This week it felt like the bush had its own sense of humour. And I was on the receiving end of most of it, but of course this is just my interpretation of it all.
It started with a female cheetah near the airstrip, always exciting to see. I bumped into her, spent a few minutes watching, then made space for the other rangers to get a look. While I was waiting to get back in, Chris came over the radio asking about a young male leopard I’d been with the night before.
Now, while sitting there twiddling my thumbs waiting to get back in, I heard the impala erupt; she must have started hunting, and I had to sit back, tearing my hair out knowing what could have been but couldn’t do anything about it.
By the time I got back in, she was already feeding.
I missed the chase. But what came after was worth the wait.
Then came the Plains Camp Males. Hearing that they were marching about in the early morning, I really wanted to see them on the move. I drove there as fast as I reasonably could, and watched the back end of two very large lions disappear across our boundary. Three seconds. That was it.
The four buffalo bulls I found afterwards were considerably more cooperative.
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How frustrating for you Sean! But at least you saw the young male leopard….what info do you have on him?
I was hoping there would be another sighting of Nkoveni and her cubs after last Sunday’s blog – any news on them at all?
Imagine all that happening and missing out on some things, and you are a guest and only have a few days! I think I saw the same cheetah about 10 days ago at your southern neighbours!
Thanks for the great video, Sean.
So interesting to hear about a new leopard on Londolozi., maybe he will be able to stay.
The buffalos have very impressive horns and the Plane Camps Male are really good looking lions.
I guess every guest who was able to watch the cheetah hunting was very happy to witness this.
It was great to see your footage of the female cheetah but you didn’t mention a name – I had thought it was Makhatini by her size and maturity. Her daughter is in the area, tagging along with her brothers, but this one didn’t appear to be that young. At any rate, she took down a good sized Impala that should have provided her with a great meal, if the vultures, hyenas and lions left her alone.
The young male leopard whose name I couldn’t catch, is certainly handsome and looks to be quite fit. He moves with both grace and confidence, but doesn’t appear to be near the size of Shingi…. It seems there are a few young male leopards in their nomadic stage, and as with the lion dynamics, the months to come may show some shifts in current dominant male territories.
What I especially liked in your video clip of the four Dagga boys, is the sun illuminating the color of the hair on their back, a burnt red-brown. Normally when Buffalo are photographed, their hair appears as dark brown, but back-lit it changes completely.
Thanks for another terrific Sunday morning armchair safari!!
Was this the Makatini (sp?) female, or her daughter?
Loved the Sunday Safari, Sean. Thank you! I was all excited to see the “new” leopard — Gowrie. 😉 Can’t wait to see him next time.
Hi Sean, the new male leopard the Gonyela male is a stunning young male. New blood for our female leopards. Female 🐆 Cheetah is such a beauty, pity you missed the kill, but at least you got a turn to sit and watch her feed. Oh the Camps male lions were my favorites until the Gijima males arrived. They are still two impressive males, huge and absolutely stunning. The dagga boys always have my heart wrapped around them, because they are easy targets for the lions. I always feel so sorry for them. The bush certainly does not let anyone dictate to it, because the bush has it’s own time and place.