This week has been characterized by the impending threat of Cyclone Dineo that made landfall on the eastern part of Mozambique on Wednesday and continued its path towards the Kruger National Park and the Sabi Sands. The Mozambique coastline was subjected to the full brunt of the cyclone with gale force winds and torrential rain wreaking havoc in surrounding areas, even resulting in human casualties. Despite now being classified as a Tropical Depression rather than a cyclone, the affects of the storm have had major impacts on local and regional weather conditions leading to localized flooding, the closure of many gravel roads and the evacuation of certain parts of the Kruger National Park.
Extreme natural disasters are uncommon in South Africa and the presence of this large low pressure system is one infrequent occurrence that has so far has only left Londolozi with some beautiful soaking rain.
Despite the inclement weather conditions, Londolozi once again provided another spectacular week. The lush green grass and the abundance of wildflowers gave us the opportunity to explore different camera settings and photographic composition and it has been fantastic to see the continued rejuvenation on the landscape.
Enjoy this Week in Pictures…
The Piva male slakes his thirst as the morning temperatures began to rise. We had found him rasping and vocalizing in the central parts of his ever-expanding territory.
Directly descended from the original mother leopard and therefore part of the royal lineage of Londolozi.
The calm before the storm. The front of the tropical depression was seen making its approach on Wednesday afternoon. Here, the ostrich family are illuminated by the beautiful backdrop of a double rainbow and ominous storm clouds.
The Xidulu young male and female play in amongst the wildflowers as their mother moved off on a territorial patrol.
A large elephant bull scratches his ear after caking himself in mud. Elephants will do this to remove ectoparasites from their skin as well as to cool down and protect themselves from the harsh summer sun.
The Mhangeni pride make light work of this wildebeest kill having only taken a few hours to completely finish it off. With 12 hungry young lions and four adult lionesses, it comes as no surprise!
A close up photograph of a very relaxed rock monitor lizard resting on a fallen over tree.
The Xidulu female used the long grass as cover to stalk this steenbok. She managed to get just a few metres away from it when her presence was discovered and the steenbok made a hasty retreat.
The daughter of Sunsetbend female, is named Xidulu which means termite mound in Shangaan.
A resident giant kingfisher perches itself along the causeway as the sun begins to rise, waiting to start fishing.
The resilience of animals in the bush cannot be underestimated. Here, a fully grown female kudu with only one ear shows no signs of permanent distress from her birth defect.
A Matshipiri male lion sits in the tall grass and wildflowers as he watches his brother move towards a nearby waterhole.
The Piva male uses the tall grass to his advantage as he stares intently at a young impala in the distance.
Two zebra stallions fight each other for the rights to a lone mare. Running around at tremendous speeds, the stallions proceeded to bite and kick one another, hoping to win the mating rights.
Great pictures Callum! My favourite is the Giant Kingfisher, but every one of your photos are stunning! Thank you for another great week of beautiful pictures.
The Kingfisher…..wow! Great work….the photo and the photographer. Tutu/Gogo
Stunning pictures Callum!!Dineo was kind to Londolozi!
Love the first shot of the Piva male and the kingfisher, as well as the one of the Matshipiri male