We often touch on the weather in these introductory paragraphs of The Week in Pictures but the past week at Londolozi has been unlike any other I have experienced. With a major tropical depression forming in the Mozambican Channel, between continental Africa and Madagascar, the entire Greater Kruger National Park was hit with some of the highest rainfall its seen in decades. For perspective, our average annual rainfall sits at around 550mm. We received just shy of the that amount in the last 10 days! Its quite a spectacle to see the river systems bursting at the seams and every small gulley and seep-line flowing with real vigour. The landscape literally comes to life in a way I’ve never seen!
With that being said, these conditions make operating in the field a much more difficult task than usual. Multiple game drive vehicles have been getting stuck each day, and we’re still receiving the odd downpour, which makes each time we leave camp a whole new adventure.
Despite the challenging conditions, we have still managed to have some incredible sightings in the brief weather windows. The search for Ximungwe’s cubs continues, while the Nkoveni Female and Shingi Male have still been seen crossing paths a few times and feature heavily once again this week. The Msuthlu Pride have comfortably established themselves as the resident pride of Londolozi, having spent nearly a week within a mile of our camps. The birdlife is brimming after the rains, with quite a few rarities popping up across the region. The general sightings of plains game and elephants have also been incredible against the backdrop of a vibrant and lush landscape.
Londolozi is rejuvenated and full of life. What an exciting time it is to be here!
Enjoy This Week in Pictures brought to you from Bryce and I and let us know your favourite in the comments…
Moody skies have been a regular feature this past week. Here, a giraffe pauses while crossing the airstrip. The slope of the runway often allows for low-angle photo opportunities.
A bloody-faced hyena lifts her head from her resting place in a small gulley. She had just devoured the majority of an impala carcass that she managed to steal from the Shingi Male
Taken from the same sighting as the images before, another hyena stands boldly over the remains of the impala. Take note how full the belly is of this hyena – they have the ability to fill their stomachs with 10-15kg of meat in one feeding session!
A purple crested turaco explore the tree canopy alongside the Sand River.
A young giraffe watched us from behind a termite mound. Note how fluffy the young giraffe’s horns (technically referred to as ossicones) are.
While this pose of the Shingi Male may suggest he was hunting, he was in fact skirting around the edges of a a group of hyena that had just taken his impala carcass.
The last surviving cub of a litter of three, he is on the cusp of independence.
An elephant calf safely sticks to its mothers side.
Predator and prey. The Nkoveni female trying to use the long grass as cover to sneak up on a pair of impala rams. She was unsuccessful this time but hunting conditions have certainly been in her favour this rainy period.
Londolozi's most viewed leopard and prolific mother. This gorgeous female has raised multiple cubs to independence.
The Shingi Male leaps down the branches of a fallen Marula Tree. Young leopards like him are extremely curious and adventurous making their behaviour quite unpredictable but equally entertaining.
A buffalo bull uses one of his comrades’ rumps as a pillow as he enjoys his slumber. I quite like how the oxpecker is framed by his horn – I’ll admit I only saw this once I was reviewing my images back home!
The Xinkhova Female finds some comfort in the branches of a fallen Marula Tree. The very wet conditions can drive the leopards into trees more often as they too aren’t quite at home in the puddles and mud.
Born 2021, daughter of Nkoveni. Young dynamo actively claiming territory near camps, showing promise as next generation's dominant female.
The Sand River, just days before it flooded, was visited by a graceful journey of giraffes. This exact area will now look vastly different with the river having reached its highest level in years now.
The reigning lions of Londolozi currently are the powerful Gijima Males. The duo have arrived with presence and power, meeting little resistance to their take over.
You may notice the pinkish/pale appearance of this young elephant calf. It was born with a rare genetic condition known ‘leucism’ which causes it to partially loose the darker pigment in its skin. Fortunately they tend to slowly darken with age and are only really threatened by sun burn.
A hidden gem of the riverbed. Malachite Kingfishers are strikingly beautiful birds that we seldom see given their diminutive size and tendency to hang around in dense vegetation.
A pair of Hooded Vultures patiently perched on a low stump, waiting their turn to feed on a buffalo that Msulthu Pride had brought down the night before.
Hi Chris, honestly I cannot really say that any particularly stand out however, the young giraffe at first sight looked like it was peeping over the sleeping back of a stegasaurus which made me smile.
Morning LGR. Thank you for putting up suvh a fascinating TWIP for me to read and look at from there. Although the hint for the Ximungwe female’s densite continues, do let me know or even put up a blog saying when you’ve found it as well as how many cubs there are in the entire litter. No matter how cute and tiny the cubs are, I think it’s obvious their poor mother isn’t going to get much rest and peace and quiet from them when they are so full of energy. But it’ll be so very exciting indeed when the densite and the exact number of cubs is found there eventually. I do hope her cubs have managed to survive the floods there in the last couple of weeks as well. When you do see the cubs for the very first time in the end eventually, I hope there will be a few clear and well taken photos for all of the Ximungwe female’s fans to look at. As she’s done so well with all 4 of her previous litters, I’m sure she’ll be a very good mum to this new brood, and raise the entire litter to independence.
