After having enjoyed the entire kudu carcass to themselves, the lioness moved her cubs to some nearby rocks and slept off the remains of the meal in relative peace. The cubs were however quite restless and provided some fantastic viewing as they clambered around the rocks and whined for the attention of their mother. On occassion the lioness would roll over and allow the cubs to suckle briefly, but the heat was clearly a discomfort and she would growl softly to convince to cubs to go and rather explore the surrounding rocks. This morning her tracks suggested that she has moved the cubs west towards McKenzie Camp and has no doubt stashed them somewhere safe before she heads out on another hunting foray.
Mapogo male lion coalition
After all the anticipation of the three brothers raiding the kudu kill made by the Ximungwe lioness, they didn't even manage to find it. They did however continue to follow the large herd of buffalo and three nights ago they were seen making an attempt right outside the lodge. Makhulu bravely charged the herd and grabbed a calf, but before he could suffocate it a large bull buffalo came to the rescue and actually tossed Makhulu up in the air. Fortunately the dominant old male was not injured, but the same cannot be said for Sataan who has a large gash under his front left leg, no doubt the result of a previous failed attempt on the herd. The next day Makhulu was found with two Ximungwe lionesses, having lost interest in food and rather choosing to concentrate on potential mating. The other two brothers could be heard roaring to the east, still following the herd no doubt. All three brothers were then found together this morning along with a lioness who Makhulu is courting. Sataan and Skoro appear to have had success as their full stomachs bulged but Makhulu did not seem bothered as he clearly valued the oppurtunitiy to mate rather than eat!
Hlangisa female leopard
We went a few days without seeing Hlangisa which is uncommon. She then made an appearance this morning as she continued to explore further opportunities to expand her territory. As we followed her scent marking along the road she suddenly saw a flock of guinea fowl with small chicks and immediately began stalking them. We lost sight of her for a while but knew she must be close to the birds, then all of a sudden all hell broke loose as guinea fowls came rocketing out of the long grass, screeching blue murder. When we managed to find Hlangisa again she had one of the unfortunate chicks in her mouth. Hardly being a meal she devoured the morsel in no time and moved to a marula tree which she climbed to make the most of a slight breeze on what was becoming a rather hot morning. 
Metsi female leopard and cubs
Metsi and her two cubs made a brief appearance last night but as is often the case they disappeared into inaccessible bush, but at least it is a relief to know that both the cubs are still doing well.
Kashane male leopard
Kashane has been rather obliging in the last week and was seen regularly patrolling his territory, and on one occasion with a young male impala kill.
Hlabankunzi female leopard
Hlabankunzi seems to have recovered from the loss of her one cub and was seen back up in the northern part of her territory where the incident took place. We followed her as she patrolled the roads and even as she approached one of the camps along the river. She actually entered the camp and walked straight through it without any concern!
Mambiri female leopard
There is unfortunately no further news on Mambiri. She has not been seen in the last week although it is suspected that she has moved southwards towards the area of McKenzie camp. There has been a lot of hyena activity on the property recently which does not bode well for her, as well as the Ximungwe lioness with cubs having moved into the same area. We are still holding thumbs though....
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