Big 5 Sightings 13 – 19 February 2012

Our Big 5 highlight of the week (even though they aren’t part of the Big 5) has to be seeing two different packs of wild dogs in our traversing area this week. 

Salayexe marking her territory - Morné Fouché

Monday, 13 February 2012

(30 °C)

• A breeding herd of about 20 elephants drinking water at One Eye Pan
• One buffalo bull resting at Pungwe Pan
• Four Tsalala lionesses resting at Safari airstrip
• Salayexe the leopard moving north From Rhino Ring North

Tuesday, 14 February 2012

(33 °C)

• Two Nkuhuma male lions resting on Ngala open area
• Salayexe and Tingana the leopards mating on EP floodplain
• Four buffaloes feeding at Picanini Utah
• Three elephants feeding on EP airstrip
• One elephant bull feeding on Wetpatch
• Three buffalo bulls resting in Rhino Pan

Wednesday, 15 February 2012

(34 °C)

• Two Nkuhuma male lions resting on Ngala open area
• Two elephant bulls feeding on MMM North

Thursday, 16 February 2012

(34 °C)

• Salayexe the leopard resting in a Jackalberry tree at Grizzly Bear Crossing
• A big elephant bull feeding east on Arathusa Main Road
• Five wild dogs running around Robson’s boundary
• One buffalo bull resting in the water at Picanini Utah Dam
• A few elephant herds feeding around Central Road
  

  The Nkuhuma male lions - Morné Fouché

Friday, 17 February 2012

(38 °C)

• Two elephant bulls dust bathing on Wetpatch
• One buffalo bull feeding on the northern side of Serengeti Manyeleti crossing
• A breeding herd of about 20 elephants feeding on Marula Bult South

Saturday, 18 February 2012

(34 °C, 25 mm rain)

• One elephant bull feeding on Marula fruits on Central Road
• Salayexe the leopard resting in a Marula tree on the firebreak
• Two Nkuhuma male lions resting just south of Wessels and Little Gowrie
• A breeding herd of about 20 elephants feeding on Little Gowrie driveway

Sunday, 19 February 2012

(30 °C, 6 mm rain)

• Salayexe the leopard scent marking on Mfezi open area
• Three wild dogs running east on Gowrie Main
• Two buffalo bulls resting in the water at Red Dam
• One elephant bull feeding around Knobthorn Pan

This week I had some difficulty choosing a Big 5 highlight of the week. We saw leopards having a stand-off, two different packs of wild dogs chasing, killing and feeding on impalas, but it has has to be Salayexe and Tingana the leopards mating. Although it is sad that Salayexe once again lost her cubs, the circle of life continues as she is already attempting to create new cubs. We are holding thumbs that this time she would be successful in conceiving and raising them!

Mating leopards Tingana & Salayexe - Louis Liversage

Monday, 06 February 2012

(31 °C)

• A breeding herd of about 10 elephants feeding on Londoz boundary
• One elephant bull swimming in Big Dam
• Three elephants feeding on Zebra Drive
• A breeding herd of about 20 elephants feeding on Little Gowrie driveway
• Kwatile the leopard resting on a termite mount west of Grasscut Road
• Two buffalo bulls resting in the water at Kraaines

Tuesday, 07 February 2012

(32 °C)

• One elephant feeding on MMM South
• One elephant bull feeding on marula fruit on EP airstrip
• A breeding herd of about 10 elephants feeding on Leopard Drift
• Three wild dogs chasing impalas at Big Dam

Wednesday, 08 February 2012

(34 °C)

• A breeding herd of about 20 elephants feeding on Safari airstrip
• Two buffalo bulls resting in the water at Knobthorn Pan
• Three buffalo bulls drinking water at Red Dam
• Lamula the leopard scent marking on Londolozi boundary

Thursday, 09 February 2012

(35 °C)

• One Majingi male lion and a lioness resting south of Wessels’ southern boundary
• A breeding herd of about 20 elephants feeding on Little Gowrie driveway
• Three leopards in one sighting! Mvula and Lamula the leopards having a stand-off at Ingwe Pan, with the Ostrich Koppie female leopard watching them.
• One elephant bull feeding on A-Main
• Ntima the leopard scent marking north of Misi Mati
  

  Wild dogs on EP airstrip - Louis Liversage

Friday, 10 February 2012

(35 °C)

• The four Tsalala lionesses with a zebra kill on Lowveld Link
• A breeding herd of about 25 elephants feeding on Airport link
• Two buffalo bulls resting at Red Dam

Saturday, 11 February 2012

(39 °C)

• One Nkuhuma male lion feeding on a giraffe kill on EP driveway
• One elephant bull feeding on A-Main
• Nine wild dogs feeding on an impala kill on Rulani Road
• A breeding herd of about 20 elephants feeding on MMM South

Sunday, 12 February 2012

(32 °C)

• The Nkuhuma male lion still feeding on the giraffe kill on EP driveway
• The pack of nine wild dogs hunting impala on EP airstrip
• One elephant bull feeding on EP driveway
• A breeding herd of about 10 elephants feeding on A-Main
• Salayexe and Tingana the leopards mating close to Shirley’s / EP cutline
• One elephant bull feeding on Robson’s boundary

Big 5 Sightings 30 January – 05 February 2012

Our Big 5 highlight of the week has to be the three wild dogs chasing and killing a juvenile impala right in front of us! We were sitting in the sighting, watching the impalas grazing when all of a sudden the wild dogs stormed in, caught the impala and finished it off in seconds.

