Prequel Day One

We left, we flew, we landed, we drove, we arrived – with the Balfour Clan at Sabi Sands Reserve near Kruger Park.

Sabi Sands emerged in 1898 when a collection land owners got together and decided to work cooperatively to form the first private reserve in South Africa.  Fences went up and down between the national Kruger Park and the private Sabie Sands until 1993 when they came down permanently in order to permit free migration of animals between the parks.

I am interested in human and animal migration that takes place between Mozambique’s Limpopo National Park and neighbouring Kruger.    Depending on a human migrant’s economic status there appear to be a few ways to get to South Africa (where the real and perceived quality of life seemed to be greater).  With some money one could get on a tour bus in Mozambique and hop off in Kruger (South Africa).  With less money one could hire a human trafficking service.  With even less, people desperate for a better life, can cross on foot.  It is easy to imagine how a human’s experience of migrating animals would be very different in each scenario.  Park predators are opportunistic.

In the meantime, some photos of the bad boys and girls you wouldn’t want to meet outside of a vehicle…