When young carnivores play with their parents and siblings they pounce, tackle, bite and claw. This appears very cute and is an absolute treat to photograph, but in fact these are predators in training. Whilst playing these games, the cubs and pups are developing the skills that they will need one day to hunt and kill their own prey. For most these skills come naturally and quickly, but some need a little more training. In the natural world only the fit survives, and as with everything in life, practice makes perfect.
This was exactly the case for a young female leopard who we tracked on a lovely, cool cloudy day. The scenery was breathtaking with dark stormy clouds as the back drop to the beautiful bright greenery in the foreground. Having seen the young leopard earlier in the month with her mother the guides had become familiar with her and she was comfortable with the vehicle. We watched for about an hour as she over and over again stalked and missed opportunities to kill impala. It was evident that she still lacked the patience required to be successful. She was persistent however, gaining valuable experience for her future hunts.
Training seemed to be the order of the month as the carnivore puppies and cubs were all playing hard and some even participating in hunts. A cheetah female with two sub adults, one male and one female, seemed a little frustrated as they spent the morning chasing red letchwe around the Halfway Pan area. These two young cheetahs also lacked the patience they needed to make a successful kill. It is during these hunts that the mother will allow the younger ones to participate, develop skills, gain experience and then learn from their mistakes.
The wild dogs, a pack of 10 adults and 9 puppies; were seen a couple of times close to camp. They were very relaxed and spent their time playing with their young. They were then seen on the old Lebala road where they demonstrated their hunting strategy. At Halfway Pan they were busy chasing impalas but unfortunately they were unsuccessful and the impala managed to escape. They had better luck at John’s Pan where we found them just after they had killed and devoured an impala. Afterwards they became very social. They interacted with each other and played with the puppies before they lay down to rest in the shade of a large tree.
Lion sightings were also good this month, the pride of 7 adults and 10 cubs were seen numerous times, often lying in the shade and playing with each other. This pride has been very successful in raising their cubs and they were usually found full bellied and looking healthy. The other pride consisting of two females, two males and 10 cubs was also seen. These two females have many mouths to feed and were not always as successful as the larger pride. We also went out in search of the pride of two male, 2 females and 3 cubs that prefer the Kwena area. This pride looked happy and healthy as they played. We enjoyed a wonderful sighting next to the water with perfect late afternoon light to capture the moment on camera. Watching how this family interacted was an absolute treat.
