Category: Lebala

October, and the day time temperatures have soared… A road trip from Lagoon to Lebala camp was needed to transfer staff and the only time available was at the rather warm time of 1pm. Travelling in the middle of the day, you would not think you would see much as everything will be safely tucked up under a shady tree, waiting for the cooler late afternoon. Certainly, giraffe seem happy to stick to this rule, and sit down as close to the tree trunk as possible, which looks rather odd, and could easily lead to the creation of a myth regarding the large numbers of legless giraffes in Botswana. (Am sure there will be a charity starting up to support them as I write…). However, apart from the rather sedentary giraffe, there seems to be plenty out under the midday sun, apart from the mad dogs, and Englishmen. Take several hundred zebras for example, or fifty wildebeest, assorted groupings of warthog, several herds of elephant, an amazing grouping of sixty eland (doing what eland do best, and dashing off into the distance as fast as they can go) and two fat, overwhelming hot, freshly fed to the brim (“No, I cant manage one more mint wafer”) male lions. What everyone was doing out and about at this time of day still remains a mystery, but it was certainly a productive game drive! Pity the guests weren’t on it!

Still the guests didn’t do too badly themselves. Within the first four days of October, there had been three leopard sightings, 6 lion sightings (including a pride of ten, a pride of eight, and two males), one sighting of a pack of wild dogs and assorted hyenas, tons of elephant (but then you don’t have to leave camp to see that), buffalo, large groupings of giraffe (they had miraculously regained their legs), herds of zebra looking for somewhere to migrate to, and wildebeest frolicking as only wildebeest can.

Actually, the area immediately in front of camp is highly productive at the moment, with a herd of around 40 wildebeest, several reedbuck, a herd of red lechwe, five ground hornbills, and assorted elephants meandering through. Obviously word got around, as the two male lions took a wander through the area as well, but were not successful at hunting, as the grass is so short, everyone could see them coming.

The big pack of dogs (8 adults and 13 pups) spent the first couple of weeks in the Lagoon area, but came back through to Lebala again to hunt. They attempted to take down impala whilst we were watching, but did not manage it this time.

The pride of 8 lions killed a sable in the middle of the month, and twenty hyena clamoured around trying to get a piece of the action. The two male lions, which are resident in the area, have also been seen regularly.

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For the first two weeks of September, the wild dogs provided plenty of sightings for the Lebala guests, as they were still mostly around the den site. Later in the month, the puppies were old enough to become more mobile, and Lagoon benefited from a few visits from them – the first time in a few months. The pack also had a fight with a group of hyenas – everyone tussling over an impala kill, that the dogs had made, but that the hyenas wanted to grab.

Although there have been plenty of dogs around, the lions have certainly not been in short supply. A pride of ten, and two males, were seen regularly. They spent quite a bit of time following a buffalo herd, and were eventually rewarded with a lovely meal. A pride of eight lions were also found eating buffalo – not content with one, they had managed to kill four of them! A little later in the month, and appetites had changed somewhat, with the focus now being on zebra – the pride of eight bringing down two.

At the start of the month, leopards were seen almost daily, including a mother and a young cub, who were seen up in a tree feeding on an impala kill. A few days later, the same pair were again seen eating impala up a tree – this time safely anchored in a sausage tree. And another four days after that, the same mother was found having just caught another impala, and was dragging it up a tree – obviously she has found this is definitely the method to choose when keeping her meat safe from any other predators. Interestingly, another leopard was found feeding on a black backed jackal. Leopards will kill other predators – who they see as competitors in the food chain – but it is not very often that they feed on them.

One of the older female leopards also bumped into one of her daughters – they had long since separated. Female leopards have home ranges rather than territories –the difference being that ranges can overlap, where as a territory is actively defended – which tends to be more of the males forte. However, the old female was certainly not keen on having her daughter at close quarters, and there was a short spat between them. With the older leopard moving off, the game drive vehicle followed, and soon the same leopardess was venting her frustrations on a potentially equally dangerous animal – a honey badger! A risky business for both animals, as although the leopard is much larger – and with bigger teeth – badgers are known for their ferocious and “never give up” attitude. With loose skin that enables it almost to twist around inside of itself, it’s hard for any predator to catch a safe hold of it, and not have it suddenly bite the back of your neck. Both animals escaped unscathed… Definitely a grumpy day for mother leopard.

Two brother cheetahs were seen a few days this month including feeding on a baby kudu they had just killed. Close by, a clan of 15 hyenas hit the jackpot when they came across a dead elephant, and fed voraciously on it. The next day, hyenas also chased a female leopard off her kill, just after she had brought down an impala. Towards the end of the month, the hyenas either killed or came across a dead hippo, and again it was mass action as they all attempted to feed on it.

