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Watching Clumsy Hippos Mate While on a Xobega Boat Cruise

The intricate papyrus-lined waterways of the Okavango Delta provide the ideal habitat for water dwelling creatures. You’ll notice colossal hippos wading gently through the crystal Delta waters or basking in the sun on the banks of the channels. They emerge at night and forage on land under the dark pristine night skies. Seeing hippos in the Delta is one of the highlights of being based in the area. To get to Xobega Island camp you have to navigate the waterways, which means there’s no shortage of hippo sightings en route.

While guests were enjoying a leisurely boat cruise, weaving in and out of the maze of waterways, two hippos decided to put on a show. They began to mate, creating quite ripple while in the water. Watching hippos mate is pure entertainment. Bulls don’t possess the charming skills and courtship antics of other wildlife, but literally go straight in for the “kill”. They cruise through the pod, locate a female in oestrus and chase her into the water to begin the mating process. There’s plenty of snapping from his side she should not comply directly to his over enthusiastic commands.

Guests on the boat were delighted to see the bull mounting the female, despite it being a rather arduous affair. It’s quite tricky to differentiate between sexes, but males are normally larger than their female counterparts. Males practice a harem system, which means the dominant bull protects the territory housing pods of females and their young. Generally obstinate and moody, bulls don’t tolerate one another because there is too much testosterone and competition for females.

When a cow produces a calf, they are born into shallow water. This means that the calf won’t have to struggle to wade/swim in deeper waters and breathing is easier. Calves will suckle underwater by blocking their nostrils and ears, which prevents them from drowning.

Both mother and calf will estrange themselves for a while in order to create lifelong bonds. Here’s hoping this female will become pregnant and continue to populate the delicate Delta waters with hippo.

Astounded by Our Daily Leopard Sightings at Klaserie Camps

First-time safari goers generally come to the Kruger to see our big cats in their natural habitat, which comprises a mix of marula trees, leadwood trees and belts of unforgiving mopane bush. Plenty goes on in the bushveld, unseen by the human eye. Our master stalkers and ambush predators hide deep within the bushveld and generally come out when we least expect it. Welcome to Africa, where life can be unpredictable and entertaining at the same time.

The big five is an obvious drawcard to visitors, but there is something about the powerfully built lions and lithe leopards which excites guests. Of the two, the majestic leopard is the most elusive. Given that lions spend up to 20 hours a day sleeping, they’re often easier to spot. Our rippling leopards tend to spend time hiding in drainage lines, seeking shelter under aggressive acacia scrub and patrolling their turf while calculatingly avoiding the limelight.

Can you imagine our luck when the team at Africa on Foot and nThambo Tree Camp spotted leopards 4 days in a row? Three different leopards exhibiting an array of behaviours over 4 consecutive days = game viewing success!

Day 1: While out on evening game drive, A-team rangers Mike and Greg looked over at the horizon and decided it was time to celebrate the golden hour. Sunsets in the Klaserie are a highly celebrated event. Just as the drinks were poured, rangers excitedly asked guests to drop everything and jump in the vehicle. Word came through of a possible leopard sighting. These elusive wanderers don’t hang around for long, which means you need to move to quickly to the location of the sighting. The team arrived just in time!

Guests from Africa on Foot enjoyed a glimpse of an unknown leopardess carrying a dead side-striped jackal. She’d stashed the kill under the tree and swiftly returned to the area to snatch it up and head to the nearest tree. Casually strolling in front of the game viewer, she quickly looked up at the occupants and continued walking with determination.

Day 2: After day 1’s enthralling sighting, things escalated. That evening, an unknown leopardess was spotted relaxing under a tree. She had an impala carcass intertwined up in the highest branches, safely stashed away from thieving predators. Both nThambo Tree Camp and Africa on Foot enjoyed lengthy sightings of the female, who was quite happy to spend a bit of time in front of the camera.

Day 3: After day 2’s incredible sighting, things escalated even further. A real if-you-blink-you’ll-miss-it moment. Over the crackling heartbeats of the walkie talkie, a feint voice alerted the nThambo team of yet another leopard sighting. As the game viewer pulled into the sighting, the female from the night before was dining on her delectable meal in the fork of the tree. A lone, loping hyena was frantically circling the trunk of the tree, hoping for a morsel. Out of the bush emerged a large male leopard, growling and agitated.

