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VIDEO: Wild dog pups get a meaty breakfast!

Something incredible has been reported from within the heart of the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve, and we are now considered some of the privileged few to have witnessed such an intimate act of the wild. Africa’s endangered painted dogs have settled in a den near Africa on Foot and nThambo Tree Camp, and the alpha female has given birth to 2 pups who we have been able to see exploring the den site over the last week or so. Yesterday, we were treated to an even more intimate look at the life of these highly endangered predators when 3 adult dogs returned to the den and were welcomed by a singsong of the twittering and whistling as the expectant pups called for food. Sure enough, the dogs regurgitated whole chunks of meat and fed the ‘babysitter’, the alpha female, and the 2 young pups.

When ranger-turned-photographer Kevin MacLaughlin arrived at the den (at a designated time and from a specific distance so as not to disturb the den site), one adult dog was the acting ‘watch dog’ and the others were nowhere to be seen. Knowing that wild dogs are daylight hunters, preferring early mornings and evenings, Kevin set up his equipment and hoped that he might be in time to see the other dogs return from a hunt. At this stage, the pups are too young to leave the den, and they will stay put for the first 2.5 months of their lives. During this time, various members of the pack will take turns to stay back and guard the den while the others go off hunting, and this time it was lucky there was a babysitter on duty! Kevin explains what he saw:

We must have been waiting for about 20 minutes when we spotted a hyena sniffing the ground about 80-100m from the den, but shortly after it bolted from the area as the rest of the wild dog pack came back and gave chase. Once the hyena was far away, the dogs approached the den, and then we saw the alpha female (mom) and the 2 pups come out of the burrow to feed.

The pups are estimated to be about a month old and are still reliant on their mother for milk, but even at this tender age, wild dogs are eating small amounts of meat, which is regurgitated from adult dogs. At about 2.5 months old the pups will leave the den and tag along behind the pack as they hunt, learning the ropes and getting a feel for how these predators achieve such a high hunting success rate.

We are so lucky to have glanced this incredible world of the African wild dog. The second most endangered predator in Africa, there are only an estimated 4000 individuals remaining in the wild. They are constantly on the move and the only time a pack stays put in an area is when they are denning, which is for 3 months between May and July. Kevin describes just how memorable this sighting is for him:

I’ve often seen documentaries of what happens at a wild dog den, but I’ve never seen it in real life. It’s incredible to watch the dynamics within the pack. Seeing how they all work together to ensure the survival of their pups, and ultimately their pack, is really something special. This has to be right up there with my most memorable memories out in the bush.

How thankful we are that they chose this spot in the Klaserie, and that we can implement a secure and unobtrusive visiting roster so as not to disturb this precious nest. We hope that our guests at Africa on Foot and nThambo Tree Camp will be introduced to these cubs very soon. Watch this space for updates!

Wild Dog Pups Seen in the Klaserie

The discovery of wild dog pups in the Klaserie has led to much excitement among the rangers at Africa on Foot and nThambo Tree Camp. Reports and sightings of predator kills have always been a firm favourite with our readers and guests. However, it’s always nice bring you news of birth rather than death! The circle of life in the wild can be mean and harsh; so these bundles of joy have bought many smiles and much happiness to all and sundry. To see young animals thriving and surviving in the wild is always a memorable occasion .

A week ago the rangers saw the pack hovering around a disused aardvark burrow and noticed a heavily lactating female. This led us to believe there was the presence of pups. There was speculation that the pups were very, very tiny because there was no sign of movement from the burrow. Pups need the safety and security of the burrow to fully develop, which is why there was no activity from the youngsters. The pups are vulnerable which makes the rest of the pack acutely aware of protecting the newborns from predators. Out of respect for the pack, guides and rangers at Africa on Foot and nThambo Tree Camp have decided to maintain a 30 metre distance from the den site. There is also only one access road to the area and only one vehicle at a time will be allowed at a sighting.

At the moment, there are recorded sightings of two pups. There could be more stashed inside the burrow but they’re just not ready to come out yet.

5 Facts About Wild Dog Pups:

Pups only leave the den area after 2.5 months because they need the security of the burrow and den to mature. They are blind and completely helpless when born, which means they are easy prey for predators.

Adult wild dogs take turns in hunting and guarding the den area. The “den guards” chase off potential predators.

The dogs which return from the hunt regurgitate chunks of meat in order to feed the pups. Pups, out of instinct and not hunger, whimper for food.

Wild dogs are co-operative breeders. This means that only the alpha male and female breed. The rest of the pack/clan are there to help with breeding.

Wild dogs use old termite minds that have been re-used by aardvarks. They’ll den in an abandoned burrow and line the area with grass and leaves; making it comfortable for the pups.

Wild Dog Puppies

Puppies ! Managed to capture an amazing video of the wild dog pups. These adorable little bundles of joy are slowly emerging from their den site. Cutest video of the month ! Thanks Kevin for the footage. http://www.africaonfoot.com

Posted by Sun Destinations on Monday, 20 July 2015

Trilogy lion gets himself a girlfriend

These two certainly seem to like each other (although there’s not much to be said for monogamy in the animal world), and we are getting quite used to seeing the big cats of the Klaserie working on growing their families! This male from the Trilogy coalition – identified by his particularly scarred nose – has been seen mating with a Ross Pride breakaway lioness, AND he has been seen hanging out with the Hercules lionesses and their 4 small cubs. This boy is all about sowing his seed, and it is a clear sign that the Trilogy is here to dominate.

