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Frenzied Wild Dogs Fervently Devour an Impala Kill

The artful African wild dog is an accomplished predator that targets and takes down prey together with their pack. They hunt via a method called coursing, which involves marathon like running sessions in pursuit of quarry and don’t rely on tactics in their execution of prey. A wild dog’s mobile meal eventually slows down due to exhaustion from the chase, and this is when the cruel, but necessary, disemboweling begins. A brutal way to conduct a kill, but no one said the wild was a tame place!

A cacophony of loud high-pitched twittering and vocalisations always accompany a pack of wild dogs, but during a hunt they adopt the leopard method – one of silence and precision. When wild dogs become focused and quiet, and the trotting begins – you know what’s about to go down…

Rogan, together with experienced guides, came across a local pack of wild dogs enjoying a fresh meaty feast from a recent impala kill. As predicted, Rogan captured the action on camera and also took a few photos to document the sighting. It was a bit of a bloodied frenzy with plenty of crimson becoming matted in otherwise exquisitely patterned fur. The ripping apart of the hide and fervent need to devour the entire meal – from entrails to flesh – is quite apparent in the below video. Dogs will eat the entire carcass to ensure their bodies have plenty of protein and nutrients to sustain them until the next kill. Predators don’t know when they will eat again, and wild dogs are above stealing from predators. They’re not the thieving sort and don’t settle for sloppy seconds; hence the need to get their fair share of meat.

Although the rare wild dogs are endangered and cover a wide range, it’s not uncommon to see them this time of year. It’s actually their denning period – a sedentary period of time occurring annually between between May – Aug. It’s up to the rest of the pack to source food while the vulnerable pups are stashed safely in a secret den area.

There’s generally an overlap with the impala rutting season and the wild dog denning period. The rams are currently in abundance in the Klaserie and are highly-focused on fighting for females and territory. We’re not surprised at the choice of prey given that the impala make for easy targets for the wild dogs. Towards the end of the rutting season the rams will be tired, making it even easier to take down prey.

The end of the rut normally coincides with the birth of the pups – tired rams are easy pickings and guaranteed food to bring back for regurgitation for pups.

Shortly after the sighting of the dogs on a kill, the pack were seen again later on in the week. Hopefully we’ll continue to enjoy the wild dog sightings in the coming months!

The Week in Pictures : Kaleidoscope of Colours in the Bushveld

This “Week in Pictures” we’ve decided to source the images from the week that offer up a kaleidoscope of colours. The winter season is here and the ‘veld has taken a turn towards the brown colours and left the hues of greens behind. We thought we’d inject a bit of colour into your week and focus on delivering a series of bold images coupled with a few highlights from camps.

Xobega Island Camp and Tuskers Bush Camp

Photographer Em’s recent sojourn to the wild lands of Botswana saw her exploring the myriad of waterways of the Okavango Delta, and the arid Kalahari type scrub of the Kwatale Conservancy. These regions are home to two of our camps, (Xobega Island Camp and Tuskers Bush Camp) and offer contrasting scenes laden with wildlife. Sightings from the week produced the stock standard sightings synonymous with a safari in Botswana. Exceptional night skies coupled with high concentrations of elephants, hippos, crocs, wading birds and birds of prey made up the bulk of the weekly Botswana sightings.

Chacma Bush Camp in the Maseke Game Reserve

The Maseke have enjoyed prolific big cat sightings over the past few weeks and last week was no different. A couple of nights ago, the Archie Pride were spotted in the northern reaches of Chacma’s traverse. Yet again, the lion sightings proved to be the highlight of the week. The abundant elephant herds trampling through the Maseke also deserve a mention. Seems the herds are constantly on the move in search of water, which makes sense given that the winter season is upon us.

Africa on Foot and nThambo Tree Camp in the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve

Guides at the Klaserie Camps have enjoyed two prominent sightings that are worthy of mentioning. The first sighting was that of the African wild dogs feasting on an impala kill. The second sighting was brutal and certainly evoked plenty of emotion with guests on the game viewer. A very powerful male leopard took down a warthog – and guests witnessed the execution of the kill. the squealing cries for help were an assault on the senses, but in the end the leopard ended up with meaty meal. The circle of life in the wild is vicious!

