September was another exciting and busy month at Savanna, which meant we all had plenty of time in the bush and we were able to observe some incredible changes that have taken place, as the lion and leopard dynamics have completely shifted once again. September is regarded as the last dry month, with its pale colours and lack of substantial rain. However, there is a splash of green here and there, and the slow stream of migratory birds are returning. We can almost sense the forthcoming dramatic rains and summer weather. We hold on to the last of the temperate weather before the temperatures skyrocket and we start to face a few wet drives in the following months.
Lions
September was certainly a turning-point in the lion dynamics. On the third day of the month, the Plains Camp males launched an ambitious attack right into the heart of the Birmingham coalition’s territory. Unluckily for the younger male, he was caught out alone and the two invading males chased him far and wide, so he disappeared for a week. On the same day, the older Birmingham male was also chased, but was found again soon after the skirmish. The Plains Camp males have asserted their clear authority in the west and the area definitely now belongs to them. The Birmingham males did venture back again once or twice but not for long, as the Plains Camp Males made their territorial patrols back west. We can only hope now for a smooth transition of dominance with the remaining adult females in the area, which will finally provide potential stability in the lion dynamics of the west.
One of the benefits of all the crazy lion drama is being able to observe lion behaviour at its most raw. We have witnessed some of the most interesting survival tactics, as well as the new territory take-over behaviour from the Plains Camp males. A pride that took survival to the extreme this month was the Ottawa Pride, as the last remaining female desperately tried to dodge not only the Birmingham males that had previously killed the two adults, but also now the Plains Camp males. At the beginning of September, the pride’s sub-adults were reduced to four, with one remaining male cub, and unfortunately the pride ended September with only three female cubs. The small pride has to be as opportunistic as it can and for the most part of September the female has again proved her hunting prowess. She pulled down two kudu bulls on different occasions and provided many other valuable kills for the desperate pride. Early in the month, when the fourth cub was still alive, we were treated to an incredible sighting. All five lions burst into an otherwise idyllic sighting of Hlambela and his hoisted carcass high up the branches of a magnificent Jackalberry tree.
It may be because of the lack of rain that we are not seeing the large herds of buffalo move across the savanna, but we do not forget our old buffalo bulls that stay so stoically in the rivers. As they stare us down in their seemingly stern looks, they slowly chew their cud and keep an eye out for any approaching danger.
The Tumbela male has actually done very well this month, even bringing down a bull buffalo on his own! He spent most of the month on his own, except for a brief period when he was seen with the diminishing Ottawa pride. The male is intelligently keeping a very low profile in an effort to remain unnoticed by the Plains Camp males. It seems to be working and we are still getting some great sightings of this beautiful male.
The Mhangene pride has also been heavily affected by the two new coalitions of the last few months. The major consequence was fewer western visits as they tried to avoid the chaos around the western sector, especially in August and early September. The pride also chose to move great distances in short amounts of time to try and get away from any of the marauding males. It seemed as if all four females and the cub would remain together until one morning, when a vast number of tracks revealed the drama of the night before. The pride seemed to have had an altercation with the Plains Camp males and members of the pride were scattered in different directions. One of the older adults took the cub with her. Over the next week, we had various sighting of different make-ups, and one morning all four adults were found together without the remaining cub. Reports came in from our eastern neighbour that she had been found alone, but far away. That afternoon, when we came back to the sighting, a fifth adult female had rejoined the pride, the pregnant female that had been with the young Tsalala female for the last few months. That night, the pride caught an impala together and truly showcased the incredible teamwork between the five females. We are hoping that the pregnant female and another female who has also mated with the Plains Camp males will provide an easier transition for the pride to accept them as their pride males.
The Ximungwe pride are doing well, but not often seen. The two females are spending most of their time around the Sand River, as well as north of the river as well. The Ximungwe pride might become our most reliable lioness sightings in the coming months and our hope is that they start interacting and then hopefully mating with the Plains Camp males, providing stability under the rule of the Plains Camp males.
Leopards
Ravenscourt is still the most dominant male leopard in the west. Although he is getting huge pressure in the north and south, he is still our most viewed leopard as he crosses his vast territory in his characteristically long and expansive patrols. He can be tricky to track because of the incredible distance he can cover in a comparatively short time. He is still the favourite of many guests and guides alike, being such a reliable male leopard to view and observe.
One of the more heated sightings this month again involved his northern competitor, the Euphorbia male, who is the most constant source of pressure on Ravenscourt’s territory and bold enough to try and challenge the now veteran leopard. The two males were seen together growling and running parallel to each other at the height of the observed aggression. No one saw any physical fights, but that is rare to see, as both animals know that an injury in the wilds of the Sabi Sands could mean death.
The sighting of the two growling males escalated once when one of our guides noticed alarm calls of impala in the distance and then tree squirrels a bit closer. He drove further up and around a bush, only to see that another male had arrived on the scene – the young Kangela male. At only three this year, he was visibly out of place as he spotted the two huge males up ahead and made for a quick and quiet retreat, luckily before he was detected.
