Another week has come and gone at Londolozi. With winter around the corner, it was rather unusual to get nearly 40 ml of rain over the past week. Although 40 ml isn’t too much, the large amount of rain we had earlier in the year, means that the water table is extremely high. Dry wallows, water holes and seep lines are all now flourishing again. With all this water around, I have even had the privilege of seeing dung beetles coming out of their state of estivation to roll their last dung balls for the season. Things are looking good going into the drier winter months.
The diversity of sightings over the past week has been fantastic. The Ntsevu Pride along with their cute cubs have been taking refuge in the southeastern parts of Londolozi. The Tsalala Female managed to take down a fully grown female kudu (her hunting proficiency is starting to resemble that of her mother) along the Sand River. The Plaque Rock Female continues to push further into her mother’s territory.
Elephants are everywhere you look! They are absolutely loving the wallows that have been refilled, caking themselves in mud. The extra water means we are still seeing the bird with the longest leg-to-body ratio around Londolozi, the Black Winged Stilt. A young male cheetah is back in the central parts of the reserve making his presence known.
And the biggest news coming out of Londolozi this week is that the Ndzanzeni Female led us back to her den revealing one cub to us.
Let us know your favourites in the comments section below.
Enjoy This Week In Pictures…
Two young elephant bulls having a whale of a time in this mud bath.
With the grass getting shorter, it allows for photographic opportunities of the smaller things such as this Steenbok.
A few of the Ntsevu Cubs mill about in as their mothers rest nearby. This one perched up on a fallen log made for quite an amazing shot.
Having the privilege of watching these Ntsevu Cubs grow is a true privilege.
One of the Ntsevu is captured in a pretty unique and interesting picture. Lying next to a fully intact zebra foal carcass, it was almost as though the two were keeping each other company, but in reality, this female was keeping her hungry cubs from the carcass.
As winter draws closer, the magnificent colours at dusk and dawn come with it.
The Plaque Rock Female on a territorial patrol that saw her going into an area currently controlled or patrolled by her mother the Nkoveni Female.
A pretty young playful female found along the river to the east of camp
This Black Winged Stilt enjoys the extra water while it searches for food.
This young elephant came wandering towards us, trunk in the air and feeling confident moments before it then turned and sprinted back to its mother.
Caught in the act of moving from one waterhole to another. It is not common to see hippos out of the water in the summer months, but as the temperatures begin to fall and the water cools down, this scene becomes slightly more regular.
The Tsalala Female watches as vultures start to circle, trying to protect her impressive kudu kill.
The Tsalala story is such a phenomenal one and we are thrilled that this female is exceeding all of our expectations and thriving.
The Young Male Cheetah utilises a termite mound to find potential hunting opportunities.
Ndzanzeni Female and her cub
After finding the Ndzanzeni Female late into the morning, we then followed her back to this den and this was one fo the first sights we saw.
After sitting quietly for some time, the cub was eventually coaxed out of hiding by its mother and came to join her.
This female is a success story all in herself, being born as a single cub to the Riverbank 3:3 female in early 2012.
Although somewhat relaxed for a cub that had never seen a vehicle before, this cub would keep a very wary eye on us.
Still tiny and cute, this cub is probably about 10 to 12 weeks old.
Being caught out in the open this cub would then dart back to safety before being called out again by its mother.
Eventually, settling down for a good feed before we left them there to go about their business.
Great blog with some wonderfully recorded moments – such a great feeling of almost being there! The photo of the young male Cheetah is excellent.
The leopard cub nursing from its mother while watching you… exquisite image. What a totally marvelous week and images
Such a lovely way to greet the morning so thank you for sharing these photos! Many “ahhs” and “adorables” moving thru the pics!! Loved them all with your exceptional lighting.
Patrick, wonderful pictures this week. I don’t have a favorite but, the several of the Ndzanzeni Female and her cub were super.
I love to hear that the Tsalala female is doing so well. Her mother taught her well. Her quality of life, however, would be better with a companion. I pray that will happen soon. Also glad to hear of cheetahs on Londolozi. They are such special animals. The visible cub of the Ndzanzeni Female is adorable.
She ha a companion, the Othawa female that some call Gingerella
Hi Patrick absolutely brilliant TWIP.. epic photos of the Ndzanzeni female’s cub! How wonderful for you and your guests. Also especially happy to see the Tsalala female doing so well. Last saw her as a cub with (one of 3 at the time) with her mother and she has such a special and unique place in our hearts. We need to come back again!!
What amazing pictures. so hard to choose. Ellie rolling in mud, little steenbok, lion cubs. My favorite is the Ndzanzeni cub. So precious!
I really liked the full-on photo of the meandering hippos. Thanks.
Oh my word, a new descendant of the Mother Leopard! Any idea as to the sex of the cub Patrick (hoping for a female!)? How incredibly special for the Londolozi team!
Patrick, Thanks for the great shots this week! We loved seeing the Tsalala Female watching for vultures – our favorite. You are right that her story is inspiring!
Wonderful photos.
It is always good to see that the Tsalala lioness is fine.
The young leopard cub is so cute.
Wonderful TWIP, Patrick! The images of the Ndzanzeni female and her cub are memorable!
How amazing that little cub gave you so much time! I sure hope this little guy makes it…seems the odds are in his favor!!! love love
Such an adorable set of cubs and calves would win anybody ‘s heart! It is impossible to choose as usual, but the leopard cub is such an irresistible combination of pure beauty, innocence and total vulnerability you can’t help thinking of it as the winner. The steenbock is a lovely surprise, such a delightful and interesting little antelope. Every more cheetah is a great addition to the species and to Londolozi. Hippos were the first African animal I loved as a small children. I’m so fond of them, still. There is a calf here as well, I have still in my mind the images of the great documentary on the Zambesi River, of which, according to the narrator, they are the keepers…
I loved all the pictures of the tiny leopard cub!
Great pics! My favourite is the cheetah!
Terrific blog Patrick, many cute cub photos, but my vote goes with the Tsalala female, my favorite lioness!
GREAT TWIP!!! Loved all the photos, but once I saw that tiny, blue-eyed leopard peek around the rock, I found my favorite for sure. The photos of the baby leopard were just incredible! I so wish I had been on that vehicle to snap away on my camera! Thanks for sharing!
absolutely stunning
The photo that made me feel emotional was the one with the lioness and the zebra foal carcass. Sadness for the foal to lose its life so early and for its mother to lose her foal. Yet understanding that the lioness is doing what she’s supposed to by taking care of herself and her cubs.
Wonderful TWIP, Patrick. My favourite this week has to be ALL the ones of Ndzanzeni and her cub. I’m so so hoping she can finally bring this one to independence – she has lost so many since Tortoise Pan.
Great Week in Pictures! Who is thought to be the possible sire to Ndzanaeni’s cub? Thank you for sharing your piece of paradise with all of us
Patrick so excited to see the Ndzanzeni females cub. What a cute little ball of fluff. That is my favorite this week with the little one lying in the open. All other foto’s are beautiful. So glad to hear the Tsalala female caught a kudu. Well done to hear!
Super pictures (as always)
At first I was so confused by the lioness appearing to hug the zebra foal. It did look like they were cuddling–ha! The way the tail of the black winged still it lines up perfectly with a ripple gives the illusion that it has some very impressive tail feathers. As always, I’m so glad to see the beautiful Tsalala female, and the mother giraffe with her calf warmed my heart. Such a great collection this week!