Eve has an Aardvark sighting...and we had an interesting Guest!

Eve has left River Bend to broaden her Guiding horizons to include Walking Safaris.....but not before she had this wonderful sighting. Fortunately Eve 'bagged some shots', so we asked her to do a Farewell Blog!

Thanks Eve...and all the very best to you for the future. Thank you for the knowledge you passed on to everyone who crossed your path at River bend Lodge.

"There are a few animals that are so rarely seen in the African bush that when you get lucky enough to see one its like hitting the jackpot! 

I was driving out across the River Bend reserve looking for our elephants in the heat of the day when something caught my eye. It was not the usual zebra or kudu which we are lucky enough to see so regularly here at River Bend, but something altogether different. I stopped to take a closer look and on realising what I was looking at I screamed silently inside (so as not to scare the creature away). 

It was an Aardvark!! This was one animal that I have dreamed of seeing since I was tiny, they are so elusive and almost only seen at night time in the dark due to their nocturnal nature. It is incredibly rare to see an Aardvark at night so to see one during the day was a complete surprise!

I spent over an hour with this special creature of the bush, as he lay out in the sunshine snoozing on top of his burrow. It was such a special sighting and something I will never forget."

The Aardvark (Orycteropodidae Afer)

Aardvarks are also know as the African Antbear with its closest relative being the elephant shrew. The Aardvark occurs in Sub-Saharan Africa across savannah, grassland, bushland and woodland habitats. Their diet consists almost exclusively of ants and termites, which they obtain through digging with their long claws and reaching with their snake like tongue.

Eve Wood-Hill

River Bend Lodge Guide

We hosted an especially interesting person two week ends ago. Scott Ramsay tours Southern Africa every year visiting every SAN Park and tries to visit most Protected areas. Listening to Scott over dinner was fascinating it it is so comforting to hear some 'good news' stories. Scott is truly passionate about the Conservation of Southern (and indeed all of) Africa's very threatened Wildlife. You can follow Scott on his 'Year in the Wild' journey on the following Link:
Year in the Wild

Scott Ramsay (right) and Eve Wood-Hill