March is always heralded as the beginning of the dry season as we enter into our autumn months, with the bush starting to shed its summer coat and the trees slowly changing colour and the grass turning drier. The temperatures this month have been rather unpredictable with some very hot weather being experienced, the hottest day this month pushed the mercury well over the 40 degree mark!
The bush is very dry for this time of the year and we are expecting a long dry season with certain of the waterholes not holding nearly enough water to see us through to the rains again in November. We have received just over 45mm of rain this month, the majority of which fell in one evening.
Game viewing has been very good, with the predator sightings being a particular highlight. We have been visited by three new male lions during the month. The leopard sightings have been phenomenal with leopard “spotted” on all but two days this month. The surprise arrivals of a female cheetah and her cub have allowed us a rare treat of having regular cheetah sightings over the last week of the month. Elephant, buffalo and rhinoceros numbers have also been good.
Leopard
The leopard viewing is one of the bigger draw-cards to the area around surrounding Simbambili and the sightings this month once again proved why. We have been seeing less of Salayexe and her two sub adult cubs as they have spent more time west of our traversing. However the young male and female have been seen moving independently of their mother on a number of occasions this month. This was to be expected as the cubs have just passed their first birthday and it will not be much longer before Salayexe starts to separate from them. The cubs have now been named as individual leopards, the young male is known as Rhulani and his sister will be known as Nsele.
Tyson the dominant male in the western half of our traversing has been seen far more frequently this month. We were fortunate enough to witness a mating session with between him and an unidentified female leopard. He was later in the month as he took care of the territorial housekeeping and was found again at the end of the month on an impala kill.
Mbilo has provided some good sightings as she continually utilises the area surrounding the Big Dam area. The area is proving to be a successful hunting ground and she was seen on three kills, an impala, a duiker and a warthog. We also watched as she once again stalked some young buffalo calves as a large herd moved in to drink at the dam.
Lion
The lion viewing improved as the month progressed with a notable absence of the big cats in the beginning of the month. However this changed as both the Styx and Tsalala prides moved into our traversing area. We also had a good sighting of three females from the Nxuhuma pride. These three lionesses were joined by two new males who have been reported moving with the pride but had not made any forays into our concession. This changed as they followed a large herd of buffalo and were found resting in the area surrounding Methlane Road.
The males are both impressive full maned male lions, they are however not to accustomed to the game viewing vehicles and need to be approached carefully. They only stayed for a day before moving off of the concession.
The Styx pride was seen in the company of the two Mapogo males early one morning, the dynamics of this pride is keeping us guessing all the time. The pride appeared to be avoiding the two males who are not the fathers of the four sub adults of the pride and would therefore provide a threat to the lives of the young lions. However on the morning of the sighting the four adult lionesses of the pride were found in the company of the two males, with the oldest lioness and the young sub adults missing. These four lions were found later on that day, on the other side of our traversing area. The oldest lioness seems to have taken the youngsters and fled in an effort to protect them from the two adult males.
It appears that as the lionesses are once again coming into oestrus they are starting to tolerate the presence of the males, even though this may jeopardize the lives of their previous cubs. Only time will tell if the males will accept the sub adult lions, with the young male lion of the pride facing the greatest risk from the two adult males.
The Tsalala pride returned early on a morning drive, late on in the month. Their tracks were found crossing into the area from our neighbouring property to the south and it appeared that they were following the large herd of buffalo in the area. They managed to kill one of the buffalo from the herd, later on in the day and left the area a couple of days later.
Elephant
The elephant numbers have been constant throughout the month, with a number of bigger herds, averaging 30 or more individuals moving through the concession. The Thickets of round leaved teak will be a big attraction for these animals as we move into the dry season and the grazing quality diminishes.
Buffalo & Rhinoceros
The presence of a large herd of buffalo, numbering in excess of 150, in the concession has provided us with some quality buffalo viewing over the course of the month. The herd has moved gradually south and due to pressure from three different lion prides in that area once again moved north and then moved east. They appear to follow a set pattern of movement through the concession and only change if encountering a lion threat.
The white rhinoceros sightings have been far more frequent this month with a record of rhino being seen for six consecutive days on the concession. The majority of our sightings were of a crash of 5 animals that move between Simbambili Dam and One Eye Pan. They are accompanied by a new male rhino to the area that seems to have displaced the Short Horn bull as the dominant rhino bull in the northern area.
