In an environment where no two days are the same, nobody could have predicted how amazing our game viewing this cycle was going to be. Usually it is members of the Big Five that steal the show but two unexpected characters would end up stealing the limelight.

Before I reveal who these two species are I must mention one of my favourite sightings which belonged to Little Bush and her cub. Both leopards were found in a large tree with a small bushbuck kill, most of it being eaten by the ever growing cub. While Little Bush was relaxing, her cub was playing with its food when it fell down to the termite mound below. The thud attracted the attention of a nearby hyena who sprinted across to grab the spoils. The unsuspecting cub felt that it was his responsibility to make up for his mistake and descended the tree to the kill below not seeing the charging hyena. Little Bush then jumped out of the tree in front of her cub and snarled causing the cub to jump back up the tree to safety. The hyena and the leopardess had a furious encounter with teeth and claws and vocalisation being used with Little Bush fleeing to the canopy of the tree.

The hyena however could not pin point the location of the half eaten bushbuck and after a tense 10 minutes started to move off. When it was a safe distance Little Bush stealth fully descended and grabbed the kill causing the hyena to run back and snapping at the heals chased the leopard until she used her agility to spring into the tree to make safe what was hers in the first place. I have never experienced such tension in a sighting and this was met by cheers and whooping by the guests in the sighting and I’m not ashamed to say it, I also joined in!

In terms of territorial disputes, we are starting to see more of the Mandleve male leopard who has been pushing further into the territory of the Sandriver male. Sandriver was found recently with bite marks and scars which we assume is from the ever growing Mandleve - could this possibly be the end of Sandriver`s reign of the Southern sector?

In terms of the other two species that have been regularly seen this cycle, they are the two additional members that make up the magnificent seven - Cheetah and Wild Dog. One of the reasons why these are special sightings is due to their status as endangered.

Our Cheetah sightings have been nothing short of amazing, regularly bringing down duikers and enjoying the abundance of impala lambs being born this month. We even had a large male cheetah bring down a young wildebeest and a kudu cow, the latter was stolen by Solo.

The pack of wild dogs numbering 10 in total including the pups, have been a joy to watch. These misunderstood predators are the most efficient hunters despite their hunting measured deemed barbaric. My best dog sighting this cycle was when I spent over 2,5 hours watching them wake and miss two kills and then eventually bring down a duiker and then leave it to the pups to devour.

There was a wonderful moment when the hunting pack of adults and the pups got separated, with the pups showing visible signs of agitation and stress. They eventually reconnected and the joy and chirping was evident, showing the softer side of these amazing creatures.

What an amazing cycle - who would have thought I would have had some of my best cheetah and wild dog sightings. This is what I love about my job – no two drives are the same, the only thing to be expected is the unexpected have the best job in the world, bring on the next cycle!