December began with the first proper rains settling across the Gomoti system, drawing wildlife back into the floodplains and woodlands and enabling wide movement between the NG34 concession and the unfenced boundary of Moremi Game Reserve.
Lion activity increased – the large resident pride in the north was regularly heard calling around camp, and one male was located mating with a female believed to belong to Tee’s Pride, after which he remained in the area and was encountered repeatedly, still advertising his presence. Further south, a pride comprising two adult females, cubs, and subadults was often observed moving between Rra Dinare and Mma Dinare, one morning finishing a warthog kill before settling in the riverine shade between the two camps. The Santawani pride, accompanied by two dominant males, ranged widely from the airstrip through to the Dibatana area, most sightings revealing them well fed and resting after successful hunts. As the month progressed, subadults from the resident pride were also tracked onto a giraffe carcass, confirming continued hunting success.
Following leopard tracks led to some of the most rewarding sightings of the month A young male was first located with severe facial and rib wounds, likely sustained during conflict with another male or a defensive warthog. His progress was monitored over subsequent weeks, and he was later found fully healed, feeding on an impala kill near the airstrip. Shortly afterwards, he was again located dragging prey and feeding over several days, confirming a full recovery. The resident male, Rra Lebodu, was also re-encountered after a short absence. Following fresh tracks and using alarm calls from kudu and impala, guides relocated him moving purposefully through thickets, calling repeatedly before locating a receptive female. The pair was observed mating and later found resting quietly nearby, their position given away only by subtle bird and antelope reactions. The same female, known previously to have had cubs earlier in the year, remained under close observation as her movements were carefully followed through repeated track patterns.
Cheetah movements remained dynamic. A female with a subadult was tracked after their fresh spoor intersected with wild dog tracks. The tracker went on foot while the vehicle circled to maintain the line, and after extended following they were relocated still moving and hunting. Later that day, they were confirmed to have made a successful impala kill in the same area. The well-known coalition of four brothers continued to range between the concession and the reserve, often found well fed, with bloodied faces and resting in open areas after unseen kills. Solitary females were also recorded in Moremi, one of whom made a successful impala hunt in the presence of guests.
African wild dog activity was strong, with at least three packs recorded. The largest pack, now numbering around thirty, including seven remaining pups from the recent denning season, continued to move widely. Early one morning fresh spoor showed that a pack of thirteen wild dogs had been moving through the Mma Dinare area at pace. The tracks told the story clearly – the pack was spread out, changing direction often, and hunting. Following the line of travel south towards Rra Dinare, the dogs were eventually relocated along the riverine edge, running in loose formation and testing small groups of impala as they moved.
For some time the chases came to nothing, with impala breaking away and the pack regrouping before trying again. Then one animal made for the channel and entered the water. It swam a short distance before hesitating, confronted by a crocodile, and turned back towards the bank. The dogs had already anticipated the escape route. As the impala climbed out, the pack closed in and brought it down quickly. Almost at the same time, a second impala was taken nearby as the dogs, still widely spread, converged from different angles.
Spotted hyena and black-backed jackal activity remained high, closely linked to the abundance of carcasses. Several dens were active, and mobile clans were frequently encountered moving between waterholes and known kill sites. Brown hyena and aardwolf were both recorded on evening drives, including one brown hyaena seen near a leopard kill. Jackal pairs with young were regularly observed along the roads, particularly in areas where impala lambing had begun.
Smaller carnivores featured well, especially on late returns to camp. Serval, civet, African wild cat, honey badger, genets and bat-eared foxes were all recorded, with one exceptional morning producing a relaxed sighting of a female caracal with two nearly grown cubs near the airstrip — a first for some long-standing repeat guests.
General game numbers remained high. Large herds of elephant and buffalo moved between woodland and river, often crossing the channels in single file during the heat of the day. Zebra, wildebeest, impala, kudu, tsessebe, red lechwe and giraffe were widespread, with many females in the early stages of calving and lambing, which in turn supported the sustained predator activity.
Birdlife responded quickly to the rains and emerging insect life. Intra-African migrants such as carmine bee-eaters, yellow-billed kites and rollers arrived, while raptors, storks and vultures gathered at carcasses across the concession and along the Moremi boundary.
The month ended with the landscape fully transformed by rain, waterholes replenished and the floodplain beginning to green. Despite the changing conditions, the guiding and tracking teams consistently relocated key species through careful reading of spoor, alarm calls and movement patterns, confirming another productive and well-balanced period of game viewing across the Rra Dinare and Mma Dinare concession.