Thamba has been a very obvious presence this month. He has done very well in scraping back at Ravenscourt’s former reclaimed territory and now patrols almost as much and as far as the old legend. Since Nyeleti’s disappearance, it seems as if Thamba has moved to claim his own portion of Sand River territory which hugs Ravenscourt’s most eastern territorial boundary.
There is not much contest from Ravenscourt, but he did get somewhat surprised by a newcomer this month in the form of a skinny young male. We enquired at the game reserves around us and it seems that the young male is known as the Eyrefield male. The young male, six years old like Thamba, had been facing a lot of pressure from his former area’s more dominant male and retreated far west.
One morning, someone spotted a hoisted carcass deep inside the bush, and on closer inspection, the young Eyrefield male had secured himself a very important and valuable meal. The young male had hoisted the impala right in the middle of Thamba’s habitual patrol route and it was only a matter of time before the male returned to the area. We were lucky enough to witness the first meeting between these leopards of similar age, but very different build. The air was thick with anticipation. As Thamba approached the scent of the meal, we all thought that the Eyrefield male would make for the hills and run away, but in a surprising turn of events, the male charged Thamba in full confidence and there was a stand-off of highly aggressive growling and posturing. Eventually, the Eyrefield male could only watch as Thamba took ownership of his hard-earned meal. The incredible interaction has been captured on video on our YouTube channel here as part of our Safari Diary Series.
We usually see more of the males than the female leopards, but recently we had some great viewing of Tlangisa’s adult twins. Both Basile’s and Khokovela’s cubs are still doing well and continue to grow at each sighting. Their mothers are great at keeping them safe, which is not always very conducive to good game viewing, however. Basile keeps her young cub in deep drainage lines or gullies, under huge granite boulders or in the dense undergrowth of the Sand River. When both Basile and her cub were in a seriously playful mood, we watched as they took turns comically climbing up the river bush-willows and then pouncing down on each other, only to run off at great speed.
Khokovela’s cub will be one in November and faces much more serious lessons than the playful antics of its cousin. The cub will start having to learn how to hunt soon and will either be shown by its mother or even start hunting small rodents and birds to really develop those hunting instincts. There will be many hurdles to overcome if the young leopard manages to become an adult and etches out its own territory and life in the densest leopard population in Africa.
Boulders has been scarce as she too, is brilliant at keeping her cub hidden and avoiding detection. Her cub, however, is doing very well as far as we can tell and Boulders keeps it well fed and healthy. We recently found her returning to the cub, but while we were following her, watched her successfully catch a scrub hare and carry it back to the cub. Unfortunately she stuck the kill in an area we were unable to see her or the cub feeding on the kill.
Cheetah
The other predators have been doing very well this month, with superb sightings of both the semi-resident male cheetah and two different packs of wild dogs. The male cheetah is both reliable and predictable, but also sporadic and confusing. He changes direction almost on a whim and when one thinks he is moving towards a clearing, he will turn around and traverse through vegetation thought to be too thick for even that of a leopard. However, the cheetah is an incredible addition to any stay at Savanna and we savour every sighting that we are lucky enough to have of the super rare and seldom seen predator.
Wild Dogs
The dogs have a much more obvious approach to their movements. We’ve seen two very different packs this month, the less regular being the pack of eight that make their usual 3–5-day patrol across the western sector every few weeks. This pack seems to have established an alpha female again and the pack are set for a successful breeding season next year after the unfortunate end to their litter earlier this year and the alpha female in August.
We have also been seeing more regular sightings of a pack of three adult males who have been traversing the western sector. They have probably broken off from a large pack somewhere else and are now trying to find a new pack or hopefully form their own with other free-ranging females. There are even reports of a pack of over forty, so it’s no surprise that some pack members start breaking off when there are that many mouths to feed.
Elephants
The general game too has been doing well and always adds to the magic of any game drive. One of my all-time favourite sightings is to simply watch and observe elephants in water, witnessing pure joy as they completely submerge or spray a vast amount over themselves and herd members. The big bull elephants like the locally famous Karula male always make guides and guests gasp in awe at just how big an animal can get, dwarfing the vehicles they walk past. Few baby animals are also as cute as the elephant babies.
Buffalo
It may be because of the lack of rain that we are not seeing the large herds of buffalo move across the savanna, but we do not forget our old buffalo bulls that stay so stoically in the rivers. As they stare us down in their seemingly stern looks, they slowly chew their cud and keep an eye out for any approaching danger.
Other Sightings
Although the rains have not arrived yet, signs of summer approaching are definitely around. Birds are starting to breed with a few, such as the crowned lapwing, are already sitting on a clutch of eggs, and the pair of saddle-billed storks spending a lot of time together along the river. Plants all around are bursting into flower, while many of the hibernating animals, such as frogs, are starting to wake from their winter sleep.
We do hope that this summer, many of you will be able to return to Savanna, to experience the magic of life in Africa.
With warm wishes
Neil, Natasha and The Savanna Team
Neil, Natasha and The Savanna Team
