Guest favourites this October were two cheetah brothers, who used their phenomenal speed to great effect. We located them bringing down an impala, and they successfully hunted in the secluded Mopane woodlands of the Kwara Private Reserve. Another coalition of five (adult female and four subadults) cheetahs took down a steenbok near our vehicle. In an unequal contest of five against one, there was little remaining of the steenbok after fifteen minutes. A further group of four cheetahs (a female and four youngsters) were also occasionally seen.
The resident pack of eight African wild dogs took up a more permanent residence near Lagoon Camp and we spent many hours enjoying their boisterous and vocal group interactions.
We were treated to a fashion parade of wildlife coming down to the Kwando River to drink this month. Hundreds of elephants and buffalos were accompanied by herds of kudu, roan, sable, and zebra. Tsessebe and wildebeest fed on the lush grasses at the river’s edge and drank from the clear waters. This mammal medley attracted the attention of the Kwando Private Reserve’s prolific predators.
What did the lions of Lagoon get up to?
The lions focused on older male buffalo coalitions (the grumpy-looking dagga boys) and did their majority of hunting in the floodplains approximately one kilometre from camp, which afforded many guests ringside seats to the action. The lion prides and male coalitions we mentioned last month generally stayed in place, and we encountered lions almost daily looking well-fed and content. A lioness from the Mma Mosetlha pride was heavily pregnant and due to give birth any day now.
A hippo died in the shallow waters not far from camp, and crocodiles descended en masse for this unexpected free meal. Lying in the shallow waters, these reptiles have a natural advantage over any potential competitors, but this didn’t stop the resident Spotted hyena clan from having a go! They assembled near the hippo and made the occasional dash into the water to try and snatch a bite. While hyenas have a good turn of pace when they need it, they don’t stand a chance against the tremendous speeds with which the crocodiles can turn and bite. After numerous nervous attempts and a couple of near misses, the hyenas retreated. Another advantage of having a hippo carcass not far from camp? Regular views of our favourite reptile, Howard the short-tailed croc, swimming in front of camp on his way to a hippo lunch!
An update on the Kwando River Carmine bee-eater colony
The various resident leopards were seen, and we had the privilege of “hosting” the family of three (female with two subadult males) in camp as they hunted impala and tsessebe from the camp environs. We’ve also spent time with a young mother and her cub. She has been leaving her cub up a thick shady tree while she hunts and once brought back an impala which kept them well-fed for almost a week.
The Carmine bee-eaters, with their bright red plumage, were back at their normal nesting site and number over 100, with more on the way. They have been hunting dragonflies on the wing out in the floodplains and are a welcome dash of colour against the dusty brown landscape.
Southern African rock pythons, Spotted bush snakes, Puff adders, Leopard tortoises and Striped-bellied sand snakes were all seen. The sand snakes were often found twisted together and mating.
Fabulous frog sounds graced our evenings, and the Reed frogs and the Guttural toads were highly active.
(Please note: For the safety of the animals, we do not disclose the 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!)
