With the Gomoti River newly flooded, the landscape changed dramatically. The channels drew in everything from dragonflies and painted reed frogs to elephants, buffalo, and warthogs, which arrived to drink and wallow.
Lion activity remained steady across the concession, with several prides moving between the river systems, woodlands, and the firebreaks near both camps.
Early in the month, the Tee Pride from the north was displaced by intruder males coming from the south-east. They were not seen again for the rest of the month.
The Southern Pride was far more active, following the large buffalo herds that remained in the area due to the accessible grazing and reliable water. Guests witnessed several hunts and kills as the pride focused mainly on buffalo.
Near camp, the Santawani Pride — five adult lionesses with six cubs of mixed ages — made repeated appearances. One morning began with the distress call of a buffalo, which the pride had brought down just beyond the firebreak. Later in the month, the Trudy Pride of seven lions was seen feeding on a freshly killed red lechwe near the borehole.
There was also territorial conflict. One night at Mma Dinare there was a large comotion as two intruder males clashed with the resident pride close to camp. At sunrise, both males were located — one injured — still pacing and roaring along the riverine.
Baboons blow the whistle at dawn
Leopard sightings were excellent across both camps. The dominant male Ralebodu featured frequently, often moving between Rra Dinare and Mma Dinare. Early in the month he was found in a shepherd’s tree feeding on an impala when a pack of African wild dogs suddenly appeared, leaping up at the trunk to try to dislodge him. Ralebodu held his ground.
He was also observed mating with a young subadult female recently separated from her mother. They remained in the same area for several days. Later in the month, the same female was found up a mopane tree feeding on an African wild cat — a rare sighting.
Several mornings started with the alarm calls of baboons near the staff village. On more than one occasion, these calls led guides directly to a leopard still hunting in the early light. One morning, while guests were having breakfast, staff spotted a leopard heading towards the management rooms, and the guides responded immediately, tracking and locating it as it moved through the thickets.
Cheetah sightings stood out as a major highlight. The coalition of four males, moving between NG34 and Moremi Game Reserve, was observed regularly. After lengthy tracking — sometimes over two hours — the guides often found them on kills, including impala and zebra. One particularly memorable sighting involved the coalition ambushing a warthog sow and her youngster near the riverbank; the chase lasted only seconds, ending right in front of the vehicle.
A female cheetah with three cubs was seen repeatedly along the boundary with Moremi. Another female with very young cubs was also located feeding on a young kudu later in the month.
The concession saw movement from two African wild dog packs during September.
A pack of four adults with three pups stayed close to both camps for several days, making multiple attempts on impala. In one dramatic sighting, they chased and killed an impala between the main area and Room 5 while guests were having breakfast.
The larger pack of twenty-two, with fourteen pups, left the den site just before September started and began ranging widely between Moremi, NG34, and Santawani. This made sightings infrequent, but the team managed to locate them mid-month with the help of researchers. An injured, collared female from this pack was later seen and reported to the research team; she was attended to and subsequently rejoined her group.
The night belongs to the hyenas
Spotted hyenas were frequently seen around waterholes and at night, often shadowing lion activity. Early in the month, a dead elephant attracted large numbers of hyenas, though the cause of death remained unknown.
Another night was punctuated by their distinctive “whooping” calls. The morning search revealed a zebra carcass attended by at least six individuals, with bateleurs and tawny eagles also present.
Both black-backed and side-striped jackals were observed, with black-backed jackals being more common. They played an unexpected role during one cheetah tracking session — their alarm calls led guides directly to the cheetahs feeding on a zebra.
Other small mammals recorded included bat-eared foxes, African wild cats, civets, servals, porcupines, and spring hares, particularly during night drives. A bat-eared fox den was located and monitored throughout the month.
Large herds of buffalo, elephants, impala, kudu, wildebeest, giraffe, red lechwe, and zebra moved through the concession. With shorter vegetation at the end of winter and new growth around the Gomoti, visibility was excellent.
The presence of buffalo in particular sustained strong predator activity, with several night-time interactions between lions and hyenas reported from camp.
The sky that never stands still
Between 100 and 200 bird species were recorded daily. The arrival of summer marked the beginning of migration, with the first migrants including purple rollers, southern carmine bee-eaters, yellow- and black-billed kites, giant kingfishers, walberg’s eagles, secretary birds, village indigos, little egrets, and malachite kingfishers. Resident species such as lilac-breasted rollers, African jacanas, hornbills, herons, and saddle-billed storks were observed throughout the wetlands.
Painted reed frogs were abundant, their evening calls carrying across the floodplains.
Rock monitor lizards were seen frequently along the riverbanks, and crocodiles basked in the sun. Beautiful dragonflies, African monarch butterflies and yellow pansies were commonly seen around the waterways.
The return of the Gomoti water transformed the concession. Grass flattened by buffalo created broad open views, while acacia species began flowering, attracting bees and insects. Fallen termite-harvested grasses created clear sightlines for tracking both predators and general game.
