We were still watching the herd of elephants calmly going about their business on the shores of the dam at Tlopi Tented Camp in Marakele National Park on Marilize’s birthday, when suddenly there was a tremendous uproar in the herd. Cows were trumpeting in panic and rushing to a specific spot, while one particular youngster […]
Surprise Weekend at Marakele; Baby Elephant Rescue! — de Wets Wild
Oryx dammah The 21st of May 2021 is observed as Endangered Species Day, and to mark the occasion we’re featuring a very special antelope, the Scimitar-horned Oryx, which is officially classified as extinct in the wild. Naturally the Scimitar-horned Oryx occurred in a band across the Sahel and Sahara from Senegal and Mauritania in the west […]
Scimitar-horned Oryx — de Wets Wild
Ploceus bicolor The Afrikaans name for the Dark-backed Weaver is Bosmusikant – “Bush musician” – and a most descriptive moniker that is given its melodious whistling tune, often delivered in duet. This bird has an extremely patchy distribution over the southern half of Africa. Locally they’re found in evergreen forests and dense riverine woodland along our […]
Dark-backed Weaver — de Wets Wild
Circus maurus The Black Harrier is an endangered bird of prey that is found only in South Africa, Lesotho and Namibia. The IUCN estimates that there are less than a 1000 birds left, and that their population is still declining due to loss of breeding habitat to agriculture, associated pesticides, alien plants and urban development. […]
Black Harrier — de Wets Wild
Cisticola fulvicapilla The Neddicky is a common and conspicuous member of the Cisticola-family, usually being seen singly, in pairs or small family groups (the latter at the end of the breeding season), with the male especially often singing from a prominent perch. It is a bird of moist heathland, savanna and open woodland habitats, though […]
Neddicky — de Wets Wild
Potamochoerus larvatus By far the more secretive of the two wild pigs native to South Africa, the Bushpig is a shy denizen of forests, riverine thickets, reedbeds and other similarly densely vegetated habitats, in contrast with the warthog that prefers more open environments. They’re dependent on a reliable source of water. Also in contrast with […]
Bushpig — de Wets Wild
Notopholia corusca (previously Lamprotornis corruscus) The smallest of the five “glossy” starlings occurring in South Africa, with a weight of around 50g and a length of 18cm, the Black-bellied Starling is also the most melodious of the family and capable of mimicking the calls of quite a number of other bird species. Black-bellied Starlings feed […]
Black-bellied Starling — de Wets Wild
Tauraco livingstonii Livingstone’s Turaco is a beautiful but very shy bird of evergreen forests, where it feeds on buds, fruits and flowers. It is very similar in appearance and closely related to, and was previously considered a subspecies of, the Knysna Turaco. They’re usually encountered in pairs or family groups foraging in the forest canopy. […]
Livingstone’s Turaco — de Wets Wild
Amauris ochlea The Novice is a foul-tasting butterfly that flies slowly and settles often on flowers and wilting plants. It inhabits forests and dense woodlands and the edges of these. Adults have a wingspan of 7cm and are on the wing throughout the year. In South Africa it is common along the Kwazulu-Natal coast and […]
Novice Butterfly — de Wets Wild
Merops persicus The Blue-cheeked Bee-eater visits South Africa during our summer months after migrating from their breeding grounds stretching from North Africa to central Asia, arriving from October and departing again by April, some stay as late as May. Locally, most Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters head for the north-coast of Kwazulu-Natal and locations in Gauteng, Mpumalanga and […]
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater — de Wets Wild