Lots of general game this month, with zebras, wildebeest, impala, giraffe and elephants seemingly everywhere! And the birds are starting to get ready for the summer season, with the swallows starting to build their mud nests, and bee-eaters flitting about. Lots of vultures in the area benefitting from the many kills made by predators – the vultures are a good indicator of a healthy environment.

More unusual sightings – a beautiful caracal, and close to the end of the month, two honey badgers were found digging for mice – a mother and young. The mother managed to catch a small rodent for the youngster. A lovely sighting!

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The pack of wild dogs have 13 puppies remaining, and this figure was stable through the past month, so there should be no more deaths other than from other predators. They have moved their den site a little west, along Fish Road. This is normal to move dens, as the den becomes infested with fleas, and can become too obvious for other predators to find. All dogs and puppies appear to be in good condition, and the adults are now trying for larger game than impala – such as sub-adult giraffe!

A fantastic tracking effort for about half an hour lead to a female leopard being found. She was very relaxed, and was in the process of hunting. We followed her for some time, but she had no success in her hunt. A little later in the month, we saw another female with a cub in the southern part of the concession. Both were relaxed. We also saw a female killing a reedbuck, and another female feeding on an impala. The males, this month, have been keeping a low profile, with only tracks seen of them.

A pride of nine lions killed a big male warthog and one male lion was feeding whilst the rest of the pride slept and rested under the shade. The pride of six has also been in the area of a long time, and there are also two male lions that are new to the area. These two males killed two fully grown buffalos in one day, and then two days later killed another one close to camp – rather excessive.

For those that live in the bush, baboons tend not to be a favourite animal…. For the people running camps, the baboons can be destructive, breaking into secure food bins, leaving rather stinky piles on tops of tents, pool decks, pathways, and usually ignoring any lady staff members attempts at chasing them out. For the animals in the bush, baboons can either be aggressors – they are quite adept at hunting and killing anything up to and including impala-sized prey – or simply a very noisy neighbour – as they alarm call continually when they spy any predator moving through an area. Suffice to say, baboons are not very well loved by anyone and anything. Tables were turned one day in August, when six lionesses came upon a troop of baboons. Suddenly, there were six lionesses bounding after them, and the baboons moving as fast as they could to get out of the way, up a tree or wherever. The sound effects of a group of screeching baboons is rather overwhelming….

Great viewing of breeding herds of elephants, and large herds of buffalo also around. Excellent birding, especially in the Southern part of the concession.

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After the confusion of June, with all females of the pack of eight dogs denning in the same area, there was soon a surplus of puppies…. In July, as they emerged, numbers couldn’t really be certain, as there were just too many, but appeared to be in excess of 20. Oddly, later in the month, the female dog who had appeared to be the most sub-ordinate one at the beginning of the denning, suddenly came out on top after a tussle between the other two females, and harassment from the rest of the pack. She was now left in charge of all the puppies, and had assumed the role of the Alpha female. With that number to care for, it was inevitable that the numbers had to be reduced. Likely, she killed the puppies that were not her own, but with the remaining pups, there is some disparity in sizes, so it may be that she has adopted a few from one of the other litters.

All the females apart from her are now hunting with the pack, and bringing back food and regurgitating for the alpha and the pups. Although it seems harsh that not all the litters can be raised, there is simply no way that the five males would be able to support three females each raising a litter. This gives them the best chance of having at least some of the pups making it to adult-hood.

Two strong male lions strode into the area, and by the middle of the month had come face to face with King, the resident male lion. A huge fight ensued – grown lions fighting is one of the most scary, aweinspiring scenes you can witness and the sound effects make the metal of the car hum and resonate! The two new boys managed to oust the King from his territory, so we shall see what the future holds for him!

A lovely sighting of a female leopard and her cub, feeding on a warthog kill, not too far from the camp. We also saw a relaxed male leopard, walking along close to Northern pan.

Later in the month we followed the same leopard as she walked along Elephant Road, for about half an hour. Suddenly, her young cub appeared in the bush, and the mother met up with it. The mother was very relaxed, and it was fantastic to be able to watch this. Later in the day, a big male leopard was located some distance away, also relaxed, and in very good condition.

Two male cheetahs were located near Wild Dog Pan, and we were able to follow them on their patrol for about an hour. As they got close to the airstrip, they could be seen stalking impalas, and they were successful in their hunt and managed to catch and kill an adult.

