The first real rainy day and we visit a wildlife rehabilitation center.

 March is usually the end of the rainy season here at Kruger, but it can extend into April, and boy, extend it did! All last night the rain was at biblical proportions, with thunder and lightning to add to our misery. That drip drip next to my head was getting beyond a joke, and if I got 3 hours sleep, I was doing well! Mind you, the first thing in the morning, messages were coming in thick and fast on the WhatsApp group. Bedding wet in some vans, and one had rain pouring in through the seals of the window. 

On checking our bed, just the end was damp, thankfully, the foot end, so it shouldn't cause too much of a problem. Ryan, our mechanic who follows the convoy in case of breakdown, has taped up the window frames, so with any luck the problem will disappear for now.

 

 Having waited for first light before getting up, my first thought (after a cup of tea) was to get pictures.

 

7.30 am, and the 14 vans set off together, all following Kobus, our guide. Several washouts had occurred on the route, and road closures had been put in place; it was touch-and-go whether we made it to Moholoholo by 9.30 am. During the drive, we were again fighting to see the road so great was the downpour, and the thunder rolled continually overhead. 

Zig-zagging to dodge potholes

A massive sink hole

And inside it

The last leg of the journey to Moholoholo had spectacular views of the Mariepskop mountains. Shrouded in low cloud, it was quite a sight to see. 

 

 Moholoholo is a rehab facility for injured wildlife, whether from overhead power lines, poisoning, road strikes or pochars using snares, the main objective was to make them better and release them back to the wild, but some animals just can't be returned because there injuries were to great. In their small museum were taxidermied animals with snares around necks and legs. Too graphic to show here, I just can't understand the cruelty of some people. I'm not ashamed to say what I saw made me cry. How our daughter coped with seeing this cruelty is beyond me, yet she gave her services willingly to help those stricken animals. 

Our journey home was a lot longer than when we came out. Another road closure saw us going 60km out of our way. It was on a highway, although the number of potholes and rough surface we had to drive over made it seem more like a dirt track!

Another early night, but for once not an early start. We head toward Botswana tomorrow and have one night at Tshipise before crossing the border tomorrow. 

So here are the photos from today.