It’s always something that is a challenge to most of mankind, the breaking of routines and comfort zones. The most successful people are the ones that adapt to change, embrace it and make the most of the situation.

I recently moved from my position at Earth Lodge to Selati Camp and this change made me think of all the change that the animals that we live with go through regularly. Animals have been doing this for centuries and are masters at it.

I wanted to go through what is changing in the dynamics of some of the individuals of two species that we all love – lions and leopards.

The dynamics of lions in the southern section of the Sabi Sands has changed so much since I started and I’ve been privileged to watch this change happen. The latest instalment in this saga involves the Fourways males. These two young boys have been actively searching the central and Southern Sabi Sands for a territory and have been pushing deeper into the Sand River males’ territory. At one stage this cycle they were found less than 100 meters from one of the Sand River males and chased him away. This was followed up with active vocalisation and scent marking - a clear sign of their intentions.

The six Southern Pride females seem to be avoiding the Sand River males like the plague, which is strange behaviour considering the current circumstances. There are plenty of opinions as to why but it’s certainly leaving the door open for a new coalition. It’s only going to be a matter of time before we witness an interaction between all three of these groups of lions.

There has also been lots of change within the leopard dynamics in the northern section of Sabi Sabi. Around Selati Camp has always been a stronghold of the oldest leopardess in the Sabi Sands - the Nottins female. However, since the loss of her cub a few months previous, the Little Bush female has been using this to push into Nottins’ territory. There is a very good reason for this though. She has been spending a lot more time away from her own cub who is fast reaching her independence and I believe that she is carving out a new territory either for herself or her cub. Female cubs generally have a territory within or close to their natal territory and as Little Bush`s and Nottins’ territory is close together, it would be inevitable that change would occur. All that is left to be decided is who will give in.

Change is certainly coming fast for Little Bush`s cub as she discovers the world of her mother’s territory and who could potentially take over her mother’s domain. Her mother seems to be close to moving on as she was recently found mating with her cub’s father, Maxabeni. This is a clear indication of her intentions and her cub will have to adapt quickly but she is a leopard - one of the most resourceful predators with a remarkable adaptability to change. I’m very interested to watch this powerful little girl embrace her kingdom and future.

Both of these species have got some interesting times ahead and I’m sure we will have some exciting game drives ahead.

Change is inevitable, change is the only constant and how we react to it and innovate will determine the survival of our species. How do we rectify the faults of the past? We change them now in the present for the future. This is Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve`s philosophy - Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow.