Category: Lebala

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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An adult male leopard was located heading north from Lebala camp in the cool of the morning. The cat was looking very hungry, and after only ten minutes of us following him, he spotted a herd of impala. Sadly, the wind was not in his favour, and the impalas smelt the danger, fleeing in bounding leaps .

The same leopard was then seen again the next afternoon, having just killed a zebra foal. This male appears to have taken over from the resident male of the area, which we have not seen in some time. As the sun began to set, a single hyena approached the kill, and the leopard moved off for five minutes before returning. There was then a very unusual sighting of a hyena feeding at one end of the kill, and, not 50cm away, a leopard feeding at the other end! Neither seemed too bothered about the other!

A morning visit to the hyena den produced an unusual sighting of five adults and three young out of the den, resting in the shade. Since it was late morning, the cubs would normally have been hidden away in the depths of the den, but obviously sought some comfort from the presence of so many adults.

On the fifth, the pack of five wild dogs were located next to the Old Hippo Pools during the afternoon drive. They were actively hunting, and made several attempts on impalas and tsessebes with babies, but had no luck. The next day, the same pack were more successful, and we watched them hunt and co-ordinate to kill a steenbok. Towards the end of the month, the Lagoon pack of dogs paid us a visit – killing and feeding on a fully grown female kudu.

Its not only wild dogs that hunt in packs and work well as a team: three of our trackers spent an hour and a half tracking indistinct footprints of a solitary male cheetah that was hunting. Eventually, the tracking paid off, and the male was found – it was tricky to identify if this was the male from the two brothers, or from the coalition of three. He was fully grown and well fed!

Lions have also been active in the area, and although two big males were found sleeping in the already hot temperatures of late morning, they proved their reputation of laziness wrong when they both got up and started walking. One began to roar and mark his territory, obviously responding to something that was far to distant for us to hear.

The King of the Jungle – the lion. Such a mighty beast: capable of pulling down adult elephants if they work together. Imagine what can happen if you get eight of them working together to catch a …. Dwarf mongoose? Yes, that’s right. Something that is roughly the same size as a small squirrel. Sad to say – though not for the mongoose – eight lions simply couldn’t manage it. All of them were chasing round trying to be the first to catch the mongoose, banging into each other whilst doing so. Whilst they were busy banging heads, the mongoose made its escape, and the lions returned to their fierce-looking demeanour.

Although the breeding herds will start moving off now, the bull elephants will stay in the area. One bull ele was caught napping – literally. It’s tricky for elephants to lie down for any length of time as their body weight places a lot of strain on their internal organs. It’s not uncommon however, for them to lie at an angle along a termite mound. Obviously, one ele was deep in slumber and did not hear the vehicle approaching until too late, and then it was a quick jump to the feet, seeming to say, no, I was not napping!

Two of the smaller cats were seen on the 7^th – a shy African wildcat, who disappeared quickly off the path, and a strangely relaxed caracal, that eventually moved off into the bushes. Another wild cat was seen a few days later, this time with two kittens. But it was a very sad event, as a black mamba managed to kill one of the kittens, and the mother escaped with only one.

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Two male lions were found in the Twin Pools area stalking buffalo. When we first located them, only one male was visible, and he commenced roaring, calling to his colleague. This was very impressive, since he was sitting only 10 meters from the car! We followed them for about twenty minutes, and were rewarded with success as they managed to pull down a young buffalo, and keep the rest of the herd from pushing them away.

A few days later, the same two males killed another buffalo, this time during the night only 500m from the camp. When we found the kill in the morning, they were being hassled a lot by hyenas, but fiercely stood their ground.

These two males were seen regularly throughout the month – around 14 times. We also saw a few females with three sub adult cubs.

People often have misconceptions about the big King of the Jungle, but lions are not averse to grabbing food whenever they can get it, size is not an issue. Still, it is rather unsettling to see lions wander past, each carrying a baby warthog in their mouths – perhaps the equivalent of us having a hot dog for lunch?

A big male leopard killed a warthog and was feeding on it, whilst around 300m away, a female leopard managed to kill an impala. Two hyenas approached and managed to steal the kill from the female.

A female leopard with cub was also seen regularly in the Park area. Both mother and cub were very relaxed, and in good condition, providing good sightings for the guests. On one occasion, the hyenas hassled the pair when they managed to kill an impala in the area, before the female managed to get the impala up a tree. The hyenas stayed in the area for some time, hoping for ‘offcuts’.

The hyenas have also set up a new den close to Steven’s Pan. There are currently 7 youngsters there, of varying ages.

The three brother cheetahs, that appear sporadically and then venture out over the rest of the concession, moved back to the Lagoon area and spent four days in the area. Whilst they were here, they were seen killing an impala.

Although the Lagoon wild dog pack appears to have split into two packs – one of nine individuals and one of 5 individuals, they are still seem to rejoin together from time to time. At the beginning of the month, and then again on the 17^th & 19^th, all fourteen dogs were seen together, hunting and killing as a pack. When thy do separate, the pack of nine stays in the area closer to Lagoon, whilst the pack of five stays closer to Lebala!

General game in the area is excellent, with the big herds of buffalo looking for the best grazing, and the endless herds of elephants moving through the marsh areas. We also had a lovely sighting of a caracal this month.

