Wild Dog Den
It has been life as usual at the den this past week. The mother has however started leaving the pups on their own at the den to go with the pack on the hunt. This obviously leaves them somewhat more vulnerable but is also a sign that they are maturing quickly. It has been 10 weeks now since the dogs started denning and on average they only stay about 18 weeks so we are making the most of viewing them before they move on. Although the pups started eating meat at 4 weeks old they are not completely weaned off yet and on occasion the mother does allow them to feed which usually ends up in a frenzy of competition for limited suckling space! Otherwise the hours of playing around the den have certainly kept us entertained and we look forward to much more.
Mapogo and Ximungwe Pride
All members of the coalition and the Ximungwe pride were seen this last week. The major sighting though was when Makhulu and Sataan brought down a young hippo just after sunrise near Skwenga Dam. With so much meat they stayed in the area of the kill for most of the week, but were joined by the female with the oldest cubs and the female with the youngest cubs towards the end. The other three females and the middle cubs spent most of the week together in the southern and eastern parts of the concession and did not take part in the hippo feast.
Kashane Male Leopard
Kashane has been quite active in the southern parts of his territory around Savanna Lodge this past week and it looks to be due to the presence of a new unidentified female leopard hanging around this area. He sent the female up a tree on one occasion before sauntering off and leaving her in a visible state of shock. She then came down and followed him at a distance and called, no doubt with the intention of notifying the male of her availability. Kashane had other things on his mind however and left her in his wake.
Shinzele Male Leopard
Shinzele had an interesting week, starting off with a confrontation with Mashiyambanje. The river is definitely the boundary between these two males as Shinzele stayed on the southern bank and Mashiyambanje on the northern bank. There was not much aggression but it seemed both leopards were daring each other to cross the line and start a fight. This did not happen though and they seemed content to respect each other’s space and eventually moved in opposite directions. Shinzele’s other exciting moment was when he found himself rudely forced up a tree by members of the Ximungwe pride and Skoro Mapogo. He did have a kill and had managed to get it up a tree in time so all he had to do was sit it out. This he did and the lions eventually moved off in search of a meal of their own.
Mashiyambanje Male Leopard and Tai Dam Female Leopard
With most of the viewing taking place south of the river this week, it was a nice bonus for vehicles going north of the river to find Mashiyambanje at Top Dam. An even bigger bonus was that the Tai Dam female was with him! They were not seen to mate but it is a sure sign though that she has sent her 20 month old male cub into independence.
Hlabankunzi Female Leopard
Hlabankunzi was on the receiving end of some thievery this last week when a Ximungwe lioness stole her freshly killed impala. Alarm calling impala attracted a vehicle to the area but also attracted the lioness that promptly moved in, chasing the smaller cat off the kill, and claimed it. Hlabankunzi could do nothing but climb a tree and watch as the lioness feasted on the carcass. At one point she came down the tree and moved in a bit closer to see if there were any scraps she could salvage but the lioness sent her on her way with a snarl.
Hlangisa Female Leopard
Just when it seemed Hlangisa was getting settled she went roaming again. She was seen firstly around Dam 5 which is where we thought she would probably set up territory, but then later in the week she popped up north of Ulusaba which is on opposite ends of the concession. Hopefully she will settle soon and not go east beyond our border.
Metsi Female Leopard and Cubs
We saw the cubs regularly this past week but got a little concerned when Metsi had not returned after 8 days to fetch them. The cubs occupied themselves by climbing trees and chasing each other, but were getting visibly thin without having a substantial meal. They are 14 months old now which is a little young to be sent into independence but young leopards have been sent as young as 9 months old. To our relief Metsi did return at the end of the week and lead them to an impala carcass. The hungry young leopards finished the carcass in one night and tracks the next day suggested that Metsi had again left them around Ximungwe before setting off in search of another meal.
Unidentified Female Leopard
Some rather perturbed jackals could be heard calling for several nights near the lodge and eventually one morning we found the source of their concerns. It was a slightly shy female leopard new to these parts and she had killed a male reedbuck. She remained in the area for the next 3 days and got a little more used to the vehicles. On the third morning a hyena got scent of the carcass and managed to pull some of the dangling legs of the carcass out of the tree in which the leopard had stashed it. The leopard did not take kindly to this and approached the hyena to try and retrieve the scraps. The hyena responded by chasing the leopard who duly backed off as the much smaller contender. After the confrontation we assumed the female leopard would disappear never to be seen again but to our surprise we found her a tree right outside the camp as we set out on morning drive the next day. She was visibly upset and we soon discovered the reason – Kashane. Kashane must have detected the presence of a new leopard in town and let her know in no uncertain terms that he is the dominant male in these parts. After Kashane had moved on the female leopard actually followed him and called to him as well suggesting that perhaps she is looking for a mate which could be the reason she is out of her own territory.
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