Botswana Safari, Okavango Delta

Lebala March 2014

Published March 28, 2014 by Kwando Safaris

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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Tau Pan February 2014

Published February 28, 2014 by Kwando Safaris

After the odd beginning to January of several days of rain, the rain in the Kalahari has returned to its more normal behaviour of large thunderclouds building up in the afternoon, and the hint of rain falling somewhere. The cloudbursts are extremely localised, so its very hit and miss as to whether any falls nearby, but they make for spectacular visual effects.

The odd rainfall continues to keep some of the pans with enough water to sustain animals in a variety of the areas, without them needing to come to the camp waterhole to drink. This has not cut down on the predator sightings, however, and our regular lion sightings still abound – with the Tau Pan pride members forming the core of the viewing. The pride ‘youngsters’ – the equivalent of rowdy teenagers – have been witnessed on attempted hunts several times, but have still not developed all the skill and strategy that comes with age. They are having some successes – they always look well-fed and healthy after all! – and were found one morning in early Feb feeding on an oryx.

Several leopard sightings were recorded this month, with a relaxed male that is known to frequent the area being found close to Tau Pan drinking water, and then resting on the road, providing excellent viewing to all in the car. A couple of days later the same leopard was found resting under a bush. Two Kori bustards were walking towards the leopard, and as he went to attack them, they took off as fast as they could, battling against their weight. The heaviest flying bird in Africa, they did well to escape the agile leopard!

With the lions around Tau Pan, the cheetahs that frequent the area have to keep a watchful eye out for them, to ensure that they keep a safe distance. One cheetah cub had to learn fast that its not just lions that he needs to look out for, when he and his mother were walking from the Pan through to the woodlands. The cub began chasing oryx that were standing watching them, perhaps for a bit of practice, probably for a bit of fun. The tables were quickly turned, when the oryx decided they had had enough of this cheeky upstart, and began chasing the cub. The cub was forced up a tree for safety, whilst the mother looked on!

Even with the rain fall, and the additional pans with water, Tau Pan water hole itself appears to be a popular choice for drinking, with one morning a lion, a cheetah and a leopard being seen in its close vicinity – naturally, not all a the same time!

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Nxai Pan February 2014

Published February 28, 2014 by Kwando Safaris

We drove off from the camp to see what the day would bring – hoping to see a predator somewhere amongst the large number of preys species that are in the area at the moment. As we were driving on the western edge of the pan, we saw one cheetah that was hunting. We drove closer to see what it was stalking. The cheetah trotted slowly towards a group of three impalas when something spooked the antelope and they bolted away, raising clouds of dust. When the dust settled, we saw that there were now two cats in front of impala. The cheetahs wheeled around, running into the path of the impala. One of the cheetah picked his target and at full speed launched himself at the running animal, and with his right claws hooked into the shoulder. He struck its rump whit his other paw to try to bring it down, but the impala was not about to give up. The other cheetah now attacked it from behind, using both front paws on the impala’s rump in an effort to overpower it’s prey. Wrested to the ground, the finally managed to kill the impala by throttling it for about ten to fifteen minutes.

Tails, however, were literally turned on another morning drive, when we came upon a chase happening across the Middle Road Loop – a large male lion was chasing a cheetah! With little hope of actually catching the cheetah, the lion was probably just hoping to chase him out of the immediate area, as he is viewed as a competitor for the same prey species.

The peak of the zebra migration in February, and they are surely exceeding the 10,000 mark. Far outnumbering the usually more prolific springbok, the zebras are at almost every corner you turn, moving too and fro from the open plains to the shelter of the trees, and the many watering holes that are collecting the rain water. Soon, it will be time for them to move on, with still several hundred choosing to ‘winter-over’ in Nxai Pan, the vast majority moving closer to the Delta, or down into the Makgadigadi region.

If you have ever felt the need to get near enough to a some raptors to tell the difference between a Steppe buzzard and a yellow billed kite, this is the time of year! The yellow-billed kites, in their hundreds, far out number the buzzards, and both species are sharing the feast of insects and frogs with the Abdims storks. The kites again and again swoop close to the termite mounds to snatch a meal on the wing as the termites fly out of their homes on a once a year flight to try and find mates. The kites target a termite, make a few quick adjustments of ‘flaps and rudders’, seize the prey in its talons and the passes it to its beak. At these times, you hear only the occasional chirp of a cicada, and the constant swishing of wing beats through the air. Now and then there is a louder swish as two kites go for the same termite and their wings touch – but never a collision.

