November 2009 : Kruger National Park, South Africa

We have not seen that kind of rain in almost three years. Pools filled up with precious water and the land was washed clean of dust that has gathered over the last 7 months. As I am typing I can hear the rain falling outside. Birds are returning for the summer, baby impala’s are filling the plains by the hundreds, frogs are calling from every available water body and strange and colorful insects are to be seen everywhere. This is a time of plenty, this is a time of abundance, and this is summer in Africa.

ONE LIFE FOR ANOTHER

Alone and separated from her herd she grazed the parched river bed along the N’wanetsi. She is alone by choice. Contractions from within have led her to this place, and she knows the time is near, the time to be a mother for the first time. She will spend a couple of days all by herself and eventually give birth to one of the first impala lambs of the season. As the pictures depict Mother Nature had other plans…She started feeding towards the Northern embankment. She was not alert and was missing the keen eyes of the rest of her herd.  She was exposed and vulnerable. Out here there are those that see everything, who search for opportunity and weakness - the cold eyes of a lioness reflected red in the late afternoon sun. The lion had been watching the impala for some time, predicting the impala’s every move.

Every step was carefully taken, avoiding anything that could give her position away. All of a sudden there was a silent hush over the river bed, something was lurking. The impala knew something was not right. She had to get out of this exposed area as soon as possible. Her decision to leave was the right one.

Her escape route was not. As the impala was about to scale the embankment to safety she was met by a tawny figure with deadly intent. The lioness embraced the fleeing mother with claws and teeth, securing her but not delivering the final blow as one would have expected. Instead she subdued the impala by partially lying on top of her and holding her with a paw.

There the two lay as if they were companions, if only for a moment in time. Imagine the intense fear that shivered through that impala? She could feel the warm breath of her attacker on her neck, expecting those sharp teeth to sink into her soft flesh at any moment. She knew it was over; there was no escaping her fate. With a swift bite to the back of the neck it was done. The lioness did not start feeding until early evening. She characteristically started with the hindquarters and it was here that she found it, the still unborn lamb. We cannot always explain or understand what happens, or perhaps it is not our job. We are mere observers in this paradise of extremes, and one can’t help but get caught up in the drama that is Africa

INVADERS OF THE MOUNTAINS

This is it. This is the time they have been preparing for. They are bigger and stronger than ever and have the confidence to take on anything that stands in their way. Male lions prepare their whole lives for these times, to take over territory and prides in order to reproduce. This coalition of five male lions from the South have made their way further North and West than ever before and as a result have driven fear into any of the other male lions in the area. They are an impressive gang of brothers with their flowing golden brown manes.

They have even won the trust of several of the lionesses from the Cherombi pride. Pictured right, one of the females approaches a coalition member. Their effect on males is the opposite. Our resident Mountain pride males have not been seen in the South this month, and it could be directly related to these big males spending so much time in the South of the concession close to the lodges. Whatever the reason may be this is very exciting. Pride dynamics are starting to shift and I am sure that if these males stick around and bring some stability to the areas females we will finally see some cubs again.

TIDES OF CHANGE

The coalition of five males, now known as the Southern coalition, have staked out their territory, including large portion of our concession. We know this due to observing them using long range signals such as roaring and scent marking. Lion have a sebaceous (fat) gland above the tail, praegenital, circamaral, sub-mandibular, as well as interdigital glands between their footpads. No other organism scent marks on the same scale as the African lion. It has been fascinating to observe how the presence of these five males has changed the dynamics and composition of existing prides within our boundaries. Many of the prides have split up and where we used to get regular sightings of most of the members of both the Cherombe and Mountain pride it has all dramatically changed.

The Mountain pride males are spending the majority of their time in the North and with the loss of one brother are now at a disadvantage. They are also a much younger pride than their new rivals. In the Kruger males are incredibly vulnerable, as not all males are territorial and intra-specific competition is high. They have finally been evicted from their pride and with the presence of these new males have moved in search of territories. There is hope hovever,  we have observed one of the brothers mating with a female. They may settle in the Northern parts of the concession or it is possible that we may never see them again as the range of a nomad can be up to 10 times larger than that of a normal territory.

