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a week in the bush: vol 28

on Nov 25, 2014

Welcome to another edition of ‘A Week in the Bush...’ It’s great to be back on the reserve again, meeting new people, catching up with old friends and spending time with the remarkable creatures we are so blessed to encounter on a regular basis. So much has been going on and there has been little time in between so without further delay, lets get to it. In this week’s round up, we have combined events that have occurred over a two-week period.

We have been afforded some fantastic cheetah sightings of late due to the fact that we have had a few of these amazing animals, two males and a female, spending a lot of time on the reserve. Being apart of such a large wilderness area means that these animals are free to move where they choose and are only bound by the territories in which they set up and defend, although in terms of cheetah they often overlap. The other factor involved is food and at the moment there is a surplus now that the impala ‘lambing’ season has begun. Needless to say the sightings have been phenomenal with some days producing two to three separate sightings in a day across the reserve.

A pack of Wild Dogs known as the ‘Toulon Pack’ have also been making themselves a regular feature on drives lately as they roam around the reserve on hunting missions. The pack consists of five adults and five pups at the moment, although this is subject to change as it has done over the last few months. Originally there were ten pups. Three were killed by the Charleston male lions and it seems another two have fallen along the way.

We’ve also been having some great encounters with the elephant herds in the area, especially in relation to the amount of newborns around. The timing of these births has been absolutely perfect in that there is an abundance of food and water at the moment, which will be a major stress relief for the entire family group.

General game viewing is at an all-time high at the moment as well, with our guests being able to spend time with a variety of species in different situations and exhibiting some fascinating behaviors. This is where having an experienced and knowledgeable Guide to interpret what’s going on in the scene really makes a world of difference. It’s one thing to see an animal, but a completely different experience when you can understand why they do what they do.

We were so fortunate to see a new face on the reserve in the form of a young female leopard known as ‘Ndzilo’, named so by our neighbours to the southeast. She is an absolute stunner of a leopard and even though she is relatively young, carries herself with the confidence of a vastly experienced cat. She didn’t hang around for too long and seems as though she was just poking her nose in to test whether or not there was a space for her to establish a territory. Interestingly though, it appears as though her wanderings have caught the eye of our resident male, Maxabeni, and he was seen following her scent shortly after her appearance, taking him out of his usual stomping grounds.

Maxabeni has been seen all over the reserve of late and has been covering immense distances on a daily basis, making sure that his territory is well marked and asserting his dominance in the area. He has been seen on a couple of occasions venturing further south than is usual and has had altercations with the dominant male of the southeast, Xovonekela. Again, this could have something to do with the young Ndzilo female and Maxabeni wanting to incorporate her into his already massive territory. We will have to see what develops from here, but it will be interesting as these are both very impressive male leopards.

The queen, Nottins, is doing very well and so is her young cub. She has been very active around the reserve making kills on a regular basis and ensuring that her cub is well fed and well protected. If his parents are anything to go by, he should develop into a very, very big cat. So far it has been an absolute pleasure to see his progress and I look forward to watching the young leopard coming into his own over the next year or so.

The legend, Sandriver, has been seen again in the southern reaches of the reserve and it must be said that he looks as though age has caught up with him in a big way. I dare say that he is a shadow of his former self. This is quite sad to see, but it is the way of life out here. For a new male to come up through the ranks and become dominant, the old residents will naturally be displaced, and sometimes even die as result of altercations. It is my opinion that Sandriver has not really been dominant in this area for some time, but due his sheer size and presence, has been able to assert himself wherever he goes. His reign, I feel is over.

Mike Palmer Sandriver BW

The male that is set to take control of the south, displacing the legendry Sandriver is none other than this male we know as ‘Mandleve’. Since my first sighting of this male many months ago, he has grown in both size and confidence. If he is anything like his father, the Mbavala male, he is going to be a force to be reckoned with. Already he has established himself in the entire southern property with there being no sign of competition other than Sandriver, and I don’t feel that he will be a threat much longer. The only other male then to really contend with would be the massive Mbavala male in the far southern reaches by the Sabie River, but visits are few and far between. We had the most amazing sighting of Mandleve this last week and offered us some incredible memories that I will remember for many years to come.

Another leopard in the south that has been very active lately is the Lisbon female. She is in superb condition and looking better than ever. It will be interesting to see if she takes to Mandleve and if he takes to her. She seemed to be absent for quite some time until the Kelenge female started to establish a small territory for herself around Earth Lodge and now all of a sudden she has been making herself very visible. I had the privilege, along with my guests, to spend over two hours with her the other morning and she put on the most incredible show for us. Apart from the spectacle itself though, it was just such an amazing experience to be able to get a glimpse into the life of this animal. Spending quality time really makes a world of difference and has left a lasting impact on all who were there to witness it.

Mike Palmer Lisbon1

A very interesting turn of events that occurred over these last two weeks was the appearance of a foreign pride of lions to our reserve, the Sparta Pride. These lions had come from quite far north of our boundaries and seemed to be rather skittish, as though they were perhaps on the run from others. I don’t know all the intricacies of the pride dynamics from that area, but there may be a transition occurring in terms of the dominant males in their territory and the fact that this pride consists of three young males, although only two were present in our encounter, they may be employing the same tactic that our Southern Pride has in order to protect the youngsters from being killed by the big boys up north. It must be tough for these animals when all they can do is go on the run. A good portion of the Southern Pride has been on the run for most of this year already. I hope things settle down for them soon.

Speaking of the Southern Pride, the split returned from a stint across the Sabie River and the Kruger National Park it seems. We set out one morning in search of lions, but we had no idea that these were the one we would find. They have been absent for quite a while now, only popping their heads in now and then to see if there are any new developments with regards to the Sand River males and there aren’t. The three scrappers still have a hold on things for now, but one thing I’ve learned in my time here so far is that anything can happen and these boys slip up, they will be replaced in next to no time at all. Unfortunately this again will put pressure on the females and the offspring now sired with these lions. As soon as the split showed up though, the Sand River boys were on their scent and were found to be hot on their heals. The young male in the split would surely be killed if they were found. It has been interesting to watch these events as they have unfolded and at times its been most confusing as well. I have my doubts that these animals will ever rejoin with Floppy Ear and the other two girls, but we’ll have to wait and see how the events unfold.

To say that the bush has been outstanding lately is an understatement and only those who have been fortunate enough to have joined us out here for a few days or more, could attest to the sheer wonderment of what its been like to be in a place such as this. There really is never a dull day in the bush. I hope to bring you more updates next week and look forward to sharing some more insights into the remarkable characters that become such a big part of our daily lives out here. Until next time...

  • BY MIKE PALMER (BUSH LODGE RANGER)
  • IMAGES BY MIKE PALMER, GRANT RODEWIJK, FRANSCOIS ROSSLEE, TERRY ENNEVER AND RICHARD DE GOUVEIA
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