We also had a surprise visit at the end of the month, with three wild dogs being seen along Middle Road, chasing springbok. We were able to watch them for some time, but they did not make a kill, and eventually moved away.

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Lebala February 2014

Published February 28, 2014 by Kwando Safaris

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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Lagoon February 2014

Published February 28, 2014 by Kwando Safaris

Early Feb and the lion cubs are about 5 or 6 weeks old. They still only go about a metre or so from their hiding place, as their legs are still wobbly and they spend a lot of time falling over each other, or just falling over their large milk-filled stomachs which do appear to get in the way a lot! A conveniently placed tree provides a good place to exercise their front legs, and they try to put their claws in the trunk and pull themselves off. They show signs of perhaps growing up vegetarian, by trying to chew on the trunk as well, as their teeth grow. They don’t really have the curiousness as yet that will soon be upon them, content with their own small play area. Another couple of weeks, and curiousity will kick in, making life for mother lion a little more tiring as everything becomes a plaything.

In mid Feb, the lioness moved the den, in order to safeguard her offspring from intruder males. She was located about 2km away from her original den, and was seen hunting zebra. By now, we were also able to make a clearer identification on the sexes of the cubs – one female and two males.

Leopards are normally hard to come by in the green season, with longer grass, it’s tricky to see them unless they are in a tree, or on the road. So it was a great afternoon drive when not one but two leopards were found in close proximity to each other. As luck would have it, each time a leopard has been found recently, some of the guests were out on the boat. The guides with the leopards always radio to see if the boating guests would like to return to see it, but the boat itself is such a wonderful activity, that the two times this occurred, the guests opted to stay and miss the sighting. However, returning to the camp, the boating guests managed to spot a third leopard of the evening, resting in a tree not far from room number 9! This was actually done due to a little bit of magic that one guest had brought with him: a thermal imaging camera. From 500m out, in the night, a large colorful blob could be seen on the camera screen, the guide quickly identified that this was in a tree, and by the size, would have to be a leopard. So the boat was full steam ahead, until the spotlight could pick up the leopard so that it could be seen by all! As the guest said, he doubts this is the way forward with safaris, as his equipment is highly specialised, and that the guides seem to know where everything is anyway! Still, I suspect we might be seeing some interesting entries this year in our Photo Competition – there are not many cameras that are able to photograph the chicks inside a weavers nest without getting anywhere near it!

Later in the month, leopards were still around, and we managed to see seven individuals in one week. This included two sub adults feeding on an impala carcass, and a shy adult male feeding on a zebra foal.

Storm clouds had been building up day after day, but it had been rain free for some time. Other camps were getting heavy falls, but Lagoon had received nothing other than a light shower. Then, one late afternoon, about 6pm, the rain started, and began to blow sideways… As the camp tried its best to batten down the hatches, (most camps are designed for vertical rain, and architects rarely consider horizontal rain for some reason), several thoughts were spared for the three vehicles that were out on game drive in the middle of this. They were surprisingly silent… no calls advising that they were three minutes out, and heading back to camp. An hour later, as night fell with a thump and the rain continued to pour down, three vehicles came streaming into the camp, with lots of hysterical laughter from all on board. It’s rare to see such happy and excited guests that are 100% soaked through, but they’d witnessed some great game with wild dogs hunting and killing an impala, and then a speed chase home as the rain came pelting down. A few warming sherries and hot showers, and dinner was a slightly drier affair.

Later in the month the pack of 20 dogs from the north of the concession came upon the Lagoon pack of 8 dogs, and suddenly there was a fight. In the process, all dogs scattered, and although the pack of 20 was not seen again, the Lagoon pack of 8 and the five dogs from the West were seen again several times.

The overcast conditions seemed to encourage the rarer antelope to get out and about, as game drives were regularly seeing sable, roan and eland, singly, and in small herds. Leopards also took advantage of the shady times, and some good tracking provided good sightings.

The three cheetah brothers made an appearance this month on the 13^th Feb, along old lebala Road. They were marking their territory and attempting to hunt – sadly not successfully. They remained in the area for the following week – good to see them after such a long absence.

Other interesting sightings this month included regular sightings of bat eared foxes (mostly of two families – one of four and one of three), hyenas finishing off a kudu carcass that lions had abandoned the day prior, and a porcupine wandering through the camp.

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Kwara February 2014

Published February 28, 2014 by Kwando Safaris

A very busy month, and the long grass that is typical of February is not halting the sightings, though we may have to peer a little further through the green.

