Another week on safari, another reminder that the bush doesn’t always play along with the plan.
This Virtual Safari marks our first proper venture back into the north since the heavy rains, and while there were some exciting lion moments, most of the week’s drama came from an unexpected team-building exercise… courtesy of very wet ground.
Early on, we were thrilled to find a lioness showing clear suckle marks, a significant development and one that immediately intrigued us all. But not long after, a vehicle following a pack of wild dogs on a hunt misjudged the conditions underfoot. What looked like solid ground turned out to be a deep seepline, and before anyone could react, the vehicle was well and truly bogged down.
Backup was called in the form of a tractor… which, unfortunately, met the exact same fate.
With no safe way to recover either vehicle before dark, guests were transferred back to camp in another game viewer, while the original vehicle and tractor spent the night under the stars. The following morning, we regrouped, rallied the troops, and returned with a plan to recover both vehicles.
Before tackling that task, though, we enjoyed another relaxed afternoon with the Msuthlu Pride on the Londolozi airstrip. Spending time with them allowed us to unpack the current lion dynamics and explore why this pride has been making such regular appearances in the area of late.
A week that perfectly sums up life out here — moments of excitement, moments of frustration, plenty of teamwork, and always something to learn.
Enjoy this week’s Virtual Safari…
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Hi Sean, that was an epic team work from all involved getting the two vehicles out of the mud. The bush looks absolutely gorgeous with lush green grass all over for the herbivores to eat. I know Tsalala female was mating with the Gijima males so I don’t know if it is her with the suckling marks. That would be awesome to see, as she is my favorite lioness. Hats off too all involved with the recovery of both vehicles. Team work is the best.
Everything is looking amazing out here. It was a lot of fun getting the vehicles unstuck. You will have to wait and see in the next virtual safari.
Well Sean, that was a cruel way to sign off today with your tease of new cubs on the reserve, but my intuition says that Tsalala has given birth – I’d know that face anywhere! Not to take away from the Msuthlus or the epic teamwork to free a tractor and game vehicle, her birthing another litter in her natal reserve is fantastic news. I suspect she has denned her cubs in or around the area where she was raised….. Let’s hope she can keep them safe from the wanderings of the Msuthlus and the two other Kambula lionesses that could also be pregnant. Back to the Msuthlus – impressive pride to say the least. I saw them in October ’24 with close to ten cubs at the time, some quite tiny and the remaining in the 6-8 month range. Now those have grown to become juveniles yet there still seem to be some younger cubs still suckling. They are a force to be reckoned with and are never far from the Gijimas, who have protected them as their numbers have grown.
As far as the stuck vehicles, your drone footage really illustrated how the team has to essentially build a track of logs in order to drive the vehicle away from its mudh0le, after lifting it out. I can see how teamwork is essential to make this work, and thankfully Chris Goodman was there to help direct the task at hand. After filling in the deep divots and covering with sand, are markers placed around the area to keep vehicles away? In 40 years of safari travel, I’ve only been in a vehicle stuck in a muddy ditch once where we needed to be towed out, but it was an adventure as there was a leopard hidden in the branches of a nearby tree watching the action. In that same period, only one flat tire as well…… not much fun for the guides, but for us guests, it makes the whole experience that much more real.
You will have t wait and see which lioness it is int he next virtual safari.
The Msuthlu Pride are an awesome pride and we are so lucky to be seeing them so much.
Yes, we had to dig the vehicles out then by using the logs to disperse the weight the tractor could then drive on those to get to the top of the hill and drier ground.
No, we just know not to drive in that area from now on.
So did Keagan get the pink pouch?
Nope, it wasn’t Keagan that got stuck initially, he was just overly confident and so that is why we made him drive it out with everyone pushing.
Fun to watch the muddy teamwork! Who’s getting the pink pouch?!? So it must be the Tsalala females whose had cubs – hooray! Is she denning them on Ximpalapala koppie?
Maybe, we will reveal the custodian of the pink pouch in the next video if I can get some shots of him/her in action.
Speaking of the next video, you will have to wait and see which lioness it is and where she is denning.
Great job getting those vehicles out of the mud, and everyone still looked so clean. I do hope that is the Tsalala lioness.
Thanks so much. We will let you know who it is soon.
What an exciting blog, Sean! First of all, it’s great that the Msuthlu Pride is nowadays kind of based around the airstrip.
By the way, what do they do when planes arrive?
What a tremendous effort of team work to get the vehicles stuck in the mud out again. Wow!
And- my guess as to the young lion cubs and there mom is, that it’s the Tsalala lioness. And if this really is the case, congratulations! I am so pleased if she really has a new litter. And I do hope that she will be able to keep the babies safe and sound and quite undisturbed for the first few weeks. She will probably hide them either somewhere in the rocks close to the river or maybe where she herself was being hidden by her mother on the kopies in the northern part?
Anyway, good luck to the little ones.
Before any flight arrives, there are a team of air marshals that head up and clear the runway and keep an eye out for any animals. We will reveal which Lioness it is soon.
That was a LOT of horse-, and manpower. I’m happy Keagan finally managed to get unstuck! It brings back memories of the Okavango… My kids found the most enjoyable part of the entire trip to be getting stuck in the mud and having water pouring into our vehicle. Cheering at the sidelines in the pitch dark while assisting the team with lights. It spices up any day!
Yes, it was indeed. Thankfully, we managed to recover both vehicles. I don’t blame your kids, it is always such a fun part of the experience.