Seasons are starting to change, and a sure sign of this when the Knobthorn Trees (Acacia Nigrescens) start flowering! Their beautiful cream coloured flowers are noticeable all over the reserve with the clear blue skies as a backdrop – certainly an amazing sight!

Mornings and evenings are still quite chilly allowing for some amazing sunrises and sunsets. Here Kevan managed to capture this beautiful sunrise with some winter mist still in the air. This area in the Southern section of our reserve is called “Klipspringer Koppies” and is probably the highest point on the reserve, allowing for exquisite sunrises and sunsets.

Terry and his guests had an early start one morning and made their way to a Sycamore Fig Tree where they caught these two baboons sleeping in! Once awake, they proceeded to admire their awesome bush mani and pedi!

Large herds of Cape Buffalo continue to make their way around our property, utilizing the large open areas for grazing.

With the dry season still in full swing, animals will drink water from almost anywhere, and the Ivory Presidential Suite at Selati Camp is no exception...

Plains game has been spectacular as always with some great sightings of some of the favourites!

With all the game out and about, this meant there was also a lot of predator activity this past week.

The two sub-adult brother and sister combo of the Southern Pride were seen stalking an old giraffe bull late on Friday afternoon. It was amazing to see how the confidence, of especially the young lioness, turned into confusion as she ran after this experienced giraffe bull who just walked away from her. The giraffe seemed so sure of himself that at a stage he even returned to feeding after having noticed the two lions within ten meters of him. The aftermath of this encounter was two young lions having learnt that their eyes might have been too big for their stomachs, their courage was amazing though...

The three Tsalala males have been spending a lot more time on our Northern property. They have been managing to succeed in a few hunts especially on all the large herds of Cape Buffalo passing through. They spent quite a bit of time at the watering hole in front of Selati Camp, and later on an open area not too far from Bush Lodge.

White Dam's young cub has been seen fighting with the Mahlathini male and chased him off of what is Maxabeni's territory.

Maxabeni was found with a very large stomach while he had been feeding on a very recent Nyala Bull he brought down not too far away from Bush Lodge.

The Kashane male made an appearance after his tracks were found all over the Western sector of our Northern property. He showed some interest in a herd of impala until he found a comfortable spot to rest as the weather was slightly dull.

We were able to witness the speed and agility of the young Msuthlu female as she plucked a Buttonquail from the air after flushing it from the grass. What an awesome sighting and a case of being in the right place at the right time!

We finish off this week’s blog on a high with some very exciting news! Due to her new-found independence, we have named Little Bush’s cub “Ntsumi” which means Angel in the local dialect. She certainly lived up to her name as she stood atop a termite mound in a truly angelic pose! Little Bush has done an exceptional job in raising this cub to independence and we look forward to watching her grow and develop further in years to come.

Until next time...