The reserve has received quite a bit of rain this past week and coupled with the long grass, our Safari Team had their work cut out for them. Despite this, we once again had some wonderful sightings. Herewith some of the highlights from the past week’s safaris...

Elephant sightings have been plentiful. This male found himself a small herd of females and spent some time following them around with the hope to mate.

This little elephant couldn’t contain its curiosity as it approached Kevan’s vehicle to suss out its occupants!

The young impalas who were running around all wobbly a few months ago, are growing at a rapid pace, with some of the rams already showing signs of their horns sprouting. It won’t be too long now before they will need to leave the safety of the breeding herd.

We have had a couple of great sightings of Grey Herons, and a special one to note whereby the male took over some “chick-sitting” duties to look after the young.

Some of the other animals have taken a few lazy days with the cooler, wet weather by wallowing in mud, lazing around in waterholes or taking refuge until the weather cleared before making an appearance.

Maxabeni has been covering a lot of distance in his quest to ensure his territory remains marked between bouts of rainfall, but also managing to ensure his energy levels are sustained with regular meals.

Kigelia also took cover from the rain in a large Marula Tree where she spent some good time, before moving off as a herd of elephants approached.

Keeping with the cats – we have had a couple of sightings of the Mhangeni Breakaway females. They were seen in our north-western corner; and the following day were on the move after something caught their attention.

The Southern Pride and their cubs were close to Bush Lodge yesterday as they attempted to hunt a male waterbuck but they soon lost interest as they seemed to be quite full and content.

Until next time...