A Week in the Bush Vol. 465
on Jul 05, 2023As winter sets in, the warm early morning light seems to fill the air for a bit longer. Pair this with mist rising from the drainage lines and the trees of an open area, and you have the recipe for absolutely breathtaking views.
It’s always a special moment to witness an animal giving birth. While looking at a tower of giraffes, something caught Ranger Dieter's eye through the thick vegetation. He backed the vehicle up a bit, and indeed it was true. A mother giraffe was beginning her process of giving birth. The legs just started to come out, and the head and the rest of the body followed.
When baby giraffes are born, they fall about 6 feet to the ground. Although it doesn't sound pleasant, this is important as it will break the amniotic sac and sever the umbilical cord, which will help the baby to take its first breath. Mothers then lick the baby clean and encourage it to start walking.
Distress calls from a large herd of buffalo were heard during high tea at Earth Lodge. We rushed over to find a Nile crocodile wrestling a buffalo. The crocodile overpowered the buffalo in the water, securing a large meal. Some hippos in the water rushed over to investigate the commotion, using their mouths to feel the carcass. The crocodile eventually dragged the carcass into some dense vegetation within the water, where it fed on its prize.
We found two kudu males that died due to their horns getting stuck together after a clear scuffle and dominance declaration fight. This hyena was lucky enough to get to the incident first and have a decent meal before vultures and potentially other predators move into the area to feast. Predators often keep an eye out for vultures diving down to trees or the ground as they know there must be some sort of food available.
Once the hyenas had moved off, the vultures moved in to clean up any remains. We saw mostly White-backed vultures as they are the most common species we get in the area. Vulture feeding is always spectacular to witness as the vocalisation and hierarchy of different individuals having dominance over others is incredible to watch. Vultures play a vital role in our ecosystem being responsible for cleaning every last bit of a kill and ensuring nothing goes to waste.
On our way back to the lodge, a strange figure caught our eyes high in a Marula tree. We spotted this beautiful Verreaux’s Eagle-owl sitting in the tree, keeping a close watch for small rodents or other prey running over the road. Owls have excellent eyesight and often sit in trees next to an open area scouting their surroundings for any hunting opportunity.
Before the sun sets beyond the horizon, a female zebra waits patiently in an open field as a flock of Red-billed Oxpeckers comb through her coat in search of their final meal before settling down to roost for the night.
After a quiet start to the cool winter morning safari, the message on the radio was like rain in the desert to our ears. A male cheetah appeared on the Western side of our reserve. We went to the area and found the male on a termite mound overlooking an open area filled with impalas. He later tried to chase after them but with no success, moved to a shadier spot to rest.
We had a very unexpected sighting of two wild dogs one afternoon. As we followed them while they were hunting, we noticed that one female was heavily pregnant and should have her pups very soon. The gestation period for wild dogs is about 70 days, and they can give birth to a litter of 21 pups! We are excited to see this pack grow in numbers!
Tracking an animal and finally finding it after a lot of hard work always has such a rewarding feeling. This morning we tracked and found the Southern Pride, but an extra surprise awaited us.
The day has finally arrived that everyone was waiting for; one of the younger females due anytime soon has given birth! As we arrived, we were greeted by the three females with the cubs feeding on a kill tucked away in the vegetation. As soon as we settled in, the new young mom stood up, picked something up and walked off. At first, we did not realise what she had in her mouth, but as she turned her head to us, we could see a tiny lion cub hanging from her mouth. She gave us a quick look before disappearing into the bushes. We decided to give the new mom some space and will hopefully see her and her new cub again soon.
It is wonderful to see the Southern Pride growing in numbers once again.
The roar of two male lions got everyone excited for morning safari. Listening out for one last roar to pinpoint the location, guides and trackers were ready to find these lions. After a few turns, we found two sets of tracks and knew we were closing in on them. Excitement was building! The reward was sweet when we saw the two Gijima males sleeping on the road. Their bellies were extremely full, and they could not walk more than five steps before lying down to catch their breath again.
