| Sighting the "Big
Five" has become something of a quest for many people when
on safari, and the greater Kruger National Park area has more than
its fair share of these, with an estimated 1,700 lion, 14,000 elephant,
3,500 buffalo, 1,400 leopards and 5,000 rhino (black and white).
It should certainly not be a pre-requisite of a safari to see these
or even a priority, as there are plenty of other fascinating animals
and birds in the African bush. This area
is one of the premier game-watching destinations in the world.
Approximately 145 mammal species occur in the park. It is possible
to see all the classical African big game, including elephant,
black and white rhino, hippopotamus, giraffe, zebra, buffalo,
warthog and many antelope species. Large carnivores include lion,
leopard, cheetah, wild dog and spotted hyena. There are also many
smaller mammals which are an equally enticing find. A checklist
of some of the most visual species follows:
Aardvark
Aardwolf
Roan Antelope
Sable Antelope
Chacma Baboon
Badger Honey
Bats
Lesser & Thick-tailed Bushbaby
Bushbuck
Bushpig
Greater Cane-rat
Caracal
African Wild Cat.
Cheetah
Civet
Rock Dassie
Wild Dog
Common & Red Duiker
Eland
Elephant
Bat-eared Fox
Large & Small-spotted Genet
Giraffe
Sharpe's Grysbok
Cape, Red, Natal & Scrub Hare
Lichtenstein's Hartebeest
Spotted Hyena
Hippopotamus
Black-backed & Side-striped Jackal
Impala
Klipspringer
Leopard
Kudu
Mongoose
Lion
Samango & Vervet Monkey
Oribi
Nyala
Pangolin
Otter
Porcupine
Striped Polecat
Mountain & Common Reedbuck
Black & White Rhinoceros
Grey Rhebok
Serval
Tree Squirrel
Springhare
Suni
Steenbok
Warthog
Tsessebe
Blue Wildebeest
Waterbuck
Burchell's Zebra |
|
