
The lagoon in front of Kwara Camp is brimming with water making for fantastic mokoro outings. Guests have been treated to resident herds of Red lechwe, warthogs and impala grazing along the shores – and wonderful views of the camp!
The Hyena den is still active and the four curious pups have been a delight to watch! They all look healthy and strong. There have been regular hyena calls at night throughout the month around the Kwara area. The Jackalberry trees have started dropping ripe fruits. This attracts elephants, monkeys, and baboons. They are frequently seen feeding on the fruits – even in camp. The guides have witnessed an increasing number of elephants in almost all Kwara game drive tracks and around the Kwara lagoon in front of the camp.
Dwarf mongoose and slender mongoose were common sightings in June. This is the time of year when several bigger birds start to rear their young; Secretary birds, Ground hornbills, Saddle-billed stork and African hamerkops all welcomed hungry little mouths!
The resident cheetah known as Mr Special sported a limp recently which seemed to hinder his hunting, but he was still seen with several warthog kills. He was active a lot, visiting his marking posts to affirm territory boundaries. One morning he was very actively calling as if he smelled a female in the area, so the Kwando Safaris guides knew to wait and watch. After a while, a female came into view and they started mating.
Interestingly, a young female leopard was seen one afternoon climbing a tree because she was running from a male cheetah. A fascinating interaction! Two new subadult cheetahs were logged, they looked well-fed and another new female cheetah with three cubs in tow was located on the hunt.
She was not the only one teaching her young. Guides tracked two female lions with cubs and found them hunting baboons. Luckily they managed to kill one and we watched the cubs feeding. Their meal was rudely interrupted by a male lion that took over the kill from them.
The Kwara pack of African wild dogs is currently sitting at 14 members and we are waiting with bated breath for any puppy news.