A Week in the Bush Vol. 461
on May 24, 2023It has been another great week in the bush with seven different lion prides/coalitions/individuals on the reserve… as well as leopard, cheetah, wild dog and everything else aplenty!!
There were lions calling all through the night around Bush Lodge and it seems the Gijima males caught wind of the Styx Pride and made their way over. When following up in the morning the pride had moved off to the north of Bush Lodge and settled at a waterhole with full bellies. They lay in the shade keeping a close eye on a large herd of wildebeest and zebra. The oldest female was absent, and we assume she has distracted the Gijima males, leading them to the south away from the pride.
A few days later, all 8 members of the Styx Pride were present using a termite mound and fallen tree as a vantage point to watch the impala; with the impala already getting wind of the lions, the hunt was over before it started, and the pride settled in for a morning nap.
We started the morning looking for lions and decided to start where we had seen a large herd of buffalo the night before. This turned out to be a good decision as before we even found the buffalo, we found tracks for a male lion that had been in battle with the buffalo through the night. A long tracking exercise resulted in us finding the Nkuhuma male drinking water. The evidence of the battle with the buffalo was evident as there was a minor puncture wound bellow the back right leg. The injury did not affect the lion in any way as he made his way steadily to an open area and spent the rest of the day sleeping in a thicket.
As daybreak fell, we followed up on the Talamati Pride. Knowing they had made a warthog kill the night before, we headed straight in the direction of the closest waterhole and found the females around the waterhole and soon after the male appeared out of the treeline making his way to the water. With lions being known as opportunistic hunters they chased after zebra and Blue wildebeest in the vicinity before settling down to drink water and relax as they overlooked the open plain ahead of them.
After doing wake-up calls at Earth Lodge, we spotted the figures of what appeared to be two lions at the dam in front of the lodge. Our guests wanted to see leopard, so we did not follow up immediately. At the end of safari, on our way back to the lodge, we heard impala alarm calling and went to follow up. Across a small open area, we found the three Southern Pride females sleeping in the shade of a Tamboti thicket. With the oldest female having fresh suckle marks, it is clear the young cubs are still around.
A large herd of over 300 buffalo have spent the last few days in the northern sector of Sabi Sabi. A herd this large often attracts lions and in this case, the Kambula Breakaways were found trailing the herd.
They patiently kept their distance watching the herd with intent waiting for a weak member to be separated. Hunting buffalo is extremely risky for lions but with high risk comes high reward, and a large buffalo would provide a great meal for these lions.
We found Golonyi on the old Selati Railway Line while she was hunting a small herd of young impala. We could not see much of her on arrival as she was so incredibly camouflaged, as leopards do so well. Taking her time and carefully thinking about her approach, she showed that she is becoming wiser as she gets older. Unfortunately, a Natal Spurfowl came along and was about to relinquish her position. She then quickly avoids the situation by completely changing her direction of approach.
By avoiding the Spurfowl, she would try from a different angle. We watched her for about an hour or more while she kept pursuing the impalas. She ended up right in the middle of the herd and was very close to one when her patience ran out, and she went for one, but the impala was too quick and missed it. It was incredible to see her in action, and we hope she made a kill later in the night as we left her walking along the old railway line into the darkness.
At the break of dawn, we found drag marks over one of our roads close to Earth Lodge, with male leopard and hyena tracks all over the show. It was clear that the leopard was successful in bringing down an animal with hyenas hot on his trail.
We tracked the drag marks into the bush and found hyenas feeding on the remains of a waterbuck calf and soon after, we found the Makumu male following the hyenas in the hope to get his meal back. Another hyena came and chased Makumu up a Marula tree where he stood high off the ground watching them eating his hard-earned meal.
He later came down the tree and looked for a comfortable spot to spend the rest of the day.
Signs of a big male leopard were ever present in the area, but we could not see him as we drove around. Soon the incredibly large N’weti male appeared through the grass, making his way down the path and towards the water to drink.
Leopards can go for around 10 days without water but will typically drink every two to three days. They receive a large majority of their vital fluids through consuming their prey.
The rasping calls of Ntsumi announcing her presence could be heard. She moved quickly, leaving her scent on every prominent landmark, a message to all other leopards that this was her territory and a message to the males in the area that she might be ready to mate again. She took a breather in the branches of a large Marula tree, where she continued to call before moving on in search of a potential mate.
The Nottins male lay low in long golden grass as a herd of impala approached unaware of the danger that lay ahead. Leopards rely on their camouflage to get within striking distance of prey. On this occasion the young male got it just right, with the impala walking straight into the leopard who caught a large male impala in mid-air as it tried to get away. It was too late for the impala. The Nottins male then dragged in carcass into some dense vegetation where he started feeding.
We saw a big female Kudu run out of the thicket and wondered what scared her. As we came around the corner, we saw a group of male impalas huddled together, looking in the same direction, and we just knew that there must be a leopard around.
Turning into the drainage line, we found Kigelia busy stalking the group of impalas, but they quickly made their way away from her and ran into the open area. We followed her for a little longer and watched as she moved off into the thicket towards the drainage line.
White tails flash swiftly through golden grass; a pack of wild dogs is on the hunt. The pack unsuccessfully chased a herd of impala, sending the impala scattered in all directions. The wild dogs then settled to regroup and detect their next potential meal.
Sight, hearing and smell are the most important senses for wild dogs when procuring food. Large round ears, forward-facing eyes and large nasal cavities are used to locate prey.
Reports of a female and two young cheetahs caused great excitement across the reserve. We started scouting over one of the big open areas and found the three cheetahs watching a herd of impala. The female got into position with the two youngsters patiently waiting behind the cover of a termite mound. The mother chased the herd of impalas but with no success.
The cheetahs started contact calling to each other and met up in the middle of the open area, lying on a termite mound which acts as a perfect vantage point overlooking their surroundings. Their eyes were locked on a herd of blue wildebeest but with the herd already aware of them, they kept their distance.
The Southern Lesser Bushbaby is a small primate weighing approximately 150g. This individual took interest in our vehicle and came closer to investigate us, eventually jumping from a branch across the road, over the vehicle to another branch.
The waterbuck is a robust grey-brown antelope with a white collar and white ring around the rump. Only the males have long ridged horns and they are seldom found more than 2km from water.
Although the warmer months attract migratory species to Sabi Sabi, there are many incredible species that do not migrate and are here all year round. The Striped Kingfisher is one of the species that can be found throughout the year at Sabi Sabi and a common bird call heard late in the winter afternoons.
Until next time…
Blog by Wendy Claase
Images by Coenraad Stapelberg, Devon Jansen, Dieter Lategan, Jason Street, Macs Toich and Ruan Mey
Video by Macs Toich
