A brown hyena joins guests for breakfast – One morning in August, a brown hyena approached the permanent waterhole in front of Tau Pan Camp for a drink while guests were having breakfast.The animal was relaxed and stayed long enough for everyone to enjoy the sighting.
Seven cubs for the Tau Pan Pride
The Tau Pan Pride continued to grow, with three lionesses now raising seven cubs. Six of the youngsters were of a similar age, while the youngest was around three months old.
The permanent waterhole kept the pride close to camp during the dry conditions. For three consecutive days, lions were seen around the water, and the lionesses occasionally brought their cubs through camp.
After dark, their roars regularly carried across Tau Pan as the pride advertised its presence in the area. The dominant male remained with the females and youngsters, completing a sizeable family group around camp.
A leopard walks through camp
The open pans and short winter grasses made for good visibility across Tau Pan, and leopards were encountered during the month.
The resident male was seen moving through the pans, while a female with a single cub also occupied the area. The female was comfortable around vehicles and occasionally ventured into camp, although her youngster was still more cautious.
Towards the end of August, the female leopard was seen inside camp after dark. Fresh tracks around camp and the waterhole provided further evidence of how regularly she used the area.
Caracals become familiar faces around the pan
Caracals were another feature of August, with two or three different individuals encountered around Tau Pan.
They were seen during both morning and afternoon drives, often using the open ground around the pan. Several were relaxed around the safari vehicles, giving guests time to appreciate their distinctive black ear tufts.
African wild cats were also active. Two subadults were repeatedly seen during the cooler morning hours and again towards sunset.
Ground squirrels, yellow mongooses, bat-eared foxes, black-backed jackals and Cape foxes added to the smaller mammals encountered around the pans.
Dry-season wildlife gathers around water
The Central Kalahari was firmly in its dry season during August. Springbok, steenbok, wildebeest, greater kudu and gemsbok remained scattered across the area as they searched for suitable grazing and browse.
Elephants also visited the permanent waterhole, including bachelor groups that gathered to drink.
The landscape itself was increasingly open. Grasses had dried, deciduous trees had shed their leaves and the shorter vegetation exposed the immense scale of the surrounding pans and valleys.
August also brought strong winds across the open country. After a final spell of colder weather early in the month, daytime temperatures began their gradual climb towards the warmer months.
Life on foot in the Central Kalahari
Nature walks offered a closer look at the smaller details of this dry landscape, while San cultural experiences shared the knowledge and skills traditionally used to live in this environment.
Resident birds including goshawks, pied crows, larks and sparrows remained active, while occasional reptiles and insects began appearing as winter temperatures eased.
The same openness that defined Tau Pan by day made for excellent skies after dark. With little light pollution and few clouds, the Milky Way stretched clearly overhead, accompanied by constellations and planets across the Kalahari night sky.
