Two male lions were found in the Twin Pools area stalking buffalo. When we first located them, only one male was visible, and he commenced roaring, calling to his colleague. This was very impressive, since he was sitting only 10 meters from the car! We followed them for about twenty minutes, and were rewarded with success as they managed to pull down a young buffalo, and keep the rest of the herd from pushing them away.
A few days later, the same two males killed another buffalo, this time during the night only 500m from the camp. When we found the kill in the morning, they were being hassled a lot by hyenas, but fiercely stood their ground.
These two males were seen regularly throughout the month – around 14 times. We also saw a few females with three sub adult cubs.
People often have misconceptions about the big King of the Jungle, but lions are not averse to grabbing food whenever they can get it, size is not an issue. Still, it is rather unsettling to see lions wander past, each carrying a baby warthog in their mouths – perhaps the equivalent of us having a hot dog for lunch?
A big male leopard killed a warthog and was feeding on it, whilst around 300m away, a female leopard managed to kill an impala. Two hyenas approached and managed to steal the kill from the female.
A female leopard with cub was also seen regularly in the Park area. Both mother and cub were very relaxed, and in good condition, providing good sightings for the guests. On one occasion, the hyenas hassled the pair when they managed to kill an impala in the area, before the female managed to get the impala up a tree. The hyenas stayed in the area for some time, hoping for ‘offcuts’.
The hyenas have also set up a new den close to Steven’s Pan. There are currently 7 youngsters there, of varying ages.
The three brother cheetahs, that appear sporadically and then venture out over the rest of the concession, moved back to the Lagoon area and spent four days in the area. Whilst they were here, they were seen killing an impala.
Although the Lagoon wild dog pack appears to have split into two packs – one of nine individuals and one of 5 individuals, they are still seem to rejoin together from time to time. At the beginning of the month, and then again on the 17th & 19th, all fourteen dogs were seen together, hunting and killing as a pack. When thy do separate, the pack of nine stays in the area closer to Lagoon, whilst the pack of five stays closer to Lebala!
General game in the area is excellent, with the big herds of buffalo looking for the best grazing, and the endless herds of elephants moving through the marsh areas. We also had a lovely sighting of a caracal this month.