The pack of 18 wild dogs were seen several times, and we were lucky enough to witness them hunt an impala, from the beginning of the hunt to the very quick end.

Another day, we saw them catch a baby kudu, and two days later they were hunting impala again, this time, unsuccessfully.

Witnessing great animal sightings sometimes combines knowledge and skill from the guide and tracking team, with a little bit of luck. Sundowners are a traditional time for taking a break from the safari, stretching your legs, and enjoying the wonderful scenery and sunset. Other than some general game or a few hippos lounging in a nearby pool, they are not normally intended to include great game viewing. However, sometimes, knowledge of animal movement patterns, and a lot of help from Lady Luck, and a sundowner becomes a game-stopper. Knowing wild dogs had been sighted in an area not too far away, the guide suggested they stop for a sundowner, in a picturesque open area, hoping that they would pass by. As everything was set up, guests enjoying their snacks and drinks as the sun dipped in the sky, the dogs arrived, playing with each other sometimes only 10m from the onlookers, and then drinking at the pan. As is normally the case with wild dogs, they were completely unconcerned by the humans, and continued enjoying what they were doing, whilst several people stood, drinks in hand, looking on with mouths hanging open. Wild dogs seem to be the only animal that consider standing humans to be just part of the background. Why this is, no one is quite sure, but on the rare occasions that they do happen upon us, it is a magical experience.

Lions were seen almost every day. We had great sightings, including the Shindi females with the two young cubs, aged about 3 months old, and providing great photo opportunities by playing with each other on a fallen log. We also had a lovely sighting of the four Marsh boys, who we watched for an hour or so, before they moved off into the shade of a nearby tree. Two young males spent one morning watching a group of zebra and wildebeest close to Wild Dog pan, in the hope that an individual made a bad move. Eventually, a female wildebeest panicked, and broke away from the herd – one male lion went after the female, whilst the second lion attacked a calf left behind.

It was interesting times on the 18^th of February, when two lionesses and two sub-adult males were located between Little Kwara staff quarters and Kwara, feeding on a young male kudu. On that same evening, the lionesses, young males and two little cubs wanted to cross the channel to the marsh. Three crocodiles were waiting at the edge of the water, and this was sufficient to put the lions off the crossing, and they spent the night relaxing on Kwara island.

One morning, mid month, we came upon a cheetah who was contact calling to either a mate, or the brother that he is normally seen with. There was lots of general game in the area that we found the cheetah, but he did not attempt to hunt.

Plenty of kills amongst the smaller cats too, with an african wildcat being seen with a small rodent in it’s mouth, and on the same drive, a serval stalking frogs around one of the water holes.

Although it’s not so common to see buffalo at this time of the year, a solitary male buffalo was found in the Splash area. Another bit of fauna not so common to a wet area are ostriches. However, a male and a female ostrich pair have decided to bring up their rather extensive family in the Kwara concession. With a total of 15 youngsters, they make it somewhat easy to spot. Now several months old, they are about half the height of their parents, and seeing them move through the open areas is reminiscent of tour leaders guiding a bunch of gawky school kids on a days outing. 15 is an exceptionally large number of offspring to make it to this age, so full credit goes to the parenting – and defensive skills – of the adults.

With the long grass around, and plenty of water to go with it, it’s sometimes hard to find a nice comfy and dry place to rest up for the night. If you have a nice camp, where the grass tends to be shorter, or a deck to sit under, this is a much better option. And so, during most nights, the herds of impala are setting up shop in the safety of the camps. Occasionally, their comfort and sleep (and that of the people that happen to be in the camp) is disturbed by the wanderings of the lions, who also prefer to stay dry and not have to walk through such long grass. Usually, there is enough time for everyone to move out of the way, as the lions use the still of the night to roar and claim their territory, but occasionally an unannounced ‘walk through’ causes mayhem as impalas scatter between rooms to get out of the way.

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Tau Pan January 2014

Published January 31, 2014 by Kwando Safaris

The last days of December had a little surprise in store for Tau Pan – a sighting of two wild dogs at Makgoa Pan! The two males were very relaxed, and we were able to get some good photos of them. We are not sure whether they are from the pack of seven that we have seen a few times in 2013, or they are two individuals that have come from even further afield.

The first of January, a new year, and a new tactic from a lone black back jackal – hunting on his own, he managed to catch and kill a young springbok lamb – something that is not far off his own size.