With all the commotion the last couple of days around the spot where a buffalo died, it attracted much attention from other predators. The Gijima males and two older Styx Pride females also made their way to the carcass to finish off what was left. Animals dying from natural causes are never nice to see, but nothing goes to waste as all the carnivores are quick to move in and take what they can get. This buffalo has fed multiple hyenas and lions over the last few days.
You never know what you might find when you are out and about on safari. This lioness surprised us just as we left Selati Camp for morning safari. We followed her as she went in and out of the dry riverbed in front of the lodge, looking for something to eat. With no luck in the riverbed, she made her way out again, walking from tree to tree, looking if there was anything left behind by a leopard. To her disappointment, she could not find anything there either and decided to rest in an open area calling out to the rest of her pride.
There was a rotten stench in the air on our morning safari, and we were determined to find where the smell was coming from. We stumbled upon a female buffalo that we presumed died of natural causes as hyenas were feeding on the carcass.
Upon further inspection, we found the old Talamati female not too far from the feasting hyenas. With their bellies full, the hyenas decided it was time to move on, and all disappeared in different directions. The lioness saw this as an opportunity to come closer and feed on the carcass again. She tried to cover up the scent of the half-eaten buffalo by scrapping grass and dirt onto the carcass, masking the smell from any other hyenas and predators.
We found the Golonyi female leopard with an impala kill which had not been hoisted up a tree. The impala ram looked way heavier than the leopard, so we assumed that was why it hadn’t been hoisted. The following morning, she had eaten enough to allow her to hoist the kill and keep it away from predators such as hyenas and lions. She hadn’t done a very good job of it as a lioness approached her and swiftly chased the leopard away, and climbed the tree to reap the reward.
After having the Mawelawela male leopard mating with the Golonyi female, we found that the male had separated from the female and was calmly strolling down the dry riverbed, scent marking as he went and occasionally lying down to take a break.
He has faced some trouble recently as he has a big scar on his shoulder, and his one eye is almost shut completely, which looks like it could only be a cut from a fight with another male leopard's claws.
Daybreak brings the thrill of puzzling together fresh tracks to form a story of the prior evening's happenings. After a very short-lived tracking exercise, the gorgeous Tengile was spotted heading in an easterly direction. She tip-toed through the bush after a failed attempt at snatching a Common Duiker. Her movements seem deliberate and well thought out, leading us to suspect she was on the move back to her cubs.
On our way back to the lodge after an incredible drive, we were astonished by what we found. The Makumu male graced us with his presence as he moved from one termite mound to the next, scouting the area for any animals. He had a glimpse of a warthog running and gave chase, but with no success, he found a comfortable spot as it was already starting to warm up.
We stopped to investigate an interesting set of ostrich tracks after leaving Selati Camp for morning safari. From the quiet, the sudden frantic alarm calls from a vervet monkey alerted us to the possible presence of a leopard. We quickly headed over to find fresh tracks of a female leopard, and just down the road, we came across the Mashaba female who looked to have given birth recently.
We set out early in the morning, hoping to find a set of tracks that could lead us to the whereabouts of a leopard seen the previous evening. Short into the safari, we came across fresh tracks for a young male leopard sending us searching in a northerly direction. When the tracks disappeared from the road, tracker Dollen and ranger JP proceeded to scour the surroundings for the place where the leopard turned off the road. "Dollen! Leopard!" is all that I managed to utter as I startled the young Nottins male from his resting place while searching for his tracks. He quickly calmed down and relaxed in the warm rising sun before heading off into the sunrise.
Until next time…
Blog by Wendy Claase
Images by Coenraad Stapelberg, Daniel Greyvenstein, Dieter Lategan, Jason Street, JP van Rooyen, Macs Toich, Ronald Mutero and Ruan Mey
Video by Jason Street
