The Leopards of Simbambili

25th to 31st Jan 2010

The lowveld has experienced some very hot and humid days this week with a number of rain showers. February is one of the months when we receive a large portion of our rainfall and as we have already received just short of four hundred millimetres of rain thus far, it looks as if we are going to have a good rainfall year.

The rainfall should carry us through a major portion of the dry season with all of the temporary pans and permanent waterholes holding good volumes of water.

Game viewing has been good although the lush vegetation and tall grass has made finding game a little more difficult. We have started to have more regular sightings of the female leopard Nyeleti and her three cubs, Nyeleti is once again utilising a greater portion of her northern range.

LeopardSalayexe and her cubs were seen on one rainy morning as they finished an impala carcass that had been killed the previous evening. The cubs are now approaching their first birthday and Salayexe is starting to leave them on their own for extended periods. She is also starting to show more signs of aggression to the cubs and we are certain that this is the start of the separation when the cubs will be left to their own independence by their mother.

Nyeleti has three younger cubs that are still very reliant on their mother for all of their meals and the female leopard has been a more than capable provider. The three cubs, two of which are male and one a female are all healthy and appear to be flourishing. They were seen on three occasions this week one of which was definitely the highlight of the week’s sightings.

Nyeleti had managed to kill a bushbuck and had brought the three cubs back to the kill to feed. The leopards were unfortunately not going to get a good meal as two spotted hyena arrived. They managed to steal the kill from the leopards, but not before a show of real aggression from the female leopard!

LionThe Styx pride were spotted on two occasions this week, both sightings were of them resting full bellied and content on the airstrip of one of the camps in the eastern half of our traversing. The pride appears to be settling down and the sub adult lions seem to be taking a bigger part in the hunts which is contributing to a more successful pride.

Elephant

Elephant have been found on every drive this week, with large herds moving back into the area to take advantage of the bumper marula fruiting season.

The herds have spent considerable time moving from fruiting tree to fruiting tree, feeding on the delicious seasonal bounty that these fruits provide.

The largest of the herds seen this week numbered well over fifty animals and the numbers of small calves’ present shows that elephant numbers within the Kruger Park system are still on the rise. There have been a number of large bulls seen either singly or in small groups following the breeding herds.

Buffalo & RhinocerosBuffalo have been very easy to locate this week with three herds being seen on the property as well as the resident bulls who are seen daily utilising the waterhole in front of the lodge as a relaxing mud wallow.

Rhinoceros on the other hand have been rather difficult to locate and we have had only a single sighting of Shorthorn, the dominant male in the north-western area of our property. He was found on a cool morning enjoying a good wallow and scratching session at a waterhole.

Regards
The Simbambili Guiding Team and Mark and Celeste

African Leopard Safaris to Simbambili Game Reserve in the Sabi Sands Reserve in South Africa

18th to 24th Jan 2010

The game viewing this week has been unbelievable! It is often thought that the green season is a time when game viewing becomes rather difficult as the bush is much more dense but this week has proven that this is untrue.

The weather has been good with no rain and temperatures averaging 32 degrees Celsius during the day. There have been a few overcast days and as we neared the end of the week the humidity climbed promising some rain in the next few days.

The predator viewing at Simbambili seems to be getting better and better, with all three of the large cats and wild dog spotted during the week. Large herds of buffalo have also been present on the property for the entire week.

Leopard
The high densities of the leopard population in the northern Sabi Sand Reserve is what makes this one of the best leopard viewing areas in the world. We were lucky enough to have seen twelve individual leopards over the course of the week. The presence of a mating pair of leopards caused a lot of excitement with Tyson, the dominant male in the western part of our traverse area being found with a previously unknown female leopard that is new to the area. The pair were still mating on Sunday and were seen twice during the week.

Salayexe and her two cubs are providing the bulk of our leopard sightings. This female leopard is starting to spend longer periods away from her cubs, who are fast approaching their first birthdays and independence. The two cubs are still very reliant on their mother for their meals although they are proving to be good students and have been able to hunt smaller prey successfully, such as rodents and birds while Salayexe is away.

Salayexe is also starting to show less tolerance for the cubs, often growling and hissing as they approach her, this is normal behaviour and over the next six to twelve months the two cubs should be sent on their way as independent sub - adult leopards. This is a testing time for a young leopard and one we are looking forward to witnessing.

The leopard sighting of the week however belongs to Mbilo the young leopard female who has taken up residence in the Arathusa Big Dam area. Mbilo was found one afternoon watching as a large herd of buffalo made their way to the water to quench their thirst. The herd numbered in the region of a hundred animals with a number of small calves present.

