![They don’t call him Magic Mike for nothing…Ranger Michael Beard delivered a leopard sighting of mammoth proportions last night, which enthralled his guests. Here’s the story of Zero, the hero and the ultimate showdown between cat and antelope. In the early hours of the morning, a cacophony of sound enveloped Africa on Foot. It was […]](https://www.sundestinations.co.za/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/20160228-IMG_9154-370x275.jpg "Magic Mike Stumbles Across Zero the Leopard")
Magic Mike Stumbles Across Zero the Leopard
They don’t call him Magic Mike for nothing…Ranger Michael Beard delivered a leopard sighting of mammoth proportions last night, which enthralled his guests. Here’s the story of Zero, the hero[…]
![Sad news broke in the Balule last week, when the lifeless body of big tusker, Shoshangane, was discovered. This collared elephant had been monitored for over a decade by the Save the Elephants foundation, contributing invaluable data towards studies on elephant movements in the Greater Kruger. His natural death was a shock, but it was […]](https://www.sundestinations.co.za/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/IMG_0112-370x275.jpg "Hyenas feed on fallen giant, Shoshangane")
![Our animal kingdom certainly has a voice of its own ! We celebrated World Wildlife Day yesterday and made quite a noise on our social media channels in an effort to create awareness about our planet’s endangered species. Little did we know that our wildlife have also been quite vocal about their presence. Our rangers […]](https://www.sundestinations.co.za/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/UmkumbeSouthernPride-370x275.jpg "Week in Pics : Feisty & Wide-mouthed Wildlife !")
![Setting up a camera trap is always exciting because we dream of all the wild things that are happening in the bush when we are not looking, and this is one way to capture that activity. To be a fly on the wall at a waterhole or a kill site has the potential to get […]](https://www.sundestinations.co.za/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Dry-giraffe-370x275.jpg "Seen Behind the Scenes: Camera Trap at Sneaky Pan")
![In 2012 a recorded amount of 633 rhinos were poached. Within two years, this number escalated to a staggering 1020. And these are just the official numbers recorded by the Department of Environmental affairs. There are plenty of unaccounted for rhino deaths which affect the decline of our rhino population. The increase in poaching is […]](https://www.sundestinations.co.za/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/EmGatlandRhino-370x275.jpg "#WWD2016 : Unpacking Rhino Poaching Statistics")
![Just the other day Shoshangaan (Shoshangane) came to visit guests at Ezulwini River Lodge. Little did they know that this would be the last time this majestic jumbo would set foot on Ezulwini soil. It’s with great sadness that we announce the death of Soshangane (aka Shoshangaan), the huge collared Tusker who frequented River Lodge. […]](https://www.sundestinations.co.za/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/IMG_0098-370x275.jpg "Shoshangaan the Tusker Dies of Natural Causes")
![Just recently we’ve seen our fair share of big cats in the Balule. There’ve been cheetah sightings outside of Ezulwini Billy’s Lodge, sightings of leopards mating and lions doing what they do best – nothing! Let’s look at how the various big cats seen in the Balule take down their prey. How Lions Kill Their […]](https://www.sundestinations.co.za/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/EZLions4-370x275.jpg "How the Big Cats of the Balule Take Down Prey")
![On the topic of leopards (take a look at what nThambo Tree Camp saw this morning), we thought we’d introduce you to yet another lady leopard we are seeing a lot of: the Marula Mafasi. Marula is the name of one of the most significant trees of the Lowveld, which bears delicious summer fruits loved […]](https://www.sundestinations.co.za/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Marula-moving-through-the-bush-370x275.jpg "Leopards to Watch: Marula Mafasi and Ross Dam Female")
![Ever since the unusually dry summer season arrived, and the water-dependant prey species wandered off to find reliable rivers and dams to sustain themselves, leopards have come out of the woodwork like never before. The dominant lions are focused on following the buffalo herds, and we’ve seen the Trilogy creep quietly toward areas where they can […]](https://www.sundestinations.co.za/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Cleo-profile-370x275.jpg "Leopardess Cleo Seen Strutting Her Stuff in Klaserie")
![Our gentle pachyderms make for incredible photographic subjects. Marius Zeilinga, a ranger at Umkumbe Safari Lodge, decided to use his creative streak and photograph various parts of an elephant’s anatomy. He’s captured close-ups of ears, tusks, skin, trunk and tail. We’re loving his black and white photos of these emotional jumbos! Here are a few […]](https://www.sundestinations.co.za/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/ElephantTail-370x275.jpg "Marius Gets Crazy with Photos of Elephant Anatomy")