July 2009 : Sabi Sand Reserve, South Africa

WHAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING?

This month has provided spectacular game viewing! The two packs of Wild dogs, with their insatiable energy and appetites; some 38 individual lions of various prides that have spent time on the property, ranging from tiny 2 month old cubs to the magnificent Coalition males (the legendary brotherhood of the Sabi Sand). The leopards have been maintaining our unparalleled viewing status, providing indelible memories as huge males clash; enigmatic mating behavior observed, tender moments as mothers nurse and groom their tiny cubs, and various other interactive sightings. The large herd of over 400 buffalo has been spending much of their time on the property, four days consecutively with a pride of lions following in their path with deadly purpose and intent. Huge herds of elephants, drawn by the perennial waters of the Sand River, have provided endless hours of mesmerizing viewing. A rhino bull was mortally wounded in a fight with another bull – in just a few days, the ancient giant being reduced to scattered bones by the super-efficient recycling of a perfect ecosystem.

SPARTA SUCCESSES

As the sun rose casting hues from gold to purple across the chilly winter’s morning sky we were headed out on another magical morning game drive. Perfect tracks of what appeared to be a large pride of lions “littered” the access road. We followed their trail towards the airstrip where we found them lying on the tarmac of the runway. 12 magnificent lions watching the sun rise – not what one expects to see on every runway in the world! Suddenly something caught the attention of the youngsters as they focused into the distance. One by one they bonded by rubbing faces and then they were up and steadily walking in the direction of a reedbuck they had spotted in the distance. With the muted morning sunlight across their tawny backs they drifted menacingly through the long golden grass. It is great watching young lions, as they love playing mock-hunting games. Growing up is not just about getting bigger and stronger. It is also about acquiring the essential knowledge and skills for survival as independent adults. Needless to say the youngsters botched their opportunity at the reedbuck; having learned their lesson the adults continued the search for some prey. Walking with a purpose they approached a clearing with adequate cover surrounding a bachelor herd of impalas.

The Pride waited patiently in the brush surveying their options. Then the hunt began with one of the older lionesses silently crawling around to the opposite side of the clearing. The next one followed until eventually all 12 lions had positioned themselves in such a way that the entire clearing was surrounded, perfectly planned and coordinated – it would appear. The suspense was high as we all watched and waited with baited breath for the scene to unfold before our eyes. Suddenly a young male charged recklessly from in front of our vehicle, straight into the herd, sending the impala exploding in all directions, their spectacular athletic leaps carrying them sailing across the cluttered Bushveld.

Had the over-zealous young male gone too soon? The response from the rest of the Pride was immediate, zoning in on target animals from their respective positions. Then we heard it … snarling and fighting pierced the air as one of the older females had managed to grab hold of an impala ram. A frenzy ensued as the rest of the Pride dived into the fray, all trying to get a piece of what was to be a rather meager meal. As you can imagine one impala is not going to fill 12 hungry lions. The sound was intense! Steam rose from the dismembered impala as it was devoured within minutes. It is not uncommon for lions to be seriously injured during violent squabbles for food such as this. What a remarkable 3 hours as we witnessed an array of behavioral interactions between the pride members of the world’s only social cats. Seeing the hunt from start to finish was truly amazing. Daytime hunting by lions is less common and often less successful than their preferred nocturnal exploits. But with the cooler winter days one does get opportunities to witness these savage and spectacular sightings outside of the impediment of darkness.

RAGE OF LEOPARDS

While out looking for an impala carcass which had been discovered earlier in the morning, one of the guides managed to find a male leopard lying amongst the grass. To his surprise four white rhino’s bolted from the bush in a frantic dash from the scene. As we arrived a second leopard peered out of the thickets. Both huge males, this could only mean one thing… war! Momentarily standing and staring intensely at each other. This would be a process of sizing up the opponent. Suddenly they began pacing up and down adjacent each other, accompanied by furious snarls. Serious fighting in nature is rare and seldom lasts long. Posturing and gesturing usually having the required outcome. When evenly matched animals such as leopards interact physically the chances of injury or death are high. It would appear that in this instance the level or context of the contact was not significant enough to bring these two warriors into direct combat. The vocal rage was tangible and powerful however, manifesting a deep and primal feeling of meagerness and frailty to all human observers.

A PERFECT DATE

The idea of a perfect date is debatable when it comes to leopards, although this morning’s date must have come close to perfection. Heading out on the early morning drive we decided to head towards the remains of a young wildebeest that had been killed the pervious evening by a large male leopard. When approaching the scene we found a female leopard feeding in the tree, whilst at the base two hyenas waited patently for a scrap. In the distance on a sunny rock the male was cleaning himself. The female tried to rebalance the carcass as it started to slip. It wasn’t long before the female lost balance of the carcass giving the hungry hyenas the upper hand. Grabbing a firm bite of hoof a tug of war ensued.