The movement and noise that is always present with a herd of buffalo was too much for the young leopard to resist and she stalked closer.

The leopard found herself almost in the middle of the herd and locked onto some of the smaller calves. Now you can imagine our surprise when she tried to stalk and catch one of these young buffalo calves! The wind however carried her scent to the buffalo who immediately went on the defensive gathering the small calves into the centre of the herd and forming a wall of horns and bodies to protect their offspring from the as yet unseen threat. The leopard showed some mettle by remaining still and utilising her camouflage to remain unseen by the buffalo, the herd then moved off and the leopard followed once again trying to ambush some of the small calves. This was not to be as the buffalo finally found the small cat and proceeded to chase her and she had to take refuge up a large marula tree.

LionThe lion viewing this week has been good with the Styx and Windmill prides being seen. The Sandy Patch lioness and her cub have also been present on the property.

The Styx pride managed to bring down two zebras late one evening and were found the following morning feeding on the remains. The pride then spent the following three days in the area with swollen bellies and droopy eyes as they digested their meals.

ElephantElephant numbers have been good and the presence of a large herd near the end of the week provided a number of good sightings with some young calves being present in the herd. The young calves, provide hours of amusement as they try to figure out how to best use their trunks, which appear to have a life of their own.

Buffalo and Rhinoceros
White rhinoceros have been conspicuous by their absence this week. We had only a handful of sightings of the two dominant bulls in our area, the Londolozi bull and the Shorthorn bull.

These two bulls move in different areas of the property and were seen recently in a territorial stand-off on their common boundary.

Buffalo numbers have been fantastic with three herds being seen, all utilising different areas throughout our traversing. The sight of a hundred buffalo as they rush to a waterhole to drink and wallow is one of the best sightings in the bush. The excitement of the animals is palpable and so is the sense of relief that seems to overcome them as they rush into the cool of the water.

Cheetah & Wild Dog

A sighting of the rarest of the predators, African wild dogs, was a great surprise this week. The dogs were seen on two consecutive days. The pack consisted of four adult males and the dogs were seen to chase and feed on two different impala kills. They were last seen as they streaked after another impala herd in a neighbouring property on our western boundary.

Late one afternoon we received a radio call that four male cheetah had been found in the eastern half of the reserve. We made our way over to the sighting and were rewarded with a sight of four adult male cheetah as they moved through the bush scent marking and resting in the shade of a large Leadwood tree. The sighting did not last long as the cheetah got active shortly after our arrival and moved east into the Kruger National Park. The sighting was fantastic and the flat tyre we managed to get on the way there was a small price to pay to witness these elegant cats in the wild.

African Safaris to Simbambili Game Reserve in the Sabi Sands Reserve in South Africa

4th to 10th Jan 2010

We had fantastic weather for the last few days. It has been humid & moist in the evening, with daytime temperatures around 26-31degrees centigrade and at night about 17degrees centigrade.

Leopard sightings this week at Simbambili Game Reserve really were phenomenal sightings. Tyson the big territorial male leopard was sighted at Big Dam Arathusa scent marking as usual. He was pursuing his competition, the previous dominant male leopard in our area , Mafufunyane, who had been in the area for few days. While scenting, Tyson found a fallen tree and rubbed his face against it, and he then started calling immediately to proclaim this as his territory call. There was no response from his opponent, Mafufunyane.

The female leopard, Nyeleti was sighted at Serengeti Open Area, hunting impala unsuccessfully with her three cubs. The cubs are about 6and a half months old now and very relaxed with the vehicles. Nyeleti spends a great deal of her time in Londolozi to the south of our traversing area so it was good to see her. We followed her and she then crossed back over the boundary into Londolozi. Nyeleti’s younger sister, Salayexe and her two cubs were seen during the week on a regular basis. On one occasion on a baby impala kill being followed by hyena. We had initially only spotted the hyena running towards the area where the female leopard was, the hyena immediately began to smell the ground and our experienced tracker spotted a leopard in the tree lying next to the carcass. As we repositioned our vehicle we saw 2 hyenas approaching the area. They started fighting over the bones that had fallen from the carcass in the tree. While one of the cubs was feeding on the carcass, we wondered why she was growling and we found out that the other cub was showing interest on the carcass as well. Leopards are usually very solitary they often prefer to feed on a solitary basis, so they will feed one by one. The young female cub than moved the carcass away from her brother. She got distracted by the noise of the hyenas growling, and she immediately dropped the carcass. Because it was baby impala the