Category: Kwara

 

This month was lion month – with lions being seen every day in the Kwara concession apart from five days. And the lions certainly made it a little tricky to get up and get to breakfast some mornings in the camps: a honeymoon couple (of lions, that is) picked the vicinity of the honeymoon tent at Kwara to spend a few romantic hours, before moving slowly off towards the airstrip. In the space of three days they had only covered the distance from the camp to the far side of the airstrip – too busy ‘in love’ to move any further.

Another morning, three male lions had set up a picnic breakfast just near room 4, much to the alarm of the guests in camp. Luckily, content with their satisfying meal of impala al fresco, they were not bothered by the humans being ushered to a safe viewing point.

Leopards were a little scarce on the sightings this month – perhaps with the pre dominance of lions in the area. However, there were still the odd sighting, such as that of a very relaxed male resting in a jackal berry tree. Four of the intruder lions had also interrupted a male and female leopard that were together. The female ran, but he male shot up a nearby tree – right to the very top!! He stayed there for at least a day, with the lions relaxing below.

The cheetahs – two adult males – were seen quite often through the month, usually for periods of several days at a time. They appear to be favouring the Splash area, where there is plentiful prey species, and were witnessed hunting impala successfully.

The wild dogs, like the lions, have provided wonderful sightings, with the pack of 11 adults and 10 puppies being seen almost every day in the first two weeks of the month. All of the puppies are relaxed around the vehicles, following in the footsteps of the older adult members. Still a little too young to participate in the hunts directly, they try to keep up with the adults and be quick on the scene of a kill. Any prey hunted has as much interest for them as a toy as it does food, so it is common to see them having tugs of war with each other for bits of skin, impala tails, and some times even rugby tussles over who gets to carry the head around. Rather gruesome, but all part of a learning curve for the youngsters.

With a pack that large, there is always interesting interaction between them and the hyenas, who are ever present, in the hope of snatching away a kill unexpectedly. This only happens on occasions where the hyenas number close to the number of adult dogs, and even so, the dogs are normally quick enough to have had a feed off their kill before it is snatched away from them. They do have to be careful, as the hyenas would also try to attack the puppies, if they were given the opportunity.

Other interesting sightings this month included the arrival of the carmine bee-eaters and other migratory birds, several good sightings of the smaller predators such as civet and serval, and an excellent sighting of an aardvark! The mokoro trips were also unusual in that several baby crocodiles were seen on the trips – something not often witnessed from a mokoro! Night drives produced the usual array of bush babies, spring hares, and the odd genet or two.

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Morning drives were reaching ridiculous proportions this month, with some guest’s ticking off hyena, lion, wild dog packs x 2, wild dog puppies and all the general game before a good brunch at 11am. Add a sprinkling of cheetahs and the odd leopard, and people were starting to wonder if they hadn’t just arrived at some kind of zoo.

It was all 100% natural though, and was the result of hard work paying off from the trackers and guides, who spent the time following the animals’ footprints and finding even the most elusive of animals.

There were a few surprises thrown in this month – the resident pack of dogs is still going strong with all 10 puppies alive and well, but on the 8^th of August, another group of dogs was spotted. The pack size was a total of 7 adults, and we could not recognize the pack members as any we had seen before, so where they had come from no one knows. Around the middle of the month, the puppies were big enough to leave the den, and follow the adults, but sightings have still been good with them being seen fairly regularly.

Lions were seen almost every day, mostly doing what lions do best – resting – but we were also lucky enough to see the four intruding males take on two resident males, in a tussle over territory.

A sudden change in the temperature to a high of 32 degrees C – early in the season – brought with it an early fire to the east of Kwara. Because of the little rain that occurred in the previous rainy season, most grass is very dry already, but it is also quite short, making it a little easier to fight the fires. Still, it is early for bushfires, and rumours abound that the rainy season will make its entrance a little earlier this year, perhaps to make up for the dry times last season.

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Wonderful game this month, with great predator sightings of lions, cheetahs, leopards, and the dogs.

The three adult cheetahs are generally found every two days. The guiding team is now familiar with their pattern of movement, so we have had good success in tracking them down. At one point, one of the cheetahs has an injured leg and was limping badly.

The leopard commonly known as Ramasedi was watched for over an hour one day as he carefully stalked some greater kudu. The wind direction was to his advantage, but the prey species adrenalin was high at all times, as they seemed to sense something was near. They continued to move every time the leopard got a little closer. Eventually, Ramasedi moved off, in search of less alert prey.

