While the rest of us are on lockdown, we wondered about how the Kruger National Park is doing. We spoke to Phenyo Marumo, a Senior Manger of SANparks to delve into life inside one of South Africa’s most beloved parks.
South Africans can rest assured that the rangers and anti-poaching unit are hard at work within the park. Rangers and anti-poaching units are essential services and so they are hard at work, as usual, to protect our beloved Kruger. Wildlife vets, also an essential service, are on duty if any animal is found in distress, or has fallen prey to a poaching snare.
While we are able to enjoy the three webcams situated at three of the Park’s camps. Some other incredible sightings have been of the Cape clawless otter.
Within the Kruger National Park, SANParks has three webcams. The first is at Satara, just outside of the rest camp overlooking the watering hole. At Punda Maria, there’s one mounted on the hide overlooking the camp’s neighbouring dam. Orpen‘s webcam is also just outside of the camp, overlooking the watering hole.
For a change in scenery, the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park has a webcam mounted at the Nossob hide, overlooking the watering hole. For those that need their fix of all things elephants, Addo Elephant National Park has a webcam at Addo’s main rest camp, situated on the hide overlooking the local watering hole.
To access the webcams, visit the SANParks website or keep updated with the many incredible sightings on the SANParks Webcams Facebook page.
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As for the private concession lodges that share borders with Kruger, Marumo stated that ‘All SANParks Private Concession Lodges were required to shut down tourism and hospitality services. They managed to checkout all their guests before lockdown and have disclosed such information. They do have critical staff onsite however.’
Guests who were booked in at any of the Kruger Rest Camps were encouraged to postpone their bookings for a later date, rather than cancelling entirely.
Also read: ‘Don’t travel now so you can travel later’ says SA Tourism
There is much to miss about the Kruger, from the incredible wildlife, spectacular flora and legendary sunsets.
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Out the gate at 4:30 and you get this incredible shot. What a shot from @melissalee313
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Getting together for sundowners at the local. Great photo by @janbloomphotography
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Is your Sunday as chilled and snug as this guy’s? Photo by @clairessnaps
Image: Supplied/ Phenyo Marumo