Setting up a camera trap is always exciting because we dream of all the wild things that are happening in the bush when we are not looking, and this is one way to capture that activity. To be a fly on the wall at a waterhole or a kill site has the potential to get interesting, but sometimes we end up underwhelmed when the results exclude large-toothed predators, spotted cats of the night, and those elusive ant-eating critters we never see. This is when we know we are truly spoilt, because being surrounded by such a varied population of ‘general game’ is something to cherish in itself.
We set up a camera trap recently at a small pan we call Sneaky Pan, and with the limited amount of water in the immediate area, Sneaky Pan sure is a hotspot for thirsty animals. A handful of species were photographed at the pan (some of them human), while another significant recording was the rapid rate at which the water disappeared. Take a look at the sequence of photos showing giraffe, kudu, impala, elephant, and warthog enjoying the pan of water, which rapidly turns into a wet patch of ground. This is the reality of a drought during what is meant to be a wet summer season.
Other characters snapped on camera trap include a group of Africa on Foot guests on a walking safari, nThambo guests on a game drive, photographer Kevin and his big, yellow camera case, and finally, nThambo ranger Luan Oosthuizen posing for the camera.
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