A secret convention of leopards seems to have occurred at some time in the last few months in the Lagoon area. Possibly sponsored by the Botswana Department of Tourism, with the main topic of discussion obviously being ‘changing our spots: how we can contribute to the growth of the country’. This is the only explanation we can think of for the rapid increase in sightings of leopards in the area. We always knew they were there, as the tracks were seen often, but what has changed significantly is the number of relaxed individuals that are being seen, rather than fleeting glances of shy animals. Whether we have just been inordinately lucky, or it’s a seasonal thing, the guests have been reaping the benefits, with leopards being seen almost every day – and often two in one day. Certainly, short and dry grass helps for visibility, but looking back in the previous years records at the same time of year, sightings are definitely occurring more regularly
Perhaps we have the dogs to thank for that? This is the first time in ten years that the wild dogs have not denned by August, and are still moving throughout the area. Perhaps this means that we are spending more time traversing different routes tracking the dogs and other animals, rather than simply going to the den and watching the dogs for an hour or so? It’s a distinct possibility, and although it is lovely to see puppies at a den, nature is certainly showing us some exceptional sightings at the moment.
And exceptional they have been: one group of guests only spent one night in Lagoon, as their agent had said even if they don’t have much time to spare, it’s worth the experience. Heading out on game drive that afternoon, they soon came across a relaxed female leopard, who they spent some time watching – another vehicle spent two hours with the same leopard – before heading on to see what else they could find. A little while later, they came across not one, but four leopards: a mother with two sub-adult cubs, and a male that was probably interested in the female leopard! This is definitely a record for the area: five leopards in one game drive!
Predators were continually making guest appearances at other predator sightings: two young cheetahs were found feeding on a baby kudu they had just killed. Whilst the guide and guests were enjoying this sighting, a leopard was seen less than 50m away, it had also seen the cheetah, and approached. Two light-weight cheetahs against one female leopard is a fight that is hard to pick the winner out of, and the animals themselves seemed to know this. In scenes reminiscent of a Tom and Jerry cartoon, the leopard chased one of the cheetahs, whilst the second cheetah chased the leopard! After some to-ing and fro-ing, with neither team wanting to be ‘tagged’, the cheetahs gave up their kill to the leopard. Another day, the pack of wild dogs happened upon a male lion whilst hunting, but the male was more interested in finding his mate than a dog chase. And a hyena came across a leopardess that had got a little greedy: she had killed an impala and hoisted it in a tree, then managed to kill a second impala which she left on the ground. The hyena took the opportunity and grabbed the second impala, whilst the leopard retreated to the tree.
Although the three cheetah brothers spent a week in Lagoon last month, this month they only turned up on the last day of the month. But two sub-adult males are making up for it with good sightings, including the one just mentioned.
The bigger cats – lions – have also been frequently seen – even from camp during early morning coffee as three of them strolled past the camp. A honeymoon couple spent a few days in the area, whilst the pride of six waited nearby for the female to rejoin the group. For some reason, these lions are particular interested in the tyres on the vehicles. No one can figure out why, but the young males are often trying to get close to the tyres to sniff them. Sometimes, they just stare intently up at the spare tyre on the back of the vehicle. This is, needless to say, quite off-putting for any guests sitting the back row at the time…
The dogs have been covering huge distances this month, roaming the concession and sniffing out their territories. One day they will be running through the camp, and the next they will be hanging out close to Lebala camp. This is keeping everyone on their toes, and the trackers have their work cut out for them. Even so, the dogs are still being seen often, as testified to by the comment made in our visitors book: “14th annual wild dog safari successful!” By the end of August, the Alpha female looks pregnant, but sadly, she does not look in very good condition. Even if she dens next month, she may not be strong enough to raise a litter of pups this year. This would be her ninth or tenth litter, which is quite remarkable for a wild dog.
The temperatures in August suddenly took a leap from one week to the next, and the warm days encouraged the elephants to drink at the lagoon in front of camp, and swim across to the far bank. Large buffalo herds were seen often near the edge of the watering holes, kicking up dust as they moved in, and adding to the haze in the sky – the cool blue skies of winter giving over to the dusty white before the rains arrive.
Unusual sightings this month (leopards aside) include several sightings of civet, roan, eland, bat eared fox and honey badger – in fact, four honey badgers were seen on one evening drive, and then two more the next morning. A very rare number!