The female growled back, guarding her meal with fervour. The male scaled the tree and, quite literally, smashed the female out of the tree! He grabbed the carcass and came down from the tree and the head of the impala fell into the jaws of the hyena. While the male leopard was mid-jump, he dropped the impala head, leaving it for the hyena to devour.

All that drama and the hyena still walks away with the prize.

Day 4: Day 4 creeped up quietly and there were whispers of leopards. Lo and behold, Cleo the leopardess appeared. She’s a firm favourite on the traverse and easily recognizable by the small notch in her ear. Africa on Foot rangers responded to the sighting first. A guest noticed her in a fully relaxed state draped over the branches of a tree.

Cleo spotted a steenbok (small antelope) below and darted down in stealth mode. After proving unsuccessful in her stalking, she hopped back into the tree. Another steenbok foolishly approached the vicinity and Cleo reverted back to her quick stealth mode. Then promptly jumped back into the tree! nThambo rangers moved into the sighting and were also treated to a game of Cleo antics.

Quite a successful string of sightings on the traverse. Right now we’re certainly doting on our daily leopard sightings within the Klaserie!

Mohlabetsi Pride Tucks into Buffalo Kill

One of the many active lion prides in the prestigious Kruger territory, the Balule Nature Reserve, is the Mohlabetsi Pride. In an area where lions are prowling in every nook and cranny, the Mohlabetsi Pride is the largest at 17 members, plus a coalition of 4 males that dominates that pride (among others). Guests at Ezulwini River Lodge and Ezulwini Billy’s Lodge are in the thick of this wild world and morning and afternoon game drives result in some lion sightings of epic proportions! Balule lion dynamics are exciting to say the least, and lately the Mohlabetsi Pride was seen tucking into a buffalo kill, giving our guests something to write home about.

There are 4 subadult male lions, 9 lionesses, and 4 youngsters in the Mohlabetsi Pride, and their dominant leaders are a coalition of 4 males. The pride is very large and is not often seen together as a whole (and, boy, is that a spectacular sight!), and this time we found the pride they were joined by 1 of the dominant males known for his particularly blonde mane with a reddish tint. The tension between lions is palpable when they are sharing a kill, and the expression captured on the faces of these males is no exception! Flattened ears, snarling faces, and wide, golden eyes show the aggression these two males harbour.

The coalition of 4 males patrols the territories of not only the Mohlabetsi Pride, but also the Impalabos Pride and the River Pride, increasing their ownership of the land by a long shot. More and more, Duma’s Pride (aka. Olifants West Pride) is staying in the western part of the reserve to avoid conflict with other prides controlled by these 4 males. Ezulwini Billy’s Lodge guests get frequent sightings of Duma’s pride of 10. One of the leading males in the coalition of 4 is known as the Mohlabetsi male, and he has done what is uncommon for lions to do, and accepted the blonde male (featured in this sighting) when he took over the Mohlabetsi Pride.

The 4 cubs in the pride are at least 6 months old and are seen most often with 3 adult females. Out of the total 9 lionesses in the large Mohlabetsi Pride, there is a mixture of adults and subadults, but when this pride fragments, the 4 youngest lions are seen with 3 adults, which we can assume are their mothers. The subadult males in this pride are all the Mohlabetsi male’s sons and they seem to be growing nicely! At some point, it is expected that these males will be forced out of their pride when they come of age, but sometimes – case and point, this ‘strawberry blonde’ male having been adopted by the Mohlabetsi male.

Week in Pictures: Spots, Stripes, and Scales on Safari

Umkumbe Safari Lodge, Sabi Sand, Greater Kruger Park

It’s been another week for the books with remarkable leopard activity, dust bathing elephants and impressive antelope to take our breath away. Take a look at the latest on the newcomers if you missed it this week:

Africa on Foot, Klaserie Private Nature Reserve, Greater Kruger Park

New arrivals on the lion front and some out of this world leopard activity are the highlights of this week, and we are never short of adorable animal activity in the form of elephants and a host of other species.

Ezulwini Game Lodges, Balule Nature Reserve, Greater Kruger Park

nThambo Tree Camp, Klaserie Private Nature Reserve, Greater Kruger Park

John Chase Safaris, Central Kalahari, Botswana

Klaserie Lion Fight: Mabande Grapples with the Trilogy Boys

We speculated that things would heat up in the Klaserie with the presence of Mabande, the rather brazen lion who is making his presence known on our turf. We questioned what the Trilogy would make of Mabande and how they’d react to their territory being invaded. Our speculation has now turned into cold, hard fact. Things heated up faster than a bush fire on Sunday night. The Mabande male fought with one of the Trilogy boys, leaving a wake of destruction and whirlwind of dust in his path. This Mabande male will do anything for a kingdom, including taking on of the legends of the Klaserie. I came, I saw, I conquered is the motto in the world of lions.

