A view of beauty from the River Lodge balcony
A waterbuck standing at the edge of the Crocodile River on the Southern border of the Kruger National Park. This is the view from Jacana River Lodge balcony.

Beauty from the River

Heavy rain pounded the area. This revealed the beauty of the Crocodile River that was moving with a force. So the view from Jacana River Lodge balcony, overlooking the Kruger National Park delivers great Wildlife sightings!

Hippos wallowing in shallow water are not an uncommon sight. But a hippo swimming against a strong current is not something you see every day. With an uninterrupted view over the banks of the Crocodile River. And bordering the Kruger Park beyond. Jacana’s viewing decks are known for spectacular and unexpected wildlife sightings. Last weekend was no exception. Our greatest treat were these Hippos.

About Hippos

Like large parts of South Africa, the Kruger Park experienced heavy rain. In the aftermath, a hippo was captured on video. It was negotiating its way upstream in the swollen Crocodile River. Although semiaquatic and with webbed feet, hippos seldom occupy deep water. When they are, they ‘swim’ by making porpoise-like leaps.

Until about a hundred years ago, naturalists grouped hippo with pigs based on their molar patterns. But scientists subsequently established that whales and hippos shared a common ancestor. Evidence show that the hippopotamus’s closest living relatives are cetaceans (porpoises, whales and dolphins). As you can see from the video clip!

In a second clip, two hippos are playing in full view of Jacana River Lodge. The lush, green Kruger Park serves as a stunning backdrop. And humans aren’t the only curious onlookers!

Some Hippo Trivia….

  • Calves are born underwater at a weight 25 – 50 kgs at birth. To take their first breath, they must swim to the surface.
  • Hippos mark their territory by spinning their tails to distribute their excrement in the area.
  • Although hippos can often be seen lying together in great numbers, they are not social animals. They don’t form social bonds, except between mothers and daughters.
The first record of a hippo held captive in a zoo dates to 3 500 BC, in in Hierakonpolis, Egypt.

Other Wildlife Sightings

Waterbuck

You can just imagine the wildlife sightings of the beautiful view from Jacana River Lodge balcony. Especially with the lush greenery on the riverbanks, Most common around the rivers are waterbuck.

Waterbuck are large antelope. This male could easily weigh up to 200 kilogram. The white ring on the backside is a characteristic of the common waterbuck. You can find them mostly in Southern Africa. For example in countries such as South Africa, Angola, Botswana, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique to name a few.

We’ve seen how waterbuck would defend themselves from predators. For example, predators like lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas and African Wild Dogs (or African Painted Dogs). They defend themselves by entering dams and rivers.

They tend to keep close to water because it can not tolerate dehydration. Waterbuck are grazers, so the eat mostly grass, reeds and rushes. If food is scarce, they will forage from nearby trees in the dryer seasons of the year. But that is only in extreme circumstances.

Elephants

Also, elephants love water. They often visit the river to drink. Or to cool themselves. Especially in the summer times when temperatures can soar to 40 degrees Celsius. In this photo you can see how an elephant firstly submerge itself in the water. And secondly, quench its thirst. All these sightings just add to the beauty from the river.

For close encounters with these big giants, you can visit the Jabulani Elephant Sanctuary.

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