Umkumbe’s favourite leopard on a kill

Ok, so ‘favourite’ might be a bit biased, because with all the leopards loping in and out of the Umkumbe traverse, there are bound to be other ‘favourites’. But the Notten’s female has been around for such a long time and she exudes confidence and elegance like no other cat does, so it is safe to say that all those guests and guides that have been privileged enough to see her on safari might rank her highly on their leopard sightings list. This time, we got her just as she was tucking into a meal she made of a white-tailed mongoose! This is the Notten’s leopard on a kill.

The Notten’s female strolls through her territory with purpose and is beautifully habituated to the Umkumbe game drive vehicles, which results in fantastic sightings like this one.

Guide Marius has commented on this leopard’s behaviour saying, “When Nottens has made up her mind of where she wants to be, nothing will stand in her way. She will climb over obstacles to get to her destination. I have noticed that she loves strolling through open areas.”

Lezel, who snapped these shots of Notten’s while out with her guests, also described this legendary leopard: “Nottens is the oldest leopard. She has a torn ear but doesn’t have as many scars as White Dam. We believe Nottens is roughly 14 years of age. To me she is a very, very relaxed leopard. She is really not aggressive.”

So, everybody might have their favourite, but for now, Notten’s is topping the charts with her expert hunting and super casual attitude towards her fans in the game viewers!

In the middle of a buffalo herd at Africa on Foot

The Klaserie Private Nature Reserve is a buffalo hotspot and usually when we spot a couple, there are hundreds more just out of sight. That was the case on this particular morning on an Africa on Foot walking safari when guide, Greg, led his guests to Twala Dam just before a big herd of buffalo arrived for a drink. Photographers Jochen Van de Perre and Kevin MacLaughlin were on the scene to capture some fantastic footage as guests settled down in the hide and watched a buffalo herd of 800 wade into the water.

Well known as some of the most dangerous animals in the African wild, buffaloes get a lot of respect especially when approaching on foot. They are pretty nervous animals, as their sight is not particularly good, but their incredible sense of smell more than makes up for that! They stick together in herds, and they are not afraid to protect themselves and their young – a lesson learned by lions quite frequently.

Twala Dam has a wonderful hide, which is the solace of many a photographer and bird-watcher. (See photographers and film makers Russell MacLaughlin and Shannon Wild at work filming elephants from this fantastic spot earlier this year). Greg’s morning walk had incorporated a visit to this fantastic spot and he and his guests were just getting started with a traditional game of “bok drol spoeg” when the arrival of the massive herd called for an interval.

Week in Pictures: Predators in the Power Seat!

It’s been an undeniably awesome week in the Greater Kruger region, which makes this edition of the Week in Pictures particularly difficult. Such a small collection of images to represent such a dynamite week on safari just doesn’t seem fair, but each event has been documented in much greater detail on our Facebook pages, which are well worth a visit!

Predators have dominated the wildlife news this week, with numerous leopards being spotted down south in the supreme Sabi Sand, and all sorts of lion activity bursting out of the Klaserie, including an exceptional sighting of a solo white lioness last night!

We’ve seen the well known leopards and their cubs at Umkumbe Safari Lodge, the Trilogy male lions mating with Ross Pride lionesses at Africa on Foot, while blue-eyed male leopard, Chavaluthu, has made another appearance at Ezulwini Game Lodges, and African wild dogs have given birth to pups near nThambo Tree Camp! It truly has been a sizzler of a week, so sit back and take a look at this photo summary of a predator-filled safari…

Africa on Foot:

nThambo Tree Camp:

Ezulwini Game Lodges:

Umkumbe Safari Lodge:

nDzuti Safari Camp:

Watching the Birth of a Giraffe

Umkumbe Safari Lodge was the scene of yet another historical wildlife moment. This time, there were no graphic moments where the life of an unsuspecting steenbok came to an end, but rather it was the start of a new life. During the course of last week we witnessed a giraffe being born. A nurturing and tender moment between cow and calf presented itself on Wednesday last week. Birth and death comes around so quickly in the wild and it’s nice to finally be in the presence of a “hello” rather than a “goodbye”.

The cow seemed to have an uncomplicated birth and the calf slid out with ease; dropping into a crumpled heap on the ground. A cow remains standing during the birthing process and the baby is not harmed when it falls to the ground. The calf is surrounded by a thick sac, which prevents any damage being done to it during the birth. When born, these gentle giants are a staggering 6 feet tall and they learn to walk within a few hours. For the first two weeks the calf rests and becomes used to its new surrounds, while enjoying protection from its mother.

A calf spends a long time with its mother, while in utero and after being born. The gestation period of a giraffe is 15 months and after the calf is born it will spend the first year of life drinking from its mother. Because of their height and not being fully developed, they will spend the first couple months satisfying the remainder of their nutritional needs from low-lying shrubbery until they can reach the taller trees.