I arrived in the Klaserie and an excited Greg told me about his and Mike’s first hand account of the sighting. Needless to say, I missed the crescendo of the lion saga, but I have feeling this is not the end. In fact, this is just the beginning. The A-team rangers will be watching the dynamics closely in the next few weeks and we’ll all be waiting with baited breath.

Here’s the story.

Greg says, “So, Mabande male was doing his normal contact calling. Then, the Trilogy obviously heard the calls and, having had enough of Mabande, moved swiftly across to where Mabande was located. We only saw Mabande and hadn’t noticed one of the Trilogy lying low in the thickets. Then the madness started! Mabande hadn’t noticed the Trilogy. One of the Trilogy boys stood up, he glanced over and then Mabande saw him. That’s when the attack happened. Mabande approached with a look of death in his eyes. Dust was flying, there was slamming up of bodies against trees and then they disappeared behind the termite mound. At this stage, both lions were unscathed. The lions were actually parallel to each other, run alongside and creating a storm of dirt and atmosphere of sheer adrenalin. The bushes were thick so we did lose visual”

Mike says, “Out out of the blue, the second Trilogy came to defend his brother, just following closely behind. Almost like a back-up crew. Mabande knew his limits and fled the scene!”

All three lions came away unharmed from the battle, but one of the seemed a bit unsteady on his feet when we saw them last night. After their fight, the Trilogy decided to hang around for a bit and made a buffalo kill. Yesterday afternoon, the boys lay around next to the carcass while the feint call of one of the Ross Pride Breakaway lionesses could be heard in the distance.

That night we returned to the kill site only to see the Ross girls and the Trilogy hungrily gorging themselves on the meaty morsels surrounding the buffalo’s rib cage.

So, where are we in the tale of the Trilogy? Last night, while we were exchanging pleasantries around the campfire, we heard Mabande calling. The Trilogy were calling, but from a different direction. Let’s see what tonight brings.

* I’ve actually edited the words used by our A-team rangers. Let’s just say the excitement right now is huge. Mike and Greg will keep us posted in coming weeks.

Catch the previous “episodes” and Mabande vs Trilogy history here:

Part one: http://www.sundestinations.co.za/blog/klaserie-lion-catch-up-new-male-lion-in-klaserie/

Part two: http://www.sundestinations.co.za/blog/new-nomadic-lion-mabande-mates-with-the-ross-lionesses/

When Animals Walk Through the Klaserie Camps

Isn’t it fantastic when you’re in the right place at the right time? Photographer Em Gatland was on assignment at Africa on Foot and nThambo Tree Camp when a lion pride took down a buffalo outside the wooden chalets at nThambo Tree Camp. The elephant herds, becoming somewhat jealous of the lions being in the spotlight, decided to enthral guests with an unusual sighting of them drinking at the splash pool at Africa on Foot.

Guests were about to embark on their evening game drive when they were treated to the elephant sighting. The Klaserie camps are no stranger to these kind of sightings and our photographer managed to capture the awe-inspiring moments on camera.

These are the highlights of staying in an unfenced camp – animals can roam freely throughout. The wooden chalets at nThambo Tree Camp are elevated wooden chalets resting on stilts. Guests often mention hyenas and other animal scuttling under their rooms.

Here’s a summary of what happened:

Elephants Drink from the Pool and Hang Around at Camp

The small splash pools at both nThambo Tree Camp and Africa on Foot provide a much needed source of easily accessible water, which our jumbo herds seem to love. Both camps are open, which makes the pools an easy target for thirsty elephants. Having a hardy digestive system, they’re not affected by any chemicals in the pool and actually only drink clean water.

Elephants eat for 12 – 18 hours a day, which means they digest plenty of vegetation on a daily basis. Because of this, they need to constantly replenish their thirst. When the landscape becomes arid and the droughts hit the desperate lands, elephants dig deep into the sand to access clean ground water. When they’re done with these small pits they create, the muddy holes are actually utilised by other animals. But if they’re close to camp, they’ll save themselves the effort and drink straight from the swimming pools.

When guests aren’t enjoying elephant sightings from the confines of camp, they’re indulging in close-up sightings of these jumbos while out on foot.