HUNTING IN FRONT OF THE LODGE

This picture depicts one of our regular sightings, a lone female hunting in front of Lebombo Lodge. Lions are capable of hunting alone but opportunities do increase when hunting as a pride. Being a social hunter, a lions’ success rate declines when hunting alone. The lioness can be seen in the bottom left of the picture stalking a male Nyala bottom right. The Nyala knows she is there but does not dare run as this might trigger her instinctive response to chase.

SOME NEW VISITORS TO THE CONCESSION

We were pleasantly surprised to see some new faces on the concession. A pride of five females came through from the West of our concession, accompanied by a massive and good-looking male lion in his prime. They spent almost a week in and out of the concession, mainly coming in for a drink at Hippo Pools. Their faces are beautiful and without scars. It was great to have them around and one could only hope that they will return again soon.

The reason for many unknown lions coming and going onto the concession during this time of year has to do with the water shortage. We have some of the last remaining bodies of water in this Eastern section of the Kruger, and lions would readily make use of these even though they are in the heart of another prides territory. They usually come and go, but these beautiful cats decided to stick around for a little longer than usual.

Kruger has an abundance of lions, and as mentioned above we are privileged to see some of them coming though the concession. There is something so special about looking in to the eyes of a wild lion. Those eyes burn like fire and these lions are usually not scared to give you a piece of their mind. It is also great to know that there still are parts of Africa, like the Kruger National Park, that are large enough for lion populations to roam freely. It is a successful example of human and animals living side by side.

 

WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING WITH THE MOUNTAIN PRIDE?

So…what has been happening with our infamous mountain pride? We are asking the same questions. There has been lots of change within the pride over the last eight months… We have been seeing lots of the girls as they have been active on the concession for most of the month hardly crossing west into Kruger National Park. They have enjoyed the mountains this month making finding them a bit more challenging than usual. Once we do find them they are simply a joy to watch. We have been seeing seven of the nine together on a regular basis for the last couple of months. Two are missing at the moment. We suspect one of the older females might be on her last legs. She was last seen about three weeks ago, but not looking in great shape. She is old and skinny and we are not sure we will see her again.

Regardless of her condition she has lived a full and successful life. She has raised her sons and daughters to maturity. Her eight sons are over six years old and I am sure they will still make their mark in this Eastern sector of the Park. Her daughters are beautiful and in great condition. That is what the life of a lion is all about. They need to produce offspring to secure their futures and she has done exactly that. They are hunting regularly and with great success.

They have been seen on every kind of kill from impala and zebra to buffalo and adult giraffe. With the absence of the males they can feed at leisure as they do not have to give up their food to feed the growing hunger of the boys, a major problem for the females. The males would tag along with the hunting females in hope of an easy meal. They are perfectly capable of hunting for themselves, but why work that hard when your mom and sisters will do it for you? The moment the females make a kill the four hundred pound male lions would simply muscle their way in and dominate leaving the females with nothing more than skin and bones.

It is amazing to see the girls now, so much more playful and rejuvenated. They play a whole lot more than they used to and are in great condition. They are bigger than what I have ever seen them and their faces are not as scarred as they used to be, a sign that they are not competing for food the way they used to.

The males on the other hand are having an adventure of their own. They have decided to stick together and are exploring the Northern section of the concession and going even further north into the Kruger National Park. We have only seen them twice in the last six weeks. This is the first time that they have spent so much time off the concession, the area that they know best. This is a good sign as it means they are searching for new territory. Up North is prime country filled with tons of general game. Large herds of zebra, wildebeest and buffalo roam the North. If they manage to drive the coalition of two males in the North out of there they will have a kingdom worth defending. There are many lionesses in that areas and I am sure that they are after them as much as they are after the area itself. Pictured here is one of the Mountain pride males mating with on of the older Northern pride females. This is a sure sign that they are making their mark up there.

