We had a very special sighting of a pangolin! The pangolin was attempting to cross the road, and when it noticed our vehicle, it quickly retreated into the tall grasses. We maintained a safe distance to avoid stressing the animal, allowing our guests to take photos and enjoy this rare sighting.
Coming and going in the area
One morning, we followed jackals’ loud, non-stop alarm calls, leading us to a cheetah feeding on an impala kill. The jackals attempted to steal the kill, circling the cheetah and biting its tail. The cheetah stood its ground for a while, but as the jackal attacks intensified, it abandoned the meal and chased the jackals away. After the chase, the cheetah rested for a long time and attempted to hunt again later, unsuccessfully though. By the end of the month, we were seeing cheetahs almost daily.
Lebala’s resident lion pride battled with new strong male lions
The resident pride spent significant time in the marsh area of the Kwando Private Concession, occasionally moving inland. We followed two large male lions in the area, possibly explaining the resident pride’s reluctance to remain in their usual territory.
On one of the morning game drives, these two large males clashed with the three dominant males of the resident pride. We watched the battle unfold as the dominant males chased the intruders across the airstrip and into the mopane woodlands. The females observed the entire event from a distance, not participating in the confrontation. On several occasions, we followed the lions on hunts, watching as they stalked their prey but ultimately failed to secure a successful kill. One particularly memorable sighting occurred when we spotted a male and female lion feeding on a giraffe about 10 kilometres from the camp.
Leopard sightings were frequent, with three male leopards observed within the same territory, actively patrolling and marking their borders. These males, two of whom were fully mature, often clashed with a younger male, who, despite being outmatched, demonstrated remarkable resilience, escaping up trees with small branches to avoid being caught. We also observed a few female leopards, some of whom seemed to have cubs.
In one sighting, we tracked a female and her cub feeding on an impala, which was unforgettable for our guests.
Tracking African wild dogs
We tracked a resident pack of African wild dogs, seven adults and five puppies, moving between the Lagoon and Selinda area. Most sightings occurred in the mornings after early hunts, and whilst we followed them during afternoon hunts, they often ventured into the dense mopane woodlands, making it difficult to follow despite our top-notch offroad capabilities.
The spotted hyenas were very active in the area, always on the move and when we have found them, we were only able to watch them briefly.
We saw a few African wild cats during our game drives, though they only gave us brief views. These elusive cats were always on the move, disappearing quickly into the undergrowth.
Namibian winds and a dry landscape
The landscape was dry for most of the month, and there were some dramatic windstorms from the Namibian border, creating striking cloudy skies. The weather did not allow many flowers to bloom, which we normally identify during our walks, but we discovered interesting animal skulls and droppings that provided excellent learning opportunities for our guests while out in the bush on foot.
Game viewing was good, with a few bachelor herds of buffalo in the area. With the warmer weather we saw large herds of elephants, particularly in the woodland region as they made their way to the river. Crocodiles basked along the channel, their heads barely above the water as they moved between sunny spots. Rock monitor lizards were seen in the woodlands, often perched on trees after rain showers, while water monitor lizards were spotted near the river.
(Please note: For the safety of the animals, we do not disclose the precise location of either rhino or pangolin sightings. Accompanying pictures are from our Kwando Photo Library which consists of all your great photo submissions over the years, it may not be the most up to date, but we felt it was worthy of a feature alongside this month’s Sightings Report!)
