The Week in Pictures #581 – Londolozi Blog

The Talamati Pride have been spending more time roaming the lands of Londolozi, here one of the lionesses lies just a few metres away from our vehicle with another just beyond her, as you can see a paw sticking up into the air.

A cheetah on a fallen marula tree is seeming to become an iconic Londolozi Cheetah shot, this male cheetah hopped up onto a fallen marula tree to scan the surrounding grasslands in the late afternoon. Possibly looking for any last hunting opportunities or ensuring there was no danger nearby before settling down for the evening. 

This White-Crested Helmetshrike and his/her chicks had us captivated as we stumbled upon them while off-roading through a Bushwillow thicket. As cooperative breeders, the chicks are reared by both sexes as well as assisted by helpers in the flock.

Utilising termite mounds for a similar reason to the fallen marula tree also allows for great black-and-white opportunities thanks to the contrast of the spotted coat coupled with the clear backgrounds.

After a long hard search we were delighted beyond belief to find one of the Ntsevu Female’s dens of five little lion cubs. 

We spent some fantastic time watching the little cubs suckle from their mother before adventuring around little further.

An extremely tolerant large male buffalo endures a number of Red-billed Oxpeckers hopping around his face in search of any ectoparasites- parasites living on the buffalo’s skin.

Giraffe calves although born weighing in at nearly 100kg (220lbs) are dwarfed by their mothers. We guestimated that this young giraffe was about a week or two old only just reaching the height of her tail.

Licking his lips to finish cleaning himself after a period of feeding on the kudu carcass.

A White-backed Vulture perches upon a dead knobthorn tree in the warm, late afternoon sun

As the morning began to warm up significantly this herd of elephants swiftly headed towards Weaver’s Nest Pan for a drink.

Now, new fathers of a number of different litters of cubs, the Ndzenga Males have held their own up until now. The big question is whether will they be able to hold on for long enough for the Ntsevu Females to raise these cubs successfully. 

The Ntomi Male has developed a habit of sticking around the same area for a few days at a time, making him a regular find. Largely independent now, but still moving within his mother’s territory, we should expect him to start exploring further abroad in the coming months.

We had only been following the Xinkhova female a short while when she leapt into the darkness and reappeared with this impala lamb. We couldn’t believe our luck! She then wisely headed straight up the nearest tree to catch her breath and enjoy her prize.

The Ntsevu Sub-adults are doing a superb job of sneaking beneath the radar and buying their time. They are now all growing into impressive young males, but will likely still be a while before they are able to claim a territory of their own. 

The Senegal Bush Male snarls at a hyena that was waiting beside the tree in which he had a hoisted impala kill. Safe to say the hyena heeded the warning…

A Ntsevu Lioness gazes back toward the rest of her pride after awakening from her day of slumber

The Ximungwe Duo walk away from our vehicle in the late afternoon sun. Although now fully independent, the Ntomi Male has been seen with his mother on the odd occasion.