Early on in the month, the dog pack moved their den a short distance. We found the new den fairly easily, and were rewarded with wonderful sightings of the 13 adults and 10 pups. One morning we came across the adults circling a large tree near Middle Road. Looking a little closer, we discovered that they had chased a large male leopard up the tree, and were waiting at the bottom to harass it further if it decided to come down. The leopard was taking no chances, and remained up there for the duration, enabling guests to get some excellent shots of the animal. Following that, an inspection of the den found all puppies safe and well, and in as playful mood as ever.
An extensive morning of tracking lions was successful when we found the three adult lions with three cubs, just beyond the airstrip. One of the males was mating with the lioness. The following day, we came across the female again, but this time she was on her own with her cubs. And the day after that, yet another combination! The female and cubs, this time with the two males again, and another lioness.
One morning guests opted for a walking safari. They had a very productive time, and learnt about the medicinal uses of the plants in the area, how to find your direction if you are lost in the bush, and how to track animals of different types. Later that day, they put their newly acquired skills to good use, and helped the guide and tracker follow lion tracks till they came upon two male and one female lions resting close to a pan.
We also came across the lion pride with 7 adults (2 males, 5 females) and 8 cubs along the Water Cart area. The cubs rested while the females made several unsuccessful attempts to catch giraffe. They all returned to the pride and relaxed again, in order to regain their strength for another hunt.
August is starting to warm up, but the temperatures are still a little cool in the morning. Elephants are enjoying the availability of water in the channels and river areas, but are still browsing out in a broader area. As the temperature heats up, they will spend more and more time along the wooded river banks, traipsing in and out of the water.
This month we also saw the female leopard cub, several sightings of the hyenas in the area, and a few honey badger sightings. There is lots of general game in the area – zebras, impala, tsessebe, wildebeest, sable, buffalos and of course, plenty of elephants to go around.