The survival rate for a calf in the wild rests at a minimal 25%. Wildlife in their infancy are weak and vulnerable, making them ideal targets for ruthless and fearless predators. The presence of a calf is actually a threat to the entire herd – predators will stalk and “eye out” the herd, targetting the calf. Let’s hope our leopards leave this calf alone.

Week in Pics: Feline Fun and Feasts

This week has been incredible in terms of feline sightings. Leopards and lions have come out to play; and we can barely keep up with the ranger reports. The two Ross pride breakaway females, who dominate the Klaserie, have been seen on a daily basis. The rangers from Umkumbe are loving their game drives because there are so many leopards about. The Kruger is bursting with energy and wildlife at the moment. There’s no shortage of plains game, birdlife, critters, small mammals and the big five. The Kruger is showing off and we’re relishing every opportunity to share this with our guests.

Highlights from Umkumbe Safari Lodge, in the Sabi Sand Wildtuin:

Witnessing a giraffe giving birth and managing to capture it on camera!

Observing Nottens female leopard eating a baboon kill and making it last for 3 days.

Being in the presence of a mega herd of buffalo on the move in search of available water sources

An abundance of leopard sightings. This week we saw Maxabeni, Nottens, Little Bush cub, White Dam and even the Bicycle Crossing male!

Highlights from Africa on Foot, in the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve:

The Ross pride breakaway females being seen daily in their favourite spot on the banks of Twala dam.

Catching a fleeting glimpse of a leopard, an abandoned kill and then observing the leopard return to its kill.

Guests got to see a tiny genet cat playing hide and seek in a tree.

Highlights from nThambo Tree Camp, in the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve:

Two random and rare sightings of a ground hornbill and…wait for it…an aardvark! An aardvark is a nocturnal creature and is quite rare to see. They spend the daylight hours hiding in burrows in the ground.

Watching elephant bulls, calves and matriarchs wade across Twala dam. At one stage, the bulls decided to drink together while the others played in the water.

Observing the Ross pride breakaway females in their usual position, relaxing on the elavated ground next to Twala Dam.

Nottens Female Leopard Kills Baboon

Leopards ambush their prey and rely on the element of surprise to capture their intended victim. These fearless big cats grapple and wrestle their prey after pouncing on their back. They tear their victim with their fore-claws and bite them around the throat in an attempt to break their neck, making it a swift death for their unsuspecting prey. This skillful method of attack is exactly what the Nottens leopard used when taking a down a baboon 2 days ago.

The Nottens female leopard, a dominant leopard around the Umkumbe Safari Lodge used her masterful hunting tactics to ambush an unsuspecting baboon. The hunt was a successful one and she managed to savour her meal for over two days. She did leave her kill for quite sometime which is unusual. She was quite lucky that hyenas and other predators didn’t utilize the window of the opportunity to steal her kill!

We are glad to see Nottens on the hunt. During the course of last week we had a rather hair raising scenario between the White Dam female and the Nottens female. They had a bit of showdown in an attempt to defend their territory. Their paths crossed and a display of dominance ensued. The aggression may also have been because White Dam has cubs and was protecting her brood. Since the fight, we’ve seen White Dam and Nottens; and both appear in good shape.

Umkumbe Safari Lodge continues to enjoy game drives through an area home to a leap of leopards.

Week in Pics: Creatures of the Kruger

The week in pics is always dominated by big cat sightings. This is because we enjoy prolific leopard, lion and cheetah sightings at our camps. It’s hard not to post photos of the big cats; but this week we want to mix it up and celebrate the smaller creatures of the Kruger.

However, we do need to mention our big cat sightings at both nThambo Tree Camp and Africa on Foot Both these camps enjoyed sightings of the Ross pride breakaway females who were seen relaxing at the dam after after a kill. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see the kill but we did see the lionesses dragging their full bellies to the water’s edge. The Africa on Foot team witnessed a rather momentous moment between the Trilogy lions and the Hercules pride. They discoverd 4 healthy cubs belonging to the Hercules pride. There was speculation that the Trilogy males sired the cubs but we needed proof. A few days after the cub sighting we noticed the Trilogy males feasting on a giraffe kill with the Hercules pride!

The birdlife has been fantastic this week. We’ve shared an incredible photo of a crested barbet boasting a plumage full of colour. The impalas have been out in full force, making easy pickings for our predators! Then there have been a few rare sightings of white-tailed mongoose, a side-striped jackal scavenging for left-overs and herds of elephant going in search of water.

Umkumbe Safari Lodge reported quite an intense incident between two leopards. White Dam and Nottens were caught fighting. We thought it would come to this at some stage. We’ve even had lion sightings. The 4 boys who were kicked out of the Sparta pride have been making their presence known. In terms of birdlife, Umkumbe had a “first time ever” moment. They discovered the presence of a black-winged stilt wading in the water.

Ezulwini enjoyed phenomenal elephant and buffalo sightings. And let’s not forget the elephants who always frequent the area around the skywalk at Billy’s Lodge.