The predator sightings in Lebala were very good during April and we were thrilled to find a clan of Spotted Hyena choosing to den fairly near to the camp. We have been able to watch two female hyenas nursing their four cubs, with another female also joining the group.
In an exciting sighting, hyenas chased a female leopard up a tree and stole her kill. After a while, the hungry leopard realised that her hard work was in vain, so she jumped down from the tree to start hunting again. As the day got warmer she eventually gave up and climbed up onto a different tree to sleep. On another occasion, we spotted a leopard with a kill on a Leadwood Tree. It was very shy, and dropped the carcass. An opportunistic clan of hyena scrambled on the free meal whilst the leopard jumped and ran into the bush.
However, it was not all bad news for the leopards in April, some lucky guests were able to see the remarkable sight of three leopards enjoying two kills at once. In an incredible feat of strength, a female leopard had killed a kudu and taken the carcass up a tree where one of her sub-adult sons was feasting on it. The female herself and her other son were feeding on the ground on an aardvark!
An interesting sighting occurred when a female and male adult leopard were seen together. The female had been stalking impala when the male appeared. He didn’t join her in the hunt, but walked away and started to spray the bushes with scent. From their behaviour, the guides deduced that this was not a mating pair, but a chance encounter between two individuals who had stumbled across each other inside a territory.
The resident Wapoka pride were seen regularly. They have 11 cubs to feed so were hunting nearly every day. One afternoon we followed the pride hunting for about one and a half hours, and left them whilst they were still mobile. The following morning, we found them feeding on a giraffe calf, making for some rather graphic photos of the lions with blood all over their faces. The next day the same pride had managed to kill yet another giraffe. On another occasion the females had caught a warthog, however the male lion aggressively took the carcass from them and started to feed on it by himself. It was interesting to watch the rest of the pride submitting to his dominance.
The two impressive resident male lions took down a baby zebra right in front of the game viewer. After killing the foal, they took a well-earned rest and stayed sleeping for an hour before starting to eat on it. Seemingly, one of the males didn’t want his partner to feed at first but he finally allowed him to feed.
The pair of wild dogs who were first seen in the area during March were sighted again in April, so we will follow their progress with interest to see if they form a territory in the long-term.
The two resident cheetah brothers were seen mobile and hunting. On one occasion their hunting efforts were thwarted by a troop of baboons who raised the alarm and scattered the grazing game.
At this time of year the grasses are high, but there is abundant general game around the area including big herds of eland, zebra, elephant, wildebeest, tsessebe and impala, especially near the watering holes in the afternoons. One atmospheric moment was when a herd of wildebeest stampeded through a pan in the late afternoon light. During night drives bush babies were seen, as well as porcupines were seen digging for tubers and bulbs.
We had some keen birders stay with us during April and they were thrilled to tick off some new ‘lifers’ including the huge Verreaux’s Eagle Owl and White-faced ducks.
