Wherever we travelled across the concession there always seemed to be another pride of lions waiting to be found. Fresh tracks, alarm calls and circling vultures regularly led guides to some of the month’s best sightings.
The Face-to-Face Pride continued to dominate the southern parts of the reserve. The pride, made up of four lionesses and three cubs now around a year old, was found feeding on a red lechwe before two large males arrived to take over the carcass.
Further north, another pride of 12 lions with six cubs of different ages remained around Steve’s Pan and the northern fringes of camp. Guests watched them on two separate wildebeest kills during the month.
The western mopane woodland held another special family. A lioness with three tiny cubs, estimated at only four weeks old, was seen almost daily as she carefully moved them through the woodland.
Around the BB Spot area, a pride of eight lions fed on an impala, earning the nickname “The Black Panthers” from guests after covering themselves in black mud around the carcass.
Another pride of five lionesses with six cubs, all around five months old, was found feeding on an eland at Twin Pools, while two heavily pregnant lionesses were also seen during the month. A coalition of four subadult males continued wandering along Mangosteen Road, and several dominant males were encountered across the reserve, with mating pairs becoming a regular feature throughout May.
Leopards, cheetahs and wild dogs
Leopard sightings were regular. One young male was located after guides heard him calling through the early morning. Following the calls led them to a leadwood tree where he sat scanning the surrounding woodland.
Another morning, a female leopard was found feeding on an impala west of Marobalo-a-Ditshwene, while later that afternoon a resident male was encountered walking along the firebreak north of camp. A further morning drive produced another male moving steadily along the main road towards Wild Dog Pan.
The reserve also welcomed two new male cheetahs during May. The coalition kept largely to the western side of the concession and remained cautious around vehicles during their first weeks in the area.
The two resident males continued to favour the country west of Marobalo-a-Ditshwene and were regularly found resting on termite mounds with full bellies after feeding. A young female was also located at Segweda’s Crossing feeding peacefully on an impala.
One morning, the resident African wild dog pack was followed as it hunted impala through the woodland. The hunt ended successfully before spotted hyenas arrived and attempted to steal the kill, creating another classic predator encounter.
Life along the Kwando
Large herds of elephants moved through the reserve every day, while buffalo were regularly encountered along the western mopane woodland. Huge dazzles of zebra often mixed with wildebeest and impala around the airstrip and larger waterholes, creating spectacular scenes across the open plains.
Hippos continued using the deeper waterholes during the day, while further into the woodland large concentrations of eland were seen alongside sable and roan antelope. Along the southern channel, red lechwe remained plentiful.
One particularly relaxed brown hyena was encountered during a night drive, allowing excellent photographic opportunities before disappearing into the darkness. Spotted hyenas were also seen regularly around camp, and one morning guides followed a hyena along Makodi Road before discovering it was responding to the calls of a young male leopard.
Night drives continued producing excellent sightings of African wild cats, civets, genets, servals, honey badgers, bat-eared foxes, black-backed and side-striped jackals, together with several mongoose species. As the grasses continued to break down, these smaller mammals became easier to spot.
Winter settles over Lebala
The first signs of winter became more noticeable during May. The grasses slowly changed from green to gold, some trees began shedding their leaves, and clear skies brought beautiful light to both morning and afternoon drives.
Crocodiles and water monitors were regularly seen along the Kwando channels and waterholes, while pythons continued making appearances around camp. Fresh snake tracks were a common sight on the roads during early morning drives.
Birdlife remained excellent throughout the month. White-fronted bee-eaters were busy nesting along the banks of the Kwando River, kori bustards continued to patrol the plains, and brown snake eagles, black-chested snake eagles, martial eagles and bateleurs were all seen regularly. One of the month’s highlights was a barn owl nest containing five chicks.
Walking safaris remained particularly enjoyable as wildflowers still coloured sections of the concession, while clear evening skies once again made stargazing one of the quiet pleasures of a stay at Lebala.
