An evening of bucketing rain resulted in a tricky start to the morning game drive. The roads were slick, visibility was low, and the bush felt unusually quiet. However, we made the best of the wet terrain and pushed on. After what turned out to be a fairly quiet morning in the field, we returned to camp and started planning what to do in the afternoon.
Rain clouds ready to burst.
Just as we were getting ready to put our feet up in between drives, another guide, Nic Glassock, mentioned that he was going to see how much the river had risen at the causeway. Curious, Nic Martin and I decided to join him to see what was happening. When we arrived, the river was flowing bank to bank across the causeway, far fuller than usual. The water was moving quickly and with real force. Seeing this, we decided to go and have a look at a different crossing point, Finfoot.
Finfoot was the fullest I had ever seen it, covering every grain of sand there was to offer. Large trees and debris were floating down the river at a ferocious pace, a clear reminder of how much rain had fallen upstream. Standing there watching the water rush past, the three of us naturally started wondering what the Maxabene (a small tributary that flows through the centre of the reserve) might look like.
So we climbed back into the vehicle and drove roughly 15 minutes to the Maxabene, only to find it completely bone dry. It was a strange contrast after seeing so much water elsewhere. Slightly disappointed, we turned around and started heading back to camp. That’s when Nic Martin suddenly pointed out some leopard tracks in the sand.
Knowing that the tracks had occurred after the torrential rain meant they were incredibly fresh. With no leopard found during the morning drive, we grabbed a radio and decided to follow the tracks a way to see where they might lead. After roughly 100 metres down the riverbed, we were surprised when a leopard rasped not too far from us. The sound stopped us in our tracks.
We quickly walked in the direction of the call, hoping to catch a glimpse, and about five minutes later, we found her. After taking a moment to enjoy the sighting on foot, we carefully walked back to the vehicle to see if we could get a better view. Once we relocated her from the car, we were absolutely over the moon.
The Nkoveni Female, was moving about after the rain, reestablishing her territorial boundaries and likely looking for a mate.
What started as a tricky, quiet morning turned into a special memory shared with two good friends – proof that even the most unlikely afternoons can end with something truly rewarding.
0 Comments
on From Flooding Rivers To Finding Leopards