Ross Pride Breakaway Lionesses Kill a Buffalo at nThambo Tree Camp

The Ross Pride Breakaway lionesses took down a buffalo right in front of nThambo Tree Camp! The bond between these sisters is strong and they’re incredible hunters. Nomadic male, Mabande, has been making his presence known throughout the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve. He made a kill close to Jason’s Dam and the Ross girls approached the area in the hopes of sharing the kill. They were chased away and decided to make their own kill outside camp, giving guests a sighting of epic proportions.

Portraits of Umkumbe’s Leopardess Hlarulini

The ever graceful leopardess, Hlarulini, travelled from the south of Sabi Sand reserve and was spotted patrolling the traverse around Umkumbe Safari Lodge. The first sighting of Hlarulini was of her hoisting a stolen kill into a tree for safekeeping. The fresh kill was abandoned by White Dam and Hlarulini, being an opportunistic leopard, hoisted the meaty impala into the fork of a tree. A male leopard snuck up the tree, knocked Hlarulini 4m to the ground and kept the kill for himself! This happened during the course of last week and rangers Marius and Mauritz were there with their guests, watching the antics unfold.

If you recall, Marius gave a quick rundown about the recent happenings with the leopards of the Sabi Sand , but today it’s all about Mauritz Senekal and his moments in time with Hlarulini. These photos were taken at the same sighting. It’s great to gain a different ranger’s photography perspective!

Here are 3 facts about female leopards, which will help to understand Hlarulini’s recent behaviour.

Leopards drag their kill high up into trees to keep their “meal” away from thieving scavengers. In areas where there are low populations of scavengers, leopards will devour their meal on ground level. This is why Hlarulini swiftly headed up the tree – notorious hyena Toothfairy was hovering around.
Hlarulini wandered over from south of the reserve. Female leopards tend to favour territories that have potential den sites and plenty of access to food. The home ranges of male leopards are far wider and they tend to overlap with territories of multiple females.
Leopards have a rasping, coarse call which they use to advertise their territory. Another leopard will respond with a similar responding call, which lets the intruder know that they exist.

Week in Pictures : A Mixed Bag of Wildlife Delights

Welcome to this week’s instalment of week in pictures, which is a mixed bag of wildlife delights. Plains game, big herds and predators have been quite present this week throughout our reserves. Without further ado, here are our favourite pictures from the week.

Ezulwini Billy’s Lodge and Ezulwini River Lodge

Both lodges have had a slew of successful game drives and activity at the camps. A graceful nyala female decided to visit River lodge and the elephant herds have been hovering around camp. This week, the plains game have been out in full force, which makes a nice change from Ezulwini’s big cat sightings. That’s not say there haven’t been any big cats! As a matter of fact, golden-haired boy Duma and his pride were seen in the dead of night and put on quite a display during the LiveBushFeed session. The River Pride has also been spotted, just patrolling and sleeping in the thickets.

Umkumbe Safari Lodge

It’s been a central hub of leopard activity this week in the Sabi Sand. The leopards were heard contact calling throughout the reserve and once again, the Umkumbe team have spotted leopardess Hlarulini and the lesser-spotted male Inyathini. As per usual, the buffalo and elephant herds continue to delight everyone with their antics in the riverbed in front of the lodge.

Africa on Foot and nThambo Tree Camp

It has certainly been a busy big cat week for the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve. A lone leopard was seen heading into the thickets last night, but there wasn’t enough time to identify the sleek beauty! The highlight of the week most certainly has been the sighting of nomadic male, Mabande, mating with the Ross Pride Breakaway lionesses!

Update: Male Lion Mabande Mates with the Ross Lionesses!

Welcome to part two in the Mabande male lion saga – this time, things have heated up and excitement is mounting. The Mabande male, who we’ve recently introduced to our guests, is certainly settling into the Klaserie way of life. His presence is having a trickle down effect on the resident lions on the Africa on Foot and nThambo Tree Camp territory. This is big news for lion pride dynamics. Just like the changing seasons, the lion activity seems to be coinciding with the shift. New seasons, new lions.

Over the past few weeks we’ve been closely monitoring Mabande’s antics. It appears the Trilogy males were also watching Mabande’s every move and, feeling threatened, the old legends returned to their grounds for a fly-by-night visit. We suspect this was just to show all and sundry who dominates the area. However, this didn’t deter the scraggly maned Mabande male, who continued to test the waters of a potentially new turf. If you recall, last week we reported that he killed a buffalo, followed the Ross Pride Breakaway lionesses and made his presence known around nThambo Tree Camp and Africa On Foot.

