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Nice thread...

I love spotting things from the fence at night except when you don't concentrate and get thrown to the ground by the electric fence...quite funny in hindsight but not pleasant at the time!

Ive seen some good stuff from the camps but one animal that doesn't get reported much is the Springhare...seen him for the first time some 20 years back when I didnt know what they were...we were like what the hell its like a Kangaroo but this is South Africa ...anyway after checking the guide books we soon worked it out!

So the most interesting sighting from an adrenalin point of view (except getting shocked at the fence while looking at hyenas) was in Satara when we stayed at the Rudi Frankyl House for a special occasion...

We had the lights on at the waterhole and we were sitting with legs up against the fence when first a hyena came to bathe (it was a hot summer's night) ..then a Solifuge crawled under our legs on the ground...it was sooo big we thought it was a mouse!! Glad our legs were up against the fence though!!

So anyway 15 minutes later some buffalo males (about 10) came to drink and one of them came to scratch himself on the fence pole close to us...we were quiet and didnt want to disturb him. Obviously we were on slight edge because he was like 30cm from us....suddenly all hell broke loose as some lions (4males and 4 females) came running in and ran straight at the buffalo (and therefore us)...they chased the buffalo along the fence! It was soo crazy and I still have the image in my head although its some years later...

I always hope to see bushbabies in the torch light at night.

My most treasured torch light experience is when I was off to the ablutions early one morning (so it was still very dark) and as I opened the caravan door and shone my torch out ahead of me, I had my first sighting of a genet running off under the fence into the bushveld

In Nossob in KTP, you need to keep an eye on your meat or a jackal might nick it before you can get it on the braai.

Another perk to being a vegetarian ... no meat to be stolen, and hyenas give one a wide berth at the fence. Somehow toasted sarmies, or braai potatoes are not high up on their menu

Vervets can be pesky tho .. but at night they are high up in their beds.

o-dog seems to have had a great experience with the lions and buffalo !

Starting from north to south with a torch in hand..
Punda Buffalo,spotted hyena,thick tailed bushbaby, civet
Shingwedzi Spotted hyena,civet,genet,scrub hare,rats
Bateleur Scrub Hare,buffalo, monstrous centipedes and solifuges
Letaba Elephant,buffalo,spotted hyena,spring hare,bushbuck,bush baby,waterbuck
Shipandani hippo and too many mosquito
Shimuwini scrub hare,duiker,elephant,buffalo,hippo
Sable Hide Leopard,Elephant,impala
Satara Spotted hyena,african wildcat,civet,honey badger,buffalo,elephant
Orpen Black backed jackal,buffalo,elephant
Talamati white rhino,elephant,buffalo,black backed jackal
Maroela spotted hyena,honey badger
Tamboti Leopard trying to catch baboons,honey badger,genet,spotted hyena
Sand River bushcamp Leopards eating bushbuck, spotted hyena
Skukuza Spotted hyena,thick tailed bushbaby,
Lower Sabie spotted hyena,hippo
Croc Bridge Bushbaby,spotted hyena
Berg n Dal Genet,spotted hyena
Malalane spotted hyena , civet ,scrub hare
Pretoriuskop barn owls,scrub hares,impala,spotted hyena

Wow - after hearing about o-dog's lion and buf interaction, and seeing forrestgump's list... my sightings seem not so impressive... But the more reason to look for more!

I'll post a few sightings of our recent trip:

Genet at Satara:



Genet at Letaba:



As well as Thick-tailed Bushbaby at Letaba:



Terrible pic of Civet at Shingwedzi (from Restaurant):



Genet at Punda Maria:



Previous visits we saw Hyena at Skukuza. Elephants and Hippo at Lower Sabie. Elephants, Hyena and impala at Croc Bridge. African Wild Cat at Satara.

We really saw such a lot of lovely animals in camp at night on our last visit - decided to buy a better spotlight for next visit!

