The resident female leopard was seen stalking lechwes near Kwara Lagoon, much to the delight of mokoro guests on their afternoon activity.
The Rra Tsebe leopard was frequently seen around Giraffe Pan and Lechwe Plains. It successfully hunted a reedbuck at Pelican Pan before being chased off by lions.
During an extraordinary afternoon drive, we followed a male leopard as he stealthily stalked a sounder of five warthogs — a mother and her four piglets. This family of warthogs, affectionately known as Matirn in camp, are well-known residents of Kwara Camp. Sadly, during this encounter, the mother lost one of her piglets to the leopard.
Another male leopard at Buffalo Pan stalked and killed a warthog. At Splash, various resident leopards were seen, including a male along Impala Pan, another scavenging on a giraffe carcass, and a subadult male near the parking area. Our resident female, Splash Girl, was located with her three-month-old cub, and other females were seen hunting or resting in trees.
The African wild dogs of Kwara and Splash
At Kwara, we witnessed a dramatic encounter where a civet fought off an African wild dog at Last Mabala. After three weeks, the resident pack of 21 African wild dogs returned to Kwara. A new pack of seven dogs, six males and a female, was seen along Graded Road, and another small pack of three dogs was spotted at Last Mabala.
At Splash, the resident pack of 21 wild dogs was seen after vultures led us to a kudu carcass. This pack was later found heading southeast, hunting a fully grown impala. A single dog from a pack of six was located east of Ngayaya Lagoon, calling for its family members.
At Splash, new male cheetahs started appearing, having pushed our resident male, Mr. Special, further west. A young, relaxed male cheetah was seen east of the camp, and a female cheetah hunted red lechwes. The resident male cheetah at Kwara did well, seen at Splash Hippos and Willie’s Valley. A female cheetah, previously known for losing her cubs, was seen hunting lechwes near the fishing boat area.
As winter approached, the landscape started to change rapidly. Leaves and grasses were drying and turning brown, and most animals concentrated along the marginal mixed woodlands and seasonal floodplains, where new grass shoots were emerging.
Lion prides split and reunite over a buffalo meal
The dynamics within the lion prides at Kwara and Splash camps were particularly fascinating. The Kwara pride experienced significant splitting due to hunting challenges, with nine members found across locations from Sethabana to Pelican Pan. Two nursing lionesses with three cubs were frequently seen along the Xugana main road, while a mother with a single cub and four other pride members dominated the Last Mabala area. The pride reunited to kill a buffalo at Sephane sa Mojereman, the first time they had come together in a while.
Meanwhile, the Mma Leitlho pride east of Splash thrived with all six cubs well cared for. This pride faced an invasion from a new pride of 13 lions from the east, although the intruders left the following night. One morning, alarm calls from monkeys led us to the Mma Leitho pride, consisting of two adult lionesses and six cubs of varying sizes. This pride showcased their hunting abilities by killing a blue wildebeest and a tsessebe. The Mopane pride, residing in the northern mopane woodlands, was seen following a large herd of buffaloes. Additionally, a new male lion was spotted along Machaba East.
Reptile sightings included crocodiles, geckos, and side-striped skinks. A black mamba was located within the blue bush, mobbed by birds. Another impressive sight was the large flock of pelicans feasting in a trapped, drying river at the new bridge. Joined by marabou storks and yellow-billed storks, creating a bustling and noisy congregation, the sight and sound of hundreds of these birds feeding were captivating.
Additionally, we observed various water birds feasting on trapped fish in waterholes cut off from the mainstream. Among these were yellow-billed storks, wattled cranes, slaty egrets, white and pink-backed pelicans, and African spoonbills seen around the ponds.
Hyena activity was high, with their calls frequently heard around camp at night. At Kwara, a dead giraffe at Wild Dog Pan attracted over 20 hyenas. A new den with two females and three pups was found on Tau Island.
General game was abundant, with large herds of buffaloes, elephants, and zebras moving towards the main river as the natural waterholes dried up. The camp waterholes attracted a variety of antelope, including greater kudus, impalas, tsessebes, waterbucks, common reedbucks, wildebeests, giraffes, and zebras.
Steenboks were frequently spotted around Thware Mogobe, adding to the diversity of our sightings. Porcupines and springhares were active, providing guests with a wide array of smaller mammal sightings during their night drives. Over at Splash Camp, one evening, just an hour after leaving camp, we located an aardwolf with two cubs southwest of the camp. We also observed a serval cat successfully hunting a mouse, highlighting the rich predator-prey dynamics in the area. Bat-eared foxes were regularly seen, and the resident genet appeared around the main area.
(Please note: For the safety of the animals, we do not disclose the precise location of either rhino or pangolin sightings. Accompanying pictures are from our Kwando Photo Library which consists of all your great photo submissions over the years, it may not be the most up to date, but we felt it was worthy of a feature alongside this month’s Sightings Report!)