11th March,2009

I had a very good walk starting at 6.00am. My guide saw a jackal. I now understand why normally sane tourists do stupid things like approaching lions for a close-up photograph. On hearing the word "jackal" in a state of high excitement I started moving forward without a thought to any potentially dangers. Needless to say the jackal vanished before I even got a glimpse of it.

Tala really wasn't worth the money. There is absolutely nothing to do in the evenings - no wildlife information or books which one could consult. As I was the only person actually staying the three days were more than sufficient. It had the plus that except for one occassion I had the game rangers entirely to myself and we had many interesting conversations.

Donnette came to collect me and she took close up shots of a rhino. When we were back home I told her that there were no black rhino in the park. I had been informed that the rhinos were white. Donnette was adamant that the rhino she had photographed was a black rhino. I mentioned that the creature had not been in an area where one would expect to find black rhino. But then I recalled that the rhino had a completely different horn to the ones which I had photographed earlier. It had indeed been a black rhino and I hadn't bothere to photograph it even though I could have got a really good shot! (Subsequently I found a picture of a black rhinocerus which I had taken.) It's the one above.