Though she’ll be eleven years old in four months time, it will be great to see and watch her raise the entire litter ever so very well and successfully indeed. We know she’s had two successful litters and two unsuccessful litters, but I, like you, want her to raise this brood successfully, so that she can raise the next litter there.
But either she’ll lead you to her densite, you might stumble upon it, or you might see her move her cubs from one densite to another one after the other. As her tiny cubs will be keeping her busy a lot of the time nonstop, it’s obvious you will get to see her a lot more, as she’ll be out on the hunt a so much more frequently.
But it’ll be very good and exciting to read a blog put up saying that her densite and the exact number of her cubs has been found. So, hopefully it won’t be long now before that day finally arrives there, and the day I read the blog finally gets here.
It might often be nice to see the Nkoveni female & her big 2yr old son, the Shingi male together, but how much longer do you think the large young male will be with his mum for, before she’s finally had enough of him been at her side and scrounging of her by denying her any access to the kills she’s made, and decides to chase him out of her territory, so that he starts fending & feeding for himself?
Though it’s hard to tell, but I expect she’ll feel mighty glad and relieved to be rid of him one day eventually. The only thing I think she wants to do, is get rid of her greedy big son as soon as possible and get on with mating, in order to fall very heavily pregnant and produce a new litter of cubs to raise herself alone quietly.
She’s been such a very good, kind, caring and patient mum to her big son, but I don’t think he’s returning her kindness back to her in the way she’d expect of him to do so. But with that in mind and her getting on a bit in terms of age, it’ll be nice if she starts mating again soon and produces a new litter a.s.a.p there.
Once she’s given birth to her next litter of cubs eventually, I don’t know what you think, but I think that litter might be her last ever one before she, like her old mum, becomes totally infertile one day. I’d like to know what you’ll have to say about those two sisters, whilst I wait so patiently for an update on the progress and welfare of the old Mashaba female.
Hope to hear from you shortly.
Robert 30.1.26
Love the action shot of the Shingi male leaping in the fallen marula tree! Even the tree is interesting!
Dear Chris , very nice TWIP , love the small giraffe
Great photos, Chris.
I especially like the one of the Shingi Male, trying to sneak around the hyenas.
His sister the Xinkhova female is also such a beautiful leopard. Has she ever been seen mating with a male?
Love all your photos. The one pf the buffalo resting his head and the oxpecker sitting on it, is really great as well.
Hello Chris, Beautiful pictures, my favourites are the purple crested turcado, the elephant calf that safely sticks to its mothers side, the fantastic jump from the Shingi Male in the Marula Tree, the Buffalo that slumber at one of his comrades rumps and finally the Malachite Kingfisher. Fantastic photos!
That was enormously much rain you have had! Water give life and that is good for the wild life and nature.
I remember when you hade an article at the Blog some years ago about sound in the bush! It was really good and very interesting to listen to! Thank you for that and for this Week in Pictures.
Well the extraordinary rains certainly didn’t diminish the photo-taking ability of either of you. The reserve looks rich in verdant and vibrant colors and the animals seem to be enjoying the aftermath of the rain. If I had to choose favorites today I’d begin with the giraffe on the airstrip as the angle used makes him seem 20’ tall, followed by the purple crested turaco, a bird I’ve not seen so far. Then baby animals always catch my eye, so Chris, your little calf under its mom is heart melting followed by your amazing capture of the buffalo resting his head on a friend’s back all the while an oxpecker stole the show resting on his horn. Other favorites include the Gijima male portrait as well as the leucistic elephant calf. I agree the Malachite Kingfisher is difficult to spot in the vegetation near the water, but when you do – it’s magic.
Hi Chris, I quite like the Shingi male leaping down the tree in all his glory. Secondly the buffalo bull resting his huge head on one of the other buffalo’s back and the ox pecker being framed by the horn. I am quite anxious to hear if Ximungwe females cubs have been found with all this rain.
Super photos in what must have been very challenging conditions
Hi Chris, the buffalo bull resting his head on a companion ‘s body is great! The giraffe and the elephants are simply irresistible, the calf with those long eyelashes and extra sweetness… on the opposite side the Shingi male, the official poser of Londolozi, and the Gjima king… the Nkoveni Female makes me always feel a little shiver of proud for her. She has been a best gorgeous queen with many successful cubs but so unfortunately the Xinkova may be infertile ans the Plaque Rock female dead, as well as her last fantastic daughter…. the kingfisher and the turaco are simply stunning!
I love that low angle view of the giraffe. I also love the kingfisher and the purple crested turaco. Regarding the latter, are you ever tempted to reduce the shadows a bit?