Other fun and unique sightings for the week included a rare close-up with a small group of bat-eared foxes. Usually these little carnivores head right for their burrows when you drive near, but this group sat calmly and itchily as we approached. The whole group went through an immense scratching session as we watched with each individual using this back leg to scratch its giant ears (just like a dog) and then proceeded to groom its companions.

We also had a nice moment with a group of Ground Hornbills, a gentle and clumsy bird that I know well from my time at the Houston Zoo. One of the long eye-lashed males came up by the road and posed for some photos, while his companion grabbed a huge grasshopper, which she carried around with her for a while afterwards – proud of her insect trophy.

Then we ended the week with a rhino charge. A young black rhino came right at us, chasing the car for a few hundred meters before stopping and crossing the road behind us. It seemed unusual for such a young animal to be on its own.

Then we had a male Kori bustard displaying (they try too hard, inflating their necks and raising their tails) and actually saw a female with an adorable chick. Like a miniaturized version of the adult but with soft feathers and well-camouflaged colors of yellow and brown the chick wiggled along after the female, as the two birds cooed and squeaked at each other to stay together even in the tall grass.

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