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October Safari report

Hello all. Time flies when you on safari, we again have hosted people from all around the world on various safaris into the Kruger National Park. We have had our first real effective and welcome rains in the southern area of Kruger national park, and the foliage is starting to sprout and leaves returning to the trees. The heat is starting to build and the thunderstorms lighting our nights. We have had a month of some unique sightings for the guests and I to enjoy including such as Sable antelope, leopards, lions, cheetah, wild dog and African rock pythons. Our first returned migratory woodlands kingfisher for the season was spotted on the 27th of October 2019 and a host of other plains game and large mega herbivores have kept us enthralled. The sighting I would like to focus on this month is one we enjoyed on the Gomodwane road (s130) at the southern entrance. It had been a slow morning up to that point and as we came around the corner on the narrow dust road, I noticed one other game viewer stopped. We drew slowly up to the sighting and were greeted with a pack of wild dogs spread all around the road and into the bush. They had blood from a recent meal on their muzzles and were active but hanging around, so we enjoyed them and drove a bit further up the dust road to be greeted with pups playing on the road and some further active adult wild dogs.

We observed them interacting and engaging each another and then suddenly the pack was hyper alert and vocalising their excited high-pitched calls, chasing after something. I thought an Impala was sighted and notified the guests to be alert when another guide stopped next to me and stated. “leopard.” We followed him back down the road and sure enough one disturbed leopard was up a tree with the pack below.

The leopard in a one on one situation would be able to easily hold its own, but a pack of wild dogs together. It was wise to take the aerial route and get out of the dog’s reach. Predators often do not tolerate other predators in the same space and the conflict can result in deaths since they are competing for the

same food source. Leopards being solitary cats can climb trees and often will take this route instead of potentially getting injured in a scuffle, but it was not pleased. The dogs where trying to jump to reach the big cat, vocalising and circling the tree and the cat watched them from the safety of the tree disdainfully. Every now and then hissing at his would-be attackers.

African wild dogs are endangered and Africa’s second most endangered predator behind the Ethiopian wolf, so we were fortunate to find these animals. As the Kruger National park is a large wilderness area of about 20000 km2 (about the size of the state of Israel) and there are only approximately 300 individuals (latest census of wild dogs in the park) So spotting one is always a privilege and for them to find the elusive leopard for us gawking observers was certainly a sighting to behold. The leopard then decided it was not high enough from the dogs and began to climb a bit higher, hoping the dogs would lose interest.

The Leopard got comfortable as it went higher, preparing to wait it out.

The dogs entertained themselves around the bottom of the tree for about a half an hour, but then happily went off in search of something else and our cat decided to come down after all was clear.

It slunk down cautiously and melted into the bush. What a sighting, we can’t guarantee any sighting in a wilderness area as the animals are free roaming and wild, which is its charm, but we can state that we enjoy finding these sights for guests.

Please see below some pictures of some of our safaris highlights in October

Keep well

Honey Badger Safari Team