And breathe........... What an incredible last six weeks it’s been! They always seem to just fly by and before I know it, I'm writing yet another cycle highlights blog. To try and sum up the sightings I've experienced with my guests is going to be tough, having witnessed two leopard kills, two wild dog kills, mating leopards and a leap of four leopards in one sighting. There is only one word to describe this cycle... Epic!

Autumn has provided a wonderful change, with cooler temperatures, stunning sunrises and sunsets and some early mist over the plains of Sabi Sabi. The clear nights have provided us some great opportunities to witness the wonderful starry skies above us.

Lion sightings have not really featured highly as some of my best sightings from this cycle, but two sightings did feature quite highly. The first was that of the Matimba males - an ageing coalition of two males, who for some time were regarded as among the largest in the Sabi Sand. To see them now, was at times hard due to their physical condition, spines showing and ribs exposed, but with full manes, seems like such a contradiction but showing the evidence of their present condition and former glory.

On the opposite side of the age group is that of the Mhangeni sub adults, who are rather young but showing a physical condition replicating that of the Matimbas. After being left by their mothers at an age a little early for independence, these youngsters are slowly trying to master the art of hunting with occasional success. The oldest of the sub adults seem to be doing well but the younger members looking like they are not getting enough at the dinner table. They seem to be solely focused on taking down buffalo, going with high risk policy brings high rewards by passing smaller more manageable prey. My favourite sighting was when they challenged a large herd of buffalo, but got chased off showing their inexperience.

The Wild Dogs have been providing our guests with some incredible sightings, killing twice showing why they are Africa’s most successful hunters.

The first kill was when they took down a bushbuck but had barely had time to take the first bite before the alarm calls attracted the attention of two hyenas who charged in, pushing the Wild Dogs from their kill. One Hyena seemed to dominate the carcass while the lower ranking clan member was in charge of keeping the dogs at bay. It was an incredible interaction between these mortal enemies.

The second sighting could not have been more different, having laid eyes on the dogs we noticed that we had a flat tyre at the most inopportune time. Seeing them running off into the sunset, with another safari vehicle in tow, my tracker and I, filled with adrenaline, changed the tyre as quick as a formula one pit crew - well we thought so anyway! Once we caught up with them, we found them on a fresh Grey Duiker kill. A small herd of elephants letting off distress calls attracted the attention of a clan of hyenas but by this time the meal was almost over. The hyenas tried to come closer but the Wild Dogs nipped at their backsides continuously, causing them to meander around the outskirts.

I mentioned earlier, the leopard sightings have stolen the headlines and without doubt, collectively my best cycle for leopard sightings in my five and a half years here. There is little doubt that this area of South Africa has to be one of the greatest, if not the greatest place to view leopards.

I was lucky enough to have my first sighting of Little Bush’s cub, such a precious moment when you get to see the newest offspring of this incredible mother who has already successfully raised some of our most viewed leopards. It already seems to have a little attitude as it tugs at its mothers ear in an attempt to get her attention.

Little Bush’s eldest offspring, Kigelia, has been seen on a few occasions as she expands her territory in a Southerly direction, this sighting of her was captivating as she unsuccessfully stalked a Scrub Hare in the early hours of the morning.

The young Ntsumi female, the most recent of Little Bush’s independent daughters, is one of our most photogenic leopards, playing up to the cameras like a true celebrity.

Not only is she a great poser but also a very active leopard who has the skills of her mother in the hunting department.

A leopard we used to see a little more in the past, the Tatowa female, made a few visits to us in the northern sector, narrowly missing out on killing one of two young impala rams. She lay close to the ground moving with such finesse as she demonstrated why it is called a “leopard crawl”. She did however have the last laugh as she was found with an impala she had killed later that night, however, the Maxabeni male felt it was well within his rights to claim the kill for himself.

Maxabeni is a very accomplished hunter in his own right as he showed one night as he took down a young impala. As it was night time, we noticed him stalking and immediately switched off our spotlight to not influence the hunt in any way. Patience was key as we waited for approximately 40 minutes before we heard the bleating of the impala. We switched on our lights and saw him apply the finishing touches to the impala. He then dragged the carcass approximately 80 meters before hoisting the kill, keeping it away from hyenas. It was a truly exceptional moment for our seasoned safari guests who got to witness a kill for the first time.

The next kill we got to witness was through more luck than patience as we followed the Msuthlu female as she went about scent marking her territory. Being the opportunistic hunters that leopards are, she reacted to a movement in the grass and pounced on a small Grey Duiker. Having got the duiker in her jaws she did not have a killer grip on the antelope and the bleating could have attracted nearby hyenas. With the antelope in her jaws, she dragged her prey to a nearby fallen over tree with the legs still kicking. After trying to hoist a first time, she fell off the branch, miraculously not releasing the duiker. With her last bit of energy and fear of losing her kill, she jumped once more carrying the carcass to relative safety. It was here where she put the antelope out of its misery by clamping down on the neck. A tough scene to watch but this was nature at its rawest, uncut and uncensored.

The Msuthlu female has been actively mating with a few of the leopards in the region, most noticeably the Maxabeni male and his son the White Dam male at the same time. This is something that I have never witnessed before, where a female mates with one male and then moves towards another male less than twenty meters away and mates with him. Exceptional! If you want to read more about this sighting read my blog, “Never say never” and see guest footage of the event.

If you are busy, here are some of my favourite images from that sighting and the day after...

The cycle came to a close on yet another great leopard sighting involving the 3 above-mentioned leopards with the addition of another male leopard, the rather secretive Mobeni or Mawelawela male. A collective term used for these cats is a “Leap of Leopards”, something not really used for these solitary cats but this cycle we have used this phrase fairly often.

The White Dam male was found feeding on an impala carcass he presumably killed and a day later it caught the attention of his father, Maxabeni. After having his portion of his youngster’s spoils, the dominant male growled and salivated showing distain towards his son. After hearing the rasp of a nearby leopard, the White Dam male disappeared in the direction only to come into contact with the Msuthlu female and the Mobeni male less than 30 meters from the carcass. The two young males snarled and growled at each other less than 20 meters apart - neither one willing to give ground. That was until the White Dam male moved in the direction of the female and gave her a beating to show the intruding male his dominance over her.

This was clear to see as after the altercation he stared in the direction of the male showing his lack of fear. The party, like always, was then disrupted by a clan of 5 hyenas who came charging in with the Msuthlu female and White Dam male moving in the same direction, while the Mobeni male moved off in the opposite direction.

It has been crazy to say the least and no doubt we have witnessed some amazing interactions between the animals here, leaving us in awe and in some instances scratching our heads. There are moments when you realise that you are witnessing something special and it is always wonderful to share these experiences with our guests and you, our faithful followers. I think we can all agree that this has been epic.