A Game of Patience
on Sep 09, 2025The bush has a rhythm – sometimes thundering, sometimes still – and every so often, it delivers a drama that unfolds slowly, testing the patience of both predator and prey. This particular morning at Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve was one of those rare, unforgettable moments.
It began just after sunrise. The air was crisp, with that golden glow only the Lowveld can offer. While tracking hyena activity along the southern drainage line, we came across fresh signs – drag marks, tracks, scattered birds. We weren’t alone. A clan of spotted hyenas, five strong, was moving with purpose. Their postures were low, alert, the wind in their favour. They were trailing something.
Up ahead, we spotted her – a lone female waterbuck, perhaps separated from her herd, already panting, flanks heaving. The chase had begun some distance back, but she was still putting up a solid fight. With their stamina and teamwork, hyenas are not to be underestimated. But waterbuck are powerful swimmers, and she had a plan.
She bolted down a narrow game path and launched herself into a nearby dam, hooves splashing as she disappeared into the middle, leaving the hyenas pacing on the shore. They didn’t follow. Spotted hyenas can swim, but not without risk – and not with the same confidence as a waterbuck, built for bursts of flight and survival.
And so began the standoff.
For nearly three hours, the hyenas waited. They circled the water’s edge, occasionally dipping in a paw, testing depth, trying half-hearted approaches before retreating. One lay down in the shade, panting as the morning heat started to build. Another kept walking back and forth, eyes fixed on the half-submerged figure in the dam, only the top of her body above the surface, motionless as a stone.
The silence was surreal.
Birds returned, a Grey Heron landed nearby. Fish bobbed close to the waterbuck, indifferent to the tension. The dam, which moments ago had echoed with splashes and snarls, became a mirror once again.
Eventually, the hyenas gave in to the heat and the odds. One by one, they slinked away into the bush, their hunt unfinished. The waterbuck waited still.
Only after the last ear flicked out of view did she begin to move, slowly paddling towards the bank. She stood, dripping and trembling, but alive. With a final glance back, she disappeared into the bush.
No blood. No kill. Just a lesson in patience, survival, and the unpredictable poetry of the wild.
At Sabi Sabi, every drive is a chance to witness nature’s quiet triumphs up close. Mother Nature is wonderfully unpredictable - at her best when we expect it least. Each journey into the bush holds the promise of a new story waiting to unfold; all you need to do is watch and listen.
Blog by Ruan Mey (Earth Lodge Ranger)
