The beginning of June, and it was apparent that the Lagoon pack of wild dogs had chosen a den site for their next litter. We were especially lucky, as it was not too distant from camp, allowing us to keep easy and regular observations of the events. As this is a critical time for the pack, a tightly controlled procedure is put into place to minimize movement of cars in the area, at the same time ensuring that every guest that visits gets the opportunity to spend a good length of time at the den.
Not keen on having any other predators near their chosen site, the dogs remained on guard. An unfortunate leopard sauntered through their area, only to be chased up a tree. Each time the leopard attempted a different escape route, the dogs attacked again, managing to bite the leopard a few times. A male leopard is much heavier and more muscled than an individual dog, but faced with several upset individuals, he had no choice but to escape how ever he could.
Whilst the alpha female dog stayed at the den, the pack of 13 made hunting forays into the neighbouring areas. One morning, they killed an adult female kudu, and then took it in turns to run back to the alpha female to regurgitate food for her, since she is not able to join the hunts. Other days, they hunted adult male kudu, warthog, and impala.
A herd of buffalos moved through the water cut area, followed by the pride of lions. Four adults and six cubs trailed the buffalos, with adults attempting to hunt. They were unsuccessful, and eventually lay down to rest for the day. Throughout the month the lions were seen on most days, with regular sightings of the two males. We also found the male lion babysitting the cubs on occasion, whilst the females were presumably out hunting. The cubs were playing around, and up to their usual mischief!
Good luck this month with cheetah as well, with tracks of a male being picked up just after we spent some time with a female leopard. Following the footprints, we found evidence of where the cheetah had slept the night before, on top of a termite mound. Eventually, we found the male cheetah attempting to hunt in an open area. We spent quite a bit of time watching him, before we returned home. There was not much cover for the cheetah, so game was able to see him from quite a distance. We saw this cheetah again several times this month, it’s not one that we have seen before, and he was often busy marking his territory. Later in the month, we also came across two other shy cheetahs, who were travelling together. .
