Well, I promised a fuller report last week, and those words manifested into the most wonderful week at Tanda Tula Safari Camp! It was a week of strange weather—not too hot, not too cold, but a little breezy, although not like the usual windy weather we get. The conditions did a great job of keeping the temperatures pleasant and the animals active, resulting in a rather enjoyable week of great game viewing.
For yet another week, it was the spotted cats that dominated the viewing. That’s not to say the lions weren’t active, but we had excellent leopard sightings on a daily basis. What stood out for me was that most of the sightings involved male leopards, with a mix of new and familiar faces showing up. The week began with a couple of shyer males being spotted, but it ended with the long-lost Ntsongwaan male spending time around Tanda Tula Camp. Although we saw him briefly last week near Nkhari, he remained hidden until he was spotted with a large warthog kill in the west, back in his old haunts. I made the long trip to the west one afternoon and was greeted by an impressive-looking male leopard sprawled out on the perfect branch as elephants passed in the background.
The next evening, a very relaxed male was found at a waterhole close to Tanda Tula, and he was identified as Ntsongwaan. But why had he walked almost 10 km after just having eaten a big meal? A closer look at the photos soon revealed the reason—the leopard with the warthog kill was NOT Ntsongwaan. However, he was unbelievably relaxed and looked very much like Ntsongwaan. The answer became clear when it was revealed that the male with the warthog was actually a long-lost relative of Ntsongwaan! It turned out to be a younger sibling called Mondzweni, born to Nthombi at the end of 2014. It was the first time he had been seen in the area in many years, with the last records from the Timbavati dating back to around 2017. From there, he seemed to have moved into the Klaserie but has now made a return! At almost 10 years old, he is in his prime, and it will be interesting to see whether he is just passing through or intends to stay as the new dominant male in the absence of Ntsongwaan.
At almost three years older, Ntsongwaan is now beyond his prime, but that doesn’t take away from the experience of being in his presence. He is incredibly relaxed around vehicles, and although he is not as muscular as he once was, he is still a fantastic leopard to view. Nyeleti popped up a few times, but that was about it for female leopard sightings. The Xiwumbana male was also seen feasting on an elephant carcass before a Vuyela male arrived and commandeered the free meal.
Earlier in the week, another Vuyela male had chased a leopard off a hoisted impala kill and attempted to climb the tree to steal the meal but was unsuccessful due to his size—being a 220-kg lion has its downsides! The impala carcass remained in the tree, providing a meal for a few eagles and a skittish male leopard. Later in the week, a Sark Breakaway lioness appeared to have finished it off, but not before Ntsongwaan got a bit of a feed, as he was in the area at the same time with a somewhat full belly.
The Sark Breakaways spread their wings this week, pushing further north and east into the Timbavati than they have before. The pride didn’t have the best week—one lioness with three cubs was seen several times in the area, but she failed to find the pride when they caught a zebra not far from where her cubs had been hidden. Unfortunately, it’s still only three cubs, meaning they have lost yet another one of the original six. Strangely, the second mother lioness didn’t seem to come anywhere near the area—could it be that all three of her cubs have been lost over the past few months?
The River Pride returned but remained in a less-than-ideal area along the Machaton Riverbed, making it difficult to find them as often as we usually do. The pride appeared to have had an altercation with some Mayambula lionesses when they were found with a few injuries—limps and cuts—and there were tracks of what seemed to be different lionesses leaving the area where the pride had been. One cub was also missing after that incident, so I feared the worst, but fortunately, the fourth cub resurfaced later in the week.
On a different note, we had some of our regular guests return to Tanda Tula. Claire, who had never seen a cheetah despite many trips to the Timbavati, had almost given up on ever spotting one—until we finally did! Steven found a male cheetah just east of Safari Camp one morning, and I was fortunate to be nearby. I joined him and followed the slender stunner until he went to rest on the same termite mound we had found him on a couple of months back! He’s such a great cat, and it was encouraging to see him scent-marking as he walked around. This is the same male who used to visit occasionally from the Klaserie, but he now seems to be settling in the open woodlands and sodic plains of the eastern sections of our traversing area. I’m hesitant to get too excited about seeing him regularly, as cheetahs are notorious wanderers!
It wasn’t just the cats that spoiled us! The spotted hyena den was also very active this week—with eight busy cubs, you’re always guaranteed a good time when they’re out in the early mornings and late afternoons.
The week also had a couple of other highlights, with an incredible pangolin sighting taking the top spot! Steven (he has had quite the work cycle lately, finding aardvark, pangolin, cheetah, and black rhino in recent weeks!) was leaving a lion sighting that I had also just left when the pangolin came walking past. I rushed back to join him and spent some time following the pangolin as it foraged—I’ve never seen such an active pangolin, and it was a moment I will always treasure! This sighting took place in a small block of land that also delivered a great sighting of a springhare a few days earlier! I had been following the Rihati female leopard when we lost her in a thicket, but while trying to relocate her, we spotted some eyes bouncing around. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a springhare—only my second one in seven years here, and Jack’s second in 35 years!
Add to this sightings of many kudus, giraffes, elephants (including Apollo hanging around camp), a herd of waterbuck (a rarity for us), buffalo bulls around camp, plenty of zebras, more steenbok than my guests had ever seen, and some excellent birdwatching (female ostriches drinking, male ostriches challenging each other, kori bustards, fishing marabou storks, foraging ground hornbills, many Wahlberg’s eagles, martial eagles, and much more!), and it was a week to remember here in the Timbavati.
Let’s hope next week is as productive! I will be off for a few days, so we know the cheetah will almost certainly show himself again! I’ll catch up with you all next Monday
Until next time!
Cheers
Chad
