During mokoro rides, guests spotted painted and long-reed frogs in the channels twisting around the Kwara Private Concession and its shifting landscape.
Sunset boat cruises were consistently delightful, offering sightings of elephants crossing the river, large crocodiles basking on riverbeds, and hippos grazing in the Okavango waters. Notably, a Pel’s fishing owl was spotted along the Maonachira channel a few times, and guides noted that water flow in the main channel increased, indicating recent floods. We expect the floodplains to be replenished soon.
The onset of winter was visible in the landscapes, with some trees shedding their leaves and grasses trampled by elephants and herds of buffaloes, creating better game viewing opportunities.
A beautiful black-footed cat
Night game drives revealed the world of smaller mammals and nocturnal predators. Servals, civets, small spotted cats, and other species were frequently observed. One memorable encounter involved witnessing a serval cat hunting and successfully catching a mouse. Additionally, a Black-footed cat, the smallest of the African wild cats was seen hunting close to our vehicle during an evening drive, providing an intimate view of its behaviour. Sightings of small spotted genets, spring hares, bush babies, African wild cats, and servals enriched our night drives.
Hyena dens and African wild dogs digging
Thanks to a den southwest of Puffy and Big Man’s Pan, we had wonderful spotted hyena sightings, allowing us to observe cubs almost daily.
A large clan of hyenas was frequently seen in the western part of Kwara Camp along the firebreak and around some African wild dog kills. One morning, after tracking a pack of 21 wild dogs for 30 minutes, we witnessed them successfully hunt and kill an adult male impala. The same pack was seen in the afternoon, where we followed them as they flushed out common reedbucks. Antelopes scattered in different directions, confusing the dogs, who gave up the chase and walked along the road. Interestingly, five minutes later, we spotted another common reedbuck standing still near the road, unnoticed by the dogs as they passed by.
The same pack was located south of Splash in the floodplains, where they made a kill of three common reedbucks. We found the pack near Sable Island, with the alpha female heavily pregnant and her pack members digging a hole, indicating they may be preparing a new den. Later, the pack was seen east of Splash, crossing into Moremi Game Reserve. The pack divided, with some dogs calling from the other side of the river. We wait with bated breath!
Cheetah update from Kwara
We encountered cheetahs hunting three to four times this month and located them on kills. One subadult male cheetah was tracked for an hour and found east of our boat station, lying on a termite mound next to a common reedbuck, seemingly unaware of the antelope’s presence. An adult male cheetah was spotted southwest of Splash Camp, successfully killing a piglet near the Lechwe Plains area. A female cheetah was located along Gomms Crossing, feeding on a warthog, and another male cheetah was seen hunting warthogs east of Splash but was unsuccessful.
A lot of lion sightings!
General game viewing was exceptional. Large herds of elephants and buffaloes frequently drank water at the lagoon in front of Kwara Camp. Sizable herds of buffaloes, including a massive herd of over one thousand individuals, were observed west of Kwara Camp. The drying waterholes concentrated animals along the seasonal floodplains, enhancing game viewing opportunities for sable antelopes, giraffes, zebras, kudus, waterbucks, hippos, red lechwe, common reedbucks, and tsessebe antelopes. Smaller species like steenboks were spotted in the open areas.
Lion sightings this month highlighted the intricate social structures, hunting strategies, and territorial behaviours of the prides at Kwara and Splash Camps.
At Splash Camp, the Kwando trackers worked diligently. One morning, after a two-hour tracking session north of the boat station, they located the resident Mopane pride of nine lions. The pride was actively hunting buffalo, but unfortunately, it was unsuccessful. Later, the same Mopane pride was observed north of Waterbuck Pan, moving into the bushes.
Late in May, the Kwara pride was involved in a dramatic encounter with two male leopards over an impala carcass. The leopards were forced up a tree by the lions, who fed on the fallen impala. After the lions left, the leopards descended, providing a memorable sighting for our guests.
Another pride consisting of two lionesses with six cubs of varying sizes was seen south of Ngorongoro Plains, feeding on a female waterbuck early in the morning. The Mma Leitho pride was located south of Ngorongoro, feeding on a waterbuck carcass. This pride was consistently spotted with cubs, but sadly, one cub was noted missing, and its fate remains unknown.
Males sure flexed their territorial muscles this month. Two dominant male lions were located west of the old boat station. An hour later, a new subadult male appeared, leading to a dramatic chase by the dominant males, forcing the newcomer to flee into the bushes. Mid-month, another intruder male lion was spotted late in the evening near the airstrip during a night game drive, marking his territory in the bushes. Three brothers from the Kwara pride were also located mating with a young female from a different pride. The dominant male among the brothers was in charge of mating while the other two rested nearby.
Two lionesses were seen hunting a red lechwe antelope at Last Mabala, but failed. The Kwara pride was again located northeast of Bat-eared Fox area, feeding on a buffalo early in the morning. We spent considerable time observing their feeding behaviour, and later, many hyenas attempted to outcompete the lions but were unsuccessful.
A pride of five females and one male was located at Bat-eared Fox along the floodplains, stalking wildebeest. However, baboons spoiled their hunt by making alarm calls from the trees.
More big cats spotted
A female leopard was seen resting atop a leadwood tree, keenly watching a kudu approaching but choosing not to make a move. A subadult male leopard was located east of Room 1 at Splash Camp with an impala kill, remarkably well hidden from other predators. A mating pair of leopards was observed south of Splash, crossing into an inaccessible island.
Further encounters included two male leopards of different ages engaging in a territorial dispute along Buffalo Road. The mating pair from earlier in the month was seen again near Impala and heading towards Machaba East. A relaxed male leopard was sighted atop a termite mound, providing a perfect opportunity for prolonged observation. That evening, a young female leopard sat perched on a sausage tree along the firebreak upon returning from a boat activity.
Later in May, a male leopard was located close to Kwara Camp during a night game drive. He was very relaxed as he moved towards the woodland from the marsh, marking his territory.
(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!)