Our Visit to Kragga Kamma

Here is the simple entrance to a very awesome experience.  We had driven to Port Elizabeth and stayed with our friends, Elder and Sister LaPray.  They are the ones who organized the trip to Addo Elephant Park with several other couples.  Sister LaPray is a real animal lover ---very much like I am and she has adopted this little park as her very own.  They are from Texas and with her enjoyable accent, she insisted that we go to "Mah little animal park."  Believe me we were both so anxious that we didn't need much urging.  The other couples opted not to come another day.  We had to leave that day to go back to the Western Cape and we got up early and were at this entrance by 8:00 am.  This turned out to be a great time to go because the animals were up and out eating and there were very few other people there.  It cost us 50 rand each to visit this park, which is about $7 in American money.

One of the first things we saw was this large herd of wildebeest.  If you look closely, you will even see young ones here.  They are so strange looking, they are beautiful.

We had already seen rhino, but we saw several here.  This is the best picture we had.  The thing we liked about this is the background and the area was green and fairly lush.  The animals seemed happy and healthy.

This is a herd of impala that seemed perfectly happy to wander along and actually lie down in the road.  Must not be a lot of traffic usually at this time of day.  Elder LaPray taught us one way to recognize impala is the little M on their bottoms formed by two little black lines and their tail. 

 I think it is a good sign that animals are having babies and they are happy.  Look at this little beauty!  and there wasn't just one!

They ran and played and were so entertaining.

We saw this beautiful nyala too.  He seemed especially serious so early in the morning. 

Next we drove to the cheetah area---this was the first time we had hope of seeing cheetahs. The LaPrays said they had seen a few of them a few times.  They really tried not to get our hopes up.  When we saw the one in the first picture, they told us that might be the best we would get to see.  Here it is . . . can you see him?

 Honestly, I did not see him---I was aiming my camera for the little hole in the trees over there.  He was right at my window--almost too close to see.  He could have jumped on me and I would never have known what hit me!
                             
I was snapping as quickly as I could and the camera would not cooperate.  I probably had it on the wrong settings!  It was focusing on the plants in front, but you can see him still watching us as we drove past.

We thought we were out of luck as we drove away from that, and then we looked ahead and saw these two beauties resting in the road.  We sat there for five or ten minutes and just watched them doing nothing.  Then the time constraints started to make us nervous, so we edged foward in the car to see what they would do. 

They did get up and move, though they didn't seem too happy about it.

One of them lost interest and wandered away.  At this point we drove on convinced that we had seen all there was to see that day and what a fortunate sight we had seen.

As we came past some bushes into a clearing here was one more unbelievable cheetah lying in the grass.  We couldn't believe it and he acted like he couldn't believe we would interrupt his morning nap.  We had to drive on and leave them behind in their little enclosure.  They live in a "gated community" so they won't be bothered by the neighbors. (I know, I know, it is more like they won't bother the neighbors.)   It is like the entrance to the banks down here.  You go through one door into a little enclosure with another locked door ahead of you.  Once the door behind you closes and locks, then the door in front will open.  Same idea with the gates to the cheetah enclosure---you drive in and then the gate locks behind you.  Then the gate in front open and lets you in.  Same for leaving.  They were the only animals not free to roam the entire 4500 acres.

As we left the cheetah area, we were amazed to see this fantastic tree.  We didn't know what kind of tree it is, but I will work to find out and add it later. I can't believe I cut the ends of the branches off in the picture. 

I was trying to focus on the trunk - so interesting.

Here's a beautiful shot of a red hartebeest---we saw a few of these at Addo---what beautiful

animals.  I just love the shape of the horns. 

There was a large herd of ostrich at this park and they had no time to look up from their eating to notice us.  We did not get close to any of them, so this is all I can tell you.  They are pretty animals, although they look like they would be clumsy.  We saw herds of them on farms all across eastern South Africa.  At one time their feathers weere in high demand and a few lucky South Africans became rich selling ostrich feathers.

This park also has zebra---my favorite I think of the African animals.  He seemed to be posing for me.

This is probably the youngest one we saw.  The variations in the stripes are so fascinating.

The giraffes were equally fascinating---such graceful movements for such a large animal.  It was very exciting to see so many and so close.