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June is the beginning of wild dog season – and what a strange way to begin! The pack of eight dogs, found a den about 30 minutes drive from Lebala, and set up two dens in termite mounds less than 50m from each other. One female occupied one den and the other two occupied the remaining den. All females gave birth, though one was harassed considerably by the other dogs, so it was impossible to tell if her puppies were killed straight away on birth. Either way, it was going to be a real struggle for the remaining five dogs to hunt and continue to feed the three females that stay at the den site, until the puppies are old enough to stay with one care-taker. On the last days of the month, eight puppies timidly emerged from the den site with the single female – we still wait to see what happens with the other females, and if any other puppies will survive.

A pride of nine lions (three adult females, three sub adult cubs and three four-month old cubs) were seen several times hunting warthog. This seems to be their speciality, but with this number of mouths to feed, they need to catch them often, or diversify from time to time with other prey species – they went to the other extreme on one occasion, when we found them feeding on a giraffe! Also this month were two new male lions to the area – we saw them following in the tracks a big male that was formerly resident in the area, who now seems to be moving away.

Also this month, excellent sightings of a female leopard with her cub not far from the camp. Other males and females were also seen during the month, continuing the good sightings from May.

The hyena den is active as ever, with three mothers with different aged cubs coming in and out, playing with each other. Another hyena was taking an opportunity to see what luck would bring by following a leopard on its way hunting…. Hoping either for some scraps, or if it was very lucky, then robbing the leopard of any kill that it would make.

Wonderful sighting of a large herd of buffalos with a big elephant herd at Twin Pools, drinking. They came out of the south, and moved together through to the north, looking like a migration.

Another day, and another pan and an exciting combination of animals all together! Dogs coming by to drink, buffalo doing the same, and a leopard running between the buffalos, much to their surprise, and disgust! The big bull buffalos chased the leopard out of the way, who high-tailed it out!

A lucky day for a leopard, when he managed to hunt successfully – but unlucky, when the kill was snatched away by the pack of dogs! Dogs have a reputation of being superb killers – but they are not averse to snatching a free meal when one is available!

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Two male lions took on a fairly formidable foe in the form of a herd of eland. The largest antelope in Africa, these huge animals could easily kill a lion with one well-placed aim of a hoof. Luckily for both parties, the prey proved too alert, as the wind blew the scent of the lions towards the eland, they departed at speed.

A very interesting interaction with leopard, hyenas and wild dogs. With the female leopard doing all the hard work, she managed to kill an adult male impala. Too big for her to carry it up into the safety of a tree, she could not protect her meal against the arrival of a pack of wild dogs, and two hyenas. Losing the kill, she sprinted off to safety, whilst the dogs and the hyenas tussled over the remains.

Two female wild dogs were seen running through the camp, looking for the rest of the pack. A group of five adult dogs had been seen in the area the day prior. This smaller pack was seen twice this month, with the bigger pack of 8 found ten times.

When guests arrive on safari, many of them say that they want to see a kill. Managers and guides nod knowingly, and say things like ‘Well, we’ll see. It’s quite rare to see.” The reason that they are nodding knowingly, is not because they know how rare it is to see, but that they know how most people, when a kill is put in front of them, really don’t want to see it. Or, more to the point, hear it. Many are the times when those guests most keen to see it, have been left in tears, and asked to leave. What you see on National Geographic documentaries, is highly edited. It is tamed down, sounds stripped away, and trimmed down to usually a couple of minutes. Real life, is not like that. Some guests discovered that when the pack of eight dogs came upon a warthog and proceeded to kill it. Bearing in mind that an animal being killed by wild dogs is actually one of the fastest processes, compared to say, lions killing something, it is still exceptionally distressing. And the screams of a warthog, are amongst the most bone-chilling on the planet. So, just bear that in mind when you ask to see a kill…you might not like what you see/hear/smell.

And speaking of kills, a big male lion spent several days feasting on a buffalo that it had killed. About three days after the kill, the lion left, satiated, and eight hyenas moved in to giggle and fuss and crunch over the remaining bones. Two lionesses and three cubs were also seen in the Twin Pools area, cubs playing whilst the mothers relaxed. A little later, they managed to kill a giraffe, providing a huge amount of food for the two lionesses, and little cubs.

Sadly, no sign of the cheetahs in the concession this month – off on their far reaching travels yet again.

An unusual sighting this month was of an aardwolf – an animal that looks somewhat like a hyena, but eats only termites!

