Sabi Sabi yesterday, today, tomorrow

the chase

by Sabi Sabi on May 22, 2013

The morning was crisp with the mist hanging over the bushveld while the sun gently rose. The air was still and the guests were filled with a sense of excitement and anticipation – what was this morning going to bring? Little did they know that they were going to bear witness to a saga that has been unfolding in the Sabi Sands for some time. We responded to a sighting which was reported in the north eastern part of the reserve, a male lion had been sported but there was no confirmation of his identity due to the brief visual. As the guests and myself had been treated to a fantastic leopard sighting the night before, we made the decision to see if we could move into the area to relocate on the male. After searching for approximately 20 minutes, we were greeted by this regal figure walking down the road – it was the Kruger male. It was unusual to see him this far north east as he has been in hiding in the southern part of the reserve close to Earth Lodge. During his time in the south, he joined up with Floppy Ear and the 3 other females and was even seen mating with the same female that Solo had been mating with only a few days before. Was the displaced king returning to his territory to reclaim it for himself?

lion sighting while on safari at Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve

There was a nervousness about him, and this was confirmed when he darted into the thickets to the side of the road. This was unusual as he always displays a confidence which almost borders on arrogance – something was clearly wrong. We lost visual and spent some time driving around the block to try and relocate him but sadly to no avail-he was moving quick and it would be difficult to find him again. After consulting with my experienced tracker Meshack, we decided to do a loop in a last ditch effort. At virtually the exact same spot that we lost the Kruger male, we found Floppy Ear walking down the road. Despite her age, she is still an impressive female who has always had an affinity with the Kruger male. She was sniffing various bushes to establish his whereabouts and trying to get to him. Read the full article →

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sandriver male still holding his own

Thumbnail image for sandriver male still holding his own by Sabi Sabi May 14, 2013

Leaving Little Bush Camp, my tracker picked up on some very fresh male leopard tracks in the early morning light, just a few minutes outside of the lodge. After explaining the tracks to the guests we began our search for the male. Guest’s anticipation is always very high combined with a few butterflies in their [...]

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lion’s kudu cache

Thumbnail image for lion’s kudu cache by Sabi Sabi May 8, 2013

Since the four Southern Pride females have returned to Sabi Sabi they have been seen hunting with no positive outcome on more than one occasion. Three lots of very vigilant impala are still vividly recalling their lucky escapes. The hungry lionesses pushed on though and eventually were successful in their never ending conquest for a [...]

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a bundle of spots

Thumbnail image for a bundle of spots by Richard de Gouveia May 5, 2013

Little Bush female is probably my favourite of all of our leopards based on the fact that she is just so difficult to see and has such a fierce nature. She is the epitome of a leopard in that she is shy, elusive and a deadly killer. It is very rare that we will have [...]

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southern pride females

Thumbnail image for southern pride females by Sabi Sabi May 2, 2013

After a relatively long absence, the Southern Pride females were once again in Sabi Sabi. Having found their tracks leaving a neighboring reserve and moving onto our reserve this morning the search was on. Following the tracks of four large females, we managed them to locate them on the central western reaches of the reserve. [...]

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baby making weather

Thumbnail image for baby making weather by Sabi Sabi April 28, 2013

At the change of the season and with the bush starting to brown comes the excitement and anticipation of winter. When the air stings your face as you pull out of the lodge before the sun has broken the horizon. This is the time in the bush that I have been waiting for from about [...]

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on his toes

Thumbnail image for on his toes by Sabi Sabi April 25, 2013

A strategic, long sleep on a termite mound to avoid the midday heat, kept the Maxabeni male in the same spot for the majority of the day. We made our way over to him as the sun was starting to dip. He eventually awoke to groom himself and prepare for his evening’s activities. At the [...]

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a leopard steals from lions

Thumbnail image for a leopard steals from lions by Sabi Sabi April 17, 2013

Leaving the lodge this morning one could feel the cold breeze in the air and as the big jackets started to make their first appearances this year, it is clear that winter is arriving at Sabi Sabi. As the sun’s rays started to peak over the horizon,exposing yet another magical African sunrise and the steam [...]

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life’s wonders

Thumbnail image for life’s wonders by Richard de Gouveia April 15, 2013

How can I fully describe all the madness that has taken place on the reserve. I have been writing furiously for the past 2 days trying log it all and as soon as I think I am nearing completion another bit of craziness happens and I am left trying to process it all. Winter at [...]

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family values

Thumbnail image for family values by Ben Coley April 5, 2013

There are still no new developments with the lion saga here at Sabi Sabi. The main players seem to be buying time at the moment as there has been no further interaction since the last blog was posted. Throughout all of the recent happenings, the Southern Pride females have kept to themselves, no doubt trying [...]

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