August is a month signifying the end of winter. It's usually a very busy period at our lodges as overseas summer holidays come to an end and the avid wildlife enthusiasts get their last fixes of open pristine African bush, before the spring rains transform the landscape. The bush shares the same anxiety, with fierce competition for the last remaining water and food sources, the strongest individuals have not been shy in showing off their territoriality and why they are boss. This last week, we have been privileged to see the beauty of winter in all its glory.

The Toulon Pack of wild dogs started the week off with a bang! Causing chaos in their stride, the dogs disturbed a dazzle of zebra, which despite being much bigger than the dogs, weren’t going to tempt fate and fled. During another visit to the reserve a few days later, the pack successfully managed to pin down a bushbuck, causing a feeding frenzy as all members gauged themselves.

For the first time, we got to meet the newest members to the Toulon Pack. The puppies were in great condition, super inquisitive and we hope will grow up to make the pack an even more formidable force in the area.

The Toulon puppies weren’t the only youngsters to reveal themselves. After countless attempts Terry managed to finally get a photo of Lisbon’s cub as it ventured into the open to join Mom on her duiker kill!

Lisbon has been seen regularly since then on numerous hunting attempts, none of which led to any success. Her stealth and eagerness to feed her cub was matched by White Dam who shared the same pressures and lack of success.

Warthog Wallow and Kigelia were the only individuals to victoriously secure meals of a Cane rat and a young kudu respectively. Kigelia stashed her kill up a tree in some thick bush and fed on it for a couple days whilst Warthog Wallow demolished her Cane rat in a matter of hours, following it with a long satisfying drink from a nearby water source.

We celebrated World Lion Day this week and were privileged to witness the Fourways males constantly asserting their reign over the area. They were found roaring, scent marking and most excitingly - mating with the head of the Southern Pride, Mandleve! With three of the Southern Pride females having mated with the male now, we are all thoroughly anticipating summer for the arrival of the newest members of the Southern Pride!

Aside from the daily cat soap opera, the bush has been abuzz with other life. Large herds of Cape buffalo continue to wander the reserve, leaving behind a few old males to make new homes at the local watering holes.

Breeding herds and large bull elephants have also roamed the area, taking pleasure in dust bathing, play and relieving their thirst. Guests were able to enjoy this experience from a different perspective and right up close as they sat in one of our bird hides witnessing the latter two activities only meters away!

One of our rangers, Pravir and his tracker Ronald, have been coined the “Aardvark whisperers” as they hold the record for finding a number of the surprisingly relaxed, elusive creatures throughout the week.

Vervet monkeys waited patiently for an opportunity to raid High Tea, using the balcony barricade as a jungle gym in the waiting. They continue to invent new ways to distract us in order to get to the result of our chef’s hard work, much to the entertainment of all guests!

And with that another great week in the bush draws to a close. No doubt tensions will continue to rise as winter fades away making room for spring and its bounty of resources. We await the adventure and surprises that are sure to come just in this next week, bright eyed and bushy tailed!