraffe. Females have hair tufts on top of their horns, males do not.

Male or female?

Look at that pattern.

Thousand year old Baobab which are not trees in the traditional sense, but are succulents. They become hollow when they get really old. There is a bar housed inside of one in another area of South Africa. They are used for temporary shelter by traditional Africans when they hunt far from home.

They bear large flowers which produce a fruit that is dried and made into tartar sauce.

Water buck at night. They have a white circle around their rears. That one must have some environmental explanation. 

The round "target" illuminated with a flood light.

Swarming termites attracted to the lamps at the entrance gate.

Mantis on bricks.