Ezulwini Game Lodges in the Balule Nature Reserve

The team at Ezulwini always delight guests with their lion sightings. This past week was no different, with yet another sighting of the Machaton males and Kudyela lionesses keeping company. The bird life is incredible at the moment, and the lodge is enjoying sightings of anything from owls to sunbirds and even waders. Elephants continue to make-up the numbers when it comes to game viewing. The highlight of the week was spotting a huge herd of buffalo in close quarters to River Lodge. All in all, not a bad week of wildlife sightings in the Balule Nature Reserve.

Cute Leopard Cubs in the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve

Despite being aloof and independent cats, leopards actually make excellent mothers. These muscle-bound felines lead a notoriously solitary lifestyle where it’s “each man for himself”. Leopards aren’t pride orientated and are rarely seen keeping company with other leopards. We only see leopards together during periods of mating or when mothers are rearing their young. Just because they aren’t pride and community orientated, doesn’t mean the females make terrible mothers. Quite the opposite, in fact.

The Klaserie’s Ross Dam leopardess is a mother – and grandmother – to a number of leopards in the area. On Mother’s day she even enjoyed the same meal that leopards Nyaleti and Rhulani feasted upon. She’s clearly cut out for motherhood and her genetic lineage is a strong force within the nThambo Tree Camp and Africa on Foot traverse. She is also mother to the young Bundu leopard, another commonly spotted leopard on the Klaserie traverse. And the news? We’ve just spotted her together with two new cubs! Who doesn’t love a cute leopard cub?

It’s hard to tell who sired the new additions to her leopard family dwelling in the thickets of the Klaserie, but we do know that the cubs are very young and vulnerable. Our guides have been lucky enough to spot the cubs on a couple of occasions, with the most recent sighting being shortly after Ross Dam made an impala kill. She made the kill and abandoned it in a tree close to nThambo. In a neighbouring tree a young cub was spotted ! A pesky hyena was lurking below the kill – they are one of the biggest threats to newborn leopard cubs.

Africa on Foot guide, Chade, said it’s imperative that the Ross Dam female doesn’t feel pressure and that sightings of the cubs are strictly controlled. Ross Dam and her inquisitive cubs need to feel at ease in their environment, and she needs a safe space to nurture her family without constantly in a state of flux. As a result, the team hasn’t pushed for prime viewing positions and up close sightings. Chade, Elmar and JC managed to take a few photos when one of the cubs was first discovered. We trust you will enjoy these images of the latest edition to the Klaserie!

Leopard cubs will stay with their mother in a protected area/den site for a few months while she nurtures them. When born, the cubs are completely helpless and face a high mortality rate in the wild – just like lion cubs. It’s vital that the cubs are watched closely and kept out of harm’s way. Hyenas pose as a massive threat to a leopard’s young and so do other predators. Cubs are therefore stashed for safekeeping. It seems that Ross Dam is keeping her cubs up high in the safety of a tree. While she conducts her hunts (alone) she will bring the meal back for her cubs. Her young will stay close to her side for up to 10 months, after which they will accompany her on hunts to learn the skilful ways of the mature leopard.

We’re keeping a close eye on these fluffy youngsters!

Cheetah at Roam Private Game Reserve Conduct Their First Kill in the Karoo

We recently blogged about the resident cheetah coalition introduced to Roam Private Game Reserve in the Great Karoo. The major aim of the project is to re-introduce cheetah into the wild, and to grow the population from its current numbers, which sits at roughly 1300. The team at Roam have closely monitored the cheetah since their introduction into the Karoo to ensure they adapt to their environment. If you’d like to find out more about the cheetah relocation project for background information about this incredible initiative, the please read Roam Private Game Reserve’s cheetah relocation interview with Abigail and Donovan. In the meantime, we have an exciting update about the cheetah brothers. There has been a newsworthy development in terms of their adjustment in their new habitat. The cheetah effortlessly conducted their first kill! This is a major milestone in terms of a cheetah’s natural and wild behaviour.

Don says, “It was super exciting indeed! I cannot stress how important this kill was for these two. It certainly bodes well for the future of these two as pioneers for cheetah introduced into the immediate region.”