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The beginning of the month at Lebala, and excellent predator sightings with wild dog, leopard, hyena and cheetah being spotted. Two leopards were seen in the Sebokoboko, in excellent condition, hunting warthog. Very unusual to see leopards together. Another day we found a female leopard relaxing in the boughs of a sausage tree. She soon clambered down and began hunting the guinea fowl who were clucking around the nearby bushes. And it was not even necessary to leave the camp to see leopards – another relaxed female spent a day in the trees at the staff village, hunting the vervet monkeys that were around the camp.

We also had great wild dog sightings – the pack of eight managed to kill a warthog, which we witnessed from the beginning to the – very fast – end. All dogs fed together on the kill, free of the bickering that occurs when other species attempt hunt and then eat together. On the 21^st March, we tracked and located the pack of 8 dogs resting at Twin Pools. Shortly after locating that pack, we found another pack of four males in the same area! Perhaps following the first pack in the hope of good hunting, or the chance of joining them? The good news is that the alpha pair of the pack of 8 have been seen mating several days during the month, so we are hoping for a successful litter of pups this year.

The second week of March had rain on most days, and all animals looked for drier spots, bringing their young ones with. It was a good bonding time, as well as play time, for the baby giraffes, wildebeest, zebra and even hippos.

In spite of the rains, we still had some lovely sightings, including that of a male leopard, who in the early evening was found in a tree, scanning and scenting the area. He then dropped to the ground to pose for pictures, leaving guests speechless with admiration.

We are lucky to have an active hyena den at the moment, and have had good views of a hyena with her two young cubs that are homed there until they become big and fast enough to elude predators themselves.

The breeding herds of elephants continue to dot the landscape, moving through the grasses which are as tall as their young in some areas. Junior rushes to keep up, occasionally losing sight of mum’s tail, and trumpeting in alarm as he quickens his pace. Even the roads to the camp are sometimes ‘covered’ in elephants, and before you know it, you are in the middle of a quiet elephant herd, that is spending the time feeding. Unbothered adults look on, as youngsters display their bravado and mock charge a vehicle that is four times as big as them. In other groups, concerned aunts shoo the youngsters away from the vehicle, and herd the family off into the deeper grasses.

One thing that is noticeable with elephants, is their love of baobab trees. One particular tree – always referred to in capitals! – has been a landmark in the area for longer than can be remembered. In recent months, however, its large three-branched trunks have slowly been chewed away, and now only one main trunk remains. The trunk has been completely ring-barked – not necessarily a fatal problem in a baobab – but the elephants have chewed deep into the trunk – leaving it looking rather like a corn cob that has been gnawed by a giant mouse. It is now in danger of toppling over, probably in the next few months, if not weeks. And soon after that, there will be nothing to indicate that The Baobab that has stood for hundreds of years was ever in existence – just a road that takes an unusual bend around a seemingly open space.

Any visitor to Lebala will have seen the lesser striped swallow nests that line our thatched roofs in the main area. Even if they have not been in the right season to see the birds themselves making the nests, the mud nest usually remains. Even if the empty nests fall down during the year, the returning swallows will build them in exactly the same place a few months later, so the camp staff try to leave them where they are. Perhaps word has got around in the avian world, that nest building is not interfered with at Lebala camp, for another species has recently decided to make the bar home for the next generation. Brown waxbills have made a lovely, if somewhat ‘sunny’ nest, in the lamp shade that overhangs the bar. Perhaps the extra hours of light act as an incubator for the eggs and encourage growth? It will be interesting to see if we end up with chicks twice the size of the parents….

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A wildebeest carcass was discovered, still intact, near Normans Pan. The only

predator at the sight was a single hyena, who was acting restlessly. It was assumed the predator that killed the wildebeest was pushed off the carcass by this big female, but no evidence was found relating to the hunter.

Yet another hyena proved that they are able to hunt for themselves, and with great success. She determinedly pushed the limits of a mother elephant until she was able to separate the baby elephant (aged about 3-4 weeks) from the mother, and managed to kill it. The strength, and courage of the hyena to take on such an animal on its own, is mind-boggling.

Although the grass is twice as high as the magnificent wild dogs, sightings remained frequent. We did not see so many kills, but the interaction of the dogs was wonderful to witness. Both the pack of 8 (5 adult females and 3 adult males) and the pack of 5 (four males, one female) were seen with individuals mating – the promise of new life in a few months time. Last year, with the large Lagoon pack splitting, and the Southern pack losing it’s Alpha male and female, none of the packs had any offspring. This should be an interesting year for the new combination of dogs!

A relaxed female leopard was seen several times this month, once resting on a dead tree after we stopped for sundowners. She then began to hunt for prey along the marshes. Later in the month, leopards were making regular sightings, and one male was found feeding on an ostrich. One can only imagine the hunt and chase that must have occurred to bring down this unwieldy bird!