A mating pair of lions was located for a few days close to the western side of the concession. Another male was located to the east of the Splash area. Lions walked through the camps on several occasions, producing loud roars in the middle of the night, that resonate through the canvas walls!

The last day of June produced a litter of puppies at the wild dog den. Although 11 were initially counted, only 10 can now be seen, with the 12 adult dogs. The puppies are growing fast, and each day, they get more and more curious about their habitat. The adult dogs do hunting forays, and return to the den to provide food for the alpha female that stays with the pups, and snips of food for the puppies as well, as they learn to eat meat, and not just suckle. This has provided some wonderful sights, and the dogs have also been busy defending their dens site from wandering hyenas, who given a chance, would kill the puppies. Twice we have seen dogs attacking hyenas in the area, and there was even a fight between the dogs and one of the three cheetah brothers.

This year seems to be a good year for elephants, with a lot more of them appearing in the area than previous years. This may be due to the flood waters not being as high in the three prior years, so they are making use of the wooded areas and the permanent water in Kwara. Breeding herds are normally shy of game drive vehicles in the area, but several relaxed herds have been seen this month.

Elephants, as you may be aware, are rather large creatures. However, they appear to have some connection to an alternate universe, as their bodies can apparently go through spaces that are far too small. Coming to dinner one night, a big bull elephant was wedged between the curio shop and the main stair case railing, hoovering up some jackalberries with his trunk. Measuring the distance the next morning, we discovered it is less than 50cm, so how something that is several meters in width can squeeze himself in, remains to be one of life’s little mysteries. Just like why you never see a baby baobab tree, and why a leopard can seem to materialize only when it wishes to be seen, even if every one has been looking in exactly the same spot for 10 minutes.

Flood waters are continuing to drop throughout the Delta, as if three years of large floods has made everyone complacent. We are returning to the more normal situation of watching the water ebb, as the winter progresses. However, late in July, the Kwara area received a second ‘push’ of water, as the ever unpredictable waters cut through new channels as it recedes in other areas.

 

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Luckily, after last month’s incident of a lion eating an aardvark, the aardvark numbers still seem to be survivable, as there was another sighting this month, this time of two together!

The end of May saw three male lions close to our boundary with Shindi, feeding on a hippo. A large kill (unclear whether the lions killed it, or it died of other natural causes), this provided good sightings of lions feeding into early June. A fourth male also joined them after a day.

On the first of June, three cheetah cubs were found near Bat Eared Fox Den, hunkered down under a small bush. The mother could not be seen anywhere, but she had probably gone hunting and left her cubs, instinctively knowing they must not move around, and to hide at any sign of danger. Later the same day, and the next, the three adult cheetah were found in the Tsum Tsum area, hunting – unsuccessfully as far as we could see. In fact, cheetahs were seen almost every day from the middle of the month.

The wild dogs decided to den in roughly the same area as last year, and in the last few days of June, we were able to count a total of 11 puppies. The puppies are only coming out briefly from the den when the alpha female calls them to suckle, but they will become more and more adventurous as time progresses and they learn about their environment. The adult dogs decided to use their environment and ease with humans to their advantage one day, and continued a hunt right through the Kwara camps!

Viewing from the boat was excellent this month, with one boat trip having sightings of sitatunga and two otters – both rare events!

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It’s the magical hour – the hour before dawn, when animals that made it the night start to feel a little at ease, and when the predators seem to find the air at its coolest and it’s the best time to move. Guests are sleeping peacefully, the early morning call from their guide still a few minutes away. Perhaps a few of them are awake already, listening to the early morning sounds: the rustle of the impala moving next to the rooms, the alarm call snort of one impala that has spotted something that is making a move at this early hour, the pandemonium of rushing hoofs as the herd begins to move at pace to escape, and the metallic “thunk” of the… actually, what WAS that? In a scene reminiscent of a Tom and Jerry cartoon, the speeding impala, rushing away from the lions that had decided to take a stroll through camp, dashed through the workshop. One impala was unable to hit the brakes in time and slammed into a parked car. Leaving a few tufts of hair, and some fancy footwork in the sand (skidding hooves…) The impala managed to live another day.

