Wild dogs, Elephants and Cheetah
22nd October 2025
Some of the photos in this blog are a good indication of the typical view from the vehicle on a safari. In Kafue sightings are often distant – like the three male cheetahs in the picture above. Or this solo bull elephant making its way across the tree line:
It was still early on the drive so there was a little mist in the background. But he was rather nicely frames by the trees and the far horizon. And not all sightings offer ideal ‘shots’ because there are limits to the angles you can get given the terrain and the manoeuvrability of a vehicle.
So although we were really lucky and saw the wild dog pack again – the pictures are limited!!
You can see how quickly the water level has dropped from the wet soil on the opposite bank. The broken up dried soil is pretty tough to ride over too. But it is such a privilege to see thees animals close up… their large ears and the unique colouration on each dog. They were not there for long but it was a great start to the drive.
Mercifully I have a zoom lens so this is a close up of these three brothers. It required some patience but they did move around a little bit. They look sound asleep but their ears move all the time and they often are positioned so that they face in different directions.
The zoom was also useful with the elephant already mentioned. Sitting and waiting quietly he did eventually come a little closer.
I was struck by how long his tail was and how white his tusks. Elephants can have a purposeful rhythm when they are moving across open savannah.
Then suddenly he became aware of us and turned and faced us. There was a few moments when he held his ears out wide to intimidate us… but then he went on his way.
This morning also offered me a sight of a hamerkop nest. These are huge and I think built over a number of years. From a distance it is well camouflaged in the tree and looks kind of haphazard.
It is the domed object in the fork of the tree. It is visible but looks like a part of the tree.
I always hope we will spend time with the antelope we come across. They are more interesting than people think. And harder to identify too!! I do alright if different breeds are next to each other but really have to stop and think when they are all of one group. The Puku are numerous in Kafue. Their coats are surprisingly shaggy unlike impala. Their horns are beautiful. We saw this group on our way back to camp.