It will be sad for us to not see these beautiful boys anymore but is a natural thing. We all knew the day would come when they would move on to find their own place and own females. All we can hope for is to catch a glimpse of them again in the future, perhaps sooner than later. If they manage to stay together they will be a supreme force and one to be reckoned with. Few male lions will be able to stand against a coalition of eight males. This might be the dawn of a new era for this area of Kruger.

HUNTING WITH THE SHINGWENYANA MALE

When those amber eyes lock down on its quarry the focus is immediate. Muscles tense and ears cock. Every movement is calculated, nothing missed. His dappled coat renders him invisible to the impala on the opposite bank of the dry N’wanetsi River. For just a second the impala look down to feed, exactly what the leopard has been waiting for.

Like liquid he melts down the rock face, his belly touching earth. When he hunts he becomes one with his environment. He quickly covers the open river bed, undetected, the light rain muffling any sound he might make. In order to get a better view he swiftly scales a tree. He knows his territory intimately. He knows every open area, every river bed and every waterhole. This is essential for successful hunting. When he spots an impala on the opposite side of the river he will know exactly where to position himself. From many hours spent watching them from the canopies of the surrounding trees, he knows their pathways down to the water. Many failed attempts have taught him what not to do and has shaped the unique way he hunts. Every leopard adapts to their habitat, and with that experience success is inevitable.

SHE REIGNS AMONG THE LEADWOOD’S

The sun has made way for darkness and the day-living animals have started settling in for another African night. At night, thickets are avoided by most as there are more chances of something sneaking up on you. On this particular evening a herd of sub-adult male impala settle in for the evening in an open area close to the Lebombo Mountains. They are, as always, very alert. Even though they seem vulnerable they are equipped with superb senses. They can see better than us at night and their sense of smell and hearing are way beyond ours. On this particular evening it was not enough though. They were being watched.

Somewhere in the mountains a leopard had been waiting for the opportune moment to make her move. That moment had arrived. Under the cover of darkness leopards have great success and she is no exception. She is an exceptional hunter and knows her territory intimately. Her soft paws enabled her to get within meters of a young male impala. It was doomed. With lightning speed she wrapped her self around the impala before it knew what had happened and a suffocating bite was all that was needed. She then dragged the carcass about one hundred and fifty meters to the base of the mountains where she fed for the rest of the evening. The next day she heard a rustle close by. It was a klipspringer, a small antelope that lives on these mountains. It did not see the leopard and she caught it. Now she had two kills and enough food to last her several days.

FIGHTING A LOSING BATTLE

On a morning drive we came across a Burchell’s zebra and immediately noticed that something wasn’t quite right. As you can see in these pictures, most of the internal organs are hanging below this male’s stomach. We could sense the distress he was under;  his glazed eyes showing the desperation and the pain this particular animal was experiencing. The situation was made worse by two undertakers in the form of hyenas, eagerly waiting for fatigue to settle in, death was imminent. We watched helplessly as the zebra s condition deteriorated.

Finally the hyenas miraculously lost interest and the zebra was left to die a dignified death.  We returned some hours later to find the animal had finally passed providing food for a number of animals, lion and eventually vultures and hyenas all made the most of this opportunity. You often notices zebra with wounds caused by both predators and other zebras, but for this unfortunate individual we concluded that the damaged caused was self inflicted. He would have caught his belly on an obstacle, possible trying to elude the ever present threat of predation.

THE CUTEST LITTLE THING

This young elephant calf kept us entertained for every second we spent with him. He ran up and down, chased other members of the herd, played with branches and kicked at logs and stones that got too close. He jumped up onto the side of his brother, and then fell down face first at the feet of his protective mother with intentions that only he knew about. What was this crazy little elephant doing? I will tell you what! He was having fun. He was expressing his emotions in the way that he knew best. If something moved he was willing to chase it. Not even our 3-ton vehicle was too big for him as he charged at us with ears flapping here and there.

