One of the most amazing advantages to living in Hoedspruit; which is a small town in the Limpopo province close to the Kruger national park; is that you get to experience pure African nature at its finest. Day or night wildlife is your constant companion, and the thrill of living in the bush never wanes.
Take this morning for example; driving through the beautiful Raptors view wildlife estate; which is just on the outskirts of Hoedspruit and the place which I’m lucky enough to call home; I’m taking my boys to school, when suddenly we are alerted to 5 wild dogs chasing a young kudu female into one of the dams on the estate. Filled with excitement, my boys and I go chasing after the hunt, and in total awe we watch as the kudu swims to the safety of the dam island. She then flees to the western side to escape, but unfortunately she lets out a scream as she is caught by the wild dogs. At the same time all of this is happening we watch in total amazement as a waterbuck; which had been watching the commotion from the island; tries to help the kudu by diving towards the wild dogs, aiming his horns for battle, but sadly hits and wounds the kudu with a fatal blow instead. The wild dogs, now confused at the disappearance of the kudu, and too hesitant to go into the water, hang around for a while before deciding to try their luck out on some other prey.
This was such an awesome
start to the day, and considering that Wild dogs are the rarest carnivore in
South Africa with an estimated population of less than 450, we were so lucky to
get a sighting as special and as unexpected as this. Although the entire Blue
Canyon Game conservancy is home to the Wild dogs, they frequent other areas of
the conservancy more often than they do Raptors view wild life estate, so to
witness a wild dog hunt right before your very eyes is something only very few
people get to experience, and I feel privileged to be one of them. This is what I love about living on Raptors wildlife
estate; it offers me and my family exceptional wildlife experiences such as
this, as well as secure bush living at its best. The 1000 hectare bush estate is stocked with
a wide variety of plains game, which allows us to take walks, jog, and cycle among
the animals as well as safely explore the estate, the dams and all of the natural
surroundings.
It is situated close to the
town of Hoedspruit, and is only 45 minutes drive to Orpen gate, making it convenient
for easy living and great for day trips to Kruger Park.
Simon Espley of Africa Geographic shares some
interesting information about the movements of the wild dog pack, and below is
a rough representation of their preferred habits from 20 July 2014 to past
Sunday 3 May 2015.
The map below
illustrates that the wild dogs spend most of their time between Zandspruit,
Welverdiend and Leadwood, and it seems that the fences have some influence over
their movements, although not too much.
Fortunately it appears that they respect the R40 fence – as there was an unfortunate accident a few years back , where up to 7 dogs we killed by a truck on the R40
road.
What’s also interesting to note is that the wild dogs
tend to avoid the area favoured by the lions, despite what some Kwa-Zulu Natal
research has indicated.
So
many people dream of owning their own paradise in the bush as a weekend
‘getaway’ or as their permanent home, but up to now only a small minority has
been able to afford this. Raptor’s View Wildlife Estate now makes it possible
to own your own piece of African bush in the Blue Canyon Game conservancy by
offering affordable one-hectare stands in a pristine and secure wildlife
environment. One of the highlights of
this estate is that it is a
low density bush property development, consisting of spaciously sized 1 hectare
plots in the, all separated by game
tracks and natural woodland, making these bush properties both private and
tranquil for residents and visitors alike.
Purchasing in the Estate is ideal for young couples, families,
retired folk and those looking for a vacation getaway, and the unique home
designs can be adapted to suit your exact needs. Whether it is a rustic holiday house or a
family home that you require, the choice is yours and available to you at
Raptors wildlife estate. Own the
lifestyle and make your dream real. You
and your loved ones can have an unparalleled experience of African bush living in
the Blue Canyon Game conservancy today!
No comments:
Post a Comment