It has been quite a wet week at Londolozi. The Sand River has been flowing strongly and tracking has been difficult, as footprints in the sand are erased by the rain shortly after they are made. Photography has also been tricky, as wet weather makes one disinclined to bring one’s camera out for fear of water damage. Nevertheless, the animals are still there, and through occasional breaks in the clouds have come some great moments. Enjoy this latest week in pictures.

A crocodile peers over the remains of a Wildebeest carcass in Vomba Dam. Bloated and rotten, the insides had by this stage been almost totally consumed by this apex predator of the Londolozi waterways.

One of the Sparta cubs peers at the vehicles over his own reflection. Shortly after this shot was taken, the pride retreated into a dense acacia thicket, out of the hot sun, only to be chased out an hour or so later by some buffalo bulls who had come to lie in the nearby mud wallows.

Two of the Sparta cubs wrestle each other in the same sighting as the previous photo. The grass covering the reflection of their faces detracts from the image slightly, but the short where the cubs are and its rich green colour gives it a nice vibrance.

Conditions that don’t lend themselves to capturing beautiful images offer a great opportunity for photographic experimentation. Here I slowed my shutter speed down dramatically and panned the camera along with the running impala in order to blur the background and create the sensation of movement.

The Dark-Maned Majingilane looks up from an impala carcass he had just stolen from the Vomba female leopard near the Airstrip. Impala alarm calls had roused him from his sleep, and he lost no time in finding the leopard and chasing her away to grab a free meal. She subsequently caught an Egyptian Goose which she carried back to her cub.

The Hip-Scar Majingilane drinks from Xidulu Pan. he had been lying with two others of the coalition and the three older Tsalala females when the distant roars of the Scar-Nosed male caused him to head south to join up with him. It got too hot before he got halfway there, and he decided to rest in the shade until evening.

A pair of Martial Eagles surveys their domain. These regal birds are the largest eagle species at Londolozi, and are big enough to even take down impala lambs!

The Sparta pride was moving around quite a lot this week, despite the cold and continuous rain. Here, two of the cubs engage in their usual antics, taking advantage of a brief break in the wet conditions

The Vomba female leopard watches an impala herd in the distance. She had just left her cub in a thicket near the Sand River and was heading out on the evening’s hunt.

A male Saddlebilled stork takes a break from frog hunting. His black eye and yellow wattles near the base of his bill differentiate him from the female of the species, who has a yellow ring around her eyes and no wattle.

One of the Ximpalapala cubs sleepily opens one eye to look down from the boughs of her favourite Jackalberry tree on the banks of the Manyelethi River. This cub has been seen many times on this same branch, and some rangers are even beginning to refer to her as the Jackalberry female
Amazing!! Well done JT!
Hey James, love your shot of the Sparta cub, its eyes are mesmerizing! Also really like your shot the impi running…I think because there are so many around Londoz they often get overlooked in favor of other mammals (common as muck m’ dear! he he!) , so it’s really great to see one so beautifully, and dynamically captured in a still. Impressive shots despite the weather!
Fabulous, as usual!! It’s awesome seeing the green grass.
The “Jackalberry Female” picture is fabulous how her long tail drapes down!!
Fantastic–can’t wait to see these beauties in 6 weeks.
Great photo’s as always, love them
I love that you’ve named a leopard cub after a tree instead of a river or other land mass….she certainly looks comfortable and quite like she owns the place! 🙂
Great shots James!
The last I heard about the Tsalala female cub of the old bobtail lady was here. PLEASSE!!!!!!!!!!!! Do you know ANYTHING about that cub????? It is so important to know!!!! THANK-YOU!!!!
Suzanne unfortunately it appears that the cub has been killed, as well as the young litter of the tailed lioness. Both the single cub and the litter disappeared around the same time last year.
The entire Majingilane coalition was hanging around the Manyelethi riverbed (where the cubs had been stashed) at the time, and there is a chance that it was the males themselves that killed the little ones…
So happy to see the young Piva male. I really hope he does well. Gorgeous pic of him.
Agree with Rae about the long tail drape but especially enjoy the playfulness of the Sparta cubs on the tree trunk. Nice pics!
wow – amazing photos. Heading to Londolozi in about 5 weeks and cannot wait!!!
Epic Pics JT… Looking forward to many more!
James you are my hero!
I know
James T are you talking about BB’s cub from last year
Yes. It has not been seen for many months and must be presumed dead unfortunately.
Awesome shots,James,headed your way in 3 weeks !!
someone on FB told me the leopard in the last picture could be: It’s Mandla male, isn’t it. Father Sand River, mother Notten’s female.
We think so Mika. His sibling from that litter was killed by the Tugwaan Male, also known as the Bicycle Crossing male…
Although the Nottens female you are referring to is known as the Piva female by us. She is the daughter of the leopard that WE refer to as the Nottens female and was born in 1998.
Its a shame about BB’s cub as it was the only cub in the pride at the time, one day they are there, one they are not, we always wonder what happened to the cub
Thank you very much for those wonderful pictures. I am also very upset about BB’s cub. It really hurts to hear that she isn’t anymore.
Nice video guys!, by the way i just watched a show called African Wild on Net Flix that was filmed on Londolozi in the begining you see one of the tailess lionesses and then 2 males laying in the grass, were those two a couple of the Majingilane? by the way the episode i watched that featured you guys was shot great and made me want to make reservations! thanx
Great shots James! Was with you when you took the shots of the Sparta cubs. Thx to you and Mike for an awesome experience! Hope to be back soon.
Thanks Brad!
The cubs are all alive and well. We look forward to having you back here!
James