The unbreakable bond between these brothers-in-arms ensured an expertly crafted kill was conducted on Roam’s open landscape. What astounded the team was the sheer size of the cheetah’s choice of prey. Instead of targeting small prey, the bold cheetah brothers sets their sights on a large hartebeest. Not only is this ungulate large in size and stature, but it can also reach phenomenal speeds. A cheetah’s anatomy isn’t known for its strength, and they rely on their speed when it comes to taking down quarry. They don’t possess the bulk and muscle of their fellow felines, which means they avoid targeting of large prey for fear of reprisal. They simply cannot fight back. As you can imagine, it came as a surprise that a smaller springbok wasn’t targeted! Not these boys.

Cheetah are naturally diurnal hunters and utilise the cooler hours of the day (when light) to seek out prey. They aim to be within close proximity of prey so will slowly stroll towards their potential target. Once locked in, the cheetah will sprint and reach speeds of up to 100 km/h before pouncing and swiftly killing its quarry by piercing its jugular. The cats will attempt to devour their meal as quickly as possible to ensure scavengers and other opportunistic predators don’t steal their hard earned meal. Because of the effort expended during their hunt, they need to seek shade to relax and regain their composure.

We spoke to Donovan about the cheetah’s first kill. He sent through this information based on our questions about how the kill was conducted, whether he witnessed the entire kill or not, the location and the time of day it happened.

“Unfortunately we did not witness the actual chase or kill, we literally just missed it. When we arrived at the kill they were clearly still “recovering” from making the kill. I cannot confirm which of the two made the kill or how much of a role each played in making it. What I can say though, is that I have no doubt that both animals participated in bringing the hartebeest down.

Adult hartebeest bulls weigh in the region of 200 kilograms, which is a substantial sized animal for cheetah to be taking down and I would imagine they could only accomplish this as a team. The tracks we could make out indicated that the chase was extremely short, and that both cats struggled with the bull before it succumbed. It would seem the cats surprised the bull and that he was unaware of them until the very last second.

We located the cheetah at about 08h30 and I would guess that the kill had been made 10 to 30 minutes prior to us finding them. What is remarkable is that this kill was made less than 40 hours of them being released from the holding boma. The kill was made in an open area (most of Roam is and open area ) just below a stone ridge. We were actually tracking them using telemetry, when we suddenly lost the signal. The signal came back about 10 minutes later and it took us another 10 minutes to find their location. I am guessing that we lost the signal whilst the cheetah was trying to kill the hartebeest. This happened just below the rocky ridge and I assume the ridge is what caused us to loose the signal. This we can’t confirm, but rather speculate – it makes the most sense.

Whilst watching the two cheetah recovering from making the kill, one of them decided to drag the hartebeest into the shade of a nearby bush. This cheetah dragged the whole carcass on his own for a distance of approximately 30 meters. I have never seen a cheetah dragging anything near that heavy before, nor had any of the witnesses who work with cheetah in a breeding facility. Again, that is 200 kilograms!!!

The cheetah stayed on the kill for 3 days, and from about day two the carcass started attracting the attention of the resident jackal. So at one stage we were watching the cheetah and 4 jackal at the same sighting! So lots of excitement all round!

We’ll deliver a cheetah video of the kill in due course. The group that was with the Roam team happened to be the group from Ashia, which is a world-class cheetah sanctuary that aims to reduce the decline of the world’s cheetah population. The images were provided by co-founders of the project, Chantal Rischard and Stephan Illenberger.

Maseke Male Lion and Lamai Female Enjoy a Tryst in the ‘Veld

The Maseke Game Reserve has been the star of the show when it comes to lion sightings, and it’s about time we furnished you with a lion pride update. A while ago we introduced you to the burly Maseke 6 coalition and a small pride consisting of a lone female and 3 cubs. The Maseke boys appeared to be quite confident and dominant in their section of the reserve, and the lone female with her sons provided the team with a few fragmented sightings. Since our last update, things have evolved somewhat in terms of lion pride dynamics and identifying individual prides/coalitions on the territory they occupy. Two major shifts in terms of lion sightings have emerged. The first is the continuous sightings of one of the beastly Maseke boys mating with the lioness that has the sub-adult youngsters, and the second is of the newcomers comprising 5 young males and a dominant older female.

The Chacma guides are fixated on establishing the history and naming convention of the various prides within the Maseke Game Reserve. Figuring out the complex lion pride dynamics of the area is an ongoing discussion, and one that always involves input from neighbouring camps. Guides began referring to the 5 young males and a female as the Pannetjie Pride but soon established that they are the Archie Pride, a pride that appeared to have crossed over from Parsons.