Before we talk more about the giraffe however, we have to talk about these water buffalo that we saw next.  When we drove up to where they were, they were all laying down in this grass.  We couldn't really see them very well because they were on a hill a little above us.  So Vic said, I think I'll just open my door and stand up so I can see them a little better.  We all thought that would be okay because everything seemed so calm.  But, WOW!  When he got out of the car, most of them actually jumped to their feet.  It was really surprising and he jumped back in the car.  We could see them better now anyway!  But they were mad, so the males kept bellowing until everyone got up and moved away.  We felt bad to have disturbed them, but we really didn't think it would bother them that much.  They are considered one of the most dangerous of the animals in South Africa.  They are like bulls at home - unpredictable and grouchy.  They will charge you for no reason.

I suppose you noticed the houses in the background.  This picture was one of the first times I really realized how close we were to people or civilization.  You expect something like this to be way out in the country, which this really is.  It's just that people live way out in the country around it.  I don't know which came first, the chicken or the egg, but they seem to co-exist peacefully.   I expect that is partly why the cheetahs are in a locked enclosure.  It sort of ruined the whole jungle atmosphere, but you just have to accept it. 

 Here the males are urging the others to get up and get going. 

 When we saw them later on down the road, the baby was actually where we could see him better and we realized why they had been so protective.  This bad boy looks like he is ready to take one side out of our car if we don't straighten up!

It was neat to see their protective attitude and realize how much they value their young.  I love how healthy and shiny they look.

Yes, you would think Vic had learned his lesson about getting out of the car, but no!  Now we had a real problem.  We are all out of the car---thank goodness there were no animals around.  We got our car stuck in the sand in the road.  It must have been about a foot deep and somehow we got to a point where we couldn't move.  Actually we were kinda high-centered on it.  We sat there for a while and then decided that we should get out and someone would come. 

Sure enough, within minutes someone was there bawling us out about getting out.  Elder LaPray looks pretty animated as he is telling him why we are going down this road---it seems we had taken a wrong turn somewhere.  But we had really just followed the arrows on the signs.  At least we thought we had.  Actually the road was okay, but we were traveling the wrong direction which they thought made a difference in whether we would get stuck or not.  This man had a tow rope and pulled us out and got us on our way.

One fun thing we saw because we were out of the car was this gigantic, bright green grasshopper!  I have tried to zoom this picture better, but it seems like my program just can't do it justice.  He was amazing and just stayed around with us.  He even hopped on the car window as we were driving away as if to say, Please! take me with you!

Okay, I did it!  Here's a better shot of the little monster!  What great coloring huh!  I have to admit that I have been a little disappointed at the insects down here.  I have hardly seen any---let alone any interesting ones.  Well, I've seen a few cockroaches in the Elder's flats --but not very big ones--and we have had a few June bugs fly into our flat in the evening, but that is about it!  I did had a little tiny gecko by my front door one day, but he was so tiny he ran under my rug inside my door and I was afraid I would kill him if I lifted it up.  This kind of restored my faith in South African insects, and I would never have seen him if we hadn't gotten stuck in the sand.

 I promised some giraffe pictures and we really got them.  It was so exciting to drive up and see them standing right beside the road.  Again, we were within a few feet of them.  They look like they are being so patient with us don't they? 

This picture may not look any closer than the last, but we are right beside them now and that one is looking right down into the car.  He doesn't look too impressed, does he?  Their coats are really beautiful and they kind of glisten in the sun.

 As we were driving away from the giraffes, Sister LaPray suddenly said "hold up!" for her husband to stop---she saw a picture she wanted to get.  This was a great photo opportunity---in fact the best I think I have had in all of my wandering through South Africa.  Two giraffes were perfectly lined up so that you could see one under the other's legs.  Does that make sense?  Well, take a look!

This is the picture I got with my little cheapie camera---what a great shot!  It shows how far away the other one is---although I'm sure he is much smaller than the close one.  He did not look like a baby, though.  Sister LaPray is a great photographer for recognizing the great shot!

Animals are always so awe inspiring--whether they are tame or wild.  It makes you wonder what their role is in the whole scheme of things when you look into their eyes and they seem to know more than you do about the universe!  How sad it is that we can't let these animals roam free in South Africa, but we can't.  It is the same at home with most of the wild animals.  They have no place left except parks like this to survive. This was a very small little park, but it was so enjoyable to feel so close to nature and realize what great blessings we have from God.  The beauties and bounties of this earth are endless indeed.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures.  These are the last of the animal parks!