Make mine a double! Thirsty animals are perfectly reflected in a watering hole as they go for a late-night drink in South Africa
- Leopard, rhino, impala and herd of elephants were all pictured visiting the secluded oasis for a midnight drink
- As they approached a well-placed camera caught the reflection of their bodies in the water in South Africa
- They are living on a converted 2400-acre sugar cane farm which has more than 80 species of animals
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A leopard, white rhino and herd of elephants were among the animals spotted having a quiet midnight drink at a secluded oasis on a private game reserve in South Africa.
Stunning pictures captured their reflections in the jet black water as they approached the watering hole in Zimanga, 340 miles south of the country’s largest city Johannesburg. Two Impala, a favourite prey of the leopard, were also seen visiting the vital water source.
The 2,400-acre estate has been painstakingly restored to its natural state after its former use as a sugar cane plantation left just seven zebra and one wildebeest roaming the area when it was purchased in 1998.
The new owners set about re-introducing species that had historically been present in the area until the reserve had more than 80 species including giraffes, buffaloes, hippos and cheetahs.
‘The reserve is managed under strict conservation principles,’ reads its website, ‘and acts as a source for the establishment of new founder populations of mammals elsewhere’.
A leopard captured having a midnight drink at a secluded oasis in the Zimanga private game reserve, South Africa
Elephants pictured visiting the same watering hole. The 2,400-acre estate has been painstakingly converted from its former use as a sugar cane plantation
A white rhino, which is listed as near threatened by the IUCN, visits the watering hole. When the estate was purchased it had just seven zebra and one wildebeest still in residence
Two impala, a favourite prey of the leopard, pictured visiting the watering hole late in the evening