A couple of days later, a lion and lioness were seen around Tau pan, calling to the rest of their pride. They have not managed to find their relatives in a couple of weeks, as the pride has moved out on a patrol of its territory now that the game is plentiful and there is sufficient water available for them to travel longer distances. In the absence of the pride, a female cheetah is having an easier time of things, and snuck down to the water hole to drink.

We were lucky enough to see another four cheetahs walking along Aardwolf road – this coalition we have not seen before, as we normally see a group of three brothers in the area. It will be interesting if the four are just passing through, or if they are intending to make a base in the area.

January, in many parts of Botswana, is regarded as the ‘quiet’ season – historically it was the time when camps were closed, often remaining closed until May or June. Those days are long gone, as visitors realise that the green season is a wonderful time to visit Botswana, and for the Kalahari, this is definitely the case. Deserts are officially classified as such depending on the amount of rainfall they receive annually. The Central Kalahari receives a little more rainfall than some of the other famous deserts, and as such, the early months of the year burst out in green, as the worlds largest biomass takes over the sand: grass. Not growing as tall as in other parts of the country, January is the prime time to see it in its lushness, with multitude of types that are the first things the hungry antelope are waiting for. giant crows foot, cats tail, finger grass, buffalo grass, saw-tooth love grass, turpentine grass… even the wonderfully named Panicum maximum, which sounds as if it’s walked straight out of the pages of an Asterix comic book, but has a rather duller English name of Guinea grass…

And with this grass arrives all the counterparts: springbok and oryx in large numbers, congregate on the pan during the day, huddling in the shade of the newly leaved trees when it all gets too hot. Bright green young armoured crickets – looking somewhat like extras in a B-grade sci-fi movie – hop from stem to stem, munching anything in their path (including each other if need be). Following them, and other insects or frogs that the rain might encourage, come hundreds and hundreds of marabou storks, and for a short period, thousands of white storks seem to be tottering through each patch of grass, looking slightly confused as to what they are doing there. For them, the Kalahari is a transit route on their travels, and such insects provide a good protein boost on their journey. An even more confused solitary flamingo arrived at Tau Pan as well at the end of the month – staying just a day before continuing on to the salt pans around Nata, where most of his colleagues were already waiting.

It was a rather exciting, but slightly alarming, end to the month of January in Tau Pan, when the ‘youngsters’ from the Tau Pan pride set up camp at the waterhole. They are at an age where it’s a point of contention whether to call them adult, or still sub-adult, but to the average eye, they are certainly large enough that you wouldn’t want to meet them face to face at ground level. They still retain a youthful character however, and in the absence of more sedate lions, they don’t pass up an opportunity to play. The young males (already with substantial manes) wrestled and tagged each other, whilst their sister looked on. Finding her own source of amusement, she decided to climb a tree. Lions are not well known for their tree climbing abilities, but they can all do it. They are actually very good at climbing trees, and can quickly clamber up a trunk and onto a branch. The problem they have is getting down again, as they can never seem to figure out if they should go down forwards, backwards, sideways, or a combination of all three, usually with a bit of hissing and a very clumsy landing. So it was to the surprise of the guests, guide and tracker that suddenly there was a lioness sitting ‘comfortably’ in the tree.

The biggest surprise – and what made everyone slightly anxious – is that the tree the lioness had chosen to climb was hanging right over where the vehicle was parked. The lioness herself appeared unbothered by the people seated below her, and after a few minutes of perusing the horizon, clambered back down, thankfully somewhat more elegantly than most of her relatives could manage. Everyone finally remembered to breath, and the guide moved the vehicle off to an area that didn’t have any overhanging branches.

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Nxai Pan January 2014

Published January 31, 2014 by Kwando Safaris

The second day of the month looked dark and stormy, but we headed out on drive that morning anyway, to see what we could find. Soon we came upon a male cheetah, that was very relaxed, and patrolled around the pan. That morning we also saw three lioness with three young, and lots of general game, including some of the hundreds of zebras that have moved into the Nxai area, bringing their young with them.

The very next day, we were lucky enough to see two cheetahs mating – quite a rare event to behold. After mating, the male tried to leap out of the way of the snarling female, but was not quite fast enough and received a cut to the nose as she slashed her paw across his face!

