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We had an experience once with a troop of baboons during which we closed our windows before approaching and came to a stop to see what they do.
We just so happened to be enjoying some coffee and biscuits at the time and one of the baboons saw us eating after which he jumped onto the bonnet of the car and had a closer look.
We sent him a message by squirting the windscreen wipers, needless to say he jumped pretty high off the car.
But if our windows were open it might have been a different situation, as the animal had the intelligence to pick up that we had food I'm very certain it would have taken a chance and snuck in the window for a quick snack.

Assessing the situation and taking precautions can prevent a bad situation from occurring. so caution should always be taken when dealing with wild animals.

Taken from an open safari vehicle ... No windows to put up!!

Then again , this guy was so close , and since I had no wide-angle lens , I had no alternative but to take two pics ( through an open window ).

Too close for comfort, but they are beautiful!

Although Im an avid reader of these forums, I don't normally post anything, but I couldn't resist telling my story about predators and open windows......

In December 2011 we camped at Pretoriuskop.
On our 3rd day there we decided to go on an all day trip to Lower Sabie and back all on the main roads, so to Skukuza and then on to Lower Sabie.
I'm going to just throw in a bit of what we saw just on that one day.
We were up early ready to leave when the gates opened, about 20kms to Skukuza we came across three Cheetahs lying on a mound, 1km further (no jokes) wild dogs quite deep in the bush and about 1.5kms further up 3 hyaenas playing in some water in a donga and about a km from the hyaenas a giant blind snake crossing the road.
We got to Skukuza for some brekkies and off we went to LS.
About 10kms we are going around a bend and a car coming in the opposite direction flashes lights at us and there coming around the corner in the road is a leopard.
Ok so this day is gong well, but we had no idea what was in store for us....... just after that about....I don't know maybe 4kms.......we see a car facing the direction of Skukuza but on the wrong side of the road, right on the edge of the road (there is a tunnel under the road),
I asked them what they were looking at and they said a leopard gone into the tunnel and they were waiting for it to come out the other side.
Right next to where the tunnel is a one of the loop roads that goes in a half circle to view the Sabie river.
I HOPE EVERYONE IS STILL WITH ME LOL.
A n y w a y !! My clever hubby decides he is going to park there on the dirt half circle loop to see the leopard come out of the tunnel....
So the engine goes off the windows are open, its my hubby in drivers seat, me (mom) in front passenger, Daughter behind Mom and Son behind Dad.....
Got the mental picture?? Good.. We are all dead quiet and STARING at the tunnel, hardly even breathing, watching, watching, watching.....
Hubby has now also parked right on the edge of the road.
Without warning, without any sounds, without the slightest movements, in the absolute stealthiest way, the Leopard jumps up the embankment about 3m high and almost lands on my lap.
We are staring at each other now having a good old face to face, window open, and about 80cm from my face. ....
He looks at me, snarls at me, stares at me some more and walks around our car and moves off.
There isn't a week that goes by that we don't talk and laugh our heads off about that, because after all the excitement I think we realised...ooooppppps, that could have ended badly.

Anyway that's my story and I've been going to the Park for about 30 years and that was just amazing.

We went on a sunset drive at Punda Maria.
On the Mahonie Loop we found a leopard just as it was getting dark.
He was very relaxed, rolling in the dust on the road and then moving about 20m off the road into some small bushes.
We pulled up next to him and switched off the engine.
The ranger was talking about this particular leopard in a quiet voice when all of a sudden he went from lounging around in the bush to crouched and focused on my 10 year old daughter.
The ranger started the engine and pulled off very quickly.
My daughter was seated on the side nearest to the leopard and she was only peeking over the top of the material partition at him, not moving or making any sound.
She got such a fright when the leopard made eye contact with her that she slid down onto the floor, almost under the seat.
can't remember the name of the ranger, she said that she had never seen anything like that happen before. Subsequent to this incident, we have been advised that its best not to let smaller children sit on the side like that.

Scary stories. I guess it all comes down to obeying two of the knp golden rules at a sighting; respect the animals - you are inside their home, and use your common sense dummy!

Common sense is less common than we think!

It is safe........

The Kruger is my kind of Church.

As soon as I drive into the park, my windows go down, my sunnies come off, the radio is turned off, the bins are placed around my neck, the Birdie book is chucked on the dash, the camera is made ready in its bag and something cool finds its way to my lips in smart order

But it never ceases to amaze me how many vehicles I see with their windows firmly and resolutely closed .

I used to regularly go to the Kruger with a mate of mine and his family, and while we were letting it all hang out (not literally of course....we abide by the rules!), his Kombi's windows were closed. He loved the bush, his SO and sprogs loved the bush...but this was their way of enjoying it

Am I missing something here

Always down!

But there is/was a whole topic about this somewhere...

Here

Windows always down - except near baboons (have heard some very scary stories about baboons!). You have to be able to hear and smell what is going on around you. People with their windows closed must miss so much of the magic. By the way, in very hot weather we do have the aircon on - sounds crazy, but it does still work with the windows open.