The older lioness with the 3 growing sub-adults is referred to as the Lamai Pride. Soon these teenage lions will break away from their mother and seek out their own territories and prides to take over. We may well have yet another male coalition finding their way in the Maseke!

The artful Archie Pride are commonly spotted close to a fence line bordering a neighbouring reserve. With the heavy presence of the marauding Maseke Pride, it could cause problems in paradise. There could be trouble on the horizon with a possible clash in the not too distant future. In due time, we’ll introduce both of these coalitions/prides complete with a photo identikit so you can make comparisons. We spoke to Luan who said that both the Maseke coalition and the Archie Pride have been spotted quite far south, which means their paths are bound to cross at some stage.

Could we see a repeat of the notorious and dramatic situation that unfolded in the Sabi Sand between the mighty Mapogo and the equally powerful Majingilane? And what will happen when the Lamai sub-adults leave their natal pride? There are plenty of testosterone-filled males wandering about on the network of roads in the Maseke Game Reserve, so it’s pretty much a blank canvas of possibility at the moment – a painting which has yet to be decided upon.

The second major sighting, and the one that has stood out for the Chacma team, is the constant mating sessions between one of the Maseke males and the Lamai lioness. With the Lamai youngsters growing at a rapid rate, the older female is now ready to create a new pride with the dominant forces in the area. The youngsters were spotted fending for themselves while she found a secluded spot for yet another session with one of the Maseke males. Subsequent to this initial mating event, the powerful duo have been spotted on numerous occasions sneaking off into pockets of the bushveld for secret trysts. And just last night at Chacma Bush Camp, the entire Lamai Pride walked past camp.

To summarise, at the moment we are seeing the Maseke 5 (the numbers dropped from 6), 3 sub-adults with an older female (Lamai Pride), and a pride of 5 males with 1 female (Archie Pride). The Lamai lioness is mating with one of the Maseke males, which will strengthen her presence if she gives birth to cubs sired by these soldiers of the night.

The below images are of the Lamai lioness and one of the Maseke male lions.

Week in Pictures : The Abstract and the Amusing

There are many different ways to photograph the mundane. With the right light, a unique angle and an emotional look from wildlife, it is quite possible to turn a mundane scene into something spectacular. A frontal view of the commonly spotted impala or scatterbrained guinea fowl can be stagnant. But bathe them in golden light from the sunset or capture their detail against a stark background in a moment of movement, then the banal becomes beautiful. In today’s Week in Pictures we’ve tried to showcase the sightings from the week in an abstract or amusing way. We’ve targeted the unusual while simultaneously updating you about the week that was. We hope you enjoy this week’s selection of images.

Walkers Bush Villa in the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve

Walkers Bush Villa in the Timbavati Game Reserve is always brimming with sightings. We spoke to guide JD who sent through a few highlights from game drives, which are listed below.

The start of the week kicked off with sightings of the Sunset leopardess and an active hyena den.
Tuesday was epic – there were lion sightings – 2 males and females; and a hefty lone male close to Sunset Dam.
Tues afternoon there was a sighting of a big male leopard, hyena and the 4 lions. There was also a large elephant bull in musth.
Wednesday there were more lions and a close encounter with the Ross lionesses. And hyenas at the den were also spotted!
Thursday was an interesting day. Guests spent ages observing a huge herd of elephants at the waterhole; and were enthralled with a unique sighting of a family of 6 bush babies.

Africa on Foot and nThambo Tree Camp

There is plenty of excitement circulating among the guides at nThambo and Africa on Foot. Ross Dam the leopardess gave birth to two cubs recently, which have been spotted. Luckily Chade and Elmar captured a few images while the youngsters were out in the open. There is a concerted effort not to put pressure on the mother, and to avoid areas where the two cubs are safely stashed.

The team is waiting with baited breath for the cubs to reach an age where they aren’t so vulnerable, and have the confidence to emerge from their protected area. In other predator news, the Ross Pride lionesses were also spotted during the course of the week. Apart from the leopard cub excitement, life in the Klaserie continues to tick over with sightings of elephant, general game and plenty of birdlife.

