The Lagoon pack of dogs spent the first week of March in the area, focusing on hunting warthog. They had also reunited with two of the dogs that had split off from the group last month.
Lions abounded in the first week of the month, with great sightings of the lioness who had three tiny cubs about a week old, out on display. She stayed separate from the rest of the pride, whilst the cubs are at their youngest. The remainder of the pride – 3 females, 2 males and 6 cubs – managed to kill a giraffe, providing food for the whole family for a number of days.
One day, actively tracking male lions for two hours, we were rewarded with finding them close to Zebra Pan. Soon after we arrived there, the two males began to roar – a magnificent sound in close proximity. They then began to move off, so we left them, and headed onwards, when we came across two more male lions, who had heard the first group call. They had full stomachs, having recently eaten something, and were in no mood to be getting into a territorial dispute with the two roaring males!
Large herds of elephants were sighted meandering along the woodland, feeding leisurely, and coming down to the lagoons and riverine areas to drink.
Lots of hyenas out and about as well – we’re seeing them morning and night!
Although elands are normally extremely nervous, one lovely morning we came across a large bull, who was standing on the slope of a termite mound, seemingly uninterested in the approach of the car. His face and strong neck were splattered with mud, from where he had been trying to remove parasites. After a few minutes, he moved off, into the bush.
Several raptors are nesting in the area – brown snake eagles and short tailed eagles (also known as Bateleur eagles). It will be wonderful to see these chicks grow to maturity, an indication of a healthy environment.
And right at the end of the month, the two brother cheetahs made an appearance – hunting a zebra foal. Sadly with the grass being high after the rains earlier in the month, we have been struggling to see leopards, with only a couple of sightings. We know they are there, they are just not wanting to be seen!
