Wishing all a Happy Christmas and a prosperous 2012.
The last week sightings have been very good. The Ottawa males killed a young buffalo on Christmas day, only to lose it to their fathers the Mapogo males.
One of the Mapogos was woken from a deep sleep by an elephant bull. As the elephant got closer the lion panicked and got up only to be chased by the elephant.
The Ximungwe Pride has been spending a great deal of time in the south. We located the pride as they strolled across Cheetah Flats. With all the recent rains the temporary pans are full the pride stopped for a brief drink as they crossed the clearing. They then headed for the elevated advantage of a large termite mound.
The elephant sightings have been fantastic. A bull covered himself with mud which relives the skin from the hot sun and helps eradicate various parasites. At Dam 5 a bull rolled in the mud and two young bulls were quite boisterous as they tussled in the water at Mackenzie Tree house pan.
We witnessed the protection of an elephant herd as they surrounded a new born calf. They covered it with dust. They herd was very relaxed and allowed us to view them from close quarters.
On another occasion a young calf approached us to see whether we were friend or foe.
The leopard sightings have been special, the Tassel berry female has been seen on a regular basis, often in the Tulamanzi River system. She was seen mating with the Kashane male close to our eastern boundary.
The Kashane and Day One Males are seen close to Savanna. Kashane defends the eastern side or the property and Day One the western side.
Hlangisa is still posing from trees. She is still very playful at two and a half years old. This particular leopards temperament is fantastic, she is extremely relaxed and when viewing her one is always certain of a special sighting.
Hlbankunzi has a new born leopard cub, we were extremely fortunate to see her lying in a drainage line with her cub. There is always excitement when new cubs are seen for the first time. At this stage we are not sure is its male or female.
Wildog and Hyenas sightings are quite frequent. The dogs have been in the western sector for the last few weeks. We followed a hyena along Main Mac. It stopped briefly to chew on an old piece of bone before heading off.
The jackal pups are doing well with both litters still having all their pups. The litters are situated along Main Mac and Pump House road.
The white rhino sightings are generally quite good. A new resident bull is in the area. The female with the broken horn is doing well and her six month old calf is growing quickly.
On Potion Five we witnessed the first few steps on a young waterbuck calf. The mother was cleaning the calf and it staggered to its feet for the first time. The first few steps were very difficult but the young calf managed it. The miracle of life.
Summer has arrived and the bush feels alive as they migratory species have arrived and the lush vegetation develops. The blossoms, of the trees and plants are colourful at this time of the year.
The large raptors are ever present as there is an increase in young animals at this time and the availability of prey is abundant.
We had a good sighting of a Wattled Lapwing wading in one of the temporary pans. This species is not often seen in the area.
The general game is wonderful at this time of the year. Lots of young animals are seen on a daily basis. We also see some of the not so common animals like this serval.
