Arathusa Safari Lodge blog

Sunday

This morning we found Thandi wandering around scent marking. She then turned her attention to a nearby duiker, and we watched as she patiently stalked her way closer to the unsuspecting buck. Unfortunately a band of Dwarf mongooses spotted her and sounded the alarm. We also came across Mafufunyane, who is still in a really in a bad state. Hopefully he will recover soon.

In the afternoon we tracked two bull elephants for a while before eventually finding the pair. Elephants are quite scarce at the moment, so we’re having to spend a lot of time tracking them as a result. We then set off to find some rhino, and were treated to three of them wallowing amiably together in a mud pool. On our way to enjoy our sundowners we came across Shadow hunting impala lambs on the airstrip. An impressive chase ensued, but the female leopard unfortunately missed her chance.

Monday

A blue-skied Monday proved to be a fantastic start to the week. We were fortunate enough to discover Ntima, our long standing territorial leopard in the south-eastern area, with an unidentified male leopard! Exciting news both for Ntima and us. It just goes to show the sheer magnitude of the greater Kruger National Park area. We are situated within such a vast reserve that we can’t possibly know all the predators that inhabit it. It was a super day as far lions sightings went too. We saw the young Styx male hanging around with the Tsalala girls on an open area known as ‘wet patch’. The group pretty much settled there for the better part of the day. We also saw a trio of white rhinos, as well ‘short-horn’, one of our territorial rhino bulls. Elephants and buffalo bulls ended off another perfect day in the bush.

Tuesday

We found the Styx male and four Tsalala lionesses again this morning, this time a little further east from where they were yesterday. We also saw three buffalo bulls and a rhino cow with her calf. Kurula’s two cubs spent their morning alternately resting and playing. There was no sign of mom however, so she must have been out hunting.

Our afternoon drive was very rewarding. We saw a herd of 20 elephants, a massive male rhino, and five buffalo bulls. The Styx male and Tsalala lionesses had since moved closer to the lodge, and were relaxing on the open area at our dam when we found them. We were also lucky enough to see two male cheetahs in the far east of the reserve.

Wednesday

We kicked off the morning drive with three rhinos wallowing peacefully together in one of the waterholes. After watching them for a while, we then moved on to see if we could find some leopards. We were in luck because Salayexe, the female leopard that usually hangs around in the west, was on an impala lamb kill. She provided us with some great viewing as she growled at the hyenas trying to get at her kill. After leaving her we received news on the radio that Mvula had been spotted mating with the Ostrich Kopjes female. We immediatley set off to see if we could find them, and it turned out to be worth the drive because it was a really great sighting. On our way back to the lodge we came across one of the Majingilane males with two of the Styx lionesses. Their bellies were full, so they had obviously just enjoyed a good meal. We then headed off to indulge in a hearty breakfast of our own.

We followed up on Salayexe and her kill this afternoon. She was still in the same place, but the sleepy cat didn’t even bother to lift her head when we arrived. Her belly was huge, although this wasn’t only because she’d been feeding. She is also heavily pregnant at the moment. Next we headed east to go and see what the lions were up to, but instead we were in for a treat of a different kind. Mafufunyane and Mvula were having a standoff close to one of the waterholes. Although there was no physical contact between the two, the sound of them growling at one another was quite something to behold.

They eventually went their separate ways, and that’s when Mvula found himself caught in the crossfire of a troop of baboons. They chased him for a while, but the wily leopard new better than to chance his luck with this lot. He quickly diappeared, leaving the troop still hurling insults at him. We were in the middle of this very entertaining sighting when a call came through telling us that Ntima and her unidentified beau were still mating. We left the disgruntled baboons and went to find the leopards instead.

The unknown male turned out to be the one with the big orange eyes that we’ve seen before. His strangely coloured eyes definitely give him a creepy quality. This is also the same guy that’s been pressuring Mafufunyane for his territory recently. The frequent mating had taken its toll on Ntima by then, as she had some ugly bite marks on her neck, as well as big gashes on the back of her head. After all this excitement we figured that the remainder of the drive would definitely be a quieter. On the contrary in fact.

Moving on from the mating leopards, we came across eight buffalo wallowing at a waterhole. No sooner had we arrived when a herd of elephants approached the waterhole, with the babies all running at full speed to get to the water. Animals began alarm-calling behind us, so we decided to go and see what was going on. We were in luck yet again. We found the one Majingilane male and two Styx lionesses drinking from a puddle of water. On our way back to the lodge we found Kwatile walking along the airstrip, calling and scent-marking her territory. Today was like watching a live episode of ‘Big Cat Diaries’. Awesome, we’re very lucky indeed.

Thursday

Yet another superb morning of game viewing was in store for us on this hot December day. It started off with a relaxed sighting of the Styx male and Tsalala lionesses in the cool shade near the Seef’s Pan waterhole…doing what lions do best. The massive Londoz rhino bull was grazing under a huge Marula tree, thoroughly enjoying the green and lush grass growing beneath it. We spotted Thandi strutting her stuff down Wessel’s driveway, while her mother Karula was seen hunting impala on an open area in the far north. A pack of nine Wild dogs charged in from the west, displacing every impala in sight. Karula’s son Nduna was enjoying a peaceful drink at the One Eye Pan waterhole, when he was rudely interrupted by the rambunctious dogs. The comical Yellow-billed hornbills chuckled from their safe vantage point in a nearby tree. After this the rain came down, sending us scrurrying back to the lodge before the drive was over.

Friday

This morning we found the pack of nine Wild dogs again. They were very active, running this way and that as they chased every impala they laid their eyes on. They managed to catch and devour a number of baby impalas in a relatively short space of time. Once they’d eaten their fill they went for a drink at a nearby watering hole, before settling down in the shade for the hottest part of the day. Next we were absolutely delighted to find 10 lions together! The four Styx lionesses and their the four 10-month old cubs were with one of the Majingilane males, and much to our surprise, Goggi’s three month old cub was also there. This was the first time that any of us had seen the little guy. A group of giraffe stood watching the lions closely. The four older cubs then got up and walked towards the tall herbivores. We laughed as the giraffes ran away from the cheeky predators who posed absolutely no threat to them at all.

In the afternoon we found two elephant bulls and a small herd of six elephants. The lions and their cubs were all still resting in the same spot as this morning. We also came across the Wild dogs again, although this time they were just running around, playing and chasing one another. We spotted Mafufunyane coming out of a riverbed. He is still skinny and not looking all that great, but he was at least walking normally, so perhaps he’s on the mend from whatever ailment befell him. The afternoon drive was cut short again due to rain.

Saturday

Our first stop this morning was to follow up on lions that were roaring to the west of the camp. On the way there we came across a lone male rhino. Arrivng in the area where we thought the cats were, we listened again and heard them. We followed the direction of their roars until we eventually found the two Unkuhuma male lions. The rest of the day was quiet in terms of big game, although birding was spectacular.

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

Until next time,

The Arathusa Team