Arathusa Safari Lodge blog

Armand (ranger) and Roy (tracker) with the Majinilane male and Styx lioness by Ryan Johnston

Monday

We went looking for lions again this morning, and found the young Styx female still mating with the Majingilane male. There was no sign of other two brothers however. We also found two of our older leopards, Mafufenyane and Safari, together in some very thick bush in a gulley behind a dam wall.

The afternoon started off with us finding four old buffalo bulls at a small watering hole, after which we ran into a herd of elephants. Safari was feeding on a recently killed impala in a gully, and on the way back we spotted the young Styx lioness and Majingilane male. Both were sleeping peacefully, no doubt exhausted from all their cavorting. And finally we saw four rhinos shortly before arriving back at the lodge.

Tuesday

It was decidedly chilly when we set out this morning, and clearly the game thought so too because they were nowhere to be seen. We headed over to where Safari had her kill stashed over the last couple of days, and found the female sleeping off the heavy meal in the sun. It was nice to see that she hadn’t lost her kill to another leopard again. We also enjoyed a brief sighting of Ntima, and with her clearly visible suckle marks we’re all hopeful that her cubs are thriving.

We kicked the afternoon drive off with a big herd of around fifty elephants close to the lodge, and watched them for a while before moving on to see who else was out and about. We decided to drive to the far east sector of the property, where we found Thandi dragging an impala across the road. She fed for a bit and then sent out some low calls to her cub. The little guy is shy and not seen that often, and unfortunately on this occasion it didn’t make an appearance either. We spotted both Ntima and Safari this afternoon as well.

Wednesday

Mafufenyane was out enjoying a leisurely morning stroll down one of the main roads when we found him this morning. We stayed with him for quite some time, as the perfect light afforded some wonderful photo opportunities. He eventually cut off into some dense undergrowth, but not before our snap happy guests had captured a number of good shots of this beautiful leopard. We found one of the Majingilane male lions looking incredibly fat as he slept off his enormous belly at one of the pans. Ntima looked keen to stalk some impala, but gave up when the herd caught sight of her and began alarm calling with intent. And finally, we were greeted by a lovely herd of elephants at the waterhole when we arrived back for breakfast.

Ntima was exploring a nice open drainage line when we came across her this afternoon. We watched as she drank from one of the small pools and then settled down in the riverbed to groom herself. After sunset we ran into one of the other Majingilane males just as he was rousing himself from his afternoon siesta. He headed in the direction of his brother, and when the pair joined up they roared (right next to the vehicle!) and received an answer from one of their siblings some distance away.

Thursday

Within minutes of setting out this morning we found Jordaan very close to the lodge. The male leopard was being evasive however, and quickly disappeared again. After that we spent a fair amount of time tracking, and eventually finding, an adult rhino bull. Safari was still in the area of her impala kill, and when we eventually located the young Styx lioness and Majingilane male in some thick bush, the pair was still mating. Having already been at it for a few days by then, their time together was close to over.

The afternoon drive started off quietly, but our persistence paid off and we eventually found a male and young female rhino grazing peacefully together. We also came across two old buffalo bulls just before sunset. After dark we found the young Styx lioness and the Majingilane male again. They were still mating, but growing increasingly more irritated and aggressive towards one another. After one session in particular she lashed out at him angrily, which resulted in some vicious clawing and biting. This caused the male to roar loudly, lest anyone in the immediate vicinity had not yet grasped how cross he was.

Friday

After a frustrating start, with tracks leading off in all different directions, we eventually managed to find three of the Tsalala lionesses. This was a little worrying as we’d heard that there’d been a fight between them and another pride in the far north east of our property, close to the Kruger National Park border. Hopefully the missing two females are okay and find their way back to their three pride mates.