January is definitely all about zebra – as they come in Nxai Pan for the fresh green grass that is growing. This provides sufficient nutrition – and plentiful water – to ensure the health of their young, before moving into other areas as it starts to dry out in a few months. It’s a little it and miss – we never know when they are going to arrive, and how many, as it is totally dependent on the rain fall. But this year, they came en masse, and were prolific in January. Hundreds and hundreds, more likely several thousand, have made their way to Nxai this year, with zebra roaming on every plain, and resting under each shady tree. After the rains, there are several natural waterholes with enough available for them to drink, without having to rely on the two pumped pans in the park. But with so many zebra, all watering places have a steady stream of animals moving in and out to drink. Each herd clears out of the way quickly should a dusty grey elephant arrive, as they are liable to throw their weight around in a rather rough manner when it comes to water access …

And its not just the antelope and zebra that are having babies – a lioness was seen walking from tree island to tree island, calling to her little cubs, and moving them from one location to another, after finding a safer hiding place. And when you are a lion, everyone is looking at you – not just the tourists. Another lioness was found lying down trying to relax, but totally surrounded by zebras, wildebeest, springboks and impalas, who were all alarm calling and trying to get her to move out of the area for their own safety!

Cheetahs were also seen several times this month, often around the water hole, stalking the many antelope that are still coming there to drink. Lions were also resting in the area nearby, so the waterhole is still a focus of action in spite of the several pans having water. The cheetah did manage to bring down a springbok, although we did not see the actual kill, we found the cheetah feeding. We were lucky enough to see leopard on the same day.

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Lebala January 2014

Published January 31, 2014 by Kwando Safaris

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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Lagoon January 2014

Published January 31, 2014 by Kwando Safaris

In early January two of the three females of Lagoon Pride were seen often near Watercut, looking in good health. They were seen moving from Watercut to the grass pan and cutline, as the prey disperses. At the end of January, we realised why they were spending a lot of time in the Watercut area…. Tiny mewing sounds could be heard from a clump of bushes a short distance off the road. Another two or three days later, and one of the lionesses felt comfortable enough to encourage her new cubs out of their den, aged only about 4 or 5 weeks old. The three lion cubs suckled happily, whilst mum relaxed in the shade, everyone totally oblivious of the vehicle watching.

For several years, the Lagoon area lions have led a fairly nomadic existence, with no dominant male able to hold the territory for any length of time. The birth of cubs indicates a healthy, stable lion population. The risk is, of course, that any of the nomadic lions that still pass through will take any opportunity to kill the cubs. We hope that this does not occur, and the three cubs have a chance to grow up and add another generation to the lion family.

The lionesses managed to kill an adult kudu, but were forced off the kill by a large pack of hyenas that we found feeding on the carcass. With small cubs in the area of the kill, the lionesses needed to be careful not to let the hyenas anywhere near their den site, so would have retreated quickly rather than stand and face off over the kill.

The pack of 8 wild dogs (3 males and 5 females) were seen at John’s pan, hunting from a pack of impala. They were not successful however, after a few attempts, and then sat down to relax. Later in the month the same pack were seen hunting a warthog, but again no luck as it escaped down a burrow. They then moved on to a herd of wildebeest, but the herd defended it’s young, and the wild dogs lost out again! There were also tracks of the large pack of 20 dogs seen in the north of the concession, but this pack remains very shy, and although we did extensive tracking, we were not able to catch up with the pack.

An absence of the large buffalos this month, as they have moved into the mopane areas. It will not be long before they return, but the lions are having to choose other prey whilst they are away. The elephants have made their return, however, and lovely breeding herds are coming down to the river to drink and are also seen crossing near the camp – some having a little swim as they go. It’s lovely to have them back in good numbers – apart from, of course, when they set up camp during the day IN the camp, and then it’s a little less lovely once they have left not so little packages along the pathways!

Although Secretary birds are present in the area the whole year around, it is always exciting to see some new behaviour and in January we located a nesting bird, that we will be keeping an eye on in the coming weeks. At this stage, we can only imagine how ungainly the chicks will look with their exceedingly long legs!

It’s definitely baby season for most species, with lots of little giraffes, zebras, impalas and tssessebe running around. Warthog have a reputation for looking a little on the ugly side, but one mother was seen with four tiny piglets – probably born in the past day or two at the most – and nothing could be cuter than these little miniatures trotting after their mum.

This month, great sightings of eland! Herds were found around Grass pan and John’s pan – unusual to see so many – and with lots of young calves. And the rarest sighting of the month – a mole rat on a night drive! It’s exceptionally unusual to see one of these animals as they live almost entirely underground. Only the little mounds of fresh dirt that appear in the mornings indicate where they have been!

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Botswana Safari, Okavango Delta Posts