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Another great month of viewing with the big predators being seen every day – sometimes four different species in a day: lion, leopard, cheetah, and wild dogs.

The three brother cheetahs made a few appearances in the Lebala region of the concession, before heading south-west. Although cheetahs were not seen much this month, the other cats featured well, with nearly every drive finding either a leopard, a lion or both! 

One morning drive a buffalo calf was found dead, but with nothing feeding on it. Returning to the same spot later that afternoon, a large male lion had taken up the opportunity of a free meal, and was working his way through the carcass. This resident male was seen regularly throughout the month. Later in the month, two young males were found eating two buffalos, that they had somehow managed to catch together.

The new generation of lions also made an appearance – four lionesses were located at Buffalo Pan, with four cubs. The lion activity in the Kwando concession is certainly giving plenty of variety! In the middle of the month, two male lions fought off another two at Kwena Lagoon, the winners remaining with the female lions that were nearby.

The Lagoon pack of wild dogs visited Lebala area throughout the month, killing kudu and impala. They were also seen chasing a group of warthog near the Baobab, and caught one, quickly dis-emboweling it and feeding. The very next morning the same pack of 14 was found eating an impala, when they were dispersed by hyenas. The hyenas made off with the scanty remains.

In addition to regular sightings of the pack of 14, a pack of four dogs was seen at Twin Pools, close to our boundary, attempting to hunt. This hunt was unsuccessful, but we hope to see this group again some time.

Towards the end of the month, the pack of fourteen dogs split into two – one pack of nine, and one pack of five. They spent almost a week apart, before rejoining once, and then splitting again. Both sections of the pack are covering very large distances, moving continually between Lagoon and Lebala areas.

The unusual sighting for this month was also a caracal. A relaxed female caracal was seen hunting along Sunset Pan. In addition, a serval cat was seen hunting, and a honey badger was found showing her young offspring how to search for food.

 

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Whatever happened to the leopards in Lagoon, it appears the ones in Lebala also attended the same conference. Leopard sightings proved excellent this month, with all of the sightings being relaxed, and some very unusual sightings also occurred.

One female that was seen several times with her cub, was also seen with her older cub – now approximately 18 months old. The mother had killed an impala, and hung that in a tree and the older cub was also seen in attendance. Sadly, a day or two later, returning to the same area, the mother and young cub had relocated, but surprisingly, the older cub was found dead on the ground, being covered by a hyena. No one is sure how the leopard died – perhaps baboons killed it, or even another male leopard that also passed through the area. However, the strangest thing was to see the hyena lying on the leopard, as if cuddling it. A dead impala was nearby at the base of a tree, but the hyena paid no attention to it.

Earlier in the month, guests also witnessed an unusual event whereby a leopard had the tables turned on it by a troop of baboons. When the baboons saw the leopard, they went into attack mode, and scuttled along the ground chasing the leopard. Since a baboon’s canines are similar in length to that of a lion, it was not a tough decision for the leopard to turn tail and run when severely out-numbered.

The northern pack of wild dogs have been seen several times in the area – sometimes in front of the camp hunting, and also making successful kills. With the dogs not having denned so far this year, they are covering huge territories, and moving between the two key game drive areas of the Kwando concession every few days.

At one point, towards the end of the month, five dogs split off from the Lagoon pack, for a few days. They were seen resting after having killed an impala, with a hyena, jackal, and two eagles all waiting at a slight distance to see if they could scavenge any remains.

Needless to say, with the slightly warmer weather, the elephants are out in full force, tramping through the camp every day, and moving in and out of the marshy area in front of the camp. There are lots of breeding herds, always watchful of who is around, and never stopping in one place for too long. Then there is the case of the elephant that is afraid of water. This is a tricky situation to be in if you are an elephant growing up in the northern part of Botswana, which has much of the land given over to marsh, floodplains and river channels. Every afternoon for several days running, the little elephant’s mother came down to the edge of the camp, and crossed the narrow channel that runs in front of the rooms, to graze on the other side. Each time, her baby stopped at the edge, and no amount of coaxing would get him to cross. Eventually, she moved across by herself 100m or so away from him. Torn between losing sight of mum, and the strange wet stuff he was being asked to wade through, he teetered too and fro on the edge, waiting for her to come back. A couple of times he plunged in, only to hotfoot it back to the bank, trunk and ears waving in contempt. One afternoon, his mother wandered out of sight on the other bank, and he let out a distress call. Within seconds, aunts, cousins and grandma were running across the floodplain, surrounding the little one with deep reassuring rumbles, concerned for his safety. His mother, remained unmoved, and continued grazing. It seems the grandmother had a few things to say about the parenting skills of the mother. One hopes that the warmer the weather gets, the more inviting the water will seem, and then hopefully the little elephant will be able to follow mum wherever she wanders.

The young male cheetahs have also been providing the camp with some good sightings, and two shy male lions have been seen several times. The fact that they are shy, indicates that they have come from deep in the wilderness, where it is not common to see cars. Hopefully, over time, they will get used to the cars, and relax when they are spotted on drive.

There was a lovely sighting one early evening of a honey badger digging for mice, with a baby honey badger keeping watch along side, and an even rarer sighting of an aardvark!

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