In this week’s magnificent spectacle, the collective managed to capture some sensational imagery. Firstly, we could put it down to the variety of sightings that one is able to see at Londolozi over the summer months. Secondly, the lighting and scenery have been something to marvel at. And thirdly, predators were basically falling out of trees. Lions, leopards, wild dogs and cheetahs fill up most of this week’s selection making it a wonderfully predator-dense week.
On the lion front, the Ndhzenga Male and a few Ntsevu Lionesses manage to catch a late morning bite to eat as they are left in one place and when the rangers went to find them later on, they had moved, caught a young wildebeest and were enjoying their spoils. The Tsalala Female is thriving and making friends with a large rhino bull in the Manyeleti River. And the Nkuhuma Pride pop in for a quick visit.
The Leopards see the Three Rivers Female being rather ambitious in a stalk of a kudu, the Ntomi Male in a marula tree with incredible light, the Flat Rock Male on a territorial patrol leading along the Sand River again, the Nhlanguleni Female checking in with the wild dogs on the airstrip and the Nkoveni Female walking straight down the road with a heavy milk pouch.
A young male cheetah has been lurking in the eastern parts of the reserve and making a name for himself. Hopefully, he sticks around for a while. The pack of eight wild dogs turn up and spend some time at the airstrip and then dance off into the rising full moon.
Let’s not forget some other magical sightings of a few elephants and Southern Ground Hornbills and a buffalo.
Let us know your favourites in the comments section below.
Enjoy This Week In Pictures…
The Nkoveni Female walks up the road with a very prominent milk pouch and wet teats. We believe she is denning cubs somewhere on the reserve.
The inquisitive Tsalala Female came across this rhino bull in the Manyelethi. Her curiosity got the best of her as she walked up behind him without the rhino knowing she was there.
Front row seats to a gorgeous sighting of a cheetah and the large granite outcrops beyond the Sand River.
Just peeking over the long grass, this young male cheetah has spent a few days popping up in random places on the reserve, mostly in the northeastern clearings near to camp. Hopefully he recognises this to be a rather fruitful hunting ground and sticks around.
Still up in the limbs of a marula tree after sunset, the sky turning purple, the Ntomi Male gazes over the surrounding area keeping a close look out for any prey.
A buffalo cow turns her nose up to investigate us a little closer in an attempt to keep her young calf safe.
We found a flock of Southern Ground Hornbills on the crest as they foraged through the open grasslands. One individual had caught something but it was difficult to identify what it was until it flew to this branch and we realised it was unfortunately a chameleon.
The Three Rivers Female settled in this dry riverbed to groom herself after finishing the rest of her kill. Something caught her attention and a large kudu bull arrived. She lay motionless and as flat as possible to remain undected.
One of the Sub-adult Male Lions from the Nkuhuma Pride makes use of a fallen tree to scan up ahead.
The ever-impressive Nkuhuma Pride are a pride that we do not see regularly but when we do it is often one that we get very excited about.
The Flat Rock male on his morning territorial patrol.
Arriving at a feisty scene of the Ndzhenga Male feasting on a young wildebeest with a Ntsevu Lioness.
The last bits of the wildebeest carcass being finished off by a Ndzhenga Male.
An elephant covers itself in mud on a warm summer’s day. We watched it for 30 minutes drinking and splashing about.
As the sun begins to set the wild dogs greet each other on the airstrip. We positioned just below the airstrip to watch them at eye level. This is how the afternoon wild dog sighting started.
Having the wild dogs around the airstrip again caused so much excitement that who ever was off for a brief period in the afternoon dashed out to go see them quickly.
Moments before they began their afternoon’s mission.
Upon following the wild dogs as the sunset, I had completely forgotten that it was full moon and was wonderfully surprised to be greeted by this scene as we emerged from the thicker vegetation.
And this is how it ended.
While following the wild dogs on the airstrip, all of a sudden the Nhlanguleni Female popped up out of nowhere.
One of the Ntsevu Lionesses pauses for a brief moment, fixated in the direction of a distant herd of impala alarm-calling.
With the dew on the grass in the morning this young male cheetah used a log to scan his surroundings.
Photography is all about perspective and the photographer’s eye. Turn it portrait, Black and White and voila a very different image.
Elephant bull quenches his thirst from one of the smaller pans in the north.
Two members of the herd walk across the road in front of our vehicle as they saunter towards a waterhole.
A Ndzhenga Male peers across toward another lioness from the Ntsevu Pride
![Ntsevu Pride, Wild Dogs And Rhino (10) [rcb]](https://media.londolozi.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/12140133/Ntsevu-pride-wild-dogs-and-rhino-10-RCB-280x178.jpg)
wow. great photos. The cheetah photos are this weeks favorite for me
Thank you so much, Mark. We have had a fantastic week of cheetah viewing and it is so great that the photos have turned out well.
