The guides were excited to find a set of small new prints when tracking the Wapoka Pride this month and sure enough, when they located the lions, there was a new cub of about 8 weeks old playing with a sub-adult. It is always a joy to see new life in our concessions. The mother and cub have also been seen apart from the pride, so it seems that she is managing her baby’s integration into family life slowly.
The large Northern Pride of lions were sighted regularly. On one memorable afternoon the adult lions lay resting whilst the 10 sub-adults played endlessly, climbing up fallen logs and pouncing on each other, to the great entertainment of the guests. Two male lions were also seen regularly, often full-bellied and sleepy, but were also seen in hunting mode stalking a big herd of wildebeest at the airstrip.
General game in the Kwando area continued to be very good and the impressive herd of over 80 eland was still in the area. Both sexes of the eland have horns, and we can already see that the twenty or so calves born this year are starting to grow theirs. Other species regularly seen included sable antelope, zebra, wildebeest, impala and warthog. One rather notable sighting was when we found a hyena being chased by a large wildebeest bull on the airstrip – it is always rather amusing to witness the hunter turning tail and becoming the hunted.
The resident pack of wild dogs, consisting of 19 adults and 9 young were found eating a young male impala. The guides were also intrigued to follow a smaller group of two male and two female wild dogs who appeared in the area near Twin Pools. Time will tell if this a transient group or whether they will attempt to stay in the area and form a territory of their own.
A dead hippo was relished by the scavenging ‘clean-up crew’. Up to eight hyena at a time were seen feeding on this feast, as well as many vultures. The most common vulture in the Kwando area is the White-backed Vulture, however Lappet-faced, Hooded and White-headed Vultures can also be seen in the region.
Leopards were seen a few times, including a female with two sub-adult cubs. One day they were all found up a tree feeding on an impala kill, the following day the carcass had dropped to the ground where the two youngsters were enjoying finishing it off whilst their absent mother was no doubt hunting for their next meal. Towards the end of the month some guests were able to enjoy a wonderful photo opportunity of a leopard perched on top of a termite mound, staring intently at a herd of antelope.
Other smaller animals enjoyed by guests during the month were dwarf mongoose, African wild cats, honey badgers and occasionally a python basking in the sun.
The bird life in the Kwando area continued to be rewarding and some migrants who appeared included White Storks and White Storks, European Bee-eaters. One night drive gave a wonderful sighting of a Verreaux’s Eagle Owl.
