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Hey everyone!

Not sure if there is a thread on this yet but just thought it would be interesting to find out what people have seen at the parks' gateways to heaven !

I'll start:

Paul Kruger: Hippo, Elephant and perhaps most unusual... 5 Sable about ten years back, about 50 metres away from area under thatch! Also warthog around toilets and baboons on several occassions!

Crocodile Bridge: Buffalo (+- 100 animals in july 2007), Hippo, wildebeest etc.

Malelane: Buffalo, Waterbuck and a Leopard marking his territory right in front of Malelane wooden sign near reception area... it was quite funny really as no one was stepping out of there cars to go in to reception!

Palaborwa: Squirrels

Just to name a few of the sightings.

In Feb this year an elephant crossed the road in front of us rightat the Crocodile Bridge gate on its way down to the river. It was no more than 50m from the toilets at the gate!

I came out of CB late one afternoon with the river over the bridge - they only let me through because I had a 4x4. There was an elephant on the bank on the far side of the river. I glanced in the rear view mirror as I started up the hill away from the bridge - and saw the elephant in the middle of the bridge!!!! He barely waited for me to get out of the way....

Frequently seen buffalo, warthogs and impala around the area too. - and of course, water birds in abundance.

A few years back, after entering the phalaborwa gate as it opened there was a pride of about 6 lion barely 100m from the gate ! definately one of my most memorable sightings on entering! . and then a few km down the road we witnessed a leopard kill an impala and drag it across the road, and in a matter of seconds it had disappeared!, still one of those special sightings that i will never forget. (sorry i know its not at the entrance gate, couldnt help myself )

We always either enter from Croc Bridge and Kruger Gates and have over the years seen.

Croc Bridge.
Buffalo, Hippo, Impala, Water Buck, Warthogs, Crocs, Elephant, including one that was standing on the road between the bridge and the outside gates which we had to wait for and then when he had moved up onto the bank and we thought it safe to pass he suddenly turned around and trumpeted at us, nearly giving us a heart attack.
Clearly didn't want us to leave.

Kruger Gate.
Usually always see Buffalo in the reeds next to the bridge, had a morning where they closed the outside gates and when we asked the reason were told it was because Lions had come up onto the bridge and were wanting to make a break for it out the park.
They were chased back and were lying up in the reeds just below the far side of the bridge.
I believe they had to call the rangers in later that morning to chase them with rubber bullets as they had tried to escape again.
When we got back just before closing time the gates were still firmly closed as they were not too sure where they were.
No one was allowed to get out on the bridge either as a precaution.

Another evening we got back to the gate with minutes to spare and a huge ellie was standing in the road next to the island feasting on the Marula tree.
The gate guard indicated for us to wait, so we sat watching him for quite a time, and only eventually when he moved off could we exit, at least 15 minutes late, but only with a wave and a big smile from the guards.

This from down in the "quizzes" thread, about a month ago:



Mommy was just behind the curio lapa!

We saw a pride of lions feasting on a buff about 50 metres from the old Orpen gate (before you reached the camp) the day before Christmas in 2002.

Later the day they walked out the gate and had to be herded back!

Hyena on bridge and ellies in riverbed before entering Numbi Gate. This was about 30 minutes before closing time in November.

Numbi - waterbuck, kudu. Malelane - elephant. Orpen - Impala

Nice sightings!!

Elsa, those lions at Paul Kruger, very interesting I must say !

Know a pride of seven escaped through the fence near Paul Kruger about a year and a half back (2006)... I think? Maybe same lions?

Back to thread... Remember walking over to the Paul Kruger statue a couple of years back and seeing fresh lion spoor all round the base of the statue, along with a dollop of the lions last digested meal !... felt great actually standing in area where these beautiful creatures had been only hours earlier!... from what Elsa has mentioned might be a little more careful next time... hehe!

Hi Bush Andy,

With regards the Lions on the Kruger Gate bridge, it was definitely mid to late Feb, and the year must been either 2005 or 6.

We often see people milling around at the statue and on the bridge, having pics taken and must admit I do wonder about the safety aspect, especially after the Lion incident, plus we have seen an ellie there as well.

We have filmed a kill on the low level causeway that crosses the Crocodile river before camp from start to finish of wild dogs bringing down a very large impala ram.
That footage made it onto 50/50 but sadly did not win anything!
There is however a funny twist to the story as friends of ours wished to be at the gates when they opened so went into the Park at 5.30 a.m. and they had driven around for an hour and seen nothing and were parked in the car park at Croc Bridge.
We came in an hour later and saw the whole kill and when we phoned them on their cell phone (which was switched off) to tell them to come down we had to just leave a message to say we were watching a kill.
On arrival at CB they thought that we were kidding them and playing them old footage of another kill and were totally taken aback to see the actual date etc appear on our footage.
Just goes to show that it is not always the first into the Park that get the best sightings!

In the gloom one August morning, I almost drove into a buff between the Croc Bridge gate and the actual bridge

Hi All,
Not my sighting, but family of mine saw LIT with impala kill at the Malelane Gate +- 2 years back. As you approach the gate to exit, there is a tree around which the road splits approx 60m from the gate
LM

Amazing sightings all round! ...especially wild dog's at CB Penny!
Just as you enter hey...good start to a trip to say the least... !

I know exactly which tree you're talking about Liesel... seen an ellie there before !

In speaking to Soloman (Historian/ maintenance guy) at the Albaseni ruins near Phabeni he said that they were having trouble with the hyena's biting into the chairs outside the reception at the gate in the early morning... if you look you can actually see the bite marks in the plastic !
He also said that the resident male leopard often sits on the mound of soil encircling the car park area at the gate... to get a better view of the plains on the other side of this mound!

Soloman also mentioned that during his 10 year period of "guarding" the ruins he has seen all the big five, many times over, while just sitting on his chair and recalled one day when he drifted off to sleep only to wake up with a lioness walking about 5 metres from him!

What a life !