Skip to content

April update: A wonderful caracal sighting

The month of April was quite busy for us as a result of Easter and holiday time. Often our lodge was fully booked. The animal observations remained at a consistently good level, which is proven by the daily statistics. We would like to specifically mention a non-everyday caracal sighting here.

P IMG 9992
Stats April
P Wild Dog 3

This little cat, which occurs pretty often in Madikwe Game Reserve, is almost never seen. With its small, supple body and the brown fur, which perfectly fits in the environment, this animal is difficult to discover. In addition, it usually hides, or runs away from an approaching vehicle before we can even see it.

Different this time, when our head ranger Sean discovered this caracal and kept his camera ready. For a few minutes we were able to observe the caracal up close. It sat perfectly relaxed on the ground and did not feel disturbed by our presence. Watch the video here.

This is just one example of how the African bush keeps coming up with a surprise, even for our experienced rangers. At the same time, we witnessed a real lion fight and another day, we followed a pack of wild dogs and watched them hunting.

Let's take a look at the success stories of discovering the famous Big 5 on a single game drive. Practically every time we saw the elephant (98%). Also very high scores achieved white rhino (64%) buffalo (62%) and lion (57%). Only the leopard hid successfully in April. He was only seen once.

Related articles

  • Life of a Ranger: Bushbuck baby
    Life of a Ranger: Bushbuck baby
    | Rhulani Safari Lodge
    Did you know that a bushbuck family has been calling Rhulani home for some time now, and they're regularly having babies, much to the delight of our guests? Rhulani's head guide, Alasdair, introduces ...
  • Rhulani Minute Safari - Steenboks in the high grass
    Rhulani Minute Safari - Steenboks in the high grass
    | Rhulani Safari Lodge
    Steenboks, one of the smallest antelope species, are rarely seen in the high grass, but we spotted them anyway. These animals, who live in monogamous pairs, are protected from predators and find food ...
  • Rhulani bush stories: The lions and the rock monitor
    Rhulani bush stories: The lions and the rock monitor
    | Rhulani Safari Lodge
    "The bush always holds new surprises," says Rhulani's head ranger Alasdair, as he was actually looking at the lions and their cubs when he heard a strange hissing. This led to a hilarious encounter be...
  • Rhulani Minute Safari - The hump of the giraffe's neck
    Rhulani Minute Safari - The hump of the giraffe's neck
    | Rhulani Safari Lodge
    The “hump” you see at the base of a giraffe’s neck is actually a distinct anatomical feature, not just a random bulge. It essentially acts like a “biological crane support.” It compensates for the eno...
  • Rhulani bush stories: A massive leopard
    Rhulani bush stories: A massive leopard
    | Rhulani Safari Lodge
    "That was a gigantic leopard, the biggest I've ever seen, almost as big as a lion," says Rhulani's field guide Willem, upon seeing this big cat high up on the rock at Ambush Alley, which later reveale...
  • Life of a Ranger: Wild dog killing machine
    Life of a Ranger: Wild dog killing machine
    | Rhulani Safari Lodge
    Did you know that wild dogs in packs are among the most successful hunters in the African wilderness, tearing their prey to pieces and devouring it whole within minutes? Rhulani's ranger, Willem, show...