It has been yet another amazing week here at Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve and I look forward to bringing you all the highlights from the activity on the reserve this past week.

The dry season is in full swing and as such, the predator activity has been incredible and there have been some really exciting developments taking place on that front. Before we delve into the various predator dynamics however, I’d like to share with you some of the other highlights seen out on safari with us over the last seven days.

Dwarf mongoose are always a firm favourite to watch if one gets the chance and we are finding it a lot easier to do so now that the mornings are substantially colder. This means that we are able to spot the small carnivores at their dens soaking up the morning rays of sunshine, warming themselves before moving off to forage for the day and this always makes for great entertainment for our guests. Often accompanying the mongoose are various bird species, which benefit from their incredible digging capabilities, namely the Fork-tailed Drongo. They can also be seen in great numbers now following around the larger herbivores as they disturb insects in the veld while feeding, allowing the birds ample opportunity to hawk those insects. Great symbiosis in play here. As always, the Bushveld’s most clourful bird, the Lilac-breasted Roller, can be seen all over the reserve and every now and then one that is relaxed enough for closer inspection. We just love the colours! Another bird that was well spotted on drive was this Southern White-faced Scops Owl. A magnificent little owl that is rarely seen in the open like this.

Elephant viewing has been fairly plentiful in the last week and we have been seeing quite a few bachelor groups hanging around on the reserve. I’m sure we will continue to see these individuals on a regular basis before they start emigrating further north to bulk up for the upcoming breeding season. For now though, we are enjoying having them around and there are some impressive specimens too. Breeding herds have been scarcer than the males, but the lodges have been enjoying regular midday sightings of them as they come through to drink at the waterholes in front of them. Always a great treat while having a delicious lunch.

The hyena den has been very active with the cubs becoming ever so much more habituated to our presence, affording guests some phenomenal quality viewing of an animal that is for the most part, completely misunderstood. It is a great chance for us to showcase them to our guests in a completely different light and to change the perception of them being just a lowly scavenger. The ‘cute factor’ of the youngest cubs doesn’t hurt either...

There was an incredible interaction witnessed this week by many of our guests when a male cheetah was seen hunting and killing a duiker, only to have it stolen by the Lisbon female leopard. An absolutely incredible experience and one that you can read more about in Courtney Dalziel’s latest blog: A hunter, hunted.

A large aggregation of around 300 Cape Buffalo has been steadily moving about in the southern reaches of the reserve for the last couple of months and its been incredible to spend time in the middle of these relaxed herds when the chance presents itself. This activity has however, also peaked the interest of the lions in the area ensuring that the herd has had to be on high alert. Thankfully this hasn’t chased them away.

The biggest news of late has been the prolonged meetings of the Fourways males and at least one of the Southern Pride females. This is most exciting and something that has been on the cards for some time. Obviously this is not going to be a quick affair and the females are going to put these two males through their paces to test their strength, stamina and staying power. I feel pretty confident though that inevitably they will take control of the area and successfully banish the remaining Sand River males. If they can achieve this, we should be seeing some new Southern Pride cubs within the next year. This task will not be easy and we still have a long way to go before we can confirm anything, but for now the team is buzzing with excitement at the prospect. The males along with the lone Southern Pride female have been trailing the aforementioned buffalo herd over the last several days with no success in bringing one down, but as they say persistence is key.

There has also been some amazing stuff going on with the leopards of Sabi Sabi at the moment and probably the biggest news is that we have finally seen the Lisbon female’s cub, although at 10 weeks and not having seen any vehicles before, it is incredibly shy and we were not able to get any images of it. The reason why this is only the first time for us is that the terrain in our southern section is incredibly rocky and most areas are fairly inaccessable, so in other words, great for leopard dens! In any case, it is great to know that we will be seeing more of the cub as it gets older and more accustomed to the vehicles. On one evening we actually found Lisbon, her cub and the dominant Mandleve male leopard in the same sighting, but left the female to dissappear into the darkness.

Some more exciting news, at least for me, was the sighting of the Hlarulini female leopard. It was my first sighting of her, but not the first time she has been sighted on Sabi Sabi soil. She is a small female and a dispersing young adult so it is plausible that she is still trying to find a place for herself in the leopard-rich area we find ourselves in. Usually a young female would absorb a portion of her mother’s territory, but with the dissappearance of the Rollercoaster female, it’s anyone’s guess as to where she will end up.

Maxabeni has also been doing the rounds and in fact snuck in without notice to be found on a bushbuck kill. Days later he was on the move again, and patrolling his territory. There still seems to be a bit of friction between him and the Xovonekela male on his southern boundary, but as of yet there have not been any fireworks that we know about. He is still doing a great job of it and all the females within his range appear to be doing great as well.

The winter period is definitely a fantastic time of the year to experience a safari and so far we have not been disappointed. The last seven days have produced some phenomenal game viewing as well as highlighting some of the other wonders of the Southern Hemisphere, such as the Southern African night skies. We love incorporating stargazing into our safaris as well as showing guests how to capture the moments using digital photography, but for me there really is nothing better than sitting quietly under the stars with good friends and enjoying the splendour of creation. Until next time...