It was a great afternoon for leopards, as we came across three of these often elusive cats. Safari was walking along and scent marking what is left of her territory. We also saw Karula with a duiker that she’d killed. She went to fetch her cubs but unfortunately we weren’t lucky enough to see the youngsters. We found Emsagwen vigilantly patrolling our airstrip, and the large male was salivating heavily and territorial calling. A sure sign that there was another leopard in the area, although we never actually got to see the apparent intruder. We were treated to a fantastic sighting of the young Styx male lion trying to catch a young hyena cub, but the wily little guy made it into the den before the large cat could catch to him. A lucky escape indeed. The three Tsalala lionesses were still in the same spot where we left them in the morning morning. From the look of things they were definitely sleeping off a hard night’s fighting. We ended the afternoon drive by finding a big herd of buffalo drinking at the waterhole in front of the lodge. A great way to finish to a magnificent day.

Saturday

This morning we picked up fresh tracks of the three Tsalala lionesses on our open area. On following up we found the trio close to the lodge. We stayed with them for some time, watching as they chased a group of giraffes one way, missing them, and then chasing them back again in the other direction. We also saw four young male lions that look to be in the region of four or five years old. They could well have been the same boys from a week ago, but it’s still too early to ID them with any certainty. There has been some speculation that they are part of the Matimbas coalition of males from the Manyeleti Game Reserve. A huge herd of around 60 elephants finished off yet another fantastic morning.

With five different individuals being spotted, the afternoon definitely belonged to the leopards. Kwatile was the first to be found, and we spent a bit of time with the young female before she moved off into some Monkey-orange thickets where we couldn’t follow. We went to check up on Mvula who had a waterbuck kill close to one of the other camps, and found him sleeping in the thick reeds. Visibility wasn’t great so we hung around on the off chance that he’d get up, and while we were sitting there Thandi arrived. She paid little attention to the male, and instead headed straight into the tree and started feeding on the kill. He didn’t seem to care at all, and just carried on sleeping. Once Thandi had eaten her fill she came down and headed off again. We came across Safari and watched as the old girl stalked and missed a herd of impala. The final cherry on the top was finding Mafufenyane drinking at one of the open areas. When we eventually left the old dominant male he was resting at the pan itself.

Sunday

Styx male lion on giraffe kill by Ryan Johnston

We had a brief sighting of a nervous and unknown young leopard this morning. After leaving him we found a small herd of elephants just before sunrise. We were extremely excited when we found tracks of a single black rhino. After following all the tracks for a short while we suddenly got a glimpse of this rare herbivore as it ran away through thick bush. We managed to find it again however, and this time it ran across the road right in front of us before disappearing a second time.

This is the first sighting of a black rhino in the area for almost five years!

Black rhino by Kevin Samuels (guest)

From there we went in search of the young Styx male lion who had just killed a giraffe. One of the Majingilane males showed up and a small battle ensued. Incredibly they stopped fighting after a while and both began feeding while still growling at one another. It seemed the Majingilane was more interested in the food than having a serious one-on-one battle with the young male. Suddenly the Styx youngster looked up and took off like a shot. A second Majingilane male showed up and the two of them proceeded to chase the young male off, roaring aggressively as they went. The Styx male was lucky enough to escape however, and eventually the two Majingilanes brothers gave up the chase and returned to the carcass. An absolutely unforgettable morning!

Karula's cub by Ryan Johnston

The afternoon started off with a herd of elephants drinking at our dam. We then went back to see the lions again, but they’d gorged themselves to such an extent that they barely lifted their heads to acknowledge our arrival. The third Majingilane male still hadn’t joined his siblings at the carcass. Lastly we saw one of Karula’s cubs playing happily all by itself, with no sign of either Mom or sibling anywhere.

And that brings to an end yet another spectacular week! Visit our Facebook and Flikr albums to see more photos from our game drives.

Until next time,

The Arathusa Team

Monday

So begins another magical week in the bush, and what a way to get it started. We had lioness tracks in the area, and after tracking them for a short while we managed to find five lionesses from the Tsalala pride. They had just killed a young kudu and we watched in awe as the females fought furiously over the carcass. Eventually each one successfully secured a share of the spoils and settled down to feed. After that we enjoyed one incredible leopard sighting, with a grand total of five of these elusive cats in one spot. First we found Karula with her two cubs on a freshly killed male impala, and then Nduna (her son with Jordaan from a previous litter) showed up. Jordaan followed shortly thereafter and quickly made off with the kill. This didn’t stop the others from following the dominant male however, which is something we don’t often see. Especially given how relaxed the big guy was about having an entourage. Eventually all five were resting together at the base of a termite mound. What an absolutely incredible sight to behold! After a while Karula decided she’d had enough of her older son, and headed off her youngsters in tow. Nduna then followed Jordaan as he dragged what was left of the carcass down into a drainage line. On our way back to the lodge we bumped into a herd of elephants and spent a bit of time with them.