Chacma Bush Camp

Chacma Bush Camp is winning the lion sighting lottery at the moment. One of the Maseke 6 male lions has been spotted mating with the Lamai female, which has injected a sense of elation into our guides. Abundant mating sessions with this loved-up lion couple means ample opportunities for cubs to be sired by the burly Maseke boys. Apart from the lion sightings, there have been a wealth of unique sightings springing up from the bushveld. Guides have spotted African wild cat, spotted bush snakes and even an African rock python. The usual plains game suspects have frequented the lodge, providing epic sightings from the comfort of the patio!

Ezulwini Game Lodges

This luxury lodge in the Balule Game Reserve quietly continues to enjoy a steady stream of predator sightings. The highlight of the week has been the bull elephants that approach the lodge – this is always an incredible moment for guests. Imagine standing on a raised wooden skywalk that meanders over the bushveld, and you look below, only to see an elephant happily browsing.

Trails of Botswana

Tuskers Bush Camp, Xobega Island Camp and RAW Botswana Motswiri Camp form part of the Trails of Botswana. And each week these remote areas enjoy exquisite sightings of wildlife in their natural habitat.

Week in Pics : Lions in the Limelight, Birds in the Daylight

The week before last we enjoyed a surfeit of leopard sightings at our camps and lodges. Last week the leopard sightings dissipated, and our powerful predatory lions stole the limelight. The bushveld is thinning out and the soft velvety greens are slowly giving way to crunchy khakis. Autumn is barging through and soon we’ll be in the full swing of winter, which is peak safari season. A tracker’s job is never easy, but the pressure lessens somewhat when the bushveld thins out – it becomes easier to spot wildlife. With the rapid changing of seasons the rains become scarce, which means wildlife seek out reliable water sources, which can be anything from waterholes to perennial rivers. From Kruger to the Karoo, today’s Week in Pictures encompasses all the magic of the safari lifestyle.

Chacma Bush Camp

In terms of lion sightings, Chacma certainly hasn’t been quiet. The lioness from the Lamai pride continues to mate with one of the Maseke 6, and was seen engaging with him on numerous occasions during the course of last week. When she sneaks off into a pocket of thickets for privacy, she tends to abandon her sub-adult and encourage them to fend for themselves. Another pride within the Maseke Game Reserve has been identified, and they go by the name of the “Archie Pride”. They seem to be a group of burgeoning young males set to carve their path in lion hall of fame. Elephant and plains game sightings have taken up the bulk of the sightings for the week.

nThambo Tree Camp and Africa on Foot

The Klaserie have enjoyed a spate of leopard sightings and decline in lion sightings. Last week the lions were spotted, which meant the leopard sightings took a back seat. The leopard and lion sightings are always see-sawing – one week it’s predominantly leopard sightings and the next lion sightings. During the course of last week the Hercules male lions were spotted devouring a wildebeest kill together with the females from the Hercules pride. In a separate sighting, the Ross Pride lionesses were also spotted. Africa on Foot also managed to witness a delightful spectacle of love ! This sundowner set-up was a special request, designed specifically for two honeymoon guests.

Walkers Bush Villa

Roam Private Game Reserve

Ezulwini Game Lodges

Ezulwini’s sightings are fairly consistent in terms of viewing big game. Guests recently enjoyed the presence of a massive herd of elephant filtering through to the confines of the lodge. An unknown pride of lions was spotted, and the team is working hard at identifying their origin and, perhaps, attempt to predict their next move. Birding is, as per usual, exceptional. And while life continues to thrive in the Balule Nature Reserve, the surreal surrounds continue to provide ample photographic opportunities.

Trails of Botswana : A Recap of the 2018 Botswana Mega Educational

Our annual Botswana Mega Educational is a tailor-made itinerary showcasing the best of Botswana. The journey weaves its way through many unexplored areas of the Okavango Delta, Chobe National Park, Moremi, Kwatale Conservancy, and the remote Selinda Spillway. This route we refer to as our Trails of Botswana circuit, and it encompasses a world of unique safari experiences in relatively unexplored areas. These are our pockets of paradise that offer a surplus of game viewing and unsurpassed views of wild landscapes. Our Mega Ed will ensure guests experience a range of activities from traditional mokoro trips, to bush walks and game drives. This year we ran two trips, with our resident photographer and videographer joining each of the trips.

Below is a bit of insight into the Sun Destinations 2018 Mega Educational to Botswana.

The Itinerary :

2 Nights : Tuskers Bush Camp
2 Nights : Xobega Island Camp
2 Nights : Motswiri
2 Nights : Ghoha Hills Savuti Lodge
1 Night : Nogatsaa Pans Lodge

The Breakdown :

Agents were taken to the remote and vast Kwatale Conservancy, which is an exclusive tract of land located between Nxai Pan National Park and the Moremi Game Reserve. The private 350, 000 hectare concession is laden with mixed acacia scrub and mopane woodland, and spills over into northern Botswana Kalahari landscapes. The varied traverse means that an array of wildlife is found in abundance. This area is home to Tuskers Bush Camp, a tented camp overlooking a bustling waterhole.

From here, agents were transferred via road to the magical Xobega Island Camp, a rustic camp located on its own island in the middle of the world-renown Okavango Delta. The “road trip” in itself is a game drive and meanders its way through the sandy roads of the predator-rich Moremi Game Reserve before stopping to board a motorboat set to transport its occupants through a water paradise to the final destination of Xobega.

From the depths of the waterlogged Delta, agents were then flown via charter flight to the geographical marvel of the Selinda Spillway. This is a region that dries up and then floods when there are shifts in weather patterns. Here agents stayed at the luxurious RAW Botswana, Motswiri Camp – a camp enviably located on the banks of the Selinda Spillway, and surrounded by the jewel-toned Okavango Delta waterways. This is the home of safari activities and mokoro trips!

Agents flew from Motswiri to the unique Savuti region where they were treated to a taste of the wild Chobe National Park, the land of giants. We’re talking high concentrations of elephants and amphitheatres of baobabs! A few days of boat cruises, game viewing, mokoro trips, languid sunny days, campfire chatter and dinners under the baobab seemed to be at the heart of the educational.

The Highlights :

We spoke to photographer Em Gatland, who joined the intrepid team on the second educational. Here were a few highlights from her side:

1. Our second night (Tuskers Bush Camp) was spent enjoying sundowners at an old salt pan, and a huge herd of relaxed elephants approached while drinks were being enjoyed.

2. After the sundowners with elephants, we enjoyed a surprise dinner under the famous baobab tree.

3. Xobega Island Camp was just magical. There were insane sunsets, and also awesome traditional dancing and singing where our agents were encouraged to get involved!

4. When we arrived at RAW Botswana, Motswiri the Selinda was marshy but not flowing. The last morning we woke up to find the Selinda in full flow right outside our tents.

5. At Ghoha Hills we landed and saw a lion just casually watching the planes land. At Nogatsaa we had a delightful picnic lunch, and then lunches with kilometres of zebra in the background, full moons at night and sundowners under baobabs.

6. Nogatsaa was unexpected luxury. The lodge sits on a waterhole and on the opposite side of the pan we saw lions and ample sightings of hippo!

We spoke to videographer Rogan Kerr, who joined the intrepid team on the first educational. Here were a few highlights from his side:

1. We’d just arrived at Motswiri, 30 minutes before we were due to head out on drive. One of the agents swore they saw something in the long spears of grass. We dismissed it, and then realised the agent was right! Right in front of camp we saw a pair of ears belonging to an African wild dog.

2. We got up close and personal with the lions of Motswiri, which was a cool sighting!

3. During the sundowners at the dam with Tuskers, everyone noticed that the dam appeared alive. There were so many ripples. It was actually thousands upon thousands of tadpoles!

4. Agents loved traditional singing and dancing experience at Motswiri – everyone got involved!

A Visual Walk-through of the Mega-Ed

The Week in Pictures : Kruger is Crazy with Leopards

This edition of Week in Pictures we concentrate solely on the wonders of the Greater Kruger, a region comprising mixed zones of vegetation and remarkable landscapes. Rivers course through the various reserves and give rise to riverine vegetation laden with reeds and lush tropical foliage. The savanna is laden with shrub mopane veld, thorn trees, marula veld and mixed woodland regions. The contrasting areas of vegetation and water sources means a variety of habitats for our wildlife to thrive. Today, we celebrate the images to have emerged from the biome of the Maseke Game Reserve, Timbavati Private Nature Reserve, Balule Nature Reserve, Klaserie Private Nature Reserve and the Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve. Leopard activity has been at an all time high, with consistent sightings filtering through from all of our Kruger Camps.

