A Day to Remember
on Nov 14, 2023A crisp winter morning drive and tracker Candy and I had a plan to head South in search of the growing Southern Pride, but the ever-mysterious African Bush had a plan of her own. A lone cheetah track heading North into our reserve caught the eagle eyes of Candy; this was too tasty a clue to just leave unfollowed.
We turned around and immediately scoured the area for more tracks of one of our most special animals. The morning grew warmer as the sun climbed in the sky and we had covered many roads looking for the next clue, but the cats were showing just why they are so elusive. A herd of elephants halted our search momentarily as they walked across the road, a welcome break from our relentless search. We admired the majesty of these seemingly gentle and awe-inspiring African giants, that was until the radio crackled into life, “Cheetah!”
We made our way to a road that was no stranger to us having driven it more than a few times during the morning, but timing is everything. We headed offroad, moving slowly through the bush until we found a young male cheetah on the bank of a steep drainage line. We were thrilled as a morning of hard work had yielded a spectacular result even though it wasn't how we'd imagined we would find him. The youthful male sat looking around before releasing a series of chirps. He was searching for his brother. His brother had already crossed the drainage line, but he was unsure of where he had gone. We spent some time with him, savouring every moment with the undisputed king of speed. He continued to contact call until eventually we heard a return chirp. Immediately he got up in pursuit of his brother, crossing the drainage line and out of sight.
We continued; the chill of early morning was now replaced by the pleasant, warm rays of sunshine. During our search for the cheetah, we had been made aware of a sighting of a male leopard not too far away and decided a small detour to see him wouldn't hurt anyone. This later proved to be an excellent decision.
The notorious Mawelawela male lay on the side of a large termite mound, seemingly at rest yet strangely in direct sunlight. This seemed unusual as the day was beginning to really heat up and we normally see many a predator seeking shade for the day, but not him. Further questions were raised just by the fact he was in the open during daylight hours. He has built a reputation for being much more nocturnally oriented and has been noted for being rather grumpy on the odd occasion he is spotted during the day.
All soon became clear, however, through the bushes that obscured our view of the rest of the mound the all-seeing eyes of Candy spotted movement, a warthog. Cautiously it moved closer to the edge of its burrow. Warthog, a favourite of male leopards and the experienced Mawelawela was no novice. Warthogs are not an easy meal though - they are strong, fast, and those tusks are no ornament. There is a very real chance of injury for any predator that decides to take on a warthog boar, so it is often the sows and younger warthogs that are targeted. The boar now emerged further out, on high alert as this is where he and his sounder are most vulnerable, but the allure of open plains and the succulent food it held was irresistible. Further out he came. Still no sign of danger but ever cautious as the mound still had a couple of blind spots for which he could not check.
In one of those few blind spots, the veteran leopard lay, entranced by the meal that lay ahead of him. Experience had taught him this was a game of patience, the only movement coming from the wagging white tip of his tail, and then it stopped wagging. In the blink of an eye the boar bolted, his sounder followed in hot pursuit seeking the safety of the open savannah. Simultaneously, Mawelawela pounced, every muscle accelerating him to his prey, an outstretched paw caught a young warthog, knocking it down and instantly the leopard had his teeth in.
A kill of any kind is a tough sight, but that is nature, we can only appreciate her allowing us a glimpse into her rarely-seen darker side and allowing us the opportunity to show guests and even remind ourselves, that nature, while beautiful can be equally as vicious. Eventually, the male leopard got up and moved his prize to the shade of a tree where he could catch his breath. He soon returned to his infamous daytime demeanour, giving us a few snarls before moving his hard-worked meal into a dense thicket where he could begin his feast.
It’s not all the time we have the privilege of giving guests the true experience of the vicious and brutal world that goes along with the majesty and beauty of nature. It was a special moment I could share with my guests and personally, as it was the first leopard kill I ever witnessed. A day that I can safely say that my guests will remember forever.
Blog by Devon Jansen (Selati Camp Ranger)
