After the confusion of June, with all females of the pack of eight dogs denning in the same area, there was soon a surplus of puppies…. In July, as they emerged, numbers couldn’t really be certain, as there were just too many, but appeared to be in excess of 20. Oddly, later in the month, the female dog who had appeared to be the most sub-ordinate one at the beginning of the denning, suddenly came out on top after a tussle between the other two females, and harassment from the rest of the pack. She was now left in charge of all the puppies, and had assumed the role of the Alpha female. With that number to care for, it was inevitable that the numbers had to be reduced. Likely, she killed the puppies that were not her own, but with the remaining pups, there is some disparity in sizes, so it may be that she has adopted a few from one of the other litters.
All the females apart from her are now hunting with the pack, and bringing back food and regurgitating for the alpha and the pups. Although it seems harsh that not all the litters can be raised, there is simply no way that the five males would be able to support three females each raising a litter. This gives them the best chance of having at least some of the pups making it to adult-hood.
Two strong male lions strode into the area, and by the middle of the month had come face to face with King, the resident male lion. A huge fight ensued – grown lions fighting is one of the most scary, aweinspiring scenes you can witness and the sound effects make the metal of the car hum and resonate! The two new boys managed to oust the King from his territory, so we shall see what the future holds for him!
A lovely sighting of a female leopard and her cub, feeding on a warthog kill, not too far from the camp. We also saw a relaxed male leopard, walking along close to Northern pan.
Later in the month we followed the same leopard as she walked along Elephant Road, for about half an hour. Suddenly, her young cub appeared in the bush, and the mother met up with it. The mother was very relaxed, and it was fantastic to be able to watch this. Later in the day, a big male leopard was located some distance away, also relaxed, and in very good condition.
Two male cheetahs were located near Wild Dog Pan, and we were able to follow them on their patrol for about an hour. As they got close to the airstrip, they could be seen stalking impalas, and they were successful in their hunt and managed to catch and kill an adult.