A few obvious highlights from the Kruger camps deserve mention. This week it mainly has to do with the increased presence of cats. The ‘veld is thinning out which means spotting wildlife has become somewhat easier. The winter season is slowly encroaching!

Ezulwini Game Lodges enjoyed a sighting of long standing legend, Chavaluthu the blue-eyed leopard and a myriad of other big cat sightings. The Klaserie and Timbavati camps continue to overwhelm us with their leopard sightings, and even Chacma Bush Camp have furnished us with plenty of reports and images of leopards.

Chacma is no stranger to lion sightings, so it was a welcome change to see a leopardess together with her youngster. Umkumbe enjoyed even more leopard sightings (it is the Sabi Sand after all) with a guest appearance from none other than the Dudley Riverbank male cub.

Walkers Bush Villa in the Timbavati Private Game Reserve

Ezulwini Game Lodges in the Balule Nature Reserve

Chacma Bush Camp

Umkumbe Safari Lodge in Sabi Sand

nThambo Tree Camp and Africa on Foot in the Klaserie

We Chat to Roam Private Game Reserve About the Resident Buffalo Herd

A couple of months ago, our media team spent time at Roam Private Game Reserve in the Great Karoo. Their brief was to document the cheetah release into the Roam traverse, and film the relocation of the already established buffalo herd. The buffalo were to be released into a free roaming area. It is the aim of the team at Roam Private Game Reserve to undertake a number of conservation and wildlife projects with experts.

Roam Private Game Reserve offers an eco-tourism experience in 5000 hectares of Malaria-free scrubveld in the vast Great Karoo, and ultimately the primary goal of the reserve is to re-introduce species into the area that once thrived and survived in the region many years ago. Roam is an incredible destination for guests wanting a luxury wilderness experience coupled with a conservation experience.

We chatted to Don de Swardt about the buffalo project and he furnished us with the much needed insight we’d hoped to find out.

Why is the Karoo biome ideal for buffalo?

This question is better answered by asking why is the buffalo ideal for the Karoo biome. Buffalo are widespread throughout Africa, and to be fair they often do better in wetter environments. However, for us to manage the Karoo in a holistic way we need a variety of animals that influence the vegetation in a unique way. Buffalo are bulk grazers and they particularly target the grassy patches along the river beds here on Roam. This helps us as managers of this reserve to have a natural but diverse impact on the vegetation.

What was the driving force behind the decision to release a herd into the wild at Roam?

Buffalo are part of the big five, they are charismatic and have an almost mythical reputation. It is always exciting to see buffalo on game drive and even more so when on foot. So the buffalo play a dual role here, they are there for the sheer excitement of seeing them on game drives and on game walks. But they also play a unique role in the ecosystem as a whole.

How long have you had the buffalo on your traverse?

Buffalo have a long history here, which predates the establishment of Roam as an eco-tourism reserve. They were here from before the time the Post family purchased the land where the reserve is now situated. Before the establishment of Roam as an eco-tourism reserve the land where Roam is now situated was used as a hunting concession. The buffalo herd was part of the animals that were hunted in this region.

Do you intend release more buffalo herds at Roam, or is the idea to have one herd breed?

The current herd is about the maximum the reserve can sustain at the moment. There will always be plans to expand the reserve as funds are available to do so. If the reserve grows we will be able to grow the herd accordingly.

Who was involved in this conservation project?

The buffalo were here from the beginning of the establishment of Roam as a reserve. So it was purely a Roam management decision to continue with buffalo on the reserve. However it is worth mentioning that the current herd was kept in a much smaller breeding camp. It was our decision to release the buffalo onto the reserve to allow them to be free roaming.

How long did the process take and what were the logistics involved?

As the buffalo were kept in small breeding camp, we had to first build an acclimatisation boma on the reserve. Once they were introduced into the new boma they were fed there for a month before releasing them onto the greater reserve. At the moment there is still a severe drought in the region, and as a result there is very little graze available for the buffalo. Historically the herd would have just moved to another area where the grazing was better but as this is not an option for them. As a result, we have continued to supplement their diet with hay in the boma. However the gate for the boma is open and the buffalo can come and go as they please.