July Predator News

[Andrei Snyman]

Lions

The Duma-Brothers (coalition of three males) are spending all their time around Solomon’s’ Wall and the surrounding area. On a couple of occasions did we see not only the three males, but also the lionesses living in the same region. Those males have no doubt made that part of Mashatu their residence and hopefully those females will raise a new generation of cubs soon. Mating between those lions has been reported this month. The below pictures are from the 3 lionesses at Solomon's Wall.

 

The Central pride is still going from strength to strength. They were seen on numerous occasions but because of the late cold front and very windy conditions, they have mostly been moving into areas dense enough to protect them from the cold conditions.

 

Leopard

 

By far the highlight on everyone’s mind was the sighting of 5 leopards at the same kill. Yes, 5! Truly a “leap-of-leopard” right?! The composition was that of an adult female with 3 cubs, and then her pervious litters’ male cub. We are not exactly sure who made the kill, but we think the adult female made the impala kill which later attracted the young male. It was awesome to observe the interaction between the young male (roughly about 1.5 - 2 years old) and the three cubs. At first the adult female showed some aggression towards the young male, but this was when he took the kill from her. Later on all 5 cats were resting and playing in the same vicinity. Other leopards were also seen in and around Mashatu, but the sighting of 5 seen consecutively for a few days was unbeatable!

 

Cheetah

July proved to be a good month for cheetah sightings. Two different females with cubs were seen, but by far the best sightings came from the resident coalition of three males. These males are totally relaxed towards the presence of vehicles which makes for wonderful photography!

 

Spotted Hyaena

The den site along the Majale River close to Main Camp is still very much active. Every single night the unmistakable calls of these super predators were heard while lying in bed. One evening some hyaenas chased impala into the staff village fence and in so doing quickly caught an easy meal. It’s amazing how carnivores in general (lions & especially wild dogs) learn to make use of human structures (fences, camps walls etc.) in order to raise their hunting success.

 

Predator Regards,

Andrei Snyman

[nancy]

Wonderful update.. glad to hear that the big cats are doing well and that you're still there with your work!

[Neil Buckley]

Thanks Andrei, sounds like July would have been a great time to be in the area. Always great to read your updates!

[Fred van der Neut]

Great update Andrei!  Thanks for sharing these events with us poor folks who do not get to live in the bush and only get the odd chance to enjoy it!