Guests were treated to the incredible sight of a pride comprising more than 25 lions.
Led by a dominant male, the Pom Pom pride consisted of lionesses and cubs. The male’s presence ensured the safety of his pride members, and we witnessed his successful breeding with around 18 lionesses, resulting in this growing number of cubs.
Occasionally, other males passed through the territory, testing the dominance of the resident male. In one affair, we followed the dramatic encounter between two males near Kanana camp as they engaged in a fierce rivalry and our resident male defended his territory. The first cubs have reached around 15 months old and we observed their mothers shifting their focus to larger game, successfully taking down male buffalos.
Magical mokoro from the front of camp
We eagerly reintroduced mokoro activities with the rising water, offering a unique perspective of the surrounding wilderness in the shallow waters. With the increasing water levels, we noticed how lion movements pushed leopards to the safety of the islands. There were several sightings of a female leopard and her two nine-month-old cubs hunting in the western part of the Pom Pom Private Concession. We witnessed the mother’s hunting prowess as she attempted to capture kudus and impalas and once stumbled upon her dragging an impala kill under some bushes. Pom Pom’s healthy population of leopards also included a three-year-old female who occasionally ventured into the camp in search of prey, creating exciting encounters for staff and guests.
The filling water correspondingly limited the African wild dog movements in the area and we observed a pack of eight dogs along the boundary with Nxabega Camp. This pack established a den, and we were thrilled to witness the emergence of about seven energetic pups. The pack displayed excellent hunting skills and appeared in good health.
A female cheetah ventured into Pom Pom territory and maintained a nomadic lifestyle moving in and out throughout June. On one memorable occasion, we observed her chasing and successfully capturing a male impala, providing a breathtaking spectacle. After a brief disappearance, she reappeared a few days later, hunting and successfully taking down a red lechwe, despite interference from hyenas.
What are the spotted hyenas up to at Pom Pom?
The spotted hyena population continues to thrive, as evident from the presence of new generations of cubs! These cunning scavengers expanded their territory further northwest. During our ventures, we regularly encountered hyenas in the mornings and afternoons. We observed a fascinating interaction between a hyena and a female leopard on one remarkable occasion. The hyena unknowingly tracked the leopard, which had recently killed a baboon and we witnessed the convergence of these carnivores at close proximity.
In addition to hyenas, we had sightings of servals, civets, and side-striped jackals, as the areas where they typically sought refuge had been burned by fire.
The prolonged dry period attracted numerous birds of prey to the area in search of food and we logged marshal, African hawk, tawny, and Wahlberg’s eagles in action. The dry landscapes also hosted secretarybirds, kori bustards, ostriches, and a healthy number of wattled cranes. Another recent joy was the influx of young zebras, bringing an abundance of charming little ones to the area.
(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!)
