Another week has come and gone at Londolozi, and for me, this was the week that summer truly announced itself. We have been blessed with substantial rain this week, and life is popping out of everywhere. The bush feels refreshed after the deluge. The summer rains allowed for some interesting photographic opportunities this past week due to the dramatic skies accompanied by sunrises and sunsets.
Lion activity continues to keep us on the edge of our seats. Although they haven’t announced themselves fully yet, four young male lions, whom we believe to be the Nwaswitshaka Coalition, continue to pop up along the southern parts of Londolozi. I’m really hoping that they make a name for themselves in this area. They are incredibly beautiful lions and have a lot of potential to succeed.
On the leopard front, The Three Rivers Female hasn’t been seen with her daughter for a while now. We could witness her searching for a new mate in the next couple of weeks now that she’s fulfilled her motherly duties. The Maxims Male, (dare I say it) seems to be relaxing with our presence as he allowed us to view him in relatively close proximity fairly frequently this past week. The Nottens Male has been seen exploring the areas west of our camps. This area hasn’t had a dominant male moving through it since Senegal Bush Male. Showing signs of maturing into a big male, we are hoping he takes advantage of this opportunity. The Shingi Male, who has recently become independent, continues to provide us with incredible viewing.
The Toulon Pack is back with their pups! We have been viewing them more frequently now that the pups are moving with the pack. With all the rain, the elephants have been everywhere you look, while the bird life is teeming in and around the river with the abundance of water.
Let us know your favourite pictures in the comments below.
Enjoy This Week In Pictures…
The Three Rivers Female stops to listen to a squirrel’s alarm call in the distance.
Forced into early independence at 11 months. Despite her small size, she's proven resilient, currently raising a cub in SE Londolozi.
Dorence ran up a termite mound to see what the Impala were alarming at while having a drink.
A wildebeest looking at the same herd, wondering what they had seen. We eventually learned that the impala had seen a group of warthogs scuttling through the grass and that this had caused the distress.
The Shingi Male attempting to hunt some impala.
The last surviving cub of a litter of three, he is on the cusp of independence.
After an unsuccessful hunt, he chose to rest in the open.
A mother elephant and her calf move through the fast-flowing Sand River.
A hyena cub watches the other youngsters playing around our vehicle.
The Maxims Male allows us to spend some time with him. We savour these moments. He is incredibly impressive.
Dominant since 2019. Once skittish Kruger-born giant now rules vast territory, transforming from elusive presence to formidable force.
A giraffe feeding as the sun sets.
One of the Nwaswitshaka Males giving the vehicle a stare. Time stands still in these moments.
One of the other males walks straight towards our vehicle.
A Pied Kingfisher perched along the Sand River.
One of the Toulon Pack’s pups being inquisitive.
Two of the pups are chasing each other while the adults look for something to hunt.
One of the adults was watching the pups in the distance.
An impala ram takes a moment to look at as after sparring with the other male.
A herd of elephants walks towards the sunset in the open areas of Londolozi.
The Nottens Male searching through new territories.
Born 2021, mirrors father Nweti's presence. Young force showing remarkable confidence while navigating nomadic phase in southern territories
Let’s hope he manages to make the west of camp his first territorial area.
Great photos, Patrick. I love all of them.
The wild dog pup looks so cute with its huge ears and inquisitive look.
Are the Nwaswitshaka Males newcomers to Londolozi or have I missed hearing about them somehow?
They look great.
They’re all splendid Pat, thank you. As usual, difficult/impossible to choose a favourite although the Wild dog pup; the Shingi male lying in the grass after his unsuccessful hunt and the mother elephant and her calf in the sand river are up there among the choices. so nice to see the green after the rain.
That inquisitive stare on the wild dog pup is just darling. Remind me—was it the Toulon pack that stole the pups from the pack of three last year-ish, and if so, has the same alpha pair remained in the Toulon pack? I thought perhaps the female was too old to breed and that may have been why they stole the other litter, but I don’t remember all the details that far back.
Well, this time I definitely have a choice… the Singi male is unbeatable, he’s born a poser for your camera! Isn’t he beautiful? And the new lion- the name is too difficult for me this time. The picture of the elephant cow and calf I black and white is idyllic!
Nice set of pictures Pat!!!!
Dear Patrick, that must be a fantastic week. Nice pics, love the leopards.
Hi Patrick, for me this week must be the newly names leopard the Shingi male. He is just so beautiful, naughty for not letting his mom eat with him. Then the Nwaswitshaka male lion is a gorgeous looking male. Maxim’s male is a stunning leopard and seems to be getting a bit more tolerable with the Land Rovers tracking him.
Great shots Patrick! We especilly love the one of the Nwaswitshaka Male. Very impressive! Now, can we please get the proper pronunciation! 😉
I really enjoyed your TWIP Patrick, consisting of a good variety of photos. It was great to see some familiar faces as well as the newcomers, such as your wonderful portrait of the stare in the eyes of the Nwaswitshaka male. I’ll add a few other favorites such as the painted dog pup, the Nottens male, the Shingi male at rest, the mother elephant and her calf, and finally the hyena pup. The rain has certainly greened up the property making for verdant backgrounds. Thank you for sharing these.
Great photos Patrick. Can never go wrong with a shot of Dorance!