Wild Dog Den
It has now been three weeks since the pups first emerged and they have been seen every day since then. They have doubled in size and every day they are getting bolder as they spend more time exploring the immediate surrounds of the den. The mother is still very protective though and does not let them stray too far. With the pups growing quickly the demand for food has increased and the rest of the pack is having to hunt twice a day. On one occasion we managed to view a spectacular attempt on a herd of impala as one dog ran straight into the middle of the herd to create confusion and the rest of the pack circled them to cut off the escape routes. We could not keep up with the chase but it became evident that they were successful when some members returned with blood on their faces. There was one nerve racking moment a few days ago when Sataan and a Ximungwe lioness walked straight into the den. The dogs reacted by distracting the lions and sending the pups deep into the den. Fortunately Sataan was probably more interested in courting the lioness and they moved on without too much drama. During the heat of the day the pack usually rests at the den but this morning something disturbed them and upon closer inspection we found a rather bewildered Serval perched in a tree. The unfortunate cat had ventured too close to the den and the male dogs quickly made it known that it was not welcome. Two hours later it was still there which suggests it has a long, hot day ahead of it!
Mapogo and Ximungwe Pride
The big news is that the Ximungwe pride has two new bubs! They were first seen a couple weeks ago when the mother was moving them across a dry river bed but since then we have not seen them much. They look to now be about 6 weeks old. Otherwise the other four cubs are still doing well. Sataan has continued his courting efforts and is still paired off with a Ximungwe lioness after three weeks! Skoro has also been mating so it is not only the impalas doing their thing at the moment. Makhulu has been on his own most of the time except for one morning when he met up with three Ximungwe lionesses on the hunt. They killed a young impala which Makhulu claimed and sent the lionesses on their way to try catch something for themselves...which they did! They caught another impala and managed to eat it without being interrupted as Makhulu was busy with the first kill. He ate the whole thing in one sitting and moved off west, no doubt in search of the lionesses again.
Ottawa Pride
It appears the Ottawa pride has been dealt a double blow with the oldest female and one of the cubs being killed recently. The oldest female had been missing for a while and then her carcass was found in the far northwest corner confirming that she had died a good few weeks ago. Reports from the east are that the cub was killed by an unknown male lion during a skirmish beyond our boundary. The rest of the pride is however looking in good shape and we had them on our concession for most of the last week. They came across a buffalo carcass in the Sand River from which they fed for two days before leaving the scraps to the hyenas and vultures.
Shinzele Male Leopard and Hlabankunzi
Hlabankunzi spent most of the last week following Shinzele around, trying to get him to mate. As before though he took no notice and continued with his territorial duties. On occasion Hlabankunzi would get a little too insistent to which Shinzele would respond quite aggressively, letting her know in no uncertain terms that he was still not keen. Hlabankunzi eventually got the message and left Shinzele to go in search of another prospective mate.
Kashane Male Leopard and Hlabankunzi
Kashane has made some brief visits as he patrols the eastern and southern extremities of his rather large territory. With so much ground to cover he does not tend to stay long and does not seem to have much time for anything else, even a keen young female looking to mate, in this instance Hlabankunzi. After being rejected by Shinzele, Hlabankunzi went in search of Kashane but, as with Shinzele, Kashane completely ignored her advances and eventually she gave up with him as well, returning north as Kashane continued south.
Ndlevane Male Leopard
A male leopard was located with an impala kill, but as soon as the vehicles got close the leopard reacted aggressively making it quite clear that it was Ndlevane. It was decided to leave him in peace and he was not disturbed again.
Shangwa Female Leopard and Cub
Shangwa ventured onto our concession for the first time in many months and as an added bonus she brought her cub with her. It is the first time the cub has been seen in the west and it looks to be a 7 month old male. It was a dead buffalo in the Sand River close to our eastern boundary which had attracted her. The two fed from the carcass intermittently and lounged in the shade during the day. The cub is a little wary but relaxed down and was very affectionate with his mother too which Shangwa responded by grooming him. The next morning they were gone though as the Ottawa pride had moved in and taken over the carcass during the night. Hopefully it will not be months before we see the mother and cub again.
Hlangisa Female Leopard
Hlangisa was choosing to be elusive this last week and even appeared to be toying with us at one stage as we tried tracking her for hours on more than one occasion. Her tracks would lead us in circles until eventually one morning she was found on the move. She seems to be covering a lot of ground which suggests that she has taken up the challenge laid down by Metsi and Hlabankunzi for a territory in the south. She still has a bit to grow but what she lacks in size at the moment she more than makes up for in attitude! In typical Hlangisa fashion she did climb a tree and pose for many minutes on one occasion before continuing on her way again.
Metsi Female Leopard and Cubs
Metsi and the cubs were fairly elusive for the past few weeks but then she was spotted close to Savanna which is quite far south for her. She was not seen again for a few days after that but alarming jackals at night suggested that she was still in the area. This was confirmed yesterday when the cubs were found in the area as they waited for their mothers imminent return. Return she did and immediately the reaction of the cubs suggested that she had made a kill and was going to lead them back to it. They moved westwards towards Jackal Alley and every now and then Metsi would stop to give the cubs a chance to look for the kill rather than her just showing them where it was, a key part in their development to utilising their sense of smell. It was like watching an Easter egg hunt as the cubs clambered over rocks and bounded through long grass until eventually one of them found the carcass of a young reedbuck. In true leopard behaviour only one fed at a time and lots of aggression was shown between the cubs as they tried to compete for feeding rights. When we followed up this morning they were nowhere to be seen and hyena tracks in the area suggested that they had lost the kill to this eternal nemesis.
Xikavi Female Leopard
Other breaking news is that Xikavi appears to have cubs!! We all doubted her ability to conceive after the numerous unsuccessful courtships she had with Shinzele, but this was dispelled when she was spotted carrying a new born cub a few weeks ago. She has not been seen since as we have tried to minimise disturbance in the area where we think she has the cubs, but hopefully there will be some confirmation soon as to just how many she actually has.
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