It has been another good week at Sabi Sabi and one can definitely call it the week of the leopards. We experienced some big thunderstorms and even though a bit disruptive, we are still grateful for the much needed rain. It definitely didn’t dampen our spirits as we had a couple of great sightings in that time period, even while it was raining.

The biggest surprise of the week was Little Bush’s cubs being spotted for the first time. They were unbelievably relaxed and are looking fit and healthy, which is extremely good news. None of us can wait to see them again when she starts bringing them to kills in a couple of weeks.

The leopard activity has been very high and we were lucky enough to find two kills. Maxabeni killed a fully grown female waterbuck and pulled it up a tree, proving how powerful he really is. He was joined by Little Bush which allowed for some great interaction.

White Dam and one of her cubs were on an impala ram that she had killed and guests had the opportunity to view these more elusive cats.

To add to the amazing sightings, Lisbon and her cub also made an appearance with the cub being as relaxed as ever.

Warthog Wallow was seen more than once and we were also treated to a rare sighting of the Hlarulini female. Both these females where spotted inside lodge vicinity which is always a treat for guests coming back from safari. The Hlarulini female is a beautiful leopard and guides and guests would be stoked if we started seeing her more often.

On the lion front it looks like things didn’t turn out as expected and there is no sign of the Fourways males. The one Charleston male has been following the Southern Pride females around and the tension between them is starting to subside. They spent some time on our private airstrip and later on a buffalo kill in the area. Guests enjoyed this spectacle in a slight drizzle just before the big storm hit which sent the lions moving into some thickets for cover. A couple of days later the one Charleston male was on his own, with no sign of the females, and constantly calling for his brother. It is going to be interesting to see how lion dynamics develop in the next couple of weeks here at Sabi Sabi.

It’s always special having the wild dogs on the property and one afternoon our guests were treated to a sighting of them killing an impala. The pups are very strong now so it is not a problem for the pack to cover vast distances in the day, especially with the cooler weather at the moment.

At Sabi Sabi, it’s not all about the Big 5 and some of us enjoyed a rare and special sighting of a honey badger! He was digging when suddenly, out of the hole, pulled out some, that looks like, water monitor eggs. To everyone’s delight he ate his prized meal right there in front of us!

With the rain that we had, everyone is waiting in anticipation to see the transformation of the bush. So with another week coming to an end there is a lot to look forward to. Hopefully we will get to see Little Bush’s cubs quite soon again and everyone is wondering how things will turn out for the Southern Pride.