We came across this black-backed jackal early on the drive, walking slowly along the side of the road, nose down, clearly on the lookout for an easy meal.
It stopped for a second, glanced back at us, and then carried on. That’s pretty typical jackal behavior, always alert, but not easily bothered.
Jackals are proper opportunists. They’ll hunt small animals, scavenge when they get the chance, and often hang around bigger predators to see what they can pick up afterwards. They might not be the stars of the bush, but they’re clever and they survive.
I like watching jackals like this. They don’t put on a show and they don’t hang around for attention. They just keep moving, doing their thing, and then they’re gone.
That’s the bush most days.
Ranger Carel