Hot on their heels are the predators, the lions and hyenas running the show, the cheetah eking out their living and the vultures mopping up after everyone on the scraps.

Particularly entertaining were mating lions, seen consistently for the last 3 weeks of June, right in front of Sasakwa lodge.

A few skirmishes between the 2 males one morning was entertaining, as they could not make up their minds as to prioritize the lioness in oestrus or a meal of freshly killed wildebeest.

The cheetahs this month were quite simply sensational and provided hours of quality viewing. This lone female, stalking a Thomson’s gazelle ram, resting in the long grass, had to literally jump on its back to wake it up and get it going.

What ensued was a chase extraordinaire………..right in front of the car in the short grass – truly spectacular! The female cheetah wasted no time in catching her breath and dragged the carcass off to the shade of nearby tree to begin her hard earned feast. Later that afternoon, after enjoying the entire carcass to herself, she lazily slept off her meal.

The 2 dominant male cheetahs were also rampant, targeting their usual prey of wildebeest, and an awesome chase and kill was seen on the afternoon of the 30 th. The target this time was and 18 month sub-adult, not the usual smaller calves. After battling for about 2 minutes to get a strangle hold on the throat and chase off the other herd members they finally managed to suffocate the youngster and began feasting immediately. No fewer that 6 hyenas were seen in the vicinity as darkness fell – no doubt aiming to rob the 2 brothers of their food.