The Londoz bull is still dominant in the southern half of the concession but due to the terrain is not seen as frequently, he is often seen in the company of a crash of 4 animals.
Cheetah
The unexpected presence of a female cheetah and her six month old cub in our traversing area created a fair bit of excitement. The two cats were found on three occasions this month.
The female cheetah utilising the open clearings in the east to hunt impala and wildebeest calves. Unfortunately we did not see any successful hunting attempts, but we were able to get some fantastic viewing of this rarely seen predator.
The pair were last seen as they moved east into the Kruger Park and we hope that they return shortly.
That’s it for this month and as you can see the game viewing is only getting better as we move into the dry season!!
Rangers Report February 2010
This month has once again the summer game viewing has been exceptional with the beautiful backdrops, provided by some very dramatic summer skies.
The weather has been unpredictable, with some exceptionally hot temperatures being experienced in the beginning of the month and cooler rainy conditions being experienced near the end of the month. The total rainfall for the month ended being approximately 30mm.
The waterhole in front of camp has been a hive of activity this month with lion, leopard, elephant buffalo and hyena being seen drinking. The general game viewing during the day has been great with large herds of wildebeest, zebra, giraffe and impala being seen.
Leopard
The sightings of Salayexe and her two cubs were good with the three leopards being found on six different kills, four of these were impala and two were grey duiker. An interesting development in the relationship between the predators in the African bush has started to develop between Salayexe and the local hyena clan in her territory. Once the female leopard makes a kill she then has to fetch the cubs and then bring them to the carcass. The hyena, have realised and now follow the three leopards at any time that they are moving through the territory, in the hope that a free meal may be on offer. The young female who has taken up residence around the big dam area, Mbilo, has been seen regularly again this month. The young leopard female appears to be surviving well and was found on a warthog kill late in the month. We were also able to watch her as she raided a francolin nest and proceed to catch and eat all the recently hatched chicks! The adaptability of this young leopard, who is able to utilise such a broad range of food sources is what makes her such a successful predator.
The territorial males, Mafufunyan and Tyson have been seen on a number of occasions this month. They both appear to be in good health and are still very much in control of their respective territories. Mafufunyan managed to kill a sub adult warthog and was seen to feed off of the carcass for the following three days, he was joined on one evening by the old female Safari who was quickly dismissed by the male leopard as she approached the tree where the kill had been stashed.
The sighting of the old female in the Rhino Pan area was an unexpected surprise one morning and the 18 year old leopard appears to be doing well and we are hoping to see more of her in the next few months.
Lion
The lion viewing this month has not been as good as last month, but we have however had the Styx Pride and Sandy Patch Lioness on the traversing area for large parts of the month. The Styx Pride was seen around the Safari airstrip on numerous occasions, waiting for the numerous grazing herds that utilise the short grass plains around the airstrip as a "safe" refuge during the hours of darkness.
There was however a twist to their trials at the end of the month, when they were seen roaring one evening. This pride has remained quiet in our concession ever since the Mapogo Males have taken over the territory. The sub adults have not been fathered by these males and they are in constant danger from the males who will not hesitate to kill the young lions. The roaring alerted the males to the presence of the pride and the following morning the three lionesses were found in the company of the two males who had killed a buffalo bull during the night. The rest of the pride however were scattered with two female sub adults being found together and another single sub adult lioness being found alone. The disheartening thing was that the young male was not found! Only time will tell what happened?!
The Sandy Patch lioness and her 10 month old cub are not surviving well. They were spotted late one afternoon as they drank from the waterhole in front of camp. The two cats are both very thin and emaciated and it not certain if they will survive. The Tsalala Pride was seen at the beginning of the month but moved of the concession onto our neighbouring property to the south and have not returned. The three lionesses and eight cubs are all healthy and doing very well.
Elephant
The elephant sightings have been good with herds and single bulls being seen daily. The fruiting marula trees are the biggest attraction for the elephants at the moment, as we approach the end of summer the fruit provides welcome substance not only for elephants but for baboons and antelope and guides alike!
The sighting of an elephant swimming is always a pleasure, the feeling of joy and enjoyment is tangible as you watch the large animal splashing and cavorting in the water. We were lucky enough to watch a young bull swimming, he seemed to be having an absolute ball, splashing and dunking himself and then chasing the resident hippo around the dam!!
Buffalo & Rhinoceros
Buffalo have been more difficult to find with no herds being seen on the concession this month. We are lucky to have the resident "dagga boys" that utilise the mud wallows and the waterhole in the front of camp. These big bulls are seen almost daily as they move to their favoured wallows.
