Game viewing in Africa is an unpredictable affair. In the space of an hour you might get to witness a predator kill and see the big five. The next day you might only see a herd of anxious impala. This is why a safari is a complete adventure. Your game ranger and tracker study the behaviour and patterns of animals in the wild; and do their best to deliver on your sightings. However, with nature, NOTHING is reliable !
Over the weekend the game drives at Ezulwini enjoyed sightings of epic proportions. We certainly don’t think anyone could have predicted 3 different leopard sightings in one day! Leopards are notoriously aloof and any sighting of our precious Panthera pardus species is worth reporting.
Going on safari and seeing the wildlife on your checklist is about luck, your guide’s tracking skills and the adventure of unpredictable Africa. Over the weekend, luck was on Ezuwlini’s side. The Balule Nature Reserve delivered an abundance of leopard sightings for Ezulwini Billy’s Lodge and Ezulwini River Lodge.
Here’s a summary of Ezulwini’s leopard extravanganza:
1. Chavaluthu and Unknown Female: The handsome blue-eyed boy of the Balule was seen just before Valentine’s day. The powerful, unmistakable rasp of his contact call was heard before the team spotted him. There was a female in close proximity to where he was perched but she was incredibly skittish! Jochen and Mira managed to get a quick sliver of the unknown leopardess on camera before she disappeared into the wilderness.
2. Chavaluthu: Chavaluthu was seen again on Valentine’s day. This time he was resting, conserving his energy for patrolling his territory and ambushing potential prey. Leopards sleep during the heat of the day and hunt under the cover of darkness. The unknown female was heard fumbling in the thickets but she was too shy to come out. On the same day, another leopardess was spotted. She was quite relaxed and used to the game viewer. This beautiful leopardess is called the Van Wijk’s female and had no problem posing for the camera ! That’s 3 leopards in one day !
3. Unknown Leopardess : After leaving the area where Chavaluthu was resting, rangers headed out to one of the dams on the Ezulwini traverse, where big cats are often spotted. They saw a journey of giraffe assume a statue like pose and focus on something on the banks of the dam. A leopardess sauntered towards the water’s edge and had a drink, alarming the tower of giraffe. Seems like a bit of a Mexican stand-off !
This weekend has been a winner in terms of leopard sightings at Ezulwini River Lodge and Ezulwini Billy’s Lodge. What an extravaganza!
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