One of the rarest animal sightings a visitor can have is of an aardvark. Sadly, these sightings are now even rarer, as an early morning game drive discovered a male lion breakfasting on one. It was probably a fairly easy catch for a lion, if the aardvark didn’t make it to his hole in time. On a protein-rich diet solely of termites, it was obviously tasty for the lion. Three cheetahs, later the same morning, had a rather more conventional choice of diet, and managed to catch an impala for brunch, with the hunt witnessed from beginning to end.

There was definitely something missing from the lions diet this month, as they ventured into the odder delicacies – three lionesses were found fighting with a pangolin, trying to kill it. Luckily for the pangolin, they couldn’t quite figure out how to make this particular kill, and they ended by giving up and walking away in search of something that was a little more accessible, and didn’t require a can opener.

It is jackalberry season, and it’s a race as to who can eat them all before they disappear. It’s a pretty strong competition, with entrants including elephants, baboons, monkeys, squirrels and humans. The huge jackalberry trees that dot the camps don’t all give fruit, but the ones that do are checked daily to see if the ripened fruit has fallen. The small, yellow-beige fruits taste a little like raisins. Of course, if you are an elephant you want to eat a LOT more of them than a squirrel, so there is some sense of priority. It’s when those tricky people have built their camp – and decks – around the trees, and the smell is just too tantalising… well what is an elephant to do but lean and stretch as far as he can? I am sure those people can just hammer that pole back in to the deck tomorrow…

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Dogs are getting very confusing, with the resident pack of 11 still being seen regularly, but with occasional sightings of one pack of 8 dogs (two pale male dogs, and one pale alpha female, and five sub adults) as well as another small grouping of two tawny coloured male dogs, and one dark female. The resident pack are running between their previous dens, inspecting the area. The alpha female does not look pregnant as yet, but the alpha male is sticking close to her.

Two young male lions from the Solo pride have taken several opportunities to fight the large male lions this month – as the young lions have matured, it appears they do not want to leave their natal area, and are prepared to take on lions bigger than themselves to make that point clear. They have been moving back and forth through the territory, trying to establish it for there own, even trying to force the other lions off kills. These aggressive two young males have perhaps resulted in six of the males from the ‘magnificent seven’ being seen together several times this month – a great thing to be able to see. The four intruder males have not been seen this month, but are probably around the Shindi area, as we can hear roaring from that direction quite often. In addition, the female lioness from the Splash pride looks as though she is nursing – the cubs have yet to be found, and are hidden away somewhere in the north eastern side of the area.

Three male cheetahs are spending a lot of time in the Splash area – providing excellent sightings most days (seen for 13 days out of 16 days!) – and they have yet to move back to the Tsum Tsum area. They were found with several different kills, after which they generally find time to relax and ‘unwind’ for a while. There was a spectacular sighting this month where the three cheetahs and pack of wild dogs met shortly after the wild dogs had made a kill. It’s unusual for cheetahs to come up against a predator that is lighter than themselves, and the back up of there being three of them gave them an extra bravado. A stand off occurred, but both sets of animals were unwilling to risk injury by a direct altercation.

This month we also saw some lovely herds of elephant – around 30 individuals in number – and a group of 70 zebras, including 10 young, that were seen out in the open grazing areas of Splash. Other unusual sightings included a serval cat, and a porcupine.

One of the normally rarest sightings in the Delta, proved to be not so rare, when five different boat drives managed to see a sitatunga! Add to that, a special sighting of an otter – these animals inhabit the waterways, but are very rare to see.

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A young male leopard has appeared recently that we think has chased out our resident male, who was getting very old. This young male is seen often between Kwara Island and Splash area, but is very shy with the cars. Recently he has begun calling – the deep throaty cough of an adult male leopard – around the camp – an indication that he feels unthreatened and has therefore ousted any potential competition. It is hoped in the long term, he will become more relaxed as he frequents the area and perceives no threat from the vehicles.

The three adult cheetahs were seen often in the areas around Splash, attempting hunts regularly. They were very photogenic as well, lying conveniently on top of a termite mound, basking in the sun.

The pack of eight dogs were seen regularly this month, on kills, resting and playing. On the 19^th of March, two dogs were seen mating, so lets hope in early June they decide to den in the Kwara area where they have spent more than a year now.

