Large Herbivores

Limpopo-Lipadi supports a wealth of antelopes and other herbivores all the way from the tiny steenbok all the way up to giant elephant bulls. The variety of species is only possible because of our diverse range of habitats, with plains providing sanctuary for zebra, thick bush for herds of impala, as well as rock koppies for klipspringer. Full details of the whole range of species can be found in our animal species list.

Elephant

Currently the reserve has about 25-35 elephant in total including some younger bulls as well as small matriarch-led herds with youngsters. Given the size of the reserve and their roaming nature its hard to predict when and where they will be seen. Luckily one of our matriarchs wears a GPS collar that allows us to track her group's movements around the reserve - indeed shareholders can do this online whenever they wish! This makes it possible to find out what area they have been moving through and thus where the best chances of sightings may be. Despite this electronic intelligence gathering actually seeing one of these giants still presents a challenge: elephants can move almost silently through the bush when they want to (as a pair of surprised shareholders discovered) and they are remarkably well camouflaged when standing still in the mopane.

Giraffe

The giraffe population on Limpopo-Lipadi is doing very well, numbering well in excess of 100 now, up from the 80 individuals identified on the last airborne game count. At some times of the year groups of 10-20 giraffe are often seen at the sides of the River Camp access road browsing on the taller trees and smaller numbers are regularly seen drinking at Mbusi, Mogorosi and Tholo Dam waterholes. Sitting back, turning off the engine and letting a small group of giraffe graze quietly on all sides, while you soak up the afternoon sun amidst a chorus of birdsong has to be one of the best ways to relax in the bush.

We also have a remarkable old male giraffe that has survived against all the odds following an injury: a few years back he was seen with a broken horn. Giraffe horns are part of their skull and as his had broken it had torn open a section of it, exposing the brain below. There were even oxpeckers pecking away at it, although whether they were just after the insects attracted to the smell is unknown! Everyone felt it was only a matter of time until infection set in and he may have to be put down. Time passed and he hadn't been seen for a while and many assumed he had succumbed to his injuries somewhere out in the bush, yet in 2010 and 2011 he was seen again by shareholders. The open skull seems have skinned over and although his tongue lolls about a bit, he continues to feed well and roam the reserve!

Hippo

As you would expect the Limpopo River provides excellent habitat for one of our other large animals - the hippo. Even during the dry season large pools remain where they can wallow during the daytime, emerging onto the banks at night to graze. Good sightings are often had at Harry's Camp or at the hippo pools on the way out of River Camp. In fact a number of individuals have even taken to wandering around River Camp at night, the evidence of trampled plants and footprints in the borders around the poolside an absolute give-away!

Indeed, many of our shareholders have had surprise encounters at night while walking the camp paths to dinner with friends. One such event saw a hippo picked out by torchlight on the lawn by the pool - luckily it headed straight for the safety of the river, but not before taking a dive into the swimming pool on the way, then realising it hadn't yet reached the waters of the Limpopo!

Read more about our other game species in the other articles in this part of the site.