As we look back on the past year, it is clear that the love and appreciation for wildlife are alive and well. From the submissions of photographs for the Week in Pictures by the rangers alongside the constant engagement from you all through the comments. Overall the standard of photography has skyrocketed and we couldn’t be prouder of the team for what they are producing. Capturing and highlighting some of Mother Nature’s finest pieces of art, the beauty and diversity of the natural world, all in their own way and style.
Our weekly competition saw some fantastic results and through a little heightened competition the ranging team definitely turned up. We gave you all the chance to vote each week for your favourite image, which we thank you for. But now as the closing Week in Pictures for 2022, we have decided to share with you all of our favourite images from the year.
Enjoy the final Week in Pictures of 2022…
April’s winning image- A young cheetah cub making sure he helps his mother scan their surrounding for any unwanted threats or possibly their next meal.
Initially seen as a young male in 2016, this leopard only properly established territory on Londolozi in mid-2019
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Photography is an amazing example of a different perspective on things. Kyle and I were in the same sighting here of the Plaque Rock Female. The next few images were all from this sighting as she walks down the road along the Sand River.
A pretty young playful female found along the river to the east of camp
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A stunning young female with a very similar spot pattern to her mother, the Nkoveni Female. Litter still completely intact March 2022.
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Interrupting this elephant bull, who happened to be in musth, while he was enjoying a drink at a large waterhole. Musth is a state of elevated testosterone that males periodically enter in order to mate with females. One of the giveaway signs that bulls are in musth is the constant dribbling of urine from between their legs, which has a strong, distinctive odour. This state also drives them to walk vast distances in search of sexually receptive females, and for these two reasons, continuously having to hydrate is essential, which is exactly what we found this bull doing as we drove around the corner to a hidden waterhole.
Stretching just before she descends. This young female had rested up here for ages, but I was secretly hoping that before she descends the tree she would yawn and then stretch allowing for the next photo.
Shortly after setting off on a late afternoon hunt, this pack of wild dogs stopped by the airstrip. Allowing us to get below them on the elevated strip with stunning clouds in the background made for a superb shot.
As Londolozi moved toward dusk the Plaque Rock Female returned to her kill in an elephant scarred Marula tree
After a bit of drizzle one morning the Xinzele Female climbs a marula tree in order to rest for a while.
A small female often found in NW Marthly. Similar spot pattern to her mother the Ingrid Dam Female.
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Having been viewed by vehicles from an early age, this leopard is supremely relaxed around Land Rovers.
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A truly remarkable sighting of the Nhlanguleni Female carrying her cub to a new den.
Initially skittish she spent a lot of time in the Sand River, now relaxed she makes up the majority of leopard viewing west of camp.
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Two of the Ntsevu Sub-adults rear up onto their back legs in a playful wrestling showdown.
The Ntomi Male stares straight toward our vehicle. Before this photograph was taken this young male leopard was robbed of his impala kill by one of the Ndhzenga Male lions. He then found safety on top of a termite mound where we managed to get a few stunning portraits of him.
A single cub of the Ximungwe Female’s second litter. Initially rather skittish but is very relaxed now. Birth mark in his left eye.
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One of the Nhlanguleni Cubs hiding in amongst the rock crevices of the new den.
The Plaque Rock Female found a perfect vantage point in a dead knobthorn tree to scan her horizons providing us with some amazing photographic opportunities.
Such an incredible setting with this playful young elephant bull occasionally spraying a trunk full of water out against the setting sun’s golden rays that would shine through to illuminate the water as he exhales.
The Senegal Bush Male is now our most viewed male leopard and has been providing us with some phenomenal sightings as of late. On this particular afternoon, he strolled up alongside our vehicle and paused just a few feet away from me allowing me.
An early afternoon thunderstorm this last week left behind the most incredible light as it passed. We happened to find ourselves with the Birmingham Male under this golden sky accompanied by a glowing rainbow. I wonder what the future holds for this stalwart male lion?
Once again, the Ntomi Male puts on a show in the early morning light. He is growing in confidence every day and looks set to become a rather large male leopard in years to come.
