A century after the springbok vanished, lions and cheetahs now roam the Karoo’s restored wilderness once more
“The lion crossed this track shortly after dawn,” says Christiaan Swanepoel, our wildlife guide, squatting beside the deep pugmarks of what is clearly a very big male cat.
This is probably the same lion whose distant roar reverberated through the canvas walls of my safari tent early this morning. It is no surprise that the big cat would still be hunting, but I wonder how the tracker could be so exact in his estimate of the timing.
“He walked over these insect trails,” says Swanepoel, tracing a finger along some almost invisible dimples in the sand. “Grasshoppers don’t move until the sun has warmed them up.”
If a game drive is like watching a movie, then a bush-walk in the African wilderness is like reading the book – slower, deeper and full of fine details. It’s only when you’re in the company of a knowledgeable guide that you realise how much information can be gleaned from between the lines.
