The Golden Boys made their presence felt during August when guides tracked the three male lions west of Marobalo-a-Ditshwene and found them with three freshly killed Cape buffalo.
Elsewhere, the Holi Pride was active across the concession. Four subadults, around a year old, were seen along Cheetah Marking Route hunting impala, while the pride was also found at the old boat station feeding on a common reedbuck.
Tracking produced another successful hunt close to camp. Fresh lion tracks passed just metres from the camp entrance, and guides followed the spoor for around an hour before finding the lions west of Free Firewood Pan. They were stalking zebra and eventually made a kill.
Skomota and Commando were also busy. The males were found between Cheetah Marking Route and Upper Kwando Road with a wildebeest kill, and later at Kwena Lagoon feeding on a Cape buffalo.
There was promising news for the next generation too. A lioness led guides to a den containing cubs estimated at around six weeks old, while one of the new males was seen mating with a lioness from the Mma Mosetlha Pride.
Leopard cubs and a successful steenbok hunt
Leopard activity was strong throughout August, with several females, cubs and subadult males encountered.
Motsumi and her cubs were found between Upper Kwando Road and Cheetah Marking Route with a red lechwe carcass safely hoisted into a tree.
On another morning, guides found tracks belonging to a female leopard travelling with a cub. They followed the spoor until the pair was located at Mothapatlou with an impala kill.
A subadult male provided a different kind of sighting when guides followed him on the move and watched him successfully catch a steenbok.
Sekwechekwe was also seen with an impala kill and appeared to be pregnant. Later in the month, guides found a fresh drag mark crossing Sekwechekwe Road, another sign of leopard activity in the area.
African wild dogs hunt twice in an afternoon
African wild dogs were regularly on the move around Lagoon.
A pack was found resting beside a waterhole near the airstrip before cooler temperatures brought them to their feet. Guides followed as the dogs began hunting and successfully killed an impala.
Another pack, recorded by the guides as ten adults and six puppies, required more than an hour of tracking along Diolo Road before they were found chasing impalas. The morning hunt was unsuccessful, but the story changed that afternoon. Guides followed the pack again and watched them bring down two impalas.
A smaller pack of five African wild dogs was also seen hunting around Kwena Lagoon while still using a den in the area.
Two active hyena dens
Both spotted and brown hyenas were active around Lagoon during August.
The brown hyena den between Pangolin and First Lagoon had two cubs regularly seen during afternoon drives.
The spotted hyena den between Marapo-a-Tulwa and Maporota was particularly busy, with six cubs and seven adults recorded. Spotted hyenas were also frequently encountered along the floodplains and riverbanks, sometimes following African wild dogs or investigating lion kills.
Cheetahs make the most of Lagoon’s open country
Cheetahs produced several successful hunts during the month.
A female with a young cub, estimated at three to four months old, was followed for more than an hour before guests watched her successfully kill an impala.
On another morning, guides followed cheetah tracks for around two hours before locating the cats hunting. They subsequently brought down a subadult tsessebe.
A female with young cubs was also tracked along Cheetah Road and found with a steenbok kill. Later, two males were located between Seven Plum and Muddy Waters feeding on an impala.
Twelve sitatunga on the floodplains
One afternoon brought an excellent sighting of 12 sitatunga together on the floodplains east of First Lagoon, mingling among red lechwe.
The increasing water levels along the Kwando River continued to shape wildlife movements. Pods of hippos gathered around Water Affairs Island, while red lechwe were widespread through the wetter areas.
Large numbers of elephants were seen throughout August, particularly around waterholes. Wildebeest, tsessebe and giraffe were common in the southern areas around Giraffe Pan, where acacia woodland provided good feeding habitat. Eland were also encountered along Cutline Road.
Bat-eared foxes, banded and yellow mongooses, steenbok and aardwolves were among the smaller mammals seen, with night drives adding small-spotted genets, African civets, African wild cats, scrub hares and springhares.
Winter gives way along the Kwando River
August remained cool and dry, and the sparse winter vegetation provided long views across the open country. Many trees had lost their leaves and grasses remained short, while water levels continued to rise along the Kwando River and its channels.
Crocodiles and water monitor lizards remained visible around the waterways, while reed frogs clung to vegetation around permanent water.
Wattled cranes, saddle-billed storks, white-fronted bee-eaters, white-backed vultures and pied kingfishers were among the birds recorded around the marshes and river.
Clear winter nights rounded out the days at Lagoon, with the Milky Way prominent above camp and bright planets visible in the dark Kwando sky.
