In a thrilling encounter, a female leopard in the Drifters area successfully hunted a red lechwe near a water channel, only to face a formidable opponent — a large crocodile that emerged, attempting to steal the kill!
The struggle between the leopard and the crocodile was a sight to behold, with the crocodile ultimately dragging the lechwe into the water.
During our expeditions, we noticed a fascinating trend-we encountered several different male leopards more frequently than females. This could be attributed to the females’ instinct to hide their cubs, making them less visible. One afternoon drive, we spotted a female with one cub west of the airstrip, resting at the base of a termite mound.
A pack of African wild dogs hunted impala around the camp. We followed them as they chased and killed an impala near the welcome area, providing a fantastic viewing experience.
Later in the month, fresh wild dog tracks were found near the Giraffe Skull area leading to Drifters Island, where we found them feeding on a freshly killed red lechwe. Three hyenas rested nearby, waiting for their turn to scavenge.
General game in Pom Pom Concession was outstanding
As winter approached, the sausage trees started to shed old leaves and grow new ones, but there was an abundance of grass and vegetation to sustain the diverse wildlife. Large herds of elephants, wildebeest, impala, red lechwe, tsessebes, buffalo bulls, and giraffes were a common sight. Other sightings included waterbuck, steenbok, warthogs, bushbuck, common reedbuck, baboons, and monkeys.
Zebras have doubled in number and were a frequent sight around the reserve and at the lagoon in front of the lodge, especially at midday and late afternoon. Spotted hyenas were also regular visitors around the camp, particularly during dinner and breakfast, when they came to drink at the waterhole. They were frequently seen on night drives, scavenging and following wild dogs during hunts.
During a morning game drive, we located two subadult male lions and two females feasting on a male red lechwe by Zeppa Island. We picked up lion tracks heading northeast while driving around the Letswai and Drifters areas. After following the tracks for about 30 minutes, we spotted white-backed and hooded vultures perched on trees, indicating a possible kill nearby. We soon discovered part of the Pom Pom Pride — 13 lions —resting under the shade with a zebra carcass.
Additionally, we had two new subadult male intruders whose origins were unknown. They frequently moved around Fisherman Airstrip and were spotted near the lodge. We found these males south of the airstrip, mating with a lioness.
This month, reptile and insect sightings were limited. We spotted a few small Nile crocodiles in some waterholes, water monitor lizards, striped rock agamas, large copper butterflies, dung beetles, monarch butterflies, and praying mantises. Despite the dry lagoon channels and flood plains, bird life remained vibrant. We observed barbets, little bee-eaters, rattling cisticolas, Temminck’s coursers, coppery-tailed coucals, African hawk eagles, bateleurs, brown snake eagles, African hoopoes, southern ground hornbills, and secretarybirds.
During sundowner stops and night drives, we had wonderful sightings of smaller mammals, including honey badgers, African civets, servals, small spotted genets, African wild cats, banded mongooses, scrub hares, side-striped jackals, aardwolves, and aardvark.
The clear skies around the campfire were perfect for stargazing, allowing guests to learn about the stars and planets.
(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!)