There are some mornings in the bush where, no matter how many game drives you have been on, you return to camp wondering how it all possibly unfolded.
This was one of them.
Straight out of camp, we heard that the Makhatini Female Cheetah was resting on the northern end of the Londolozi airstrip. Wasting no time, Equalizer and I made our way there, arriving as the first light began to filter through the early morning mist. We sat quietly with her as the sun rose, appreciating the tranquillity of beginning our day with one of Londolozi’s less commonly seen predators.
Little did we know, she was merely the beginning.
The Makathini Female spotted on the northern end of the Londolozi airstrip, at first light.
Not long afterwards, an update came over the radio that the Ntsevu Pride was lying at the opposite end of the airstrip. With the cheetah showing little intention of moving, we left her resting and headed south, where the lions had begun walking west.
Photo courtesy of Jess Shillaw. Watching the Ntsevu Pride on the move.
We followed them for a short while before they disappeared off the road into a dense thicket of bushwillows. Shadrack Makhabela looped around to get another view and, moments later, his voice came over the radio with an update none of us expected: the Shingi Male leopard was less than 50 metres away, beneath an apple-leaf tree with an impala kill hoisted above him.
Equalizer and I could hardly believe it. One cat had quite literally led us to the next!
The Shingi Male stood alert at the base of the tree, staring towards the lions. Whether by sight or smell, the Ntsevu Pride soon began moving directly towards him. Sensing the approaching danger, the leopard quietly slipped away and disappeared out of sight.
What followed was almost an hour of watching the lions attempt to reach his carefully stashed meal (see video below). The eldest Ntsevu Lioness was particularly impressive, climbing higher than I expected, but eventually even she conceded defeat.
The eldest Ntsevu lioness, confidently trying to climb the tree. We watched with amazement as she tried her best, but she could only climb so high…
Eventually one of the young female lions followed suit, climbing to join the elder lioness in the fork of the tree. Realising they were pretty stuck in that position, they eventually awkwardly descended.
Knowing the Shingi Male would likely return once the coast was clear, we decided to wait.
Forty minutes later, almost on cue, he emerged from the thicket. In what felt like perfect déjà vu, we watched him climb effortlessly into the same tree (with considerably more elegance than the lions had managed earlier) and reclaim his meal.
After a most exhilarating morning’s chain of events, the morning ended with the Shingi Male satisfied atop the tree with his safely secured meal.
The last surviving cub of a litter of three, he is on the cusp of independence.
A cheetah at sunrise, lions on the move, and a leopard defending his hard-earned meal, all unfolding within roughly a kilometre of camp.
Mornings like these don’t happen often. Just when you think you know what a game drive might hold, the wilderness strings together a sequence of events that no amount of planning could ever recreate. We drove back to camp completely gobsmacked, reminded once again that some of the best mornings out here are the ones nature writes entirely for itself.
Lovely morning, and one of the nicest things in the video is the reaction of your guest!!! An exhilaration and a moment of true joy and awe we can all relate to!
That’s my kind of morning, cats everywhere! This was so fun to read and watch, thank you Kate. I agree with Fransje – loved the video and the reaction. I am still impressed lions can even attempt to get part way up some of those trees – but where there’s food, there’s a way. Now my Monday is off to a good start.
What an incredible morning drive you and your guests had, Kate. (All you needed to make it even better was a serval and African wildcat!)
What ? No caracal?
What a fantastic morning for you and your guests, Kate!
It’s true: the best sightings are often a complete surprise.
Sometimes one plans what to find and see and after hours of searching in vain for a specific animal one has to turn back to camp.
And -like in your case- sometimes one just goes out and there they are – all these surprises. Amazing¨
What a great morning of cat activity Kate! (or should we say, CATIVITY…oooh that’s a good word!) Looks like your guests were enjoying it! Thanks for transporting me out of Venice Beach and back to Londolozi for a moment. Sure do miss it. Big hugs to you and Nick and Joy!
What a fantastic morning and something that never could have been scripted! Thanks for including the video.
Did that lioness injure her elbow in this adventure? (It looks like it in the first photo.)
Would you say that leopards are stronger in the haunches than lions are?
Hi Kate, you had an exciting morning with the cats. So glad Shingi male kept his kill high up in the tree. These lions are naughty climbing trees to steal the leopards kill.
Amazing how high in that tree the lion actually got! A marula tree would have been a better choice, Shingi!
Amazing!!!
Wow Kate!!! Incredible sighting and capture – very exciting to watch!!!
It’s incredible that you will have had this as one of your final experiences at Londolozi.
Good luck to you & Nick. Sorry I missed you last month.
What a morning! It’d be hard to top that. I’m glad the Shingi male didn’t lose his kill.
Hi Kate, wow! Predators from the fastest cheetah to the agile leopard to.the mighty lions! The Shingi male doesn’t give up, he’s a tough character like his mother! What a scene….thank you Kate!
It is so incredibly rare when all three of the big cats come together in one drive , I can only remember it once with three leopard , five cheetah and two nomadic male lions. (the cheetahs and leopard were within a hundred metres of each other)
The irony being it was a road transfer between lodges , so it wasn’t a formal game drive
Your guests were incredibly honoured