It has been a week of overcast conditions with some sporadic and soft rain and the South African Bushveld has responded very well. Herds of general game, including short grass grazers, the wildebeest have been taking advantage of the fresh new shoots and some of the various wildflowers are starting to show. With temperatures starting to rise towards the later part of this week, we hope that the good of this life bringing rain does not get undone.

We going to start this week with the Little Bush and her cub. Little Bush continued into this week with the remains of her young kudu kill which provided great sightings for our guests.

She left the scene possibly due to the presence of lions in the area but managed to move further east. After moving her cub, she was seen on several occasions by herself in search of their next meal. This incredible huntress has provided so well for this cub and we hope to see more of them next week.

At the beginning of this week, there could not have been a bigger difference between the conditions of Little Bush`s cub and White Dam’s cub. The latter, who is a lot bigger, was showing signs of losing health. He was found regularly in the same location with limited movement, despite his mom’s efforts to encourage him to join her on a kill she had made.

However, it looks like he is starting to look better and showing signs of improvement and hopefully it won’t be too long before we see him back to his best.

His mother, very distinguishable by the stain in her left eye, has been concerned for her youngster but has given us and our guests some great photographic opportunities while relaxing around her kill.

We were also very fortunate this week to be visited by a male cheetah who had brought down a very large impala ram. After his hunt he decided to rest up in the shade around some boulders in order to get some energy back. He cautiously made his way back to the kill and ate a large portion before the White-backed vultures started to descend.

The news of the Southern Pride this week had to do with the four females with the two cubs separating from the Charleston males and one Southern Pride female. They ventured north and covered huge distances but stashing the cubs for the majority of the journey. They were seen near Earth Lodge, only to be found at Selati Camp drinking from the waterhole while the guests enjoyed lunch. This was in less than a 24-hour period. After their brief excursion, they made their way back south.

The four females and the two cubs later returned north and were found at the later part of this week on a zebra kill. A herd of elephants chased them off the kill providing a great deal of excitement and anxiety, especially with the cubs around! Normal practice resumed when they returned to the kill with the cubs putting on a fantastic show. Get ready for the cute factor...!

The big news this week had to do with The Charleston males and one Southern Pride female being found on the roof of a suite at Earth Lodge, and with a kudu kill none the less!

Later in the afternoon they were found closer to the water’s edge of the dam in front of the lodge looking very well fed. Nothing like a little bit of water to wash down a good meal!

We had a surprise visit from the three young Talamati males who had been tracking a large herd of buffalo coming in from the east. After they were found the sleepy boys were woken by a scent of a small herd of male buffalo approximately 150 meters from them.

After a stalk and possible wind conditions giving their presence away, the Buffalo made a hasty retreat to the thickets. As the boys had split up they started to regroup and decided to participate in a ritual of reaffirming bonds, by playing, rubbing heads and the occasional test of strength.

I really hope to see more of these boys to see how they develop and have no doubt that should they survive this nomadic stage, that they will live a strong life and will be a force to be reckoned with.

Last but not least, something we don’t get to see a great deal of, let alone photograph was this porcupine. We spent a great deal of time in the sighting and was even joined by a curious hyena who thought it would be a prickly affair to take on this large rodent.

Well, we trust you enjoyed our weekly highlights and we look forward to what this following week will bring!