The month of May has arrived, marking the beginning of colder game drives. We depart from the lodges in the morning, greeted by crisp air and the beautiful scenes of the rising sun. Game drives are becoming slightly longer, and the animals remain active for extended periods, offering life-changing sightings and spectacular photographic opportunities.
Lion sightings of late have been extraordinary. The dynamics, as always, continue to shift. The two massive males from Plains Camp have started showing themselves more frequently to the west and north of our lodges. They are beautiful specimens and have begun mating with the lionesses from the original Ntsevu pride. As the dry season approaches, the strength of the buffalo dwindles, making it much easier for lions to bring them down. A few days ago, we were treated to the magnificent scene of the Munghen pride feasting on a buffalo cow they had taken down at the water’s edge.
Lions, leopards, Wild dogs, elephants, and beautiful sunsets with friends have made this past week another memorable one. Enjoy this week’s Week In Pictures!
An elephant cow strolls past just a meter away from our vehicle. We are fortunate to have such intimate sightings with Africa’s giants. The elephant’s eyes, though small compared to the rest of its body, are among its most fascinating features. I especially love their eyelashes!
A Nile Crocodile perches stealthily below the strong, flowing waters of the Sand River. Here, this crocodile waits for an unlucky fish to flow over the edge, where it swiftly moves to capture its prey. In this image, I tried my best to use a low enough shutter speed to create a blurred effect on the fast-flowing water. The river, at this time of year, is a productive place to spend time with a camera in hand.
Sunset with friends. On an afternoon without guests, we decided to head out and watch the sun dip below the horizon. It’s a special ritual for us as staff, one we eagerly embrace. Notice Ranger Chris Taylor gazing up as a few Burchell’s starlings fly above
One of the Plains Camp males chases after an Ntsevu lioness as they begin the mating process. Just before this photo was taken, the lioness was displaying lordosis, a form of flirting to entice the male. As soon as the male showed interest, she began trotting off, ensuring he was serious about commitment to mating.
The Munghen pride of lions feeding on a buffalo they had brought down at the water’s edge. Notice the condition of the older lioness on the left-hand side of the photo; she is one of the original lionesses from the Munghen pride. She is one of the mothers of the Ntsevu lioness and was born in 2009. It was amazing to see her and her pride feeding in the water; the sounds of the cubs arguing over bits of buffalo meat made the sighting super exciting.
We bumped into the Xinzele female as she was meandering down one of the most beautiful roads in the northern reaches of Londolozi. Just after the photo was taken, she spotted a herd of impala and began to hunt them. Under the canopy of the large Leadwood and Jackalberry trees there is still some green grass.
Here’s another photo of the Munghen pride feeding on their buffalo kill at the water’s edge. Notice the adult lioness on the right-hand side trying to drag the kill out of the water, while one of the cubs tries to balance on the fallen bovine’s body. As the kill would have gotten lighter, I’m sure they would have pulled it out of the water and fed on the bank
The Nkoveni female descends from a Marula tree after finishing off an impala kill.
A few days later, the Nkoveni female had just killed another impala. She then dragged this impala kill all the way back to her waiting cubs. Every few meters, she would have to stop and catch her breath. Her dedication to feeding her cubs is amazing. She must have dragged this impala for about 150 meters.
One of the Nkoveni female’s cubs arrived at the impala kill with great excitement. It can often take cubs this small a long time to actually penetrate the tough skin of a new kill. We watched these little cubs tussle with this impala for some time on top of this termite mound.
The larger of the two Plains camp males gazes towards our vehicle. His amen is extremely impressive. He is probably the largest male lion in the Sabi Sand at the moment.
A Goliath heron fishing in the Sand River. The Goliath Heron is the largest of its species on the earth.
The elephant cow gazes back towards us as she strolls past the vehicle. Sitting and appreciating these peaceful giants is an amazing experience
One of the Kambula lionesses moves towards the rest of her pride feeding on the remains of a Zebra kill they had made the night before. I the photo of the Munghen pride I mentioned the older lioness who was born in 2009 – she is the grandmother of this lionesses who was born in 2018.
A large tusker strolls towards our vehicle after the sun had set. We don’t often see elephants with tusks this impressive. It was great surprise.
The smaller of the two Plains Camp males watches on as his brother and the Ntsevu lioness begin a courtship process. Even though just a little smaller this particular male is absolutely beautiful. His mane is extremely dark, yet on this particular occasion he had to take the back seat.
A pack of wild dogs devours a waterbuck kill that they managed to steal from a leopard. I love the sight of all their tails in the air as they try to finish the kill as quickly as they can.
Dan Hirschowitz
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