Finding the Big Five on safari with some unusual camera gear

The first article “Up close and personal” described our arrival at the Welgevonden Game Reserve in South Africa our first evening game drive and the morning game drive of the second day. We had seen two of The Big Five, namely a leopard and rhino, and the search for the rest of The Big Five continued on the afternoon of our second day in the reserve.

At 16.00 we gathered again in the lodge to set off at 16.30, and to our surprise within twenty minutes we had our first lion sighting. A large male was walking away from us through the bush, but then a female appeared from behind a tree. I was very impressed by her large size and look of concentration.

As she was at a distance, I used the FZ200 at its maximum 600mm equivalent to photograph her. This was a highlight of the whole trip for all of us. Suddenly, she sat down and relaxed. I found her awesome in the true meaning of the word.

Coordinating the search for The Big Five

Other Land Cruisers arrived as we watched. All the game drivers have radios and tell each other when and where animals of interest, such as lions, leopards, cheetahs, or elephants, have been spotted.

They obviously want to please their lodge’s clients, but the reserve has a policy of limiting the number of vehicles at a sighting to four at a time. This gives everyone a fair chance of a good viewing without disturbing the animals unnecessarily.

So, after a reasonable time we left, the other drivers thanking Ellard for the good ‘tip-off’. We headed off to a place where Ellard knew buffalo gathered, finding a small herd resting in a field. Now I had seen four in the search for The Big Five. As the sun started to set, we stopped for a refreshment break and then returned to the lodge for dinner and an early night.

The second full day searching for The Big Five

The next day, our second full day in the reserve, we repeated our routine and left the lodge at about 05.30. Within half an hour we saw a male lion sitting back in the bush. A good sighting, particularly as he started roaring, but I couldn’t tell if he was the same lion we saw yesterday with the lioness.

Again I needed the FZ200 at 600mm equivalent. However on this occasion I had stretched the old Lumix FZ200, and my handling of it, beyond my ability to create high quality images. The small 1/2.3″ sensor, and file size produced, gave me little latitude for improving the sharpness and contrast of the image. Also I found the camera difficult to hold rock steady when fully extended in a fast moving environment.

The result is slightly out of focus images which need sharpening and added contrast but I had no choice as the camera was the best I had. I asked Ellard if there were many lions in the reserve and he said there are two prides, one in the north and one in the south.

Apparently, the reserve manages their numbers, I presume either by sterilisation or culling, as otherwise they would kill too many grazing animals. I took this to mean that the rate at which the lions killed and eat their prey would exceed the latter’s rate of reproduction.

Rhinos ahead!

All the animals in the reserve are managed to one extent or another. For example, if an animal contracts a communicable disease, they are moved to a quarantine area. I also asked if the game drivers carried rifles in the vehicles and Ellard explained that they used to, but they were now considered as luggage, probably because they were never needed. However, some lodges in the reserve offer walking safaris, so I suppose the guides carry rifles then.

Ellard wanted us to see elephants as it was our last full day. On the way to where he thought they might be located, we passed a group of rhinos grazing quietly.

The beauty of elephants

As we drove past a group of trees, I happened to turn around and saw to my surprise an elephant emerging from them. “Elephant behind us” I called, and Ellard brought the vehicle to a sharp halt. We then enjoyed a leisurely sighting as the elephant wandered about in front of us, completing the search for The Big Five.

Of the photos, I prefer the second in black and white, processed from the X Vario’s raw file, as it brings out the texture of the elephant’s skin. On the way back for breakfast, we passed another lodge’s vehicle on its game drive.

Close enough to touch

We hoped to see more elephants on our afternoon drive, and I believe Ellard had heard that they were in the area of our lodge. We weren’t disappointed, finding them quickly, and we were joined by other Land Cruisers. At one point, an elephant walked past so close I could have touched it with a broom handle.

I was particularly impressed by the way the elephants moved completely unseen through the bushes and trees before appearing unexpectedly. I’ve also read that they move silently, which is remarkable given their size, and they can be very dangerous to someone on foot.

The risks of an aggressive elephant

Ellard told us the reserve had had trouble with one of the males we were looking at, who had become very aggressive and attacked a vehicle. The elephant is now on a course of, I assume, hormone therapy to reduce his aggression. I noticed that Ellard kept a close eye on him and what he was up to, judging his mood and the possibility of any risk to ourselves.

Listening for the lion

A call on the radio told Ellard that two lionesses and the search for them next of our Big Five had been seen walking down a road to the west of us. So, we headed off to look for them. We drove to where the lionesses had been seen, then to where they could be now based on Ellard’s knowledge of the reserve, the likely game the lions were seeking (the buffalo we had seen yesterday) and the trails they would walk to get there.

We drove up and down the road as the sun set, and Ellard brought out his high-powered torch that he kept with the vehicle. Our patience was rewarded as, in due course, we saw a lioness walking on a trail high up on a bluff.

I knew the FZ200 would not record anything in such low light given its small 1/2.3in sensor, and doubted the X Vario could manage anything better. So I pointed my iPhone XR at the illuminated rock and pressed.

In the end I was very pleased that it captured what it did; not a great image but it recorded the moment for me. My friend’s Google Pixel smartphone did even better. In both cases we captured a special moment albeit with poor quality images.

Return to the lodge

We returned to the lodge for a late dinner and turned in for an early night. During the night, however, we experienced very heavy rain and, as we set off early for our last game drive of our visit, the swollen rivers flowed over the concrete bridges.

I wondered how long the game drives could continue on the wet roads. The rain held off for our drive, but the animals had taken shelter away from the roads, and we didn’t see any big cats. A day or so later the reserve was closed to visitors as the roads became impassable or badly damaged, and it remained closed until early April.

I’m told Welgevonden’s drier winter months offer better game viewing as the vegetation has died off, and the animals are not so hidden by the grass and leaves. And in the dry season the animals can be seen more clearly drinking from the limited water sources.

Leaving the search for The Big Five behind

After breakfast, we packed our bags and said goodbye to the lodge staff. Ellard then drove us back to the main entrance, where we loaded our van and said our farewells. Leaving the reserve, I was delighted with our sightings and the photographs. Not only had I seen them all in my search for The Big Five, but I had been able, as I had wanted, to capture them with meaningful gestures. I hope to return one day.

Regarding my cameras, my initial reasoning was proved to be sound. However, I was surprised by how much I could successfully crop the images from the X Vario and retain a reasonably sharp and useful image. By useful, I mean suitable for printing at say 10×8in (25×20 cm) or for viewing on a smaller screen.

The FZ200 performed as expected. Being able to zoom to an equivalent of 600mm was a pleasure, but keeping the lens steady proved a challenge as was the processing of the files without them breaking up. I was impressed by the images and video taken by my friend using the zoom on his Google Pixel smartphone under difficult lighting conditions.

Not comparable to the output from a full-frame camera, but good enough to capture a moment — even in the dark — and share it quickly with the group. Our photo books of the trip are mostly filled with smartphone photos, but the images everybody wanted — and seem to cherish — are those of the leopard and the lioness taken with the cameras.

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More:

More from Kevin Armstrong on Macfilos	Articles about the Lumix FZ200 on Macfilos
Articles about the X Vario on Macfilos	Link to Part 1

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