Perhaps the surprising thing not to have seen in Kafue was zebra, and I am particularly fond of zebra. But they were here, and an especially nice sub-species with very sharp stripes. Lions appeared again, and a rather mangy male, whom we understood had fought with a younger lion and won. Having said that he didn't look too good. On the way out soon one guessed, particularly when one saw his opposition who looked a lot better. And indeed we caught up with him a day later, happily involved in mating with a lioness. Watched the whole thing. More than once. The lioness asking for it by arching her back and stretching seductively, the male languidly getting up with that "Oh do I really have to do this again" look (as indeed he had just finished his last session 10 minutes ago) then quickly mounting her and almost as quickly dismounting and plopping down exhausted, she then doing a post-coital role of pleasure (well lions don't smoke so what else?) and then they both lie down to recuperate for a few minutes before starting all over again. This led me to thinking I should set up a kitty porn web-site with a video of this. Well, every other specialist taste is catered for on the web. Perhaps it should be extended to other large mammals. As I say I have a thing for zebra. And on the antelope front I really go for the sheer elegance of the impala with their slim features and one twist horns. So much more refined than the big kudu with their double spiral horns - impressive yes but a bit brassy. And then the water-buck with their white rings on their bottoms as if to say "Here is your target big boy - enter here." Just no class, but might appeal to some.
It was my birthday here, which the ladies kindly arranged to be marked with a chocolate birthday cake at dinner, but I didn't get my birthday wish of a leopard, just the sight of a leopard kill - a dead impala hanging from a tree with a pining hyena underneath. Unfortunately for him, hyenas can't climb trees, which is why the leopard could leave his dinner unattended.
However, the next evening I got my prezzie a day late. Indeed not one but two leopards. The second was very well hidden in a tree, but then suddenly came out and passed behind our vehicle, so fast that I couldn't zoom out and refocus fast enough for a decent shot. But since I was sat at the back, basically I will never get closer to a leopard without it actually eating me. Quite a thrill really.
On our drives we looked for giraffe but found none. But then while sitting by the pool one day, they just came to us, 13 of them crossing the dried river bed to get a drink from the still flowing channel.
Some of our night drives started to turn up nocturnal creatures in the spotlights, including a wild cat, a genet and the rather rare and aggressive honey badgers (which I had never even heard of let alone expected to see). And a giant eagle owl with a dead genet in its claws - you can see the photo with stripy genet's tail under the owl's talons
And not to be outdone, some truly spectacular birds on offer, including the lilac-breasted roller and the carmine-breasted bee-eater. Just splashes of brilliant colour.
And sunsets. Did I say I wouldn't burble on about sunsets...?
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