The two sub-adult male lions have broken off from the Solo Pride for the time being and were seen on many occasions fighting some of the members of the “seven brothers”, who are probably their fathers and uncles. They moved around, dominating some of the kills which were made by their sisters. Three of the lionesses managed to kill a giraffe, which provided food for them and their brothers for several days. Taking a break from the exhausting business of stuffing as much meat in as possible, the lionesses took a drink at one of the nearby pans, and then played around the water.

Lots of general game in the area, including zebras, large journeys (groups) of giraffes, tsessebes and the ubiquitous impala. Elephants move through the groupings of animals, from tree island to tree island, feeding on the large variety of plantlife available. This will probably be the last month of such a variety, as many of the grasses are drying up as the rains have all but stopped. A different type of lushness will arrive as the flood waters arrive from Angola – the increasing waters will be here soon.

Rarest sighting this month: a Pel’s fishing owl whilst out on the boat.

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The beginning of February brought a variety of predators, with the lions being seen every day in the first week, as well as cheetahs, jackals and hyenas being seen several times. The coalition of three male cheetahs spent the time in the area around Splash camp, alternately resting, and then trying to stalk impala, using the tall grass that has grown as result of last months rain, for cover.

Towards the end of the month, the cheetahs were seen moving back and forth in the Splash area, looking as though they wanted to move towards Tsum Tsum. This area is flooded however, and not a good environment for animals that depend largely on open grassy plains to hunt. There was an amazing sighting of them fighting with a leopard, three against one, forcing the leopard to retreat up a tree, in spite of being the heavier cat.  

Plenty of elephants were seen throughout the concession, feeding on a variety of vegetation, and having mud baths to relieve the heat from the hot sun and clear blue skies.

The four male lions – named ‘The Intruders’ – appear to have settled well into the territory previously occupied by the ‘Magnificent Seven’ male lions. Former members of the seven have been seen far into the eastern side of the concession.. However, the single nomadic female seen often near Splash has been spending a lot of time in the same area, so she will possibly be having a litter of cubs later in the year. She will need to defend these cubs well, if they are not fathered by one of the Intruders. The four males , make their presence felt, regularly being seen in and around the airstrip, and camp areas 

General game is looking in good condition, with water and abundant vegetation for everyone to browse on. Zebras and giraffes are found on many of the open plains, and red lechwes bound across the shallow waters, using it to their advantage to escape potential threats.

 

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January had lion sightings almost every day, including regular sightings of the Solo pride, (two males and four females). One of the females has two young cubs. We’ve also seen mating lions this month, so hopefully in a couple of months time, there will be even more cubs in the area!

Hyenas were also seen – both on drive and in camp! A pair of eyes glowing back at you as you are walked to your room, gives everyone a start, but they turn and move off with that easily-recognisable loping gait of a hyena. Out on drive, one car also came across four hyenas having an intense fight. After the fight, one of the hyenas had a broken leg, and the three other hyenas left him. It’s going to be a very harsh, short life too for that hyena, as it is essential that the hyena can hunt for him/herself, in order to survive.

Lots of general game throughout the concession, with large herds of zebra in the Splash area in particular, and many groups of giraffe dotted everywhere. One afternoon game drive found five giraffe sitting down together – an unusual sighting, and once they realised that we were watching, they clambered to their feet.

On the 7^th January, three cheetahs were found to be hunting. The guests were lucky enough to see them chase and catch a tssesebe in front of the car. The cheetahs were seen several other times during the month.

The wild dogs were also fit and well, with the pack of eleven seen most often. They caught impala regularly, and with the odd variation in their diet of other young antelope. In addition, an adult female and two male dogs were found in the Splash area. They also had luck with their hunt, and were feasting on a young impala. Towards the end of the month, the pack numbered eight adults and five pups, so it’s likely the dogs are just hunting in different areas, separating for a little while before rejoining the main group.

Sometimes, a guest takes the time to write about what he or she has seen, rather than the guides filling out the sightings book. Here an extract from an anonymous guest, that sums up a couple of days at Kwara:

“We stayed for two days and had brilliant sightings. Day 1 – three cheetah brothers set up a fantastic and successful kill. Saw vultures attacking a baby zebra carcass. Caught three male intruder lions marking new territory. Saw a beautiful female lioness devouring a baby warthog. Had evening tea with more than 30 hippos basking in water with a beautiful sunset on one side and the rising moon on the other.”

Other great sightings this month included guests who recorded 95 bird species in the three days they were at Kwara, and a very rare sighting of a sitatunga antelope whilst out on the boat.

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