Rhinoceros numbers have been much higher this month with regular sightings of two different crashes both of which number four animals. The southern crash, which is found in the territory of the Londoz bull, were seen on three occasions. The bull was found on many occasions as he moved through his territory maintain his middens and territorial scent markings.
The northern crash has been seen with a new bull rhino, who does not seem too relaxed with the presence of the game drive vehicles and has to be approached with caution when we are viewing him.
Cheetah
A single sighting of a young male cheetah was had one morning as the animal moved through the far eastern half of our concession. The male moved north and it was reported later that he was seen stalking a herd of waterbuck on our northern neighbours property.
Regards
The Simbambili Guiding Team.
Rangers Report December 2009
The month has been filled with some fantastic game viewing and the weather has played along with some clear blue skies and hot temperatures being experienced. The temperatures for the month were an average minimum of 20 degrees Celsius and an average high of 35 degrees Celsius. Rainfall has been good and the total for the month was 75 mm, the heaviest rainfall was a 30mm deluge late one evening.
The wildlife viewing has been superb with predators being seen in good numbers, we even managed to get a sighting of a cheetah. Elephant and buffalo numbers have been consistently high throughout the month and rhinoceros have been seen regularly. There have also been some good birding opportunities and a number of rarities have been seen.
Leopard
Salayexe and her cubs are still together and providing guests with some great sightings. The trio of leopards were seen on five different kills this month, two of which they unfortunately lost to hyena. Both of these kills were full grown impala rams and the leopard female was not able to hoist the heavy carcasses into trees in time to prevent the hyenas from appropriating the kills.
We have had a number of sightings of Nyeleti and her three cubs, the female leopard is utilising a bigger portion of her old territory and it is great to see her bringing the cubs into the concession area.
A new leopard female was spotted on a number of occasions in the western part of our concession; she appears to be an older female of about 10 years old and is relaxed with the vehicles.
Other leopards seen this month have included; Mafufunyane, Tyson, Mbilo, Ntima and Safari.
Lion
This month has seen some of the best lion viewing this year. We have had a three prides and four different male moving through the concession. The Tsalala, Styx and Nxuhuma prides have all been seen with most prides feeding on the new wildebeest herds and their calves.
The Tsalala Pride has been seen moving with their eight cubs and all appear to be healthy and growing daily. The pride was seen on two zebra foal kills early one morning and have been resting in the Manyeleti river-line for the last two days leading up to the end of the month. The three females are providing regularly for their cubs and it is looking good for their future.
The NxuhumaPride, who has not been seen on the concession for two months, made a return and spent three days around One-Eye Pan. The pride killed an adult wildebeest bull and were seen feeding of the remains late one afternoon.
The Styx Pride has managed to find the lioness that was separated from the pride. The female was being seen in the eastern half of our concession and it is really good to see her back with her pride. They were last seen as they attempted to hunt impala late one night on one of the airstrips.
The presence of four different males throughout the month has been a nice surprise and the presence of two new males in the east of the concession. The Mapogo males have been accompanying the Tsalala Pride and seem to be spending the majority of their time in the presence of this pride.
Elephant
A large number of elephant have been moving through the concession; these large herds are being followed by a large number of bulls and have provided us with some outstanding sightings. There has been a herd of between 40 and 50 elephant in the concession for the last three days of the month who are by far some of the most relaxed and approachable elephants that I have managed to view. The entire herd spent fifteen minutes sleeping and resting in the shade of a tree that I had parked under while viewing them. An absolutely spell binding experience to have elephants of all shapes and sizes, completely relaxed and at ease with our presence.
Buffalo & Rhinoceros
Large herds of between 50 and 150 buffalo have been seen moving through the concession this month. The herds have been seen utilising the bigger waterholes that have been filled by the summer rainfall. The herds are all growing as calves are being dropped almost daily.
White rhinoceros have been relatively easy to find and all guests who have come to the lodge have left having seen at least one of these pachyderms.
Wild Dog & Cheetah
The day time hunters have provided three sightings this month. The cheetah sighting was in the eastern half of our concession and a young male cheetah was seen feeding on the remains of an impala that it had recently killed.
Wild dogs were seen early one morning as they hunted a large impala herd close to one of the airstrips. The pack was successful in bringing down two of the young lambs and we watched as they quickly finished these small kills.
