“Time flies whilst you’re having fun”

We’ve all heard this saying before and to an extent I believe it to be true. Whether it’s the fun we have as rangers working at Londolozi, or the fact that it has been a busy year with lots on the go, I personally feel like 2023 has passed in the blink of an eye. Whilst I am conscious that there is still more than a month until 2023 officially draws its curtains closed, I found myself feeling incredibly grateful to have learnt a huge amount, experienced some amazing wildlife encounters, and in general, been able to marvel at nature in its purest form.

An iconic scene of a male lion gazing towards a large herd of buffalo from atop a small ridge.

Many guests ask what the biggest lesson I have learnt during my time as a ranger at Londolozi is, and without hesitation, my answer is always, ‘Humility.’ We, humans, are quick to assume that we are the apex species. Still, I have yet to find someone who has not, quite literally, been brought down to earth when surrounded by a pride of lions, or when faced with a 5-ton elephant bull standing within 10 feet of the open safari vehicle.

It’s hard to not feel insignificant when surrounded by a herd of elephants, the world’s largest land mammal.

There are two spectacles that stand out to me from this last year which have both humbled me and given me an overall appreciation for my job and left me feeling incredibly grateful.

The Othawa Pack of Wild Dogs

This is a no-brainer. The Othawa Pack of wild dogs is the pack that we see most often on the reserve, and they haven’t had an easy time raising litters over the past few years. I know that most other rangers in the team share the sentiment that watching this pack of wild dogs temporarily raise their puppies on the reserve has been an awe-inspiring adventure.

To our knowledge, the pack gave birth to roughly 24 puppies on our neighbour’s property around the month of June. It wasn’t until September that the adults decided to grace us with the pack’s presence and make an appearance on Londolozi. I clearly remember being at that sighting and being in absolute awe at the sight of seven adult wild dogs with 19 pups playing around!

This was the very first time that we saw the pups, 19 in total!

The pack subsequently roamed Londolozi for an extended period of time, temporarily using abandoned termite mounds that may have previously served as hyenas or wild dog dens as interim homesteads for themselves. It was amazing to observe how usually one or two adults would remain with the pups at these dens whilst the rest of the adults would hunt around dawn and dusk and then return to the hungry puppies which were eagerly awaiting their regurgitated meal or limb that was left over from the hunt.

A single adult keeps guard whilst the newest members of the pack (not so patiently) await the return of the hunting adults.

It wasn’t long before the pack started moving large distances as one unit, and I was amazed at the stamina of these young wild dogs even at such a young age. They are far from out of the woods, and what once was more than 20 puppies has been reduced to eight now. They are now not only moving with the adults but honing in their hunting skills too as the impala lambing season has begun. One can only hope that we continue to see the Othawa Pack of wild dogs grow. My favourite sighting of them would have to be watching them cautiously cross the Sand River, here is a video of the spectacle below.

Sean also features them in an amazing sighting of them crossing during one of his Virtual Safari’s.

The Ntsevu Pride of Lions

After successfully claiming the southeastern portion of Londolozi and the Ntsevu Pride as their own, the Ndzhenga Males seem to be on the path to the successful continuation of their genes.

A tender moment was shared between father and cub.

At the time of writing, the core of the Ntsevu Pride consists of five adult lionesses and 13 lion cubs born between March and August of this year, The newest three of these cubs have only just been introduced to the pride and have begun the process of being weened off of their mother’s milk. There are another three adult lionesses who seem to prefer going about their business without the responsibility of young cubs for the most part.

A playful lion cub attempts to climb the lower limbs of a Combretum tree

The cubs have provided us with endless entertainment, never failing to try and improve their hunting skills and strengthening their bonds by playing amongst each other and their adult counterparts. As sad as it is, not all cubs that were born have made it up until now. They still have a lot of growing up to do but it has been interesting to watch each individual’s personality coming out. A good example of observing this would be watching the whole pride feeding on a kill that the adults have made. Some cubs can be compared to the school ground bully amongst the carcass whilst some use their wit to grab a morsel from the feast and feed on it out of harm’s way.

Six of the older Ntsevu Cubs patiently await the return of their parents who had been out hunting the night before

It’s too difficult to narrow down the sightings that I have been lucky enough to have of this pride whilst they have cubs to a single favourite. The most rewarding aspect is to have been able to watch them grow up alongside each other and the amazing strength and determination that the whole pride has shown to get to this point.

I feel extremely privileged to have been able to experience first-hand these two species, both under threat, rearing future generations in a world in which wild spaces and the species which inhabit them are constantly being placed under duress.