Rare wildlife behaviour observed in the Little Karoo heat

At Buffelsdrift Game Lodge, the bush often tells its own stories, and at the moment, one such story is unfolding in broad daylight.
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Along one of our main safari routes, a female aardvark and her juvenile have been regularly spotted during daytime bush safaris.
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While these sightings have been a rare and memorable experience for guests, they also present an unusual and intriguing phenomenon. Aardvarks are typically nocturnal, and observing one active at around 15:00, especially in sustained temperatures of up to 35°C, is highly atypical. Even more remarkable is the consistency of these sightings, which have been occurring for several weeks.

Under normal circumstances, aardvarks are strictly nocturnal animals, emerging after sunset to forage and using their powerful claws to excavate extensive burrows within minutes. On rare occasions, particularly during cold winter afternoons, they may surface briefly to absorb the last warmth of the sun. However, consistent daytime activity during the height of a Little Karoo summer suggests deeper ecological pressures at play.

Research conducted by the University of the Witwatersrand in the Kalahari has shown that extreme heat and prolonged dry conditions significantly reduce the activity of ants and termites.

To escape the heat, these insects retreat deeper underground, becoming inaccessible to predators such as aardvarks. Because ants and termites make up almost the aardvark's entire diet and provide most of its water intake, this decline can lead to severe nutritional stress and dehydration.

When an aardvark is unable to consume enough food to sustain its metabolism, it may struggle to regulate its body temperature effectively at night. In response, it may shift its activity into daylight hours, using the sun's warmth to raise its core body temperature and conserve energy.

This can result in animals resting or "sunbathing" on the sand rather than actively foraging, a behaviour that may appear endearing but often signals physical strain.

The Buffelsdrift conservation team continues to closely monitor this individual, assessing indicators such as body condition, movement, and energy levels. Prominent bones around the pelvis or tail, sluggish movement, or prolonged periods of lying flat in the sun may indicate a decline in physical condition.

While these observations are concerning, they also provide valuable insight into how climate and ecology intersect in fragile environments.

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These sightings are closely linked to Buffelsdrift's long-running camera trap project, launched in 2013 to study nocturnal wildlife without disturbance. This project enables the Buffelsdrift Foundation to track animal behaviour, movements and long-term trends, helping to deepen understanding of how wildlife responds to environmental change.

The camera trap project forms part of the broader conservation work of the Buffelsdrift Foundation, which supports wildlife research, habitat rehabilitation, indigenous plant restoration and community upliftment.

Through the volunteer programme, Eco-Ambassa-dors play an active role in these efforts, gaining hands-on experience while contributing meaningfully to conservation work on the ground.

Collaboration plays a vital role in strengthening these initiatives. Buffelsdrift is privileged to partner with the Land-mark Leopard & Predator Project, an organisation dedicated to protecting leopards and other predators across the Garden Route.

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Through the Buffelsdrift Foundation, a prize valued at R16 300 was donated to Landmark's recent fundraising initiative, which raised R106 500 towards the acquisition of a critical conservation vehicle. In return, Landmark contributed two state-of-the-art camera traps to Buffelsdrift's research programme, enabling data sharing in support of broader predator conservation efforts.

Despite the attention these sightings have attracted, Buffelsdrift's guiding principle remains unchanged: the well-being of wildlife comes first.

The team observes patiently, respects natural behaviour and does not intervene. These moments serve as a quiet reminder that animals such as the aardvark are more than rare sightings, they are indicators of ecosystem health.

At Buffelsdrift Game Lodge, conservation is about listening when nature speaks, even when the message is unexpected. Sometimes, it arrives not under the cover of darkness, but beneath the afternoon sun.

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