WILDLIFE REPORT

General

During the month of December we experienced good rainfall and high temperatures. The bush has thickened up and all is green. This, naturally makes locating certain animals very difficult especially during the night drives with the use of the spotlights. The herbivores are thriving from the rain as the vegetation remains lush and optimal. All these animals are in peak condition and remain healthy and strong. Not ideal for the a-pex predators who need to catch these super fast herbivores. We  were also rewarded with a high number of Wilddog sightings  during the month and I have added a brief and interesting note of this remarkable animal behaviour.

I hope you enjoy the following report that I have compiled.

Fighting lions in camp

No one would have ever thought of finding two lion prides right at our doorstep of the camp during a morning game drive. This was the case when the trackers informed us whilst we were having tea and coffee on the game viewing deck, “A pride of lions were in the camp!

We got the guests quickly to the vehicles and within 30 seconds we found the Machattan pride at the camps entrance. An unknown pride was also in the area and immediately I new that a territorial battle was about to unfold right at the camps entrance.

 

Myself and Cynet manoevered our Land Rovers into position as the second youngest lioness of the Machattan pride stalked with an aggressive intent towards a large female from the unknown pride. The Machattan lionesses have always been spirited and in seconds the two lioness climbed into each other. A short but intense fight followed. The action was then further doubled as one of the Timbavati male lions that have been moving with the Machattan pride also attacked the single lioness whilst the rest of her pride ran for cover. She had no choice but to defend herself and her dignity.

As the male approached rapidly, the lioness in a defensive manner threw the first punch (paw). He ducked to avoid her razor sharp claws and it was then that she got a gap to escape from the attack. She moved with lightening speed between the two game drive vehicles and ran off not once looking back at her persues. She was found ten minutes later crossing the western boundary as the Machattan pride advertised vocally by roaring that they are Kings Camp's legendary pride. 

Rockfig leopardess and her cub, Nkatheko

Rockfig leopardess and her cub Nkatheko are doing very well. The cub has been given the Shangaan name  Nkatheko which means Lucky. The shangaan trackers and guides at Kings Camp feel the name was appropriate because we are lucky to have her as Kings Camps newest leopardess.

Mother on the other hand had no difficulty in providing the necessary food Jnr needs. The cub is growing and developing quickly and I have no doubt that she will start play-hunting in the next few weeks. She has already killed a very small impala that was 3 weeks old and I firmly believe that her mothers superb hunting skills are well embedded in her genes.

This image illustrates mom and daughter up in a tree with no less than three hyenas below them waiting for part of the carcass to drop to the ground.

 

 

Rockfig’s previous daughter,  Rockfig Jnr is now just over 4 years old and was also seen a handful of times during the month. On one afternoon, not far from the camp, Morné located this stunning leopardess on the move. She soon led us back to a termite mound and rested causally before returning to a Steenbuck that she killed during the day. This was placed under a thick shrub to hide it away from potential competitors.

Feeding lasted two days before she again disappeared like a ghost in the darkness. We think that she moved back to the southern part of her territory. Her timing was good as two days later the larger and more commanding mother, Rockfig made an appearance in the same area. This is dangerous waters for Rockfig Jnr as Rockfig will act aggressively towards any female leopard even though they are related. 

 

African wild dog

We are again fortunate to witness this very rare animal on several occasion during December. This time not just sleeping but hunting at high speed with the game drives vehicles following behind. The African wild dog hunts in packs. Like most members of the dog family, it is a cursorial hunter, meaning that it pursues its prey in a long, open chase. During pursuit, it may reach speeds of up to 60 k/ph and nearly 80% of all hunts end in a kill.

After a successful hunt, hunters regurgitate meat for those that remained at the den during the hunt, such as the dominant female and the pups. They will also feed other pack members such as the sick, injured or very old that cannot keep up. Their main prey varies among populations, but always centers around medium-sized antelopes such as the Impala. During these hunts we watched as they  coordinated attacks. It normally starts with a rapid charge to stampede the herd. One wild dog then grabs the victim's tail, while another attacks the upper lip, and the remainder disembowel the animal while it is immobilized.This disembowelling was a reason to regard the African wild dog as repulsive, but recent studies have shown that prey of the African wild dog die quicker than prey of the lion and the leopard, which kill their prey by grabbing the throat and suffocating the animal.

Remarkably, this large-animals hunting tactics appears to be passed on from generation to generation within specific hunting packs, rather than an instinctive found commonly in other species.

 

Until next time!

Kind regards, Patrick and the Kings Camp ranger team.

Written by: Patrick O'Brien.
Photography by: Patrick O'Brien.