Game Sightings
Lion
Leopard
Buffalo
Elephant
White Rhino
Wild Dog
Cheetah
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
That is all for this month and we are all looking forward to an exciting and action packed 2010.
Regards
The Simbambili Guiding Team.
Rangers Report November 2009
Rangers Report November 2009
November is a month of change here in the bush as the fresh flush of green and a number of young animals being born with the arrival of the first rains. We have had a bit of a “baby boom” with of a whole new generation of impala arriving and the lambing season in full swing. The migrant birds have all returned with the distinctive call of the Woodland Kingfisher being heard all over the bushveld.
The month’s rainfall has slightly affected our game drive area with a few roads becoming impassable and certain areas being closed to off-road driving. This has not really affected our game viewing and the wildlife viewing has not suffered. Leopard viewing in particular has been unbelievable this month with no fewer than fifteen different individual leopards being seen throughout the month.
We have experienced a lot of rain in the past month with a week during the middle of the month in which we had well over 120mm of rain falling over a five day period. A thundershower late on a one afternoon produced a downpour of 40mm, which caused the river in front of camp to flow for the third time this year.
Leopard
As previously mentioned leopard viewing has been very good throughout the month, with leopard sightings on almost every drive. We have seen our resident territorial leopard Salayexe and her two cubs regularly. The leopard female is still providing very well for her growing cubs, which are becoming more independent daily. They have started to explore further and further on their own and have been seen to make a number of smaller kills. These have included rodents and birds.
Mbilo, a young leopard female who has setup territory in the area surrounding Big Dam, has treated us to some very memorable sightings. We found her early one morning as she was dragging a recently killed impala ram. The ram was a fully mature adult and was a substantial kill for a young leopard. Unfortunately she was not able to benefit from the kill for too long as soon as she was chased from the kill later in the day by her mother, Nyeleti. The older, bigger female then brought her three new cubs to the kill and they fed off of the carcass for the following two days. The three small cubs are doing well and they seem to be growing daily
The other leopards seen this month have also included our two territorial males Tyson and Mafufunyan who seen mating with Thandi who has started moving into the west of our traversing. Ntima, a leopard we see very infrequently, has given birth again after losing a litter of cubs in April of this year. These cubs have come from a mating with Mafufunyan in May.
Lion
The lion viewing this month has been fair with the Tsalala pride being seen on a number of occasions in the southern section of our traversing. We have also seen the Nxuhuma pride after a long absence, they were found early one morning finishing off the remains of a young buffalo that the pride had killed during the night.
The Mapogo males were also seen earlier in the month after they had killed a large buffalo bull. The two male lions stayed in the area feeding off of the buffalo for three days before moving south and out of our traversing area. The Sandy Patch lioness and her cub have also made an appearance in the concession, she appears to be doing well and the cub is growing.
Elephant
A number of herds of elephant have moved through our concession area. The herds appear to be made of smaller numbers than usual; this could be due to the amount of water now available in the bush that the herds are able to split into family units. A number of larger bulls have also been seen as they follow the breeding herds which have female in oestrus. There has also been an increase in the amount of trees that have been pushed over in our area. The new leaf growth nearer the tops of the trees has more than likely been the main reason for this, as well as the softer ground due to the rain.
Buffalo & Rhinoceros
There has been an incredible amount of buffalo grazing throughout the concession this month, with numbers of over eight hundred being seen in different herds. The resident buffalo bulls have taken to wallowing in the new pans that have filled due to the rain.
White rhinoceros have also been seen regularly throughout the month, after the dry season and absence of water in the concession, the rain filled temporary pans seem to have attracted them back into our traversing areas.
Cheetah & Wild Dog The surprise sighting this month was of four male cheetahs, which moved into the eastern half of our traversing area for a single day. They were seen feeding on an impala kill late one afternoon after which they moved east into the Kruger National Park.
The pack of twenty four wild dog were spotted on an afternoon drive as they set off for a hunt, although we were not able to follow them it was reported that they were successful in catching a duiker. The pack remained in our area for two days before moving north into the Manyeleti Game Reserve.
It has been a fantastic month with a varied amount of game viewing and some beautiful sightings. The bush has burst in life after the rains and the chorus of frog calls that fill the night is one of those sounds of summer that we really enjoy. We are looking forward to a great festive season and hope that the game viewing will deliver some “Christmas presents” during December.
