January offered some fantastic lion sightings, with multiple prides roaming the concession.
The Kwara Pride, which occupies the Paradise area, has grown to over 30 lions, including their cubs. As their numbers have increased, the pride has split into smaller groups to better manage food competition, especially when prey is scarce.
Four nursing lionesses and three other adult females without cubs separated from the larger group and settled in the southeast and southwest areas of the concession. These locations are rich in bush cover, which is ideal for hiding their cubs while they hunt. Tracking them proved challenging due to the tall grasses following heavy rains, but we managed to locate them.
We also spotted a group of 11 lions in the Paradise area: two large lionesses and nine subadults. Two young male lions were often chased by three dominant males but continued to stay in the area. In the northwest, there was another pride with an older lioness and her two six-month-old cubs; sadly, she had lost two other cubs. We also witnessed a lone lioness hunting near Mokoro Statio, she managed to kill a baby kudu and called for her cubs, who quickly appeared.
In January, another pride was spotted consisting of two females and their six cubs, located west of camp near a zebra kill. Although the cubs were shy and retreated briefly into the bushes, they returned to their mothers, allowing for a peaceful viewing.
The year started with an exciting leopard sighting when a female leopard was spotted with a baby warthog kill under a bush. We tracked her after noticing a tawny eagle perched low in a Leadwood tree. As we approached, the eagle flew, and we followed its flight to discover the leopard feeding. During the month we tracked the same female and located her with a large male leopard along BB’s Road. After picking up their tracks on Impala Road, we followed them off-road into tall grass, where we lost the trail, however we picked up their tracks again on BB’s Road, which lead us to the two leopards mating. The mating behavior was intriguing to observe, as the female actively attracted the male and they mated multiple times.
Later in the month a male leopard was found far west of Sedudu Island with a male red lechwe kill. He was initially wary and ran into the tall grass, but we left the area to allow him to return to his meal, checking back on him during a night drive when he was more relaxed.
Tracking Lions, finding Cheetahs
The lone male cheetah who has dominated the Paradise area was a highlight this month. We tracked and found him resting at the base of a termite mound, looking hungry. We waited with him, hoping for a hunt, and were rewarded when a sounder of warthogs appeared. The cheetah immediately bolted toward them, and after a few moments of commotion in the tall grass, we discovered he had caught a piglet. It was remarkable how he managed to hunt in such dense vegetation, and after briefly suffocating the piglet, he ate peacefully.
On one of our game drives, while tracking lions, we were surprised by a cheetah on an impala kill instead. The morning had started as a search for lions but ended with an exciting cheetah sighting.
The Incredible Hunting Skills of African wild dogs
African wild dog sightings were strong this month, both packs were active in the area. The pack of 28, now down to 26, was tracked and found hunting near the Kazungula Road. The dogs had made several kills, including baby impalas, however we only saw them with some of the kills as they were hidden in the bush. The pack made several more kills, including an adult female impala, and continued to feed in the open plains.
The pack moved west during January, where they made other successful hunts, targeting red lechwes in the floodplains. The dogs’ speed and teamwork were remarkable as they chased the animals through the water, bringing down three red lechwes in under two minutes. Watching them work together to pull the prey from the water, cautious of crocodiles, was a highlight.
The smaller pack of 12 African wild dogs was seen hunting along Mapolanka Road. After resting in the shade, they resumed their hunt, chasing a steenbok but losing it due to the tall grass. They then chased red lechwes towards Sedudu Island, where one male lechwe was killed after a coordinated effort.
Hyenas were seen frequently this month, both during our drives and on night safaris. On one of our night gamedrives we observed seven hyenas feeding on a zebra carcass, which we suspected they had stolen from a lioness with cubs, as her tracks were found nearby.
A month filled with blossoms and new life
General game sightings were excellent throughout January, with large numbers of animals gathered in areas with better grazing due to the rains. At the start of the month, elephants were less visible, likely due to the recent rains, but as the rains eased, more breeding herds returned to the area. Zebras, giraffes, and roan antelopes were also seen in increasing numbers. This month, we saw an abundance of baby animals, with young zebras, impalas, wildebeests, and elephants offering guests amazing and entertaining game viewing.
With the thick vegetation and tall grasses, spotting small mammals was a challenge, but night drives provided some great opportunities. Spring hares, bush babies, genets, wildcats, and civets were all seen. We saw a serval with a mouse kill, and two aardwolves, though they were shy and quickly ran off.
Birding was exceptional this month, with many bee-eaters, including Carmine and European bee-eaters, visible as they flew alongside our vehicles, enjoying the insects flushed out by the tall grass. A wide variety of birds of prey, including brown and black-chested snake eagles, tawny eagles, African hawk eagles, and martial eagles, were spotted regularly. Other notable species included cuckoos, such as black, striped, Jacobin, and common diederik cuckoos, as well as a cuckoo shrike.
Reptile sightings were abundant this month, with many species active due to the warm temperatures. Rock monitors, water monitors, and leopard tortoises were seen frequently. During the month a rock python was spotted basking on some bushes near 4Rivers Lediba.
This month, Mokoro excursions were especially enjoyable, thanks to abundant water and blooming flowers. We frequently spotted painted reed frogs, long reed frogs, both African and lesser jacanas. The presence of both day-blooming and night-blooming water lilies enhanced the area’s scenic beauty. Additionally, nature walks offered excellent opportunities to explore the area’s flowering plants and insects and understand more about the flora and fauna.
The landscape surrounding 4 Rivers was vibrant, with lush green vegetation and flowering plants in various shades of yellow, red, purple, pink, violet, and white creating a colorful and picturesque setting. The sunrises and sunsets were breathtaking, with colorful clouds enhancing the beauty, especially during our sundowners when the sun would set on the horizon and reflect in the water.
The night sky was incredible, with Venus, Jupiter, and Mars visible until late at night. Orion, Scorpio, and the Southern Cross were visible, along with the Milky Way and the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. Stars like Rigel, Betelgeuse, Sirius, and Canopus were also observed, making the night sky a stunning feature of the month.
(Please note: For the safety of the animals, we do not disclose the precise location of either rhino or pangolin sightings. Accompanying pictures are from our Kwando Photo Library which consists of all your great photo submissions over the years, it may not be the most up to date, but we felt it was worthy of a feature alongside this month’s Sightings Report)
