April was a very successful month for lion sightings at Nxai Pan. The resident pride consisting of two dominant males and seven lionesses were seen on just about every drive, though sometimes in smaller groups.
In the middle of the month two lionesses killed a wildebeest just fifty metres from the camp watering hole. The following morning two male lions came and took the kill from the lionesses. Guests watched as one male fed alone, aggressively pushing away his hungry partner every time he tried to come closer. That afternoon game drive continued on, but the guides decided it would be worth checking back on the lions as they returned to camp. The dominant male was still eating and the other male appeared to have given up and was sleeping in the shade. A group of buffalo then showed up and passed by a few metres from the lions. The hungry male stood up and looked at the buffalo who quickly went into the bush. The lion let them take cover but started to stealthily stalk. A few minutes later he attacked and managed to grab one young buffalo whilst the rest of the herd galloped away. Our guests watched amazed as the lion and the buffalo struggled; eventually the lion called in the other male who quickly came and took hold of the buffalo’s throat to finish the kill. Once his duty was done he surprised us by leaving the buffalo and returning back to his own wildebeest dinner. The two lions each stayed on their own kills for the next five days, providing amazing viewing very close to the camp watering hole.
The lionesses of the Nxai Pan pride were also found full-bellied and looking very healthy. Two of the females each have three new cubs and all six of the babies appeared to be doing well. At one stage in the month these small families hadn’t been seen for a while, so guides believed that they had followed the returning zebra migration, but the lionesses and cubs reappeared about 10 days later. An unusual behaviour was seen when a lioness of the Tau Pan pride was seen fighting with her sub-adult daughters. Such squabbles can happen over food, but it didn’t appear to be the case this time. Eventually one of the male lions came in to settle the dispute and restore order within the pride.
April was also a great month for cheetah sightings and these cats were encountered on almost every game drive, sometimes resting, but often in hunting mode too. Sightings became easier due to the grass has being cropped shorter by the grazers and also because the springbok herds, which the cheetah follow, moved towards the edges of the pan, thus closer to the game drive roads. A female cheetah with her cubs was spotted regularly, as well as the solitary resident male. Black-backed jackal were often seen following these cats around the pan area.
Numbers of elephants at the camp watering hole increased during the month as the natural watering holes started to dry up. Big groups of bulls spent the hottest part of the day at the watering hole, conveniently arriving at brunch time and remaining throughout the afternoon, providing great viewing for guests during siesta time. During April breeding herds also started to show up late in the afternoon to drink and then move on. Other notable visitors to the camp watering hole were a mixed herd of male and female buffalo, and a journey of giraffe who frequented regularly in the late afternoons.
General game in the area was rewarding during April. Although most of the zebra moved on with the return migration, some small herds remained as well as plentiful numbers of springbok, kudu, giraffes and wildebeest.
Bird sightings continued to be excellent, especially on the day trip to Baines Baobabs. Species seen included Swallow-tailed Bee-eater, Shaft-tailed Whydah, Acacia Pied Barbet and Crimson-breasted Shrike. A barn owl was seen hunting and successfully catching its dinner right in the camp main area.