Yes, we have had wildcats, cheetahs, lions, leopards …
A serval or caracal …. please
My choice for this week is the black-and-white portrait of the cheetah. It’s a pure masterwork and he’s gorgeous. The second is the Tsalala female making friends with the rhino bull, she will never cease to surprise and amuse! My sister’s n 1 is the black-and-white elephant and second the Three Rivers female with the Bushbuck. She is a great character too!
a lot of the photos this week are great and the Tsalala photo is awesome.
Spectacular shots! I love this blog and it keeps me going til I can get back to Londolozi! Always a great job by all! 🥰
Thank you so much, Dolores. I am so glad you enjoy the content we put out and that it gets you through the time away. Hopefully we see you back here again soon.
Goodness me Sean we are spoiled this week with a variety of stunning images. So many of them are astounding. My favorite this week is your image of the 2 wild dogs at sunset with the full moon in the background. That is an incredible foto. All the animal foto’s are beautiful and I quite fancied the Nkuhuma pride being together.
This week was truly an exceptional week with so many great photos to choose from.
Another amazing week at Londolozi!
I love the Black & white cheetah photo and the Nkuhuma pride photo! What a beautiful group of ladies!
Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much, Barbi. The cheetah photos this week were great.
A veritable plethora of predators Sean!! All great captures, and while I’m partial to the cheetah and the wild dogs, any image of the Tsalala Female always takes the top spot. I’m always rooting for her and her will to survive is so inspiring!
Thank you so much, Paul. well, this week the photo of the Tsalala Female is a special one with her being that close to the rhino.
Wow, great pics this week.
The Tsalala girl is always doing something entertaining, its shocking how large the rhino is next to her.
Great to see the Nkuhumas, I used to see them a lot on Wild Earth but you hardly see them at all now. I hope mighty Mohawk still claims them.
Glad to see the cheetah too as you don;t see them too often in Sabi Sands.
As much as I love the Tsalala lioness the cheetah photographed in black and white has to be my favourite this week.
Thank you so much, Tony. I agree the Tsalala Female is always doing something entertaining. And, Nick’s pic of the cheetah is amazing.
What a gorgeous shot of the Ntomi male! What happened with the kudu and the Three Rivers Female?! How flat she got is quite impressive! The hornbill shot is really great with the colors too! Another epic week!
Thank you so much, Anita. I think the kudu noticed her and ran off. It was rather ambitious of her to try and stalk the kudu.
Sean, TWIP’s is fabulous. My favorite by far is the Tsalala female looking over her shoulder saying Who Me? See what I can do sneaking up on a Rhino Bull!! Animals are truly amazing!
Thank you so much, William. Animals are truly amazing, and that is a fantastic shot of the Tsalala Female.
WOW guys!! There are way too many amazing pics this week to just choose one! 😄 My favourite is the colour photo of the cheetah on the log, followed by a close second of the black and white photo of that same cheetah, the elephant splashing the mud and the lone wild dog with its head down set amongst the beautiful grassy backdrop. Too many good ones though! Well done. Amazing sightings! ❤️
Thank you so much, Carly. Those are some great choices in a difficult week.
Great selection of photos! Particularly love the second photo of the Nkuhuma lionesses with some of their sub-adult offspring! They are such a special group of lionesses!
Thank you so much, Michael. It is great to see the Nkuhuma Pride doing so well.
So fortunate to have a cheetah on site! 🤞 #100 more
It is great to have cheetah on-site at the moment and the sightings of them have been amazing.
🙆♀️🙆♀️🙆♀️
There are some fantastic shots included here so it was a difficult decision to choose one, but I decided the b/w cheetah was classically beautiful! Your wild dog in front of moon was equally stunning….
Thank you so much, Denise. The shot of the cheetah is a great one.
I loved the ground hornbill–it was just so unexpected. Loved all the interaction between predators and other animals though. The Tsalala lioness would have had another thing coming if that rhino woke to her sniffing his backside! 😂
The shot of the Southern Ground Hornbill was great. And, yes I agree she would have had another thing coming if the rhino woke up.
Stunning! Fav is Tsalala (of course) and they are all amazing.
Of course. Safe to say you love Tsalala, Susan. Thank you so much.
Wow, so many fabulous story inducing images that I wish we knew the tale endings of! Hopefully that will come tomorrow or in the blog somewhere such as what happened when the rhino woke up and did the kudu ever suspect anything? Great provoking images. So glad, always to see the Tsalala lioness doing well.
There were many stories here with each image. Maybe a few of them will come out in time.
Cracking photos -as always -especially the cheetah and the hornbill (bad luck for the chameleon )
Thank you so much, Ian. There were some great pics this week.
I love these photos. hope you do t mind I use them as my background on my phone. 🙂
Some fantastic shots