After reading Noelle’s story about the Pangolin, saying that your ranger will be very excited when they spot one, I was thinking about my first ever Pangolin sighting about 2 or 3 months ago. Being one of my big dreams to see one of these creatures, I was ecstatic when one of the rangers called in a Pangolin close to Kubu Dam. Although I was on the totally opposite side of the reserve busy tracking leopard, I forgot about everything and only had one thing on my mind – to get to Kubu Dam as soon as possible!! On our way there, we came across almost every Lion on the property. Although I love to see Lions, I was almost disappointed because they kept me from getting to the Pangolin ASAP, and I still wanted my guests to enjoy watching the young Lions playing. They were amazed to see that something can be more exciting to the rangers than a really cool Lion sighting. I eventually managed to get there just after sunset, and was overwhelmed by this weird looking mammal. Hundred times more excited than my guests, I took almost 50 pictures. I was very fortunate to see another one 2 days later, but haven’t seen more of them since then. It was awesome!! So keep your fingers crossed, and you might be one of the lucky ones to experience a sighting like this.
Story by:Maggie Oosthuizen-Kapama River Lodge Ranger