Wonderful shots Bushbuddies
Here is that Shing Civet

Ok...This WAS a favorite of mine, and after seeing a snake curled on the road (did not identify, as thankfully it was far up the road so I turned an ran!) I have since been a bit paranoid (but I am so addicted I still do it !)

Berg-en-Dal: Bushbuck at fence, Hyena, nasty snake that scared me
Skukuza: Hippo at fence, hyena, genet, impala
Lower Sabie: Ellies, Heard a hippo close by but couldn't see it, lion
Olifants: hyena
Letaba: the imfamous letaba bushbuck
Satara: Sitting at the waterhole with a torch, you can see just about everything! Giraffe, Zebra, Lion, Civet, Buffalo, Hyenas hyenas hyenas!, Impala, Elephants....Once, sitting on one of the benches, I kept telling my SO it felt like there were bugs crawling on me. He said it was my imagination, until I finally asked him to turn the torch on me and discovered I was COATED in large ants! Thankfully I had fleece on, and they were biting into it. Ran back to my camp peeling off my clothes as I did (what a sight!)

Great civet ch2111

Tamboti

Me and my Fiance was sitting at camp fire, listning to everything around us. My back was facing the pavement between the tents. The whole time we were sitting there my fiance tried to freak me out with "Look... whats that?" and there would be nothing when I look back. Then suddenly his eyes got all and just point backwards.. I wasnt falling for this one and kept looking forward... Next moment someting black and white was walking up to me. It took me 2 jumps to get myself locked up in my tent till the next morning.

I got such a fright that I was unable to identify what ever it was..Until cheetah2111 posted the picture of the civet..it all came back to me... No need to run that fast..nothing with biggg yellow teeth

We still when we think about Tamboti

Bushbuddies your genet pics are GREAT!

Cool thread!

Here is my list of the most memorable sightings with or without a torch:

Berg-en-Dal: An impala ran into the fence whilst we were camping one night. Obviously must have been chased by something. Saw a genet walk past the front entrance of our tent and I almost died!

Letaba: An elephant was right on the fence enjoying some green leaves from a tree. That experience was quite scary as you could just 'feel' the elephant's breathing. Can't explain it! Also watched a few thick tailed bushbabies jump around in the trees.

Skukuza: A little bat flew inside our chalet (the units that have the 'enclosed outside patio' section) and into an empty coolerbox that was on top of the fridge. We gently let him free on the grass outside. Shame he was so dazed but finally flew away into the night sky.

Orpen: Two honey badgers on our patio!

Satara: Two honey badgers sleeping and cuddling behind our next door neighbours' chalet.



Have also seen a few scorpions as well as the little bushbabies.

Hi
This was not at night and therefor no torch, does it count? Sorry if I am going off topic.
A number of years ago, before the dam was built at LS, it was about 9am in the morning and I was scanning the opposite river bank with my binos. Where the old road that crossed the river sloped up into the bush, there was a lady standing at the rivers edge! I couldn't believe my eyes. I watched her for a while and wondered if that area was part of the staff village, but realised it couldn't be as we had driven along that road many times. The lady seemed to have a bundle on her back which she took off and placed on the ground next to her. I called my parents who came to look with me and then my father called over one of the gardeners who was busy raking leaves. He took one look (didn't need binos) and ran off to the office. We found out later it was a woman refugee from Moz. She had walked all the way with a baby on her back! Wow. The camp staff raced off and picked her up and we were told she would be taken to Komatipoort.
Definately one of my most unique sitings from a camp.
Smitherson

Tree-Queen - What an adorable HB sighting!!

Cheetah - I hope you told that civet to come back for me!!

Smitherson - That was an amazing sighting..not something you see in Kruger everyday!

Lower Sabie - 2 Leopards in front of restaurant and ellies
Biyamiti - Rhino, Elephant, Buffs
Punda - Ciwet, Thick tailed bushbaby
Letaba - Thick tailed bushbaby, lions with buff kill at restaurant
Satara - honey badger
Tamboti - Honey badger, genet
Berg en dal - rhino , buffs, ellies