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Dana Atkinson

The Broken Legged Hyena – A story filled with holes and speculation

The Broken Legged Hyena – A story filled with holes and speculation

I was in Satara Camp, a fenced camp in the Kruger National Park; my hut number 179 was right at the fence. As dusk slipped in, predators began to patrol the outside fence boundary seeking handouts from rule breaking guests. Inside the fence tourists patrol, torch in hand, to see what’s on the other side; fence walkers I call them. My first night the on patrol were hyena; a large awkward looking animal equipped with one of the strongest jaws of the African land. A couple o

My Roommate in Tent #40; Mr. Black Mamba

My Roommate in Tent #40; Mr. Black Mamba

I've never been afraid of snakes. In fact, every Saturday for three years I volunteered at the Chattahoochee Nature Center in Atlanta, Georgia a wonderful place that specializes in the rehabilitation of birds of prey and reptiles; housing the non-releasable animals. I had a favorite snake there; a corn snake that I regularly took out to docent. After retrieving her from her cage she would promptly wrapped herself around my left arm and with expert precision she would unsna

Lions, Rhino and Wildebeest giving birth, oh my!

Lions, Rhino and Wildebeest giving birth, oh my!

Berg-en-Dal Camp – Guest House #35 I checked into camp the night before after seeing three of the big five on the drive from Malelane gate to Berg-en-Dal camp, which is not very far at all. I already knew it was going to be another amazing journey to Kruger National park; one of my favorite places on Earth. Although my accommodations were wonderful, I slept little that first night due to the excitement of the days ahead; that and the fact I wanted to be out of the gates when

Baboons on My Porch

Baboons on My Porch

I awoke to the sound of rattling; or at least that's what it sounded like; something rattling. Was it an earthquake? No. But it felt like one. When I gathered my mind and eyes into the same quadrant of my morning brain, I realized there were baboons on my porch. The troop - one at a time - were jumping from a tree branch over the fence and onto, with a plunk, my porch which was only ten feet from my head; the only thing between me and the troop of baboons was the thick c

Soap Opera of the African Night

Soap Opera of the African Night

Last night a friend asked me what the nights were like in Africa. It is yet the best question I have been asked about my favorite travel destination. Nights in the so-called civilized world can be scary because the human predators come out. Turn on morning news of any major city and you hear who was robbed, killed, car jacked, stabbed, shot and more the night before. When sun sets in the Okavango Delta, Kruger National Park or the Serengeti the predators also come out, pred

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Soap Opera of the African Night

Soap Opera of the African Night

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