During the time when the Trilogy returned to their old domicile, Mabande seemed to lie low for a while. When he deemed it safe, he re-appeared with a vengeance! Is this boy actually be here to stay? There was speculation that he might just be passing through, but since Thursday last week, there’s been an interesting twist in the saga. You could say he has upped his game and asserting his dominance.

The virile male decided that mating with the two Ross Pride Breakaway lionesses was the next step. Since Thursday last week, Mabande has been spotted with his pants down, taking turns to mate with BOTH lionesses! In conjunction with that, he has been calling during the dead of night. Calling is normally a form of communication to advertise their territory. Contact calling happens at night because the air is still and sound travels further. During this time, not one of the Trilogy have responded to his territorial roars!

Greg Moran, a ranger at Africa on Foot, says “Mabande has been calling almost every night since Thursday and the Trilogy boys haven’t responded. If Mabande continues to hang around the Ross girls, then the Hercules Pride will leave them alone. There is a chance that if Mabande comes face to face with the Hercules Pride that he might kill off the youngsters.”

Why would Mabande want to kill the youngsters from another pride? Unfortunately, this can happen when a male is attempting to take over a territory. He would, in theory, want his own bloodline to be continued and will kill off the young within a pride. This also eliminates the possible competition from youngsters who may grow-up wanting to take his spot as leader.

Being brave and full of testosterone, Mabande tried to take down another buffalo last night during our virtual LiveBushFeed session. He stalked his target, but it was a useless attempt. He has probably expended plenty of energy during the mating process! The Ross Pride Breakaway lionesses certainly have had their fair share of warfare and drama. The Hercules pride killed their cubs, they’ve mated with the Trilogy and now it’s new beginnings for them with the Mabande male.

The Klaserie is alive with lion activity !

Catch all the history, the timeline and the full story of the first Mabande male sighting from ranger Mike Beard here: Mabande Male Lion Enters the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve

Stay tuned for the next part of the saga. Things are heating up fast.

The Grim Reapers & the Safari Clean-up Crew

If the hyenas are the clean-up crew of the safari world, then vultures are the grim reapers. When you’re on safari and you see a wake of vultures hovering above an area, you have that foreboding sense of death in the air. Hyenas surround a kill site, waiting in the wings for meaty morsels and bone fragments to satisfy their hunger. Vultures avidly and clumsily descend upon a kill site in the hopes of finding carrion. Both species play a vital role in the ecology of an area and prevent the spread of disease, but they’re not the most sought after animals to spot while on safari. Yet without them, the more revered predators, such as lions, may face disease.

Both vultures and hyenas are the scavenging crew that clean-up after an area and occasionally work in unison to get the job done. Although other smaller scavengers (such as the marabou stork and the jackal) do pick up leftover morsels, they’re not nearly as proficient as the grim reapers and clean-up crew!

Last week, the white-backed vultures and hyena clans were surrounding the remains of a buffalo carcass which was recently killed by the Ross Pride Breakaway lionesses. The hyenas and vultures dined together and cleaned together. There wasn’t much fighting, but certainly plenty of scurrying around, cackling and flapping of wings.

Here are the top 5 ways vultures and hyenas play a part in the ecology of an area:

Hyenas are scavengers and rather successful hunters. They eliminate the old and sick animals from populations. Hyenas hunt by chasing until exhaustion, so they’ll target they weak.
The more lions there are in an area, the more prone a hyena is to scavenging. Scavenging is access to “free” food. Through scavenging, they play an active role in the control of natural diseases by disposing of carcasses.
Each animal in the wild has a different immune system. It appears the spotted hyena has the ability to survive deadly pathogens and even anthrax.
If a vulture eats the carrion from a diseased animal, the spread of the disease will end there. Their stomachs are so hardy and immune system so strong that they feel no effects from eating flesh riddled with cholera, botulism and even rabies. They don’t act as a host for these diseases because their body will neutralise the deadly pathogens.
It has been noted, when the decline of vultures goes down in an area, then the spread of disease increases. Vultures are actually killed illegally for their bones, which certain traditions believe hold powers of premonition.

Hyenas and vultures certainly enjoy a somewhat cohesive relationship, vital for the ecology of a reserves. They love to clean-up the remnants of decaying carcasses, discarded meat and innards from predator kills. And they keep our reserves disease free!