Animals that die in the African wilderness are eaten up in a very short space of time, to the last remnant. This morning, like every day at sunrise, Rhulani's ranger Willem drives his guest to the nearby "Inkwe Pan", where he spots the last remains of a buffalo in the water. Hyena calls break the morning silence.

“I don’t know whether this female buffalo died because she got stuck in the mud of the pan that was half full of water, or whether she was chased into the water by predators and killed there,” says Willem.

The carcass is still lying in the water when a few hyenas are showing up in the light of the first rays of sunlight. Little by little we immerse ourselves in a unique, beautiful and bizarre scenery.

The female leader starts to groan. More spotted hyenas from the clan, including some puppies, are joining the place. 

A sighting with Spotted Hyenas isn't something you see every day, and especially not with so much interaction and a prey.

“We are just watching the action for a while,” says Willem, “and take a lot of photos, and we decide in to come back in the afternoon again to see if there is anything left of the buffalo.”

The very last remains of the carcass are now outside the water, which attracts the attention of other well-known scavengers, the vultures. Willem: “We don’t see vultures very often in Madikwe, so you wonder where they all suddenly come from.”

Another bird to expect in such a situation, the Pied Crow, is also joining in. Now all the guests are here for the banquet.

The next morning, Inkwe Pan is back to its usual idyll and beauty. Peace, a sunrise, picturesque landscape. No sign of the action the day before. Nature has renewed itself again.