Well what a week it has been and let us start with a great sighting which Mike Palmer was able to witness and capture. The Toulon Pack of wild dogs made an appearance this week and turned their aggression towards some hyenas whilst challenging for the remains of a kill. It is well known that hyenas and wild dogs do not get on and this sighting epitomised this as the wild dogs forced a couple hyenas into a waterhole. Even though hyenas are known for their “laugh”, it was the wild dogs who got the last laugh as one proudly ripped off the tale of a hyena and paraded it for all to see!

Following on with Mike’s work, he was able to spend some time one evening showing guests how to photograph the stars. The conditions this week have been great for this due to the moon rising late as well as the clear skies we have had. This is one of my favourites.

The leopards this week have been showing off in a big way, but it has been the younger generation stealing the show this time. The Kigelia female was found a lot further south from the natal territory carved out and given to her by her mother, Little Bush. Does this mean that she is also pushing out of her father’s territory, Maxabeni, in order to find a potential mate? Possibly still a little early for that but it could also push her closer towards Hlarulini who has been seen pushing the boundary of her territory.

We had a wonderful sighting of White Dam’s cub who was extremely relaxed as he rested up in a tree. Showing little concern for the vehicles below, he lazed in the branches before repositioning in order to scan the horizon for any potential prey. It is marvellous to see this young male as it was not long ago that we thought he would die when he was found in a terrible condition. This just shows the resilience of these adaptable creatures.

Little Bush’s 6-month old cub has been seen along with her mum and showing a lot more confidence and is starting to show a little adventure. Little Bush has done such a great job with this cub, killing on a regular occurrence to satisfy the growing nature of this little one.

All the activity this week has been surrounding the Southern Pride and the Charleston males. Tayla had an amazing sighting this week with the Southern Pride chasing a herd of buffalo near a popular waterhole. Fortunately, this ended well for the buffalo as they chased off the lions after they had taken down a young one.

This has led the lions to travel far in search of a meal and has seen them go from the southern part of the reserve to the north and back again, all within a 48-hour period.

A highlight for me was waking the guests up at Selati Camp for their morning safari, accompanied by the chorus of lions roaring close to the lodge. While everyone was having their morning tea, all 5 females including the 2 cubs walked in front of the lodge less than 30 meters from the deck. What a way to start the morning!

At the end of safari, we located one of the Charleston males who was looking for his brother. He took a time out to visit the waterhole in front of Selati Camp to quench his thirst.

This up and down travelling, with little food for the lionesses, has put strain on them, especially to produce milk for the young cubs who are becoming quite demanding. This has resulted in quite a few disputes between them.

The most unusual sighting this week has to go to Tayla who managed to capture this image of the elusive African Wild Cat. In my three and a half years here I’m yet to see one!! Well done Tayla!

Well that is a summary of the highlights from this week and no doubt we will have more great stories and photos to share with you next week.