Sometime after we’d left them in the morning the Tsalala lionesses had moved to a waterhole, and spent the entire afternoon sleeping off their large meal. A large herd of elephants and an even larger herd of about 200 buffalo filled up the rest of our afternoon. At the end of our drive we bumped into a large, unknown male leopard just outside the lodge. We stayed with him for a while, but with supper beckoning we left him scent marking the area and headed home.

Tuesday

This morning we came across a really big elephant bull in full musth. He proved very entertaining as he tried his level best to intimidate us by opening his ears and shaking his head. Eventually we decided to leave “grumpy britches” to himself and went in search of more amiable game instead. We found Mafufunyane enjoying the morning sun in a dry riverine thicket, and ended our morning drive with a group of 12 old buffalo bulls grazing quietly and just minding their own business.

This afternoon we had to do a fair amount of tracking before finding BB and the young Tsalala lionesses again. All five were sound asleep, and as amazing as it is to view these predators up close, watching them sleep isn’t really all that exciting. After leaving them we found a group of six rhinos munching grass in one of the open areas. After dark we ran into Jordaan, and watched him briefly before rushing back to see if BB and her crew had roused themselves from their slumber yet. As luck would have it, not only were they wide awake, but actively stalking impala. We immediately switched our lights off and waited patiently. The sound of animals rushing through the bushes followed by impalas alarm calling in distress meant that something was definitely afoot. We edged closer and discovered that the adroit cats had killed not one, but three impalas between them! We watched them greedily devouring their booty before returning to the lodge for a well-deserved meal of our own.

Wednesday

We started off by looking for the Tsalala lionesses but found no sign of them of them anywhere. We did however see a male and female rhino as well as three elephant bulls. Mafufunyane entertained us by ambling down the road and then rolling in the grass. Whether that was for scent marking purposes or just because he felt like it we don’t know, either way he clearly enjoyed himself. We also saw Ntima and she has very distinct suckle marks. Hopefully it won’t be long before she introduces us to her brood.

This afternoon we found BB and the four young Tsalala female lions asleep at a waterhole close to where they’d killed the impalas last night. We had a great sighting of a smallish herd elephants feeding with their youngsters, and just before sunset we came across six rhinos on the southern boundary. We were on our way back to the lodge after dark when we came across Mafufunyane patrolling his territory. Yet another fantastic day in the African bush.

Thursday

This morning we had a lovely surprise when we found three young male lions that we’d never seen before. They seemed to be in the region of four and a half or five years old. We didn’t stay with them for very long though, as it was difficult following them through the thick bush. Less than a kilometer south of these guys we bumped into the two young Nkohuma male lions, and both are looking particularly healthy at the moment. We spent the last hour of drive with a large herd of elephants feeding in and around a drainage line. There were some very curious youngsters among them, and a couple of the bolder ones came fairly close to the vehicle, reaching out, and smelling us from a safe distance. The day was heating up quite quickly by then, so we decided to head back to the lodge for a little R&R on the deck

We were just about to leave on our afternoon drive when a large herd of elephants arrived at the waterhole in front of the lodge, so we headed straight there to watch them drinking. Next we headed off to find the three unknown male lions we’d seen in the morning, and were lucky enough to discover them lying out on an open area, enjoying the late afternoon sun. The trio didn’t move a muscle while we were there, which made it impossible to get any decent ID pictures of them. Karula was also out and about, so we spent a bit of time watching as she stalked anything that moved. We eventually lost her hunting Francolins in some dense vegetation where we couldn’t follow. After dark we came across the Tsalala lionesses again. The five looked keen for the hunt, but they weren’t nearly as successful as they’d been the other night.

