This week although with still some rainfall, the reserve has had a chance to dry out a bit and the game viewing has been great. With all the moisture around animals don’t have to go too far in search of a drink, the vegetation and in particular the grasses are thriving, blanketing the landscape in a dense lush hue of green. Animals in all shapes and sizes have come out of the woodwork and are humming with activity.
Starting with the larger of this week’s highlights, elephants are in their abundance and a few intimate greeting are always amazing to witness. Giraffes, who have a free choice of which bush, shrub or tree in which to feed, are making the most and likely picking out tall the new shoots bursting through, having their fill in the company of a fling of Oxpeckers. Yes, I believe that a ‘fling’ is the collective noun for a group of Oxpeckers.
An impressive kudu bull stands proud in a clearing with his physique rippling through contours and crevices in musculature, adorned with an impressive set of spiralled horns. Zebra, impala and waterbuck also find their way into a magnificent collection.
Now switching our attention across to the predators, the Ntomi Male is featured in a striking image draped over a marula branch with a fixated gaze towards the camera. The Ntsevu Sub-adult Males weather out the storm together in a close huddle, using each other for warmth and comfort. As well as we get another stunning view of the newest little additions to the Ntsevu Pride.
Let us know your favourites in the comments section below.
Enjoy This Week In Pictures…
A gentle greeting between two members of an elephant herd. Body language and displays of affection like this are integral to elephant communication and bonding.
Briefly lifting his head from a guarrie bush that he had been feeding on, this large and very healthy-looking male giraffe had a number of Red-billed Oxpeckers helping ensure his coat was emasculate, combing through it in search of any dead skin or ectoparasites such as fleas and ticks.
The Ntomi Male keeps a beady eye on a small herd of impalas that were passing by. The prominent freckle on his eye can be seen quite clearly here.
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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With so many lions cubs around, the hyena den may have taken a back seat! The reflection in the eyes and look of sheer innocence certainly make it difficult not to love every minute spent with these cubs!
A small portion of the Ntsevu Pride’s latest litter takes a moment to rest in an open sandy patch of ground.
Few antelope are quite as impressive as Kudu. This magnificent male stood attentive listening to some unknown sound before continuing his early morning feeding in the open plains of the southwest.
The lush greenery of a tamboti grove provided the perfect backdrop to this image as a Ntsevu Female sharpens and cleans her claws, ready for the night ahead.
After spending some time with this herd of elephants the female on the right approached and both adults proceeded to perform this greeting ceremony of placing their trunks in each other’s mouths. All the while the small young elephant was fiddling with a piece of grass with its trunk.
Impala are intensely alert animals and at the slightest sound or movement they perk their ears up to gather as much information as possible about what is going on around them.
A large male Waterbuck rests up on a grassy termite mound. After all the rain we’ve had over the past month, the lush greenery adds such an interesting element to our images.
We are incredibly lucky to be spending hours with the latest additions to the Nsevu pride. The cubs are providing endless entertainment as they explore the world around them. This one, in particular, paused for a second, stopping to stare in our direction.
A lone giraffe bull ambles his way across the Londolozi airstrip.
Sean Zeederberg
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