The African Fish Eagle is a striking bird of prey that has a beautiful call synonymous with the African bush
Torn between video and photo in this sighting, from this day on I learnt that you cant try to do both, pick one and stick with it. Luckily some of the pictures came out quite alright.
As we passed by a dazzle of zebra, this one paid a little closer attention than the rest and allowed for a great portrait shot.
The look of a chameleon.
The Three Rivers Female poses perfectly for a drink, leaving a crisp reflection in the water below. She was accompanied by the young male that she is raising at the moment and, while we didn’t know it at this point, they were leading us back to a tree where they had two impala lambs stashed away.
Forced into early independence as her mother was killed by the Southern Avoca Males.
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Fully submerged within a waterhole was probably the best place for this adolescent elephant to be. He certainly does make it look inviting.
A young elephant calf seeks shelter from the rain from her mother. Over the past week we had some welcomed but persistent rain, this will help with a last little flush of green before the dry season.
The sun managed to briefly creep out beneath a stormy sky to make for an outrageously stunning scene with the Birmingham Male in the foreground.
One of the Nhlanguleni Female’s cubs peeks over the top of a large boulder at the den.
The Ntomi Male climbs a fallen tree and glances down at his mother as he chews on the edge of the stump.
Probably my favourite photograph from the afternoon. The way the Three Rivers Female gracefully positioned herself on the fallen branch made me think that she may have used this tree for a rest before…
A giant land snail inches its way across the tyre tracks in the road in the early morning post a large thunderstorm.
While milling about this young cheetah appears to be snarling, I think this was in fact a yawn that could almost be mistaken for a laugh.
One of the Nhlaguleni Female’s cubs glances down towards where her sibling and mother were feeding on a duiker carcass. This must have been one of the first times the Nhlaguleni Female has taken her cubs to a kill as she begins to introduce them to eating meat.
A small journey of giraffes wander around the open grassland near the northern end of the airstrip. We were sitting with the Tsalala Lioness at the bottom of the slope which gave an interesting perspective of the giraffe as they came to investigate.
The sheer power, strength and agility of the Senegal Bush Male as he ascends the vertical trunk of a large tree.
Gaining the high ground. This cheetah struck an absolutely stunning pose as he climbed this fallen Marula to scan the open grassland ahead.
A portrait of the beautiful Three Rivers Young Male. His inquisitive nature urges him to pause and get a better look at us, before continuing onward and upward into the canopy of the tree.
One of two cubs to survive, the sister lost at five months. Still dependent on his mother, but is growing into an impressive young male.
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A female giraffe keeps a beady eye on the Tsalala Lioness who was lying about 100m away in an open clearing. The backdrop of the fading colours in the evening sky provided a great photographic opportunity.
The Ntomi Male plans his next move on his ascent up a Marula tree where his mother was feeding on an impala kill.
Having stopped next to a water hole for our morning coffee break, we were joined by a herd of zebra that came to drink – unperturbed by all of us standing out of the vehicle!
The beautiful Nkuwa Female, well outside of her territory, had been lured further east by her interest in the Senegal Bush Male. After watching this leopard as a little cub in 2018, it was great to be able to spend an afternoon with her again.
One of two sisters born to the Nhlanguleni Female, both of whom made it to independence, the first intact litter to do so in 7 years.
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After an intense morning of witnessing the Senegal Bush Male and Maxims Male fighting for territory, we found the Senegal Bush Male later that afternoon lying up in long grass. His fierce, indomitable nature was heavily subdued by his discomfort from several battle wounds and irritation from the encircling flies.
While driving along the river we came across this herd of elephants, within which there were a number of tiny young calves that kept us entertained for a while.
With its mother just out of the frame, this little inquisitive elephant calf held its trunk up to the air hoping to work out what we are. However, using its trunk for this advanced form of sensory input is slightly beyond this little guy.
The pack, as always, amused us with their playful antics. All this before hurtling off into the thickets to find their quarry for the evening.
A much calmer moment as a mother giraffe checks in on her resting calf.
Sean Zeederberg
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