The three wild dogs - Louis Liversage

Monday, 30 January 2012

(30° C)

• Salayexe the leopard marking her territory on Ellie carcass Road
• One elephant bull feeding on Kuala Bear Road

Tuesday, 31 January 2012

(32 °C)

• A breeding herd of about 25 elephants feeding on Marula fruits on the EP Delivery Road
• The Styx pride of lions resting on the southern side of Safari airstrip
• Salayexe and Tingana the leopards mating close to Grizzly Bear Crossing

Wednesday, 01 February 2012

(33° C)

• BB the lioness and the four youngsters resting on the northern side of EP airstrip
• Two elephant bulls drinking water at Big Dam
• Another breeding herd of about 20 elephants feeding on Londoz boundary
• Lamula and Ntima moving west on A-Main towards Big Dam link south

Thursday, 02 February 2012

(33 °C)

• Two Majingi male lions resting on MMM South at the Roundabout
• BB the lioness and her four youngsters resting on Guarri Central
• A breeding herd of about 20 elephants feeding on EP driveway
• Salayexe the leopard scent marking on EP driveway

Friday, 03 February 2012

(32° C)

• Salayexe the leopard with an impala kill in a tree on EP driveway
• A breeding herd of about 20 elephants feeding on Serengeti open area
• One buffalo bull feeding on Kudu Drift

Saturday, 04 February 2012

(31 °C, 2 mm rain)

• Two elephant bulls feeding close to Londoz boundary
• Three buffalo bulls resting in the water at Red Dam
• One buffalo bull resting at One-Eye Pan
• Three wild dogs chasing impalas on Knobthorn open area
• One elephant bull feeding on MMM North

Sunday, 05 February 2012

(30 °C)

• Salayexe the leopard resting in a Marula tree on EP Driveway
• Three wild dogs chasing and killing juvenile impala on Mfesi open area
• Two buffalo bulls feeding around Pungwe Pan
• One elephant bull feeding on MMM South
• The Jordaan male leopard walking west on Lowveld link

Big 5 Sightings 23 – 29 January 2012

This week we were able to get out in the bush again, but due to all the rain and very wet roads were only able to drive on a small area for the first few days as the vehicles were getting stuck everywhere! But, this did not keep us from having a wonderful Big 5 sighting as this week we saw BB the lioness reunite with the 4 youngsters of the Tsalala pride after they split up at the end of last year.

BB the lioness

Monday, 23 January 2012
(30ºC)

• 1 Elephant bull feeding on EP airstrip

Tuesday, 24 January 2012
(32ºC)

• An unknown male leopard scent marking on Mfezi open area

Wednesday, 25 January 2012
(29ºC)

• 2 Nkuhuma male lions resting on Eastern Bank Manyeleti
• 4 Tsalala lionesses resting on EP airstrip

Thursday, 26 January 2012
(33ºC)

• Salayexe moving south on Robson’s boundary
• A breeding herd of about 30 elephants feeding on Saseka Road

Friday, 27 January 2012
(34ºC)

• Tingana, the male leopard, scent marking on Elephant Carcass
• A breeding herd of about 25 elephants feeding on Parallel road
• Mvula, the male leopard scent marking on Chitwa Chitwa old driveway

Saturday, 28 January 2012
(29ºC)

• Salayexe and Tingana fighting on Robeson’s boundary
• 3 Buffalo bulls feeding on the firebreak close to Simbambili
• A breeding herd of about 25elephants drinking water in Our Father crossing

Sunday, 29 January 2012
(30ºC)

• BB the lioness and the 4 youngsters of the Tsalala pride resting north of A-Main
• 3 Buffalo bulls feeding close to Methlowani open area
• A breeding herd of about 15 elephants feeding on MMM North
• Shadow and Nduna moving west of MMM North, south of Simbambili/Safari cutline

Big 5 Sightings 16 – 22 January 2012

As most of you would know by now, the Mpumalanga and Limpopo regions of South Africa, including the Greater Kruger National Park, experienced large amounts of rain, as well as flooding, during last week. Due to this we were only able to go on two game drives, but we still ended up with a Big 5 highlight out of this world! We were driving along Londoz boundary when we came across 9 Wild Dogs busy killing a kudu. We usually see them hunting smaller animals like Impala, so this was quite a special sight.

Cameleon by Richard Davis

Monday, 16 January 2012
(25˚C, 20mm)

• 2 Nkuhuma male lions stalking impala on Bushcamp East
• An unknown male leopard moving south on Rhino Ring east
• A small breeding herd of elephants feeding at Boundary Pan

Tuesday, 17 January 2012
(21˚C, 280mm)

• 5 Female lions of the Tsalala pride resting at Big Dam
• A small breeding herd of about 7 elephants feeding on Zebra Drive
• Breeding herd of about 20 elephants feeding around poachers corner