Each one of the males were accompanied by a female in heat. This caused a lot of friction as both of them wanted both females. They lay watching each other when all of a sudden both rose to the occasion and confidently walked straight at one another. Quickly the first blow hit it’s mark and then it began… They fought for no more than ten seconds, although it seemed a lot longer at the time. This was one of the most amazing displays of power I have ever witnessed. The sound than came from those bodies literally took our breath away. Blood flowed that night and scars were left for life.

Disputes between male lions like these two are not uncommon. They need to establish a dominance hierarchy between the two of them before they rule their land. This will ensure a healthy bond between the two of them, and will bring unity, something they need in an area like ours where coalitions of five male lions are not uncommon. In order to keep this area and their cubs safe they will need to stand together, else they will not last very long.

Pictured to the left is the younger male a few days later. Some serious scars were left by the older male’s claws. It looks worse than what it actually is, and he will recover from this without much side-effect.

OUR MOUNTAIN CHEETAH

We have been very fortunate to see this particular female on several occasions this month. She is unique in the way that she has made our rugged Lebombo Mountain terrain her home. Cheetahs generally prefer open grassland or savannah where they can capitalize on their lighting fast speed to catch prey. When hunting in the open they need not worry about any obstacles or tree’s, a real concern when traveling at over 100km/h!! This cheetah must have adapted a different hunting strategy as there is no way for her to gain maximum speed in the type of terrain she inhabits. It is very rocky and some areas are not even accessible by our special off-road vehicles.

This goes to show how adaptable nature can be, and that there is no fixed rule out here. Pictured above and below she caught an impala. We just missed the actual kill and got to the scene whilst the young male impala was still kicking. She silenced it in no time and immediately dragged it to cover in order to conceal it from any predators and scavengers, especially vultures. Cheetahs are very susceptible to other predators, and due to their small build often lose kills to the larger cats and hyenas.

RELENTLESS ENEMIES…

Lions and Buffalo, arguably the most feared animals on this continent. They are caught up in an endless struggle of power and survival, pride and submission. The lion see’s buffalo as the ultimate kill, the challenge of a lifetime. Buffalo see lion both as a threat and a nuisance, depending on the circumstances.

This particular morning started with us looking for three lionesses. We had an idea of their whereabouts but were not exactly sure. When we arrived in the general area we noticed that a large herd of buffalo were grazing there, perhaps three hundred of them. They were in the road and we had to wait for them before we could continue our search for the cats. Then my tracker Themba spotted a lioness watching the herd from a mere twenty meters away. She was well hidden under the shade of a combretum and the buffalo were completely unawares of her presence.

The herd started grazing in the direction of the woodland, straight towards the waiting lions. At about ten meters a buffalo cow jolted her head up in the air and stared straight at the closest lioness. She paused for a moment, as if she did not know what she was looking at. Then she turned and ran back towards the herd. This was all the encouragement the lionesses needed and like a sprinter they were up and after the buffalo cow.

The rest of the herd did not take lightly to these little cats disturbing their peaceful morning and quickly turned the tables on the confident lions. As a unit the whole herd charged at the lions. This resulted in three streaks of tawny vaguely resembling cats speeding off in to the undergrowth. The large buffalo bulls still kept searching for the females, but luckily for the lions they kept a low profile. Egos bruised they went in search of easier prey to hunt. Just another beautiful day in Africa.

BELLOWING GIANTS

Buffalo sightings are still plentiful and consistent. There’s little that compares to the sight of three or four hundred buffalos marching across an open field churning up the earth beneath them. As mentioned in one of the previous articles, buffalo’s command tremendous respect.

Pictured below left is a female who had given birth within the hour. She was a little separated from the herd and tried to coax her calf to walk faster. The calf learned quickly and was following mother within the hour. Nature is amazing like that. That tiny buffalo is exposed to all the dangers of Africa from the second it is born, and being able to walk is merely one of the first steps I evading predators.

THE GIANTS
The image above instilled a sense of awe deep into my being. A massive elephant bull leading a family across an open field. We were sitting with five male lions when this scene unfolded behind us. His exaggerated head-high posture and his left tusk curling up higher than usual simply adds to his menacing demeanor. As he marched straight at us you could feel your heart beat in your throat. He stopped within ten meters of us, paused for a minute as if to affirm his stature, then continued on past us.

Below, a magnificent white rhino cow. It is very rare to see a rhino equipped with a horn of that size. Females tend to have longer horns than in males. Males spend a lot of time fighting and jostling with one another. In the process the horn loses some of its length, but regardless is very thick at the base.

TEEMING WITH LIFE AND BEAUTY

A huge male baboon displays his massive canines, believed to be longer than those of a leopard. They are very powerful, with the combined strength of four adult men. To the right a zebra surveys the landscape for danger before heading down to have a drink. A gorgeous baby waterbuck looks on at us. To the left a young male Nyala spends some time within a herd of impala. Being alone makes him vulnerable to predators, so by being close to a large herd of impala increases his chances of survival many times over.

The landscape this time of year is simply breath-taking. From beautiful late summer flowers to humid misty mornings. Everyday is different and makes for some exciting game viewing. We are fortunate to have the Lebombo Mountain range running through our concession. This creates mountain habitat to the east, and basalt plains filled with juicy grass to the west. It also created habitat for many different creatures, bio-diversity being one of this concession great assets.

Rain has also been plentiful this year. The waterhole pictured below was at it’s driest in twenty years before this rainy season, and is now still overflowing its limits. We have been blessed and look forward to a beautiful winter.