 

Luckily for the leopard she managed to get the carcass back to a safe height after a fair bit of trouble. Now dangling just out of reach from the hyenas they persisted to jump off the river bank in hope to get a grip in the process, unfortunately for them they seemed to become the comedians in the process, realising they definitely were not going to progress any further. The female leopard at this stage jumped down from the tree and wandered off into the long grass towards the warm rock were her prince, a magnificent male leopard, was waiting and had been watching all along. She tried to seduce him but he was having nothing of it, this continued for about half an hour. Eventually he gave in and the two mated repeatedly for most of the morning, continuing for at least four days thereafter.

A STORY FROM THE GOOD OLD DAYS

One day I had been invited to friends of mine the Lewis family, whom lived on the Ravenscourt farm before even Singita began. Riding my bicycle in the early afternoon, as I approached a dry riverbed there was an elephant and her calf in front of me… so I stopped the bike and looked at the elephant, she looked at me, and she started to trumpet. It was then that I saw the whole breeding herd, left and right of the road. I threw my bike down and ran down the dry riverbed. Finding a fallen tree in the distance I climbed inside to try conceal myself, peering through I saw that all the elephants were looking for me. One elephant saw my bike and took it and threw it away, my bike was now destroyed. Running out of the bush, I headed south running as fast as my legs could carry me. I ran all the way to the Ravenscourt camp, shaking and terrified, my friends welcomed me enquiring what had happened to me. I say, ‘I was charged by elephant my bike is there but has been destroyed.’

My friends phoned my parents and told them about my story, my father and his friend came to see if I was all right and that there was no big problem, so I am still alive, so thanks God.

Colman Mninsi
Sabi Sand Field Guide

LIFE AT THE DEN

Wild dog pups hunt and play with their littermates in preparation for when they will live by capturing real prey

One of my highlights of the month has to be visiting the Wild dog den site. It is so fascinating to be a spectator as the three new pups are learning about life. From frantic chasing games around the old termatarium, to seeing them greet their fellow pack members, to witnessing them begging for some food from the pack as they return from a successful hunt. A wild dog pack is nomadic, probably so that it does not have to hunt repeatedly in the same area, or in order to avoid the competition of other, larger carnivores which are known to steal their prey. So raising pups anchors the pack for a short period of time; all the pups are born to the dominant female in a single litter. It will only take the pups three weeks to start eating regurgitated meat, which is brought back to them by the rest of the pack. At around 13 weeks they may leave the den and follow the pack in search of new hunting grounds. All members of the pack contribute to raising the pups, and even adults share meat, but instead of carrying meat back to the den, they bolt it down at the kill, carry it home in their stomachs and then regurgitate it in response to begging by the pups or by the adults that stayed behind on babysitting duty.

Protecting the new pups is the key to the packs survival and there is not a moment that the pups are not being attentively watched and guarded from all directions. While we were watching them one morning a hyena tried to enter the den area, all tails went up as the pack gathered in response, watching as they scared the living day lights out of the hyena was awesome, chasing him far into the tickets hopefully never to return. Another magical moment was when the pack decided to give hunting the large herd of buffalo a try, even though things went the buffalos way it was no easy feat as the nine adults put their minds to the kill. Wild dogs are the most exciting predators because wherever they go action soon follows.

 

THE AFRICAN BUSH IN ITS ENTIRE SPLENDOR

Nothing like walking in the bush hot on the trail of a pride of lions, tracks are fresh, slight breeze blowing over your right shoulder every wave of grass catching your eye as you move ever closer. It is the silence that becomes so loud, senses tuned into every sound - bird calls seem ten times louder, the calls of insects echoing off your ear drums, heart racing, and adrenalin pumping waiting for the first sight of the lions or that growl from a nearby bush. Then it comes! The chilling growl which you prepared for yet it feels like it was unexpected; even more adrenalin fills your veins! The lion jumps onto the path in front of us and charges toward us and as if someone had put on surround sound he gives out an almighty roar, coming to a stop only ten meters away in a cloud of dust! As the dust settles around us he is almost gone as quickly as he appeared. Making our way back to the vehicle knees trembling, soft giggles of nervousness we made it back and headed off home. The stories stuck for days around the dinner table and the moment was relived over and over in those stories and the different emotions felt by each one there. Amazing how the bush has its moments of calm quietness and moments of power and strength. This was my first time encountering a male lion on foot.

Alan Yeowart and Nicky Silberbauer Singita Sabi Sand Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve South Africa 31 of July 2009