Huge numbers of elephants are now in the area – some herds which combine to form larger groupings are in their hundreds, moving through with their young, feasting on the wide variety of vegetation and plentiful water. The numbers will only increase as we move towards the drier winter section.

Speaking of water, at this stage, the plentiful rain fall has created pans and channels where none existed before. Going out on game drive one morning, the road passed a small pan which holds a variety of small wildlife such a frogs and water birds. The next day, heading along the same road, the pan had eased over the road itself, and the pan had enlarged so much, that the game drive vehicle had to drive along the road through nearly a metre of water, with 7 disgruntled hippos and a crocodile floating alongside! Some of the water is collecting in areas our most experienced trackers and guides who have been in the area for over a decade, have never seen. Other areas remain obstinately dry, so there is always a good variety of routes to choose from.

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The first was a lucky day for a leopard that managed to catch a young tsessebe and take it up a tree to feed on. Sadly for the mother, she wandered around the area calling to her baby, but with no answer.

The pack of eight dogs meant business when they came across an adult warthog in their travels. Intent on hunting it, they chased the warthog, who quickly made his escape down a hole in the ground. Backing in, and then facing out to meet the dogs, the warthog made a successfully ferocious stand, and the dogs realised he was too aggressive a prey to deal with that day!

A most unusual sighting on the night drive one evening, with an even more surprising out come: for some reason, a honey badger and an aardwolf (an animal that looks a little like a small hyena, but eats only ants and termites!) took a dislike to each other and began to fight. What is even stranger, is that the honey badger – one of the most aggressive smaller animals that will happily face off with a leopard – appeared to be the loser of the party, but not before leaving a very pungent stink in the vicinity!

And hundreds of elands were also seen in Lebala area! This phenomenally shy antelope is occasionally seen in small herds, but the summer rains have brought them out in large numbers, gathering together to feed on the grass. Still shy, we have to keep a large distance between us, in order to view them.

The large amounts of rain that began the month, although life-giving to many animals, created an unfortunate situation for a herd of elephants. We came across a large pack of hyenas that were feeding on a baby elephant, that had died some time before, as a result of being stuck in the mud. No doubt that its herd had tried their utmost to free the baby, but it had tired and died. The adult elephants would have remained in the area after the baby died, and the hyenas would not have been able to feast until they had moved off.

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General predators are diverse, with wild dogs, hyenas, leopard and cheetahs all frequently seen. Currently there are two male lions which are doing very well, moving around their territory, going from Twin Pools to Wild Dog Pan in the north. They are hunting warthog and wildebeest, in particular, and although we have not witnessed the actually hunt, we saw them feeding on this prey many times this month.

The wild dog sightings have been regular this month, including an amazing sighting seeing them hunting and following them through the open plains as they chase and kill impala. One day, we were lucky enough to see three different packs of wild dogs!

The hyena den is also active, with one female being seen often with her two young cubs.

This far north, the antelope young were already out and about in early December, with all the impala, wildebeest and tsessebe young arriving at around the same time. The breeding herds of elephants are still around this early in the month.

The heavy rainfalls at the end of the month did not deter the guests from heading out on game drives. Luckily, the rain seemed to limit itself to non-game drive hours, so only one drive had to be abandoned due to a downpour. Although the guests have a nice relatively dry home to return to, the animals have no such luck, and provided some good sightings for everyone. Two different dog packs were seen several times during the end of the month, the Lagoon pack and the smaller pack of five individuals. Both packs were seen feeding, though the cars were unable to see the actual kill. The two male lions also decided to stroll through the Lebala area, much to the delight of the guests who had only seen female lions up until this point. And a wait at the airstrip for a flight delayed due to rain was more than worth it, when a leopard was found nearby feeding on a young wildebeest he had lodged in a tree.

But of any animal at Lebala, the month of December really belongs to George. There are probably not many hippos in the world named George, but Lebala has one. George spent much of the month parked in the channel in front of the main area and pool. The hippo equivalent of a midnight snack, he would often sneak out of the water in mid-afternoon for a few bites of luscious grass and a quick look at the guests, ironically wallowing in the swimming pool. Late afternoons he could be seen wandering (submerged) along the channel, an ominous V-formation ripple spreading out along the surface of the water, ducking under the walkway, occasionally surfacing just as guests were arriving over the bridge… Afternoon tea seemed to be the time when his closest male neighbour took offence to his exclusive position, and several times launched a surprise attack on George from under the bridge. Both hippos would launch out of the water, and a quick chase around the floodplain at 40km per hour, and the discussion would be settled, with George returning to his prime position.

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