As usual, leopards were consistently seen across the Pom Pom Private Concession during our morning and afternoon game drives.
One particular sighting stood out: during a morning drive, we witnessed a leopard stalking an impala. The leopard successfully caught the impala, only to have a spotted hyena steal the kill.
There was a beautifully relaxed young female leopard called Bonolo (meaning the calm one) often seen near to the camp.
We frequently encountered spotted hyenas near large lagoons, where they enjoyed submerging themselves to cool off, providing some great viewing opportunities! We also spied these creatures on our nature walks as they loped through the bush in the distance, and they were also observed near the camp, often passing by during breakfast and dinner.
Birdwatching at Pom Pom was lively, with a mix of summer visitors and local species. Yellow-billed kites, southern carmine bee-eaters, black coucals, woodland kingfishers, broad-billed rollers, and European bee-eaters were just a few of the summer migrants spotted. Along the lagoons and floodplains, we observed grey herons, greater white egrets, yellow-billed egrets, little egrets, slaty egrets, hammerkops, long-toed plovers, blacksmith plovers, marabou storks, and pairs of saddle-billed storks. Large flocks of pelicans and Goliath herons were also seen. Ostriches, southern ground hornbills, wattled cranes, and Pel’s fishing owls — a rare sight in other areas — were regularly spotted in our region. The African fish eagle and pied kingfisher, iconic Delta species, were seen frequently. Additionally, we observed white-backed vultures, lappet-faced vultures, Nile crocodiles, and water monitor lizards along the lagoons.
Lion kills and leopards that steal melas from African wild dogs
We kicked off the month with a pride of two lions resting by the airstrip, followed by another pride of eight lions found relaxing near a termite mound in Rebecca’s Field — part of the Pom Pom Pride. These lions are known to split up and reunite, and we tracked them throughout the month.
On the 30th, we found a lioness with two tiny cubs, just a few weeks old, and their baby blue eyes were only just open. The next day, lucky guests watched her move the cubs to a new den, carrying them in her mouth.
One memorable morning, after the morning drives, we heard the unusual call of a buffalo not far from the camp. We followed up and discovered a pride of eight lions feeding on a male buffalo kill. The lions spent the entire day consuming the buffalo. Another highlight came on the 16th when we spotted a pride of 23 lions in two different locations. Finally, on the 27th, we tracked seven lions as they stalked a warthog. The lions failed to catch the speedy warthog despite their patience and careful approach.
Guests were treated to breathtaking views over the open floodplains, where they could watch wildlife as the sun set. The golden light of the crimson-coloured sunset reflected off the palm trees and lagoons, creating a magical atmosphere.
A wide variety of animals congregated in these floodplains and along the game drive routes. These included impalas, monkeys, baboons, kudus, tsessebe, zebras, wildebeest, hippos, giraffes, and large herds of buffalo. Elephants were also active, showcasing their impressive skills by debarking trees and shaking palm trees to access palm nuts. Waterbucks, common reedbucks, and red lechwe were seen in large numbers, particularly in areas with water. The rare aardvark, which is nocturnal, was also spotted in the area.
Last but not least, there were plenty of remarkable African wild dog sightings, with four different packs observed. We began the month with a pack of 11 wild dogs near Pom Pom Camp, where they had made an impala kill. On the 7th, a pack of two wild dogs was seen hunting and successfully taking down two young impalas. On the 19th, another pack of 19 dogs was located south of the camp, near the Pom Pom airstrip, where they had made a kill of a young warthog. It was captivating to observe how the wild dogs, as the pack hierarchy dictates, allowed the top-ranking dogs to feed first while the lower-ranking members had to wait for leftovers.
A fascinating sighting occurred on the 27th when a pack of seven dogs chased two impalas across the floodplains near Rra Smakaleng Lagoon. During the chase, a female leopard ambushed one of the impala, taking it up a leadwood tree to feed!
(Please note: For the safety of the animals, we do not disclose the precise location of either rhino or pangolin sightings. Accompanying pictures are from our Kwando Photo Library which consists of all your great photo submissions over the years, it may not be the most up to date, but we felt it was worthy of a feature alongside this month’s Sightings Report!)
