Lots of lovely dog sightings this month, with the pack of 19 often managing to hunt and kill impala in the morning and then again in the afternoon. One day they ended up in camp, and killed an impala just next to the guest walkway over the channel!
A leopardess killed a wildebeest and then fed on it with her cub for the next three days. This provided excellent sightings, and was wonderful to see both of the animals relaxed and in good condition. Another wildebeest met an untimely death, killed by a pride of eight lionesses. With 8 of them feeding, the meal didn’t last very long, but would keep their energy levels up until the next chance to hunt. And yet another wildebeest made a starring appearance with a pack of wild dogs… This one managed to escape unscathed, but not before providing an entertaining dance of whilst he figured out whether he was about to become the main course on the dogs dinner plans for the day.
As with any child, it’s important for young animals to learn from their mistakes. It’s a tough world in the jungle, and nothing is tougher than when you miss out on a meal. Perhaps even tougher, when mum has spent all that time preparing it for you, and part of it is her meal too… What would be safer than making sure your dinner is free from harassment of other predators, than hanging it in a tree? For a leopard cub, this provides the perfect dining platform – you can relax on a branch, and then come and go to the meat as and when you get hungry. That is, of course, unless you are a little clumsy. Naturally being a little over-eager and hungry, one leopard cub forgot to check that the kill mum had provided was safely anchored to the branch, and before he knew it, the yummy mouthful he was chewing on was the last he would get, as the heavy kill slipped out of his paws and dropped to the bottom of the tree. No doubt soon to be hoovered up by hyenas standing by for such an opportunity. The cub looked rather confused about what had just happened, and mum was definitely going to be less than impressed.
It is sometimes hard to choose between sightings for the guests, when asked what was there favourite of the stay. In Lebala, the large numbers of elephants are always a hit, as they move across the open areas, and then disappear into the trees, only to be followed by another herd moving in the same direction. A visit to one of the large lagoons in the area, brings up a selection of hippo sightings, and when you get two territorial males together, then it is all action, as these huge animals leap in and out of the water trying a bit of one-upmanship and seemingly trying to capsize the other one. Their large teeth leave trails of blood, and scars on each other, and it’s a dangerous business for them. Or perhaps it was the sighting of the leopard killing the python… a strange looking battle, that, with a big enough snake, can end either way. For the python this time, it ended badly however.
