The wetter summer months are not considered to be the best time for wildlife spotting in Pilanesberg, with the grass especially high and dense at this time of the year.
However, this does have its perks. Not only are their considerably less visitors to the park than in the peak winter months, but the park is beautifully green and the evening storm clouds that often roll in from across the hills make for great photographs.
And beyond this, while some of the Big 5 might be harder to spot in the tall grass, there are still great opportunities for viewing elephants and, perhaps above all, rhinos.
On a recent trip to the park, we soon lost count of the numbers of rhino we saw, both black and white. And we didn’t have to get far off the beaten track. These beautiful creatures were often found grazing peacefully within touching distance of the main tar roads, seemingly unperturbed by the infrequent traffic at this time of year. We were lucky enough to see a few young calves as well as the fully-grown adults.
Considering the horrifying statistics about the ever-growing numbers of rhino deaths from poaching in South Africa, to see so many rhino was encouraging. It was also reassuring to see the anti-poaching unit in action running spot checks on vehicles over the weekend, when more day visitors come into the park.
Due to security issues around poaching, park officials were not allowed to reveal how many rhino are currently living within Pilanesberg National Park, but it is a rare treat to spot so many in such a short space of time.
As it turned out, we were lucky enough to tick off the rest of the Big 5 during our 3 days within the park too, but it was the rhinos that really stood out for me. If we are not careful, such experiences will be an increasingly rare occurence. Let’s all hope that Pilanesberg continues to keep the poachers at bay.
