A gemsbok feast brings the Tau Pan lions together – June produced an interesting sequence around Tau Pan when two separate gemsbok kills eventually brought several of the area’s lions together.
A lioness killed a gemsbok only 500 metres from the camp waterhole and was joined at the carcass by her tiny cub, around a month old and still entirely dependent on milk. On the north-western side of the old Tau Pan campsite, two other lionesses and their six cubs, approximately three and a half months old, brought down another gemsbok. These older cubs were already eating meat and tucked enthusiastically into the carcass.
A large male lion soon arrived and took possession of their kill, forcing the lionesses and cubs away. They headed towards the waterhole, where their path brought them into the area occupied by the first lioness and her much younger cub – along with her gemsbok carcass.
The permanent waterhole continued to play an important role throughout the month, drawing predators and prey into the same relatively small area and allowing guests to watch these interactions unfold close to camp.
Following leopard spoor through the Kalahari
Good summer rains had left the Kalahari grasses unusually tall for June, but the sandy roads made it possible for Tau Pan’s local guides to follow the movements of leopards even when the cats disappeared into the vegetation.
A male leopard was found along Carlos Road stalking helmeted guineafowl, while fresh female leopard spoor along Mawelewele Road led guides to another hunting female. She too had her attention fixed on guineafowl.
This was where tracking came into its own. Reading fresh spoor in the sand allowed guides to follow the cats beyond the initial tracks and work out their direction of travel, rather than relying solely on an animal appearing in the open.
A caracal loses its springbok kill
Caracals were particularly active around Tau Pan during June, with sightings recorded regularly on game drives.
One male provided the month’s standout encounter when he successfully killed a springbok calf. His meal was short-lived, however, when a black-backed jackal arrived and stole the carcass.
African wild dog spoor was recorded around San Pan and Passarge waterhole, while an alpha female was seen near Sunday waterhole during a full-day excursion.
A puff adder takes on two predators
One of June’s stranger stories began near the old Tau Pan campsite, where guests came across an African wild cat confronting a puff adder.
The same snake later encountered a lioness close to the site of her kill and bit her on the forehead before the snake died. When guides returned to the area, the lioness’s face was visibly swollen.
It was a sharp reminder that some of the Kalahari’s most interesting interactions happened at ground level rather than involving its larger predators.
Butterflies and moths included African monarchs, yellow pansies and several other species recorded during the month.
Elephants stay on after the rains
The effects of the season’s rainfall could still be seen across Tau Pan in June. Instead of the increasingly dry conditions normally associated with winter, grasses and many trees remained green, and the pans continued to support large concentrations of animals.
Large herds of gemsbok and wildebeest moved through the area, with giraffes gathering around the pans and groups of ostriches feeding across the open ground. Springbok were widespread, alongside black-backed jackals, bat-eared foxes, Cape foxes, ground squirrels and mongooses.
Elephants provided an interesting change from previous years. They would normally be associated more strongly with the rainy season before moving away, but several remained around Tau Pan into June. They regularly visited the permanent waterhole and gradually became more accustomed to safari vehicles.
The abundance of mice also had an effect further up the food chain. Raptors took advantage of the available prey, with kites, goshawks and eagles regularly seen hunting. Secretarybirds and kori bustards were also recorded, along with several species of cisticola.
An unusually green Kalahari winter
The dunes and plains retained far more green vegetation than might normally be expected at this point in the dry season. Grasses still held seed and many trees remained in leaf, including shepherd’s trees, whose deep root systems help them cope with the Kalahari’s semi-arid conditions.
Small mammals were particularly noticeable. Mice were abundant, providing food for raptors and jackals, while ground squirrels, yellow mongooses and slender mongooses were frequently seen around their burrows.
Stories of the Kalahari with the San
Nature walks with the San added an entirely different perspective to time at Tau Pan.
Rather than concentrating on finding the larger animals seen from a safari vehicle, the walks explored how people had lived in and understood this semi-arid environment for generations. Guests learnt how to make fire by friction and heard about traditional uses of Kalahari plants, including medicinal uses and local beliefs associated with different shrubs.
It was a chance to slow down and look more closely at a landscape where tracks, plants and seemingly small details could tell their own stories – guided by local knowledge passed down through generations.