Friday

The Ostrich Koppies female leopard wandered up from MalaMala to pay us a brief visit, but we had a tough time keeping up with her as she moved through the thick bush. This female is always very mobile, and invariably favours the denser bush. We also watched a large herd of 30 elephants feeding.

This afternoon we found another herd of elephants, and from there headed east to spend time with an impressive group of 300 noisy, feeding buffalos.

Saturday

The morning got off to yet another cold start, but the sightings we enjoyed soon got the blood pumping and warmed us up quite quickly. We ran into a small herd of elephants to the east of the lodge and watched them feed for a while before they disappeared into the mist covered bush. It definitely offers one a different perspective to see these gentle giants moving so quietly through the bush when it’s thick with fog. It just feels different somehow. While sitting with the elephants our eagle eyed tracker noticed some male lion tracks. On following up we discovered the young male lion from the Styx pride, who appeared to be in pretty good shape overall. We also found Ntima, but still no sign of her new cubs. Mafufunyane was on a small kill that he’d stolen from Thandi, the female leopard with the skittish young cub.

In the afternoon our first port of call on leaving the lodge was to relocate the young Styx male. But we kept getting distracted by all sorts of interesting general game, as well as by some of the bigger animals. First we found a big herd of about 40 elephants to the north eastern side of the lodge. Mvula was hot on the trail of another leopard, and the big male seemed pretty determined to find the trespasser. Upon leaving Mvula we finally got ourselves back on track and headed off to locate the young lion from the Styx pride. When we found him he was lying out in the open contact calling. A short while later he was joined by a big rhino bull. Not a bad way to end off a chilly evening.

Sunday

We all woke up to the sound of lions roaring this morning, which made a welcome change from the usual unceremonious chirping of our alarm clocks. After a quick cup of coffee we rushed off to find the source of the noise. It didn’t take long to locate the two Majingilane males, as they were calling loudly to make their presence known. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to listen to the lions roaring right next to the vehicle. After finally leaving the lions we found a herd of old buffalo bulls close by, and they were looking none too happy about having the three large cats just down the road. On our way back to the lodge for breakfast we bumped into a large herd of elephants. The perfect end to an exhilarating drive.

This afternoon we found one of our rhino bulls just as he was approaching his favorite rubbing post. We watched as he enjoyed a good scratch, before turning his attention to sharpening his horn against the smooth piece of wood. Shadow was stalking some impala, but just as she got within striking distance a tree squirrel alerted the herd to the impending danger, sending them scattering in all different directions. Fortunately for the panicking buck, none of them ran in the female leopard’s direction. A large herd of elephants reached a waterhole just as the sun began disappearing behind the horizon, so we sat for a while in the fading light and watched them drink. On returning to the lions, we found that the two males from the morning had been joined by a third brother, as well as the young Styx lioness. The Majingilane male we refer to as “Smudge” had claimed the female for himself, and the pair was off to the side mating. The remaining brother then started roaring from the south, which in turn spurred the four lions around our vehicles to pelt out a cacophony of their own. A truly awesome experience and the perfect way to cap off a magnificent day in the bush.

And that brings to an end yet another spectacular week! Visit our Facebook and Flikr albums to see more photos from our game drives.

Until next time,

The Arathusa Team

Male lion from Othawa pride by Ryan Johnston

Monday

So yet another week gets going out here in the bush, and we couldn’t have asked for a better winter’s morning to kick it off with. After watching a breathtaking sunrise, we bumped into an impressive breeding herd of elephants. While watching the elephants go about their morning, we heard lions calling in the distance and headed off to find them. We didn’t see any large males, although we did manage to track down the young Styx male. He was all by himself and clearly not very happy about the fact, as he spent the entire time we were with him contact calling in a bid to locate his grandmother and sister. From there we went to check on Thandi to see how she was doing with the bushbuck she’d killed the night before. We arrived to find that she’d moved the kill to another tree, and then fetched her young male cub to join her for brunch. He hasn’t had much exposure to the vehicles, and so isn’t that relaxed around them. We waited patiently however, and he eventually came out of hiding and joined his mother in the tree. Showing a great deal of interest in the vehicle en route. This experience was wonderful for him and us, as we got a chance to view a leopard cub up close and he in turn was able to see that we weren’t a threat to him.

