Two leopards share a red lechwe kill – Fresh leopard spoor around Marula Island led guides through Mochimbamo and onto the island, where they found not one, but two leopards in a tree with a red lechwe kill. The male and female stayed in the area for several days, giving guests time to watch the pair feeding and resting together.
Leopard activity was strong across Pom Pom throughout June. Around Shine Bridge, guides followed the spoor of a female and located her walking near Bushman Baobab. A herd of impalas soon caught her attention, and she slipped into hunting mode. Guests watched her use the vegetation to stalk closer before the impalas detected her approach and moved away.
A female with cubs was also seen around Giraffe Skull, including resting in the trees, while a subadult male stalked red lechwe on Dikoloti Island. His hunt was interrupted by one of the bush’s more effective early-warning systems: a squirrel began alarm-calling and the red lechwe quickly responded.
The female occupying the airstrip area was seen with her cubs, including an older male cub, while another female and cub moved between Xinega and Giraffe Skull with an impala kill. Guests watched mother and cub feeding together before the youngster abandoned dinner in favour of playing with her.
Lions roar around Matswiri Crossing
Several groups of lions moved through Pom Pom, including two lionesses, four cubs and two males that spent considerable time around the airstrip. The females and cubs were seen walking along its southern side, while the males occasionally moved along the main road close to camp.
Further north, four male lions regularly travelled together. Baboon alarm calls around Matswiri Crossing alerted guides to activity nearby, and following the calls led to the four brothers walking along the main road.
Their roars also carried across the area during June. The coalition sometimes separated into pairs, and guides followed the sound of roaring beyond Matswiri Crossing to locate two of the brothers. The other pair was found around Hamerkop Crossing.
There was an even larger lion gathering nearby. Three lionesses rested beside the river with ten cubs, while another group of young males occupied an island beyond Shine Bridge. These males spent time watching red lechwe running through the water, an increasingly familiar feature of the landscape as the flood spread through Pom Pom.
Hyena cubs and the leftovers from leopard dinners
Spotted hyenas were regular visitors both out on safari and back at camp, occasionally wandering through while guests were having breakfast, brunch or dinner.
A den near Kazungula Gate was home to two cubs, with three adults regularly seen around the site. A clan of around eight also moved through Kessey’s field and the Becky’s area, sometimes emerging from the bush carrying bones.
The abundance of leopard activity gave the hyenas plenty to investigate. Near Zippa Mokoro Station, three hyenas fed on bones and skin left in an area where two leopards had previously made a kill. Five more were seen chewing bones near Rams Termite Mound, while other encounters involved hyenas feeding from carcasses thought to have been taken from leopards.
Cheetahs were also seen during June, with individuals encountered around Rebecca’s Field and Letsway.
The flood pushes further into Pom Pom
June brought a substantial push of floodwater into Pom Pom, reaching areas that had remained dry in recent years. The result was a good mixture of dry ground for game drives and expanding waterways for exploring the area from a completely different perspective.
Elephants moved through the floodplains and woodland, alongside wildebeest, tsessebe, kudu, impala and red lechwe. Zebra and giraffe were widespread, while buffalo, warthogs, baboons and monkeys were also frequently encountered. Hippos occupied the deeper channels and pools.
The winter landscape was changing too. Grasses gradually dried and trees shed their leaves, opening views through woodland that had been considerably thicker earlier in the season.
Steenbok, jackals, aardwolves, mongooses, squirrels, African wild cats, genets, civets and servals were among the smaller mammals recorded, with many of the nocturnal species coming into their own on night drives.
Following the flood by motorboat and mokoro
The spreading flood brought plenty of activity to the waterways. African fish eagles, snake eagles and bateleurs were seen alongside saddle-billed and yellow-billed storks. Greater, little and slaty egrets, grey and squacco herons and water thick-knees worked the shallows, while spur-winged geese, Egyptian geese and white-faced whistling ducks gathered around the channels. Southern ground hornbills, grey hornbills and red-billed hornbills occupied the drier areas.
Crocodiles and frogs were seen during motorboat excursions, while olive snakes and puff adders were occasionally recorded elsewhere.
Mokoro excursions at Pom Pom were seasonal and dependent on water levels, and the arrival of the flood allowed guests to explore suitable channels quietly from water level. Away from the sound and height of the safari vehicle, the focus shifted naturally to waterbirds, frogs and the smaller details along the banks.
Clear winter skies continued the show after dark. Orion, Gemini and Scorpius were visible during June, together with Venus, Jupiter and Mercury, while Saturn and Mars appeared before sunrise.