We can not simply write animals off as lowly beings incapable of expressing their emotions. As humans, we often place ourselves above that which surrounds us, above those who have been here long before we have. That is wrong. If you have ever been in the presence of animals like elephants you can not but help challenge the way you thought things to be. These animals express themselves in such a wide array of emotions, dare I say it is almost human-like.

LARGE HERDS OF BUFFALO IN THE NORTH…

Large herds of Cape Buffalo have been seen on a regular basis in the most Northern territories of our concession. This is something that we do not usually see during these drier times of the year. What a sight it is to gaze out over beautiful grasslands at the foot of the Lebombo Mountains with four hundred buffalo’s feeding and going about their day. They are very mobile and travel almost daily between water and grazing pastures. These distances can be large, especially during the dry season. With the rainy season just starting we should see a lot more of these herds coming onto the concession seeking the sweet grass and abundance of water.

When a buffalo picks up that head and peers at you from behind that shiny nose you better believe it means business. It is no wonder that hunters of old regarded buffalo as the most dangerous animal in Africa. They have a fierce reputation and a temper to match. This glance to the right is typical of a curious buffalo with intentions of figuring out what you are, and also to intimidate. The latter is achieved without a doubt. Those big eyes, sharp horns, powerful muscles backed by 800kilograms of meat and muscle is enough to shoot fear into the heart of just about any attacker.

 

NESTING HORNIBILLS

Hornbills are one of the most recognizable species of birds in the world. They are commonly seen on game drives and made their silver screen debut as Zazu in the Lion King epic. There are so many interesting aspects to this birds’ life but it is the method of reproduction that really sets it apart from anything else. Hornbills are monogamous, but pair-bonds generally last only a season. They will also protect the vicinity of the nesting site against others of their species. As pictured here they use tree-hollows as their nesting site. The female voluntarily incarcerates herself in the hollow by closing the hole with mud and plant material (sometimes mixed with faeces), leaving only a narrow slit for their narrow bills to fit through.

After the chicks hatch she will break out of the hollow and both her and the chicks will re-seal the hole. The chicks develop quickly in order to reach the slit for food. By resealing the nest they prevent predation to a large degree. What is so interesting is that the female will do most of the feeding. The male will bring food to the nest and then pass it to her. She then feeds the youngsters. The only time I noticed him feed the chicks was when she flew away and he had no choice. Pictured here you can see the male perched above the cavity. She often only feeds the closest and strongest, leaving the others to starve in a behavior known as brood reduction. This ensures that only the fittest of the chicks survive to reproduce. Is nature not amazing in the way it operates? Next time you see one of these beautiful birds you will have a better understanding of its complex breeding ritual.

SOME MORE EXCITING SIGHTINGS…

A Black Rhino bull gazes over his territory as the sun sets over the Drakensburg Mountains in the distance. With less than three hundred individuals remaining in Kruger National Park this certainly is a special sight to see. He embodies the spirit of Africa…free and wild. Over the last three months our Northern territories have played host to an abundance of game. Large herds of zebra, wildebeest and buffalo are a common sight and there are plenty of White rhino to be seen.

One guide saw 18 different rhino within two miles of one another. Pictured here you can see a herd of buffalo at the bottom, some zebras behind them and three white rhino grazing in the distance. What a sight! A stunning male Klipspringer lies down and surveys his territory from a vantage point. These tiny antelope are perfectly capable of life on this rocky substrate. Their hooves are made from the same substance of that of other antelope namely keratin, but with a twist. Klipspringer’s hooves are soft and almost rubber-like. This enables them grip and allows them to move around without slipping.

Singita Kruger National Park
Text by Marlon du Toit and James Suter
All photographs shot on location by Marlon du Toit and James Suter
30 Noveber 2009