One of August’s most memorable encounters began with vultures gathered in dead trees north of camp. Guides drove over to investigate and found four spotted hyenas feeding on a female kudu carcass.
While watching the hyenas, the calls of spurfowl drew attention elsewhere. A male leopard was on the ground nearby, watching the hyenas that had taken his kill. As the cats and scavengers kept a wary eye on one another, the leopard moved towards the vehicle and settled beside it, using it as cover.
When guides returned that afternoon, he was still in the area, this time perched in a dead tree in the late afternoon light.
Leopards featured strongly throughout the Dinare Private Reserve during August. A female with two cubs was found near the airstrip feeding on an impala, and guests watched as she nursed the youngsters beside the carcass. On another occasion, the same family rested in the shade of a safari vehicle.
Two leopards were seen mating west of camp, while one particularly good morning produced three different male leopards in separate locations. Alarm calls from birds also helped guides locate an African wild cat during the day, another example of how listening to the bush can reveal what is otherwise easily missed.
Four cheetah brothers bring down a zebra foal
The coalition of four male cheetahs remained one of Dinare’s most recognisable predator groups during August.
They ranged widely through the reserve, and one sighting began with guides finding their tracks and following them for more than two hours. By the time the four males were located, the tracking effort had covered roughly five kilometres.
The coalition was regularly seen hunting through the open country, using termite mounds and fallen trees as vantage points. During one hunt, guests watched the four brothers successfully bring down a zebra foal.
Unfortunately, towards the middle of the month, one of the four brothers was seen with an injury. He continued to move with the coalition during August, but it was a concerning development for this well-known group.
Dinare’s cheetah population extended beyond the coalition. Three subadult cheetahs were found feeding on a warthog, while a female with a cub was also seen exploring the reserve. The youngster followed its mother through the open country as she moved through her territory.
Three young lions stand their ground against the hyenas
Competition around kills produced plenty of action during August.
Three subadult male lions were feeding on a giraffe east of camp when more than ten spotted hyenas gathered and attempted to take the carcass. Despite the numerical advantage of the hyenas, the three young males held their ground and retained their meal.
Elsewhere, seven lions comprising three lionesses and four subadult males were found feeding on a male Cape buffalo close to Rra Dinare. Their roars carried through the night, but the following morning brought a dramatic change when three large black-maned males arrived and chased the pride.
Guides followed the pursuit, during which one of the younger lions was caught by the males. He managed to escape with wounds to his back.
The same pressure played out again when a pride of seven was feeding on a giraffe and three large males arrived and drove them from the carcass.
Tracking and listening were important in locating lions throughout the month. On one morning, guides had barely left camp when they heard roaring nearby. Following the calls led to a mating pair, with more lions subsequently found further north.
Two territorial males were also closely followed as they moved through the reserve, roaring, scent-marking and patrolling through the floodplains and woodland around the Gomoti River.
African wild dogs clash with spotted hyenas
African wild dogs moved widely through Dinare, with groups ranging from three animals to packs of 12 and 13 recorded during August.
Three dogs were followed hunting impala near the camp firebreak, although the hunt was unsuccessful. A pack of 13 was later found near the airstrip, while 12 dogs were seen around Santa Santawane Pan.
Another hunt ended with a successful impala kill, but the dogs had little time to feed before spotted hyenas arrived. A confrontation followed as the two predators competed for the carcass.
Spotted hyenas were regularly encountered elsewhere, including an active den where three young cubs, three subadults and four adults were seen together during daylight hours.
Hundreds of buffalo gather in the dry season
As natural pans dried, wildlife increasingly concentrated around the Gomoti River and the remaining water.
Buffalo gathered in particularly impressive numbers, with herds estimated at around 400 animals. Zebra herds of more than 200 were also recorded, alongside breeding herds of elephants moving towards the river in search of water and feeding areas.
Impala were widespread, with greater kudu, tsessebe, red lechwe, common reedbuck and steenbok also regularly encountered.
The Gomoti River remained high enough for both mokoro and boating activities. From the water, guests watched elephants crossing channels and red lechwe moving through the wetter areas, while hippos and Nile crocodiles occupied the waterways.
Boat cruises also brought guests closer to the river’s birdlife, including African spoonbills, hamerkops, African openbills, herons, reed cormorants, African jacanas, kingfishers and African fish eagles.
Caracals and African wild cats after dark
Dinare’s smaller mammals added plenty of interest, particularly during night drives.
Two caracals were found north of camp, while African wild cats were especially active during August. Three were seen together in one area, appearing to be a female with youngsters, and several other individuals were recorded during both daylight and night drives.
African civets, small-spotted genets, servals, honey badgers, bat-eared foxes, springhares, scrub hares and porcupines were also encountered.
Flowering trees signal the first signs of spring
August showed the contrast between Dinare’s dry eastern areas and the greener vegetation following the Gomoti River.
Much of the landscape had become increasingly dry as winter reached its final stages, but sausage trees and acacias had begun flowering, offering some of the first signs of spring.
The year’s floodwaters continued to hold through the reserve. Channels that had remained dry for several years carried water again, keeping the riverine areas green and allowing mokoro and boating activities to continue.
Clear winter nights completed the picture. With insect activity still relatively low, the sounds after dark came instead from owls, jackals, spotted hyenas and, frequently, the roars of lions carrying across the Dinare Private Reserve.
