WILDLIFE JOURNAL SINGITA SABI SAND, SOUTH AFRICA For the month of May, Two Thousand and Nineteen Temperature Rainfall Recorded Sunrise & Sunset Average minimum: 15.9˚C (60.62˚F) For the month: 0 mm Sunrise: 06:24 Minimum recorded: 12˚C (53.6˚F) For the year to date: 438mm Sunset: 17:18 Average maximum: 30˚C (86.0˚F) Maximum recorded: 36˚C (96.8˚F) It is that time of the year, green blends to gold in a vibrant outburst of colour across various woodland thickets. The grasslands have dried out, however the grass still towers over some of the smaller antelopes (see picture below of the impala on high alert as they cautiously move through the long grass). The patchwork of colour that covers the bushveld is spectacular. After a few years of drought, this was the first season that we have seen the vibrant change that we missed. Here’s a Sightings Snapshot for April: Buffalos • There have been some fantastic buffalo bull sightings this month throughout the reserve. These muscular, powerful old bulls never fail to look impressive in the drying grassland of the bushveld. Lions • The Mhangene Pride continues to dominate the sightings as the pride continues to move around the central areas of Singita Sabi Sand. The pride consists of three adult lionesses, two sub-adult lionesses from their previous litter that have been accepted to be able to return to the natal pride. Two of the lionesses have a litter. One lioness has a single cub that is approximately seven months old. The second lioness has three cubs approximately four months old. The Othawa male lion has associated with the lionesses and the only cubs believed to be his are the last three cubs. He has not shown any interest to mate with any of the lionesses, even though they do not have litters. What was interesting this month was that the Othawa male disappeared for a few weeks. It was reported that he was seen far north, far out of his normal range. • The aging Matimba male lions continue to spend a great deal of their time in the west, however they did move closer to the river a few days ago and were notably roaring for some time in the early hours of the morning. What may have caused the interest for the two old boys to start roaring was that the now nomadic Styx Pride had been moving close to their territorial area. Two members of the Styx pride take time to reaffirm the social bonds between the pride members. Now that the pride has been nomadic they surprisingly arrive when you least expect to see lions in a particular area. Elephants • One of the largest groups of elephants was reported moving across the open clearing in view of Castleton. It was reported that the herd consisted of three smaller groups that joined up at the dam and this exceeded well over 100 elephants. Wild dogs • It is that time of the year, where will they den? We have all been waiting patiently to see what will transpire with two prominent packs of wild dogs in the area. As always the wild dogs prove their success in hunting as a pack and often these hunts are viewed whilst in a sighting with them. Birds • For the month of May we viewed 12 new bird species bringing our yearly total to 260 (248 in April). The new birds for the month are: Speckled mousebird, crowned hornbill, yellow-rumped tinkerbird, grey-rumped swallow, brown-throated martin, pied crow and cut-throat finch. The yellow-rumped tinkerbird was particularly special as this has not yet been recorded in the Sabi Sand area. Spotted hyena • It has been an incredible month at the spotted hyena den-site. Watching the three young cubs grow and develop charming and playful personalities, learning from their mothers and becoming more and more inquisitive as each day goes on. Leopards • One of the most interesting sightings occurred a week ago. The large Nyelethi male leopard was found along the course of the Sand River with not only one impala carcass, but two hoisted carcasses. As an opportunistic predator it would not be unusual to see more than one carcass in a tree. On one occasion a large male leopard had hoisted three different carcasses into a tree. What was unique to this sighting was that Nyelethi left one of the carcasses and abandoned it. With much interest the Hukumuri female leopard crossed the river obviously smelling the rotten hoisted carcass. After consuming some of the carcass she moved back across the river and went to fetch her female cub. In the interim Schotia and her young male cub moved towards the river and coincidently arrived in the same area where the rotting carcass was. It did not take them long to find the carcass and started feeding on it. Later in the afternoon we returned to the area to find two young males in the area - Schotia’s young male cub along with the Msava young male. Growling from another leopard could be heard at the river however, we could not see the predator. Then the female leopard emerged, moving around the tree where the carcasses was hoisted, and a second female leopard was seen a short distance away. Hukumuri and her young female cub had returned to the area to be surprised by other leopards capitalising on the unwanted carcasses! This tallied the leopard count to six different leopards feeding on the remains of one impala carcass. Some exciting and informative Safari Stories follow, as well as a Gallery of images for the month of May. The stallion is the harems defender ` Article by Piet Marimane This was one of the quieter drives we had, but when we we finally came across a beautiful and majestic herd of zebras we stopped to watch them for a while. We were spellbound when two stallions started fighting with one another. A stallion is equipped with an exceptionally powerful kick and the tenacity to inflict nasty bites. A stallion will run behind his harem when they are threatened, and the mares and foals bunch together and flee as a unit to ensure that they are protected by the stallion’s rear-guard. The contrasting black and white stripes are thought to facilitate the cohesion of the group at times of trouble. Black and white are the most visible colours to the zebras (who do not have colour vision), particularly in the low light conditions in which they are usually attacked. Zebras do not have territories. Instead, the defended resource of a stallion is his four to six mares and their foals. A stallion practises a true harem system - one male with a number of females which is won at an incredible price. Colts leave the natal herd of their own accord at 2 years of age but between 4,5 and 12 years of age they will approach other herds with the intention of abducting fillies, one by one, to form their own harems. After watching the stallions and sharing this information a new world availed itself to my clients. Because it’s not all about the Big Five! All other aspects form an integral part of the ecosystem. Clash of the titans Article by Coleman Mnisi One night in May this magnificent male lion, one of my favourites, was attacked by another two male lions and almost got killed. He managed to escape from the them and retreated north. There wasn’t much area for him there as another territorial male lion has that land claim, so he decided to come back in his territory. Since he’s been back he has kept a very low profile and stayed away from other males. He is very lucky that he was not killed. They are such tough animals and need to be - especially if they don’t have brothers in a coalition with themselves. He needs to do everything for himself. Good luck boy, be tough! Bushveld beauties Article by Ross Couper The grass towers over the shoulders of the impala herds at the moment. As the rutting season comes to an end, the last few large rams are making the most of the colder conditions and shorter days and continue to pursue the ewes for mating. Despite an abundance of impalas, witnessing mating is surprisingly unusual. I have only witnessed this on one occasion. With the seasonal changes it is notable how the variety of food has changed. Nutritional options have been altered based on what has already dried out with the colder temperatures. Fortunately for impala it is one of the few species that can easily adapt to the conditions. The specie is described as being a mixed feeder and this allows the antelope to thrive by being able to consume not only grass stalks in a grazing manner, but they can also feed on leaves through a feeding method known as browsing. This feeding adaptability makes them successful competitors for available resources. Currently they are moving through the thickets during the morning and resorting to the moving back into the open clearings in the evening where most of their rest will take place. The uncanny sound of the impala males aggressively snarling, growling, roaring and snorting to establish their individual dominance resonates through the air at this time, with little respite. With all this activity taking place, the noise from the males can often attract predators to the area. A clashing of horns is a key indicator that two males are fighting and often this sound is carried through the cool air in the evening or morning time.