15th December – Return of some old friends

Photo of the Day




A collection of hairy caterpillars gathered on a Sjambok-pod tree

 

Morning Drive

4 x lions (Jacaranda Pride – 1 adult lioness, 2 young males, 1 young female) – Peru, Malongo Rd

1 x Breeding herd of buffalo – Java, Marula Overhang Rd

2 x buffalo – Peru, Sohebele Dam

Afternoon Drive

4 x lions (Jacaranda Pride – 1 adult lioness, 2 young males, 1 young female) – Peru, Malongo Rd

1 x leopard (Vyeboom Male) – Argyle, Old Mpisi Khaya Rd

1 x Breeding herd of elephant – Peru, Piva Plains

Daily Synopsis

We all awoke to another wet bush following a further 15mm of rain in the early hours of the morning, and found tracks for lions walking right past camp.  Despite seeing where they had been chasing giraffe, they clearly missed and Godfrey located 4 Jacaranda lions not far south of Motswari airstrip.  This pride hasn’t been seen on the property for the last couple of months, and it showed as they appeared a bit apprehensive of the vehicles, but later settled down in a mopane thicket where they stayed all day and were relocated in the same spot in the afternoon watching some nearby vultures.  In the late evening they got up and mobile to the south west towards Sohebele Dam. 

Jacaranda lioness - grand-mother of the white lion cubs

Elsewhere in the morning, a large breeding herd of buffalo had moved onto the property from the south and were found moving around Tamboti Link towards the north.

In the afternoon, there was a fair amount of general game about, with kudu, waterbuck, impala and giraffe all being seen.  Besides the lions, we checked up on Mbali female leopard’s duiker kill from two days earlier, and while the kill was still up the mopane tree, she was nowhere to be seen – despite having clearly been to the carcass to feed during the day.  Although she wasn’t around, while we were watching a nice breeding herd of elephants feeding next to the vehicle, a call came over the radio that a young male leopard had been found not far from us, so we headed over there and had a good sighting of this young male who is getting very relaxed and didn’t pay any attention to us.  He soon got up and moved off along a drainage line towards a small pan where we left him with Elliot in attendance. 

Vyeboom Dam young male

Besides that, there were some good hyena’s on the airstrip and some cloudy weather with the promise of more rain!