You are supposed to be humming this to the tune from 'The Sound of Music'....no seriously, I'd be worried if you were! After what seems like 5 minutes asleep, there is a knock at the door & a cheery greeting...how does he manage to sound so awake???
We're off to see the meerkats this morning.....along with elephant family groups, they are one of my favorite animals to watch....and you'd better take a large memory card as these little creatures are very photogenic...they're not particularly partial to early mornings either especially when it's as cold as it was that morning....after a 20 minute drive in an open vehicle we are trying to massage the circulation back into our faces. The vehicle is kitted out with blankets & hot water bottles on chilly mornings but this doesn't help your exposed bits....and we wondered why Marco was bundled up like a Michelin man....clearly done this before...
On arrival at the site we quietly climb off the vehicle & position ourselves close to the burrow....one by one, they slowly emerge into the early morning sunlight...
They're a bit like their human counterparts - some are morning meerkats & are bright eyed & bushy tailed while others have clearly been burning the midnight oil & just can't wake up...
Fortunately this survival thing is a team effort at Meerkat Manor...attention...all eyes left - warning call....
There is a lot of housekeeping to be done before the group sets off for the day - looks like full scale renovations are in order today.....either that or they are planning to emigrate to Australia via the back door...
And then there's always the little one who is braver than the rest...
I nearly forgot Gary & Barry.....they watch each others backs...
Reluctantly we drag ourselves away from these endearing little creatures & set off on the prowl for the famous black maned Kalahari lion......they're making it easy for the tracker today....pug marks right in the middle of the road....even a novice like me could spot it...
We follow the road for a short while, turn a corner & there right in front of us lies the whole family......
Relaxing after last nights meal of gemsbok, the remains of which is still lying near the road in case one of them feels like a snack later....just look how full their little bellies are....just about dragging on the ground..
The male was pretty impressive....all the more so when he is jogging along the road towards you!! The lions here are all much larger than anything I have seen in other areas....& I've seen quite a few lions in my time.....
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