It was hoped that 2021 could be a greater yr for all, however plainly the chaos of 2020 has adopted by means of into this yr. In some ways, it has been barely higher and we proceed to have a gentle movement of native visitors, with some hints at issues enhancing for our worldwide travellers. However time additionally simply appears to fly by in these loopy occasions, and it’s with some embarrassment that I realised that we missed the April and Could editions. For these die-hard supporters, we apologise, however hope to make up for it with a bumper difficulty in June.
Lions
A lot of you’ve been following our social media on Fb, YouTube and Instagram, in addition to the updates from different lodges, and would have seen the unhappy and really surprising demise of the magnificent Ottawa male. He turned very assured and determined to problem the Birmingham males to his east, in an try to increase his territory. Sadly, being on his personal, he was killed within the combat, and we misplaced one of the crucial unbelievable males we’ve got had for a while.
Leopards
We even have some children within the leopard inhabitants! Tlangisa (pictured proper) has a brand new litter and, though we’ve got not seen her and her cubs a lot prior to now few months, plainly she is doing exceptionally properly. She is her normal calm self, and it displays in the best way that the 2 younger cubs are already extraordinarily relaxed across the autos.
Khokhovela (pictured beneath) has additionally been fairly scarce recently, however she was just lately seen mating with Ravenscourt, so hopefully there could quickly be some extra cubs working round.
Ravenscourt has been sustaining his dominance properly within the west and appears to have picked up a bit along with his patrols to the south, presumably in response to Thamba, who’s placing strain on him from the south. He nonetheless, nonetheless, spends most of his time alongside the river, the place the situations are most suited to him.
He has additionally been getting some strain from Euphorbia within the north, and we just lately had a sighting of the 2 of them mendacity about 30 metres aside, growling at one another. What was fascinating was that it was on the southern aspect of the river, i.e. extra in Ravenscourt’s territory than Euphorbia’s and that Euphorbia didn’t appear to be backing down, however was holding his personal.
As talked about earlier than, Thamba is rising in measurement and is increasing his territory. He’s undoubtedly changing into rather more assured and has made the south his personal. It has been actually good having a daily, relaxed and dominant male near Savanna, and we see and listen to him repeatedly.
Nyelethi remains to be the dominant male to the east of Ravenscourt, and that boundary appears to have been settled a while in the past. He’s, nonetheless, getting on at 12 years outdated, and will likely be coming an increasing number of beneath strain from youthful leopards. At this level, it isn’t clear the place that strain goes to return from, however for now he appears protected.
One risk is Hlambela, who’s the son of Boulders, and is now three years outdated. Nyelethi will most likely maintain on for one more yr or two, which can imply that Hlambela will likely be 4 or 5, which is concerning the time that he will likely be on the lookout for a territory of his personal.
One other younger male within the space is Scotia and Nyelethi’s son (pictured within the beneath sequence). At simply over two, he nonetheless has the ‘teenage’ gene in him and we just lately had the privilege of watching him stalk and pounce at a rodent subsequent to the highway. It’s all the time spectacular to see the persistence, opportunism and agility of those cats!
Cheetah and different Predators
A few of our different predators have additionally been busy of late. The male cheetah has been making his normal common rounds, coming by means of the clearings within the south like clockwork. It’s all the time superb how these cats are creatures of behavior and transfer predictably to their normal mounds and fallen bushes to scent-mark and use them as lookouts for prey.
Often he’s profitable at recognizing and catching his prey! Not too long ago, on a day drive, we discovered him on the sting of the clearing at Cheetah Flats with a big male impala kill. He will need to have made the kill late within the morning, as he had eaten a lot of the impala already once we discovered him within the afternoon. We seen him as he squeezed as a lot meals as attainable into his abdomen, for he knew that come early night, the hyenas could be out. And certain sufficient, he was chased off the carcass by a single hyena who proceeded to gorge himself on the stays.
Hyena are sometimes painted because the villains of the bush, all the time stealing scraps and benefitting from the work completed by others. They’ve a sloping again, with their head held low, skulking about and all the time appear as if they’re as much as no good! It isn’t usually that we see the extra sociable, playful aspect of hyena, however some visitors had the chance just lately to look at a big group of eight or 9 hyena vocalising and working in direction of a clearing. We initially thought that they have been responding to a attainable kill, however as they reached the clearing, they began chasing one another very playfully and speeding right into a small pan for a swim. They’re one of many few predators within the savannah that love water, and it was superb to look at this extra ‘likeable’ aspect of hyena.
Hippo’s
The opposite animals who take pleasure in water – and that is no shock – are the hippo. Due to nice rainfall throughout our final wet season, we nonetheless have loads of water out there to them. As we head into the center of our winter, we are also having common views of the massive pods popping out onto the perimeters of the dams and rivers to bake within the solar and have an excellent sleep!
Uncommon Sightings
We have now additionally had a variety of uncommon sightings these previous few months as properly. Dan and his visitors have been spoiled with an awesome view of a large-spotted feminine genet and her two kittens. These are often very shy and skittish, significantly so after they have younger. However on this event, they have been capable of watch and {photograph} them for almost quarter-hour!
A big male ostrich has additionally been hanging out within the clearing simply north of Savanna. Though the numbers have improved over the previous few years, sightings of them are nonetheless few and much between and we have been handled to some nice viewing of him.
African Skies
Africa is famend for its skies, and extra particularly the sunrises and sunsets. That is much more true throughout winter, when mud, smoke and mist make the early mornings and late afternoons much more spectacular. We depart you with a couple of of those breath-taking views, and hope that you’re all capable of journey prior to later, to take pleasure in them for yourselves in individual.
We hope that every one our buddies and visitors have been maintaining protected and wholesome, and that your vaccine rollouts are going properly, which in flip could allow you to all return to us quickly to witness, in individual, nature at its finest.
To atone for all of the updates throughout our lockdown, please take a look at our YouTube Channel right here.
With heat needs
Neil, Natasha and The Savanna Workforce
