Early January, and the surprise visitor from last month – a bull elephant – was found along the cutline to Deception Valley. It’s unlikely he will hang around long, as the low amount of rain so far means that the vegetation in many areas is drying up already. It would be more beneficial for him to head north towards the ‘greener pastures’ outside the CKGR.
The Tau Pan pride of lions have not been budging far from the area – and there are very good reasons why. They are essentially hemmed in by other established prides: Deception Valley, Passage Pan and Sunday Pan all have their own prides with large territories. If the Tau lions move out of their current area, they will be forced to battle with the other prides, and the outcome will not necessarily go their way. They also have little reason to fight for another area – with a guaranteed year-round water supply, and a good selection of prey species, Tau Pan has a proven track record for being a good nursery for raising lion cubs….
Without continued rain falls, the grasses even on the pans are drying up fast. This makes it good visibility for the two cheetahs that frequent the area, and allows them to blend in with the colours of the grass. However, since the grass is still short, they have to crouch down low to the ground carefully to ensure that the prey they are stalking does not see them before they are upon them.