Year to date Temperature
Year to date Rainfall
Game Sightings per Day
November '09
Lion
Leopard
Buffalo
Elephant
White Rhino
Wild Dog
Cheetah
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
Regards
The Simbambili Ranger Team
Rangers Report October 2009
Rangers Report October 2009
October has been a month full of change here in the northern Sabi-Sands, the bush is getting greener by the day with all of the trees starting to show new leaf and a fair number carrying a heavy blossom. Antelope are waiting for the summer with the large number of impala ewes heavily burdened by their unborn lambs. Game viewing highlights of the month have included the continued growth and development of both of Salayexe’s cubs and the arrival of a large pack of wild dogs, totalling twenty four, these canids have provided us with some fantastic moments this month! Leopard This month has been exceptional with regards to leopard sightings, with the majority of our sightings being of Salayexe and her two growing cubs. We have also had good sightings of Mbilo, Thandi, Mafufunyan and Safari. Nyeleti, made an appearance for a morning with her new cubs which are about three months old. A number of kills have been found with the largest proportion being impala, with duiker and bushbuck making up the rest. The sighting that stands out as a highlight was a territorial dispute between Salayexe and Nyeleti. We had been following the tracks for a single female leopard, when we heard a territorial call in the area to the east of our position. We moved into the area and found a very young leopard cub in the top of a small tree. We moved a little closer and found a spotted hyena at the base of the tree. The hyena had however been drawn to the area by a territorial dispute between the two leopard females, the cub had unfortunately been caught in the middle and had looked for a safe spot away from the fighting. We watched with apprehension as Salayexe approached the base of the tree and we all were expecting her to attack the cub. This did not happen and she moved off out of the area, continually scent marking as she moved away. Nyeleti, the mother of the cub was calling continually and collected her cub once Salayexe had moved away and the cub and her moved out of our concession in a southerly direction.
Lion
Lion sightings have been consistent this month with the Sandy Patch lioness and her eight month old cub being seen almost daily since they moved into our concession in the middle part of the month. We were also fortunate to see the Styx and Windmill prides during the month. The Mapogo Males made a brief appearance when they were found feeding on the remains of a dead hippo at one of the larger dams.
The Sandy Patch lioness has been fortunate enough to have found a number of good meals, feeding off of the carcass of a zebra that had died near Simbambili dam. We then found her on a buffalo kill, she had followed the buffalo herd for a number of days and we had noticed a buffalo cow within the herd which had a broken leg, although a tough animal to bring down by a single lioness the broken leg must have made the kill a lot easier for the lioness. The pair of lions fed off of the carcass for the better part of four days. The lioness then stole an impala kill from the wild dogs and was still sleeping of the free meal when we saw her last.
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Rhinoceros
The larger bodies of water have provided us with a point to start following the resident rhinoceros in the concession. We were able to regularly see a crash of four rhino in the south eastern section of the concession as they moved from the water to grazing and back. Wild Dog A rare and special sighting whenever they are found, it was a pleasant surprise to find a very large pack late one afternoon. The pack totals twenty four, with twelve adult dogs and twelve puppies. The pack has a number of mouths to feed and as can be expected have to kill regularly to feed all of the pack members.
The sighting of the month started in the early afternoon when the pack of dogs were found resting in long grass, close to the area they had been seen earlier in the day. They soon got active with the adults moving off and the pups following behind. The adults moved off the road and started to coarse through bush in search of prey and it did not take long before they flushed, chased and caught a steenbuck. The small antelope was consumed in less than five minutes!!! The rest of the pack had already moved off and when contact calls where heard south of where we were sitting with three of the dogs we moved in that direction. We found the rest of the pack on two impala carcasses, the dogs were busy feeding and as we watched we noticed that they had chased a leopard into a nearby tree, this leopard turned out to be Thandi. The dogs were busy feeding and moving around the two impala carcasses when they flushed another small antelope, a duiker, which three dogs pursued, caught and ate! This commotion and the distress calls of the duiker alerted another leopard female who approached the kill site and was immediately chased and sent up a tree by the pack of dogs! The pack had moved off of the concession, but we hope that they may still return.
March is always heralded as the beginning of the dry season as we enter into our autumn months, with the bush starting to shed its summer coat and the trees slowly changing colour and the grass turning drier. The temperatures this month have been rather unpredictable with some very hot weather being experienced, the hottest day this month pushed the mercury well over the 40 degree mark!
The lion viewing improved as the month progressed with a notable absence of the big cats in the beginning of the month. However this changed as both the Styx and Tsalala prides moved into our traversing area. We also had a good sighting of three females from the Nxuhuma pride. These three lionesses were joined by two new males who have been reported moving with the pride but had not made any forays into our concession. This changed as they followed a large herd of buffalo and were found resting in the area surrounding Methlane Road.
This month has once again the summer game viewing has been exceptional with the beautiful backdrops, provided by some very dramatic summer skies.
The elephant sightings have been good with herds and single bulls being seen daily. The fruiting marula trees are the biggest attraction for the elephants at the moment, as we approach the end of summer the fruit provides welcome substance not only for elephants but for baboons and antelope and guides alike!
The month has been filled with some fantastic game viewing and the weather has played along with some clear blue skies and hot temperatures being experienced. The temperatures for the month were an average minimum of 20 degrees Celsius and an average high of 35 degrees Celsius. Rainfall has been good and the total for the month was 75 mm, the heaviest rainfall was a 30mm deluge late one evening.
ve been resting in the Manyeleti river-line for the last two days leading up to the end of the month. The three females are providing regularly for their cubs and it is looking good for their future.
The Styx Pride has managed to find the lioness that was separated from the pride. The female was being seen in the eastern half of our concession and it is really good to see her back with her pride. They were last seen as they attempted to hunt impala late one night on one of the airstrips.
November is a month of change here in the bush as the fresh flush of green and a number of young animals being born with the arrival of the first rains. We have had a bit of a “baby boom” with of a whole new generation of impala arriving and the lambing season in full swing. The migrant birds have all returned with the distinctive call of the Woodland Kingfisher being heard all over the bushveld. 
As previously mentioned leopard viewing has been very good throughout the month, with leopard sightings on almost every drive. We have seen our resident territorial leopard Salayexe and her two cubs regularly. The leopard female is still providing very well for her growing cubs, which are becoming more independent daily. They have started to explore further and further on their own and have been seen to make a number of smaller kills. These have included rodents and birds.
Mbilo, a young leopard female who has setup territory in the area surrounding Big Dam, has treated us to some very memorable sightings. We found her early one morning as she was dragging a recently killed impala ram. The ram was a fully mature adult and was a substantial kill for a young leopard. Unfortunately she was not able to benefit from the kill for too long as soon as she was chased from the kill later in the day by her mother, Nyeleti. The older, bigger female then brought her three new cubs to the kill and they fed off of the carcass for the following two days. The three small cubs are doing well and they seem to be growing daily
A number of herds of elephant have moved through our concession area. The herds appear to be made of smaller numbers than usual; this could be due to the amount of water now available in the bush that the herds are able to split into family units. A number of larger bulls have also been seen as they follow the breeding herds which have female in oestrus. There has also been an increase in the amount of trees that have been pushed over in our area. The new leaf growth nearer the tops of the trees has more than likely been the main reason for this, as well as the softer ground due to the rain.
There has been an incredible amount of buffalo grazing throughout the concession this month, with numbers of over eight hundred being seen in different herds. The resident buffalo bulls have taken to wallowing in the new pans that have filled due to the rain.
und a very young leopard cub in the top of a small tree. We moved a little closer and found a spotted hyena at the base of the tree. The hyena had however been drawn to the area by a territorial dispute between the two leopard females, the cub had unfortunately been caught in the middle and had looked for a safe spot away from the fighting. We watched with apprehension as Salayexe approached the base of the tree and we all were expecting her to attack the cub. This did not happen and she moved off out of the area, continually scent marking as she moved away. Nyeleti, the mother of the cub was calling continually and collected her cub once Salayexe had moved away and the cub and her moved out of our concession in a southerly direction.
Lion
The Sandy Patch lioness has been fortunate enough to have found a number of good meals, feeding off of the carcass of a zebra that had died near Simbambili 
dam. We then found her on a buffalo kill, she had followed the buffalo herd for a number of days and we had noticed a buffalo cow within the herd which had a broken leg, although a tough animal to bring down by a single lioness the broken leg must have made the kill a lot easier for the lioness. The pair of lions fed off of the carcass for the better part of four days. The lioness then stole an impala kill from the wild dogs and was still sleeping of the free meal when we saw her last.
A rare and special sighting whenever they are found, it was a pleasant surprise to find a very large pack late one afternoon. The pack totals twenty four, with twelve adult dogs and twelve puppies. The pack has a number of mouths to feed and as can be expected have to kill regularly to feed all of the pack members. 