The afternoon started off with a great sighting of some elephants. We watched as the large herd fed their way through a round-leaved Teak thicket, leaving a path of destruction in their wake. A young rhino bull and cow grazing peacefully next to one of the main roads provided a wonderful opportunity for guests to view these great grey beasts up close. We didn’t visit Thandi again as our policy is to not use spotlights around cubs younger than eight months. We were lucky enough to bump into Mvula – the little guy’s father – and spent a bit of time with him before he disappeared into some thick bush where we couldn’t follow.

Tuesday

Safari - female leopard by Ryan Johnston

Morning drive was nothing short of amazing. Shortly after heading out we found Shadow close to the lodge, and followed the female leopard for a long time as she moved with intent through the bush. We heard another leopard calling in the area, which might have accounted for her purposeful gait. A short while later we found a possible culprit in the form of Kwatile. The young female leopard was heading south away from where Shadow was. Next we found a group of six rhinos, and then headed east where we came across a large herd of buffalo drinking at a dam. Shortly after leaving them we saw the young Styx male again. He was most probably following the buffalo to see if there were any young or injured ones for him to hunt. His endeavours proved unsuccessful however, and when we left him he’d gone to rest on a termite mound to rethink his strategy. We were on our way back to the lodge when we heard a series of loud squeals. On following up we found Mafufenyane with a freshly killed warthog. No sooner had he tucked into his meal when Safari arrived to see what was going on. The resulting commotion hadn’t eluded the ever alert hyenas either, and pretty soon they pitched up to see if there was anything on offer. Safari immediately scaled the first tree, while Mafufenyane delayed his exit strategy long enough to grab his kill, before racing up another. Things hotted up considerably when the three Styx females arrived with one of the Majingilane males, scaring the would-be hijackers off in the process. Much to our amazement the young Styx female climbed the tree and began arguing with Mafufenyane. He hit her on the head a couple of times, but the brazen lioness still managed to snatch the warthog and beat a clumsy retreat back to terra firma. Her chutzpah was for naught unfortunately, because the Majingilane male rushed in and took possession of the kill. Knowing full well that they’d be wasting their time by hanging around, the lionesses then left the area. We stayed and watched the dominant male enjoy his free meal, while Mafufenyane and Safari sat in their respective trees looking very frustrated and sorry for themselves.

This afternoon we went back to the area and found Mafufenyane resting not too far from where he’d been robbed. We also found the three Styx lionesses sleeping about a kilometer further along. The Majingilane male was nowhere to be seen, but heading back to the lodge just after dark we did see Safari just ambling about. It seems everyone involved in this morning’s palaver was left unscathed. The Majingilane male was more than likely safely ensconced in a thicket somewhere, enjoying what remained of the warthog. No doubt he was also the only animal to benefit from the action.

Wednesday

Male lion from Othawa pride by Ryan Johnston

This morning we found a male rhino sleeping on the road alongside a young female. We also spotted the Majingilane male that had stolen the warthog asleep close to the southern boundary. In the west we came across a group of lions that we don’t normally see. We later found out that the three females, two young males and year old cub were from the Othawa pride, and had come north from the south-western sector.

In the afternoon we found a small herd of elephants feeding next to the road, and then just before our sundowner stop we were lucky enough to see a rhino cow with a small calf. After enjoying a leisurely drink we continued on our way, and found two of the Majingilane brothers snoozing. When they eventually woke up we followed them through the bush to two lionesses with four cubs. These females usually stay on the Kruger National Park boundary, and their youngsters are roughly eight months old. We’re almost certain that these cubs are the first to be fathered by the dominant Majingilane coalition since they took control of the area about a year ago.

Thursday

We spent the first hour of our drive tracking a female leopard, but gave up when we received a call that there was a male cheetah close to the Kruger National Park boundary. He turned out to be one of the four males we often see together. Unfortunately his front left leg was quite badly injured, which was a little worrying to see. He didn’t look malnourished or obviously sick, but the leg itself didn’t look good and he was careful not to put any pressure on it when he walked. From there we headed in the direction of a herd of buffalo we could hear in the distance. We arrived at one of our smaller waterholes at the same time as the herd, and watched as they came down to drink. On leaving the wallowing bovines we went to follow up on Karula and her two cubs. The young family had just joined up again, and it was really heartwarming to see how happy the little ones were that Mom was back. They’d obviously been napping while she was gone, and proceeded to bound all over her with seemingly endless energy.

The afternoon kicked off with a herd of elephants and a rhino bull right by the lodge. We also managed to find the large herd of about 200 buffalo drinking at one of the pans again. The male cheetah was still in the same place, so we went to see how he was doing. Whilst we were there he got up and moved about a bit, and it was good to note that he put a bit of weight on the foot when he walked. After enjoying sundowers and a magical sunset, we headed to where we’d found the Kruger National Park lionesses and their four cubs this morning. They were all sleeping when we arrived, but then something blipped on the lionesses’ radar and they were immediately up and alert. A quick look around revealed the young Styx male. At first the lionesses just eyed him from a distance, but as soon as one of the cubs moved towards him, the protective females went after him. They chased him for some distance, roaring as they went. The cubs didn’t have a clue what was going on, and like us, just sat and watched in amazement.

Friday

It was very cold when we set out this morning, so it took a while for things to get going. But even once they did, most of the animals didn’t look very enamoured with the chilly weather. One of our large rhino bulls was up first and had secured himself a nice sandy patch in the sun, where he settled down to soak up as much warmth as possible. Next we found Mafufenyane dozing in the warm light on top of a termite mound. Three elephant bulls were feeding around the base of a Torchwood tree that’s in fruit at the moment. It was interesting to watch the bulls take turns to shake the tree and loosen the fruits for one another.

The afternoon belonged mainly to the leopards. We started off by finding Karula’s two cubs. She had left them to go hunting, and the inquisitive pair had decided it was time to explore. The first big animal they came across was an elephant bull, but he moved steadily away from them. Next were two buffalo bulls, but they weren’t very exciting and so the adventurous youngsters quickly lost interest. Their last find also turned out to be their most dangerous. Two hyenas appeared on the scene, but fortunately the cubs immediately took evasive action. One scrambled up a fallen over tree, while the other one shot up a termite mound. The hyenas eventually moved off after deciding there was nothing to steal from the little guys. We decided to move on as well, so that the cubs could recover from the scary ordeal without an audience. After dark we relocated Mafufenyane, and from the look of things he was keen on hunting. He eventually found two scrub hares, but had no luck catching either as they were way too alert for the old male.

Saturday

This morning we enjoyed two separate sightings of large breeding herds of elephants with youngsters. We were also fortunate enough to find the lone cheetah male with the injured leg again. He was resting when we arrived, but when he got up we noticed that his limp had improved somewhat. On our way back to the lodge we saw Jordaan with a piece of meat that he’d just stolen from a young male leopard. But as is usually the case with this leopard, he continuously moved away from the vehicles.

In the afternoon we found the male cheetah again and it looked like his limp was improving nicely. He was even trying to stalk a group of impala, although he gave up when they noticed him. Not long after leaving the male we were very lucky to find an adult female cheetah resting on a small termite mound. After dark we found Jordaan again, this time moving through the thickets close to our airstrip. Once again he never really stopped long enough for us to get a good look at him.

Sunday

The day dawned cold and unpleasant, which meant another difficult drive was on the cards for us. It took a while, but eventually we managed to find Ostrich Koppies. We don’t often see this female leopard, so it was good to see her again. We spent sometime watching as she moved about, smelling and scent marking as she went. On our way back to the lodge we bumped into a young male and female rhino resting next to the road.

This evening was quiet as well, and again the drive took a while to get going. We found a rhino bull and a herd of elephants drinking at one of the pans, but they quickly disappeared into the thickets to escape the cold wind that had been blowing all afternoon. We then decided to call it a night and headed back to the lodge for dinner and an evening around the fire, but not before we bumped into Shadow. Although she was also on a mission to find a warm spot, and quickly disappeared into the bush as well.

And that brings to an end yet another spectacular week! Visit our Facebook and Flikr albums to see more photos from our game drives.

Until next time,

The Arathusa Team

Monday

The morning drive proved very quiet, and we drove for ages without finding much. After much searching we eventually we came across a male and female rhino couple peacefully grazing on an open clearing. From there we headed north to see if we could find Karula and her two leopard cubs. We were in luck because we found the leopard feeding on an impala kill in a tree, while her cubs played and wrestled nearby. Once she’d eaten her fill Karula then descended to join her youngsters, and the rambunctious pair immediately used their mother as a jungle gym. Great fun for them as well as for everyone watching.

In sharp contrast to the sedate morning we had, the afternoon was very busy. We kicked off by finding two groups of rhinos and a 30 strong herd of elephants. Ntima was seen wandering through her territory, while one of the Styx lionesses took a leisurely stroll along the airstrip. We then headed north, and were yet again fortunate enough to see Karula and her two cubs playing. Five Tsalala and two Nkohuma lionesses were feeding together on a buffalo kill, which was very unusual. But apart from the odd growl here and there, there was no serious aggression between the rival groups. We were curious as to which one of the two had actually made the kill, and which one had merely gatecrashed the feast.

Tuesday

Female leopard: Safari by Ryan Johnston

It was very cold when we set out his morning. We quickly found a herd of elephants feeding out on one of the open areas however, which served to both distract us from our icy woes and set the scene for a spectacular sunrise. Before long it started warming up, and the animals began showing face. We managed to find Safari drinking at one of the small pans before settling down on top of a termite mound where she soaked up the warm morning sun. A couple of buffalo bulls moved through the area and she just watched lazily as they passed her by. We then found three members of the Styx pride – two lionesses and the young male – on the move. We stayed with them for sometime, but when they eventually went to sleep close to the lodge we decided to leave them to enjoy their day.

The first thing we did when we left this afternoon was to check on the lions, and as expected, they were still doing what cats do best…sleep. We sat watching them until a herd of elephants grabbed our attention. The herd proved infinitely more interesting because at least they were awake. We also came across three rhinos not too far away from the elephants. All in all a really amazing drive, especially when you consider that we stayed around the lodge for pretty much the entire time.

Wednesday

A dense fog meant a very slow start to the morning, although we did manage to relocate the lions we’d seen yesterday in spite of poor visibility. They’d obviously fed in the early hours of the morning because the young male still sported some blood in his mane. Whatever they’d caught obviously wasn’t enough to satisfy their hunger though, because they were on the hunt again and stalking a herd of impala. Unfortunately the young male got over excited at the prospect of a second breakfast and blew his cover too early, which immediately sent the impala scattering. Next we found a large herd of about 400 buffalo. Sitting quietly at a waterhole, we watched as the large bovines ambled down for their morning drink.

One of our rhino bulls has been very active around the lodge over the past few days, so it was no great surprise when we once again bumped into him right outside of the lodge. He looked extremely agitated so we decided to move along rather than risk incurring his wrath. Mixo had killed a young kudu sometime during the day, and we were lucky enough to arrive just in time to see the nicely plump male leopard finishing off his first feed. The kudu was too large for him to hoist up a tree however, and unfortunately he lost his kill to hyenas during the night.

Thursday

We’d barely left the lodge this morning when we came across a young male leopard. We followed him for more than an hour, watching as he occasionally scent-marked on the rather brazen assumption that he’d be able to claim the area for himself. Dominant male leopards like Mafufenyane and Jordaan would more than likely disagree with his notion and chase him off…or worse. Needless to say we’re all waiting with baited breath to see how things turn out when he does eventually encounter one of them. The five Tsalala females were resting on a termite mound, and from the obvious lack of wounds their shared meal with the Nkohuma lionesses must have ended on a peaceful note.

The afternoon drive produced a small herd of elephants, followed by a terrific sighting of 300 or so buffalo at a large dam. It was all dust and bellowing as the herd members competed for water and grazing real estate just before sunset. We also found the five Tsalala lionesses once again, but they were still just resting in the last bit of daylight.

Friday

Our morning got off to a great start when we found Mvula soon after leaving the lodge. We stayed with the beautiful male leopard for some time, thoroughly entertained by his territorial march, scent marking and calling. We then bumped into a small herd of elephants feeding under a Torchwood tree. The sighting of the morning however, was when we spotted three of the Styx lionesses with the young male hunting giraffe. We watched as they first stalked and then rushed the herd. One of the lionesses attempted to jump onto the back of one of the giraffes, but the tall herbivore threw her off with ease. The quartet gave up once they realised that the giraffe were all way too strong and healthy to be taken down. They then collapsed into a communal ball and fell fast asleep.

A few elephant herds were hanging around the lodge when we set out this afternoon, so we started off by spending some time with these gentle giants. A little further along we found a rhino bull feeding on one of the big open areas. All the action happened after dark however. First Safari killed a scrub hare right next to one of our vehicles, and then shortly thereafter Mafufenyane bagged a Duiker. Also next to one of the vehicles.

The guests were convinced it was a setup!

A hyena, having heard the fawn bleating, arrived to see if it could score a free meal. The wily leopard was too quick for him though, and shot straight up the closest tree with his kill. Next we bumped into the Styx pride again, and they’d since been joined by the fourth and final lioness. We were watching the five of them stalk a herd of impala, when all of a sudden something caused them to shoot off in another direction. We followed the large cats as they ran to an area some distance away, which they then proceeded to scour with intent. They must have heard something and decided that it would make for an easier chance of food than the impala. We left the lions still searching and headed home , having thoroughly enjoyed an awesome evening in the bush.

Saturday

The four Styx lionesses arrived to join us while we were watching the sunrise on a large open area. There was no sign of the young male so he must have broken away from the female sometime during the night. We then found a small group of buffalo bulls that were soon joined by a rhino bull. One of the buffalos decided to have a closer look at the rhino, and at one stage the two large animals were almost within a foot or two of one another. Once they’d satisfied their curiosity they both just went their separate ways. We found Mafufenyane sitting expectantly outside a warthog hole, on the off chance that it would produce a meal for him. When we left him he was still waiting.

This afternoon we ran into the rhino bull that’s been frequenting the lodge of late. He was in a much better mood this time so we spent a bit more time with him. We then bumped into a rhino cow with a tiny calf. Mom and offspring were both super relaxed so we spent a lot of time with them. After sunset we found both Safari and Mafufenyane again. The leopards were quite close together and stalking the same herd of impala. They eventually noticed one another, but by then the hunt had ended and both parties moved off in different directions. Lastly we saw the four Styx lionesses fast asleep on our airstrip as we headed back to the lodge for well deserved dinner.

Sunday

This morning we found an adult rhino bull en route to our eastern boundary. Following up on some female lion tracks, our efforts were well rewarded when we arrived in time to witness the four Styx lionesses stalk and catch an impala ram. There was lots of growling and tugging as the females aggressively competed for a place at the dinner table. Eventually they managed to rip the impala in four, and each one ran off to enjoy their share of the spoils in solitude.

Our afternoon kicked off with a brilliant sighting of about 20 elephants drinking and then feeding at the dam in front of the lodge. After leaving them we found a large rhino bull, and then headed east where we were very fortunate to run into Thandi. The female leopard was moving carefully through some thick bush, which led us to believe that she might be stalking something. Our suspicions proved correct because she suddenly rushed into a thicket and emerged with a still squealing young Nyala in her mouth. The astute female wasted no time in stashing her small kill in a tree to keep it safe from scavengers. We were heading back to the lodge after sunset when we spotted Mafufenyane moving towards a watering hole. Yet another spectacular day in the bush.

And that brings to an end yet another spectacular week! Visit our Facebook and Flikr albums to see more photos from our game drives.

Until next time,

The Arathusa Team

Buffalo with Oxpecker on its head by André "Frodo" Froneman

• Leopard was seen on 26 days

• Lion was seen on 25 days

• Elephant was seen on 26 days

• Buffalo was seen on 23 days

• Rhino was seen on 22 days

• Cheetah was seen on 2 days

• Wild dog was seen on 0 days