WILDLIFE REPORT

General   

Autumn has finally arrived in the lowveld as the morning temperatures drop down to between 14 and16 degrees Celsius. The temperature during the day is still warm with a daily temperature high of 26-29 degree Celsius. April is therefore one on the best months of the year to be in the bush.

It is also the start of the annual rutting season for the male impalas. As the males are seasonally territorial they start with an array of territorial displays that go on during the night.

Our resident clan of hyenas have been very vocal during the evenings much to the guests delight. Lion sightings have been good especially when the old Shobele male made a return to our area. Elephant sightings remain patchy, and we have to work hard in order to find these giants in the bush. Finally, Buffalo herds number 300-400 hundred at the moment and are abundant in our area due to the healthy state of the veld after the good summer rains.  

Leopard

Again it was the young Nkatheko leopardess that has made leopard sightings at Kings Camp one of best in the country. She is a jewel and never disappoints us with her relaxed attitude. She produced 20 great sightings during the month.

One morning we spent a good 2 hours looking for her and were just about to give up the hunt when she popped out of the wood work appearing on the dam wall whilst we were having coffee. I quickly urged the guests back into Land Rover and we proceeded to follow her for 45 minutes. During that time she climbed a number of trees and on one occasion sprinted towards a herd of impala to the delight of us all. We try to bring you all the latest news of this little princess on our regular blog updates so please subscribe on www.kingscamp.com/blog.

 

Nkatheko`s mother, Rockfig leopardess was seen a few times hunting for her demanding sub-adult daughter. Although I have to say that little Nkateko seems to have already acquired the necessary skills to reside on her own as an independent leopard. Mom still seems to supply her with the bulk of her nutritional needs.

The image below was captured during one of many attempts to get food. The image is Rockfig leopardess in a stalk mode. A stunning display of power and skill as she stalks a herd of impala in an open area in front of the vehicle. However her attempt was short lived as a troop on monkeys blew her cover and warned the impalas of her presence

The Shobele male 

Again it was the notorious Shobele male that took everyone by surprise this month as he suddenly like a ghost made an appearance. The old man is looking a bit frail, and he has lost a lot of body weight during the last few weeks.

Once one of the most powerful coalitions ever to roam Timbavati, this magnificent animal is near the end of his career. His dominance holds the record of more that 8 years with his brothers. His day-to-day movements have become a guessing game as he disappears for days on end with no signs of him at all. A real nomad.  

One day he surprised us all when we discovered him feeding on a dead buffalo that he stole from a new coalition of 3 males. The young coalition of 3 males pirated the carcass from the Shobele 5 sub-adults, which the Shobele youngsters found first. Fortunately the Shobele youngsters had had time to feed before they were chased off the carcass by the young 3 male lions. The young team of 3 then fed for a few hours before the Shobele male arrived. This is where it gets interesting. Everyone thought that the young coalition would certainly chase or even kill the Shobele male. Well, let me reassure you that it did not happen. I personally watched the stand off on the first evening.

The 3 young males remained passive and submissive at every single movement the Shobele male made watching him intently. At one stage, one of the 3 young males threatened him with low growl but this attempt was not even noticed by the larger Shobele male. As old as he is, he still is deeply respected by other young male lions. The Shobele male ate for an hour and slept next to the carcass preventing the young males from feeding for a day. This old man is still as intimidating as he was several years ago, a true legend.   

 

 

Buffalo

Buffalos and more buffalos at Kings Camp during the month of April… No shortage of bovines this month. More than 600 buffalo are roaming the woodland and savanna areas of Kings Camp. They are everywhere! A common strategy is to follow the herds during the late afternoon as they head to the nearest waterhole. It is an impressive sight to watch large herds drink and interact during the late afternoons. The presence of these large herds is bound to interest the lions and provide us with some exciting times to come. I have no doubt that we will see more predators prey interaction. 

 

Take care from Patrick and the rest of the rangers and trackers.

Report By Patrick O’Brien. Head Ranger

Photography by Patrick O’Brien. patrick@kingscamp.com