The Tala Game reserve is near Durban, South Africa and cares for some of the native animals of Africa. The reserve is surrounded by other landowners who may be farming or raising cattle, sheep and goats. This limits the type of animals they can keep and eliminated some of the “big five” like the lions, leopards and elephants.
We booked a half-day excursion to see some of the animals that are native to Africa. The bus ride was about forty-five minutes from the Durban dock. You can plan an extended stay at the resort or have your next convention in their hall. For something more private you might choose to stay in the fisherman’s cottage down by the dam on the river.
Can you imagine waking up to see a scene like the one below? In fact, any of the animals on the reserve may visit you just outside your door.
Along the river’s edge you are likely to find coots, ducks and geese. The animals are free to wander down to the shade of the trees and get a refreshing drink of water.
The visitors usually buy a guided tour in one of these vehicles. The guides are very knowledgeable about the animals and how to care for them. Sometimes that means making sure the visitors behave themselves and follow a few simple rules.
The first animals we saw were the impala. A group of females were on the road and the males were nearby in the trees.
impala 
impala 
male impala 
male impala
Next stop was to see a few rhinoceros wallowing in the mud. Notice that the zebra are comfortable near the rhinos.
Our guide believes that Zebra are the most intelligent of the animals.
There are many species of antelope in Africa. Notice the ones below are in front of the fence, not behind it. Behind the fence is the neighbour’s farm where cows are grazing.
As the ride bumped down to the river, we saw the ducks, coots, geese and the eyes and nostrils of some hippopotamus in the water. In this shady spot, we saw some Nyala in the shade of the trees.
The Kudu are found in the savanna. The one below has a problem with the antlers and the vet is treating the problem.
Kudu 
young Kudu 
Kudu
Do you remember one of the first pictures of the four giraffes on the crest of a hill? The tour eventually drove along the top of that ridge and we saw the giraffe up close. They walk so fluidly as they seem to sail through the grass.
A giraffe surveying the homestead and watching visitors come and go.
The giraffes pick up bones from the field and roll them around in their mouth. They do this to get the calcium they need. They do not swallow or eat the bones, just let the saliva dissolve calcium from the bones. The noise they make sounds like they are trying to eat rocks and can be heard more than fifty feet away.
At the bottom of the hill, the wildebeests were looking trough the grass. Our guide tells us that the wildebeest is one of the stupidest animals and as a result, its numbers in the wild are declining.
Heading back to the main lodge we found these ostriches roaming through the grass. They are also not known for their wisdom since they will lay eggs unprotected in the road or anywhere they happen to drop. They can identify their own eggs and rotate them frequently to incubate them in the sun.
When we passed the orchard on the way back for lunch, the giraffes were already eating the leaves from the trees.
This is also a great place for bird watching.
By now, you might want to learn more about this wonderful place for a visit or a vacation. Learn more with this <link>
To watch my Youtube video of Giraffes in motion click here.
Looks like the Tala reserve is a great place to see a great diversity of African animals. We have thought about visiting Africa but haven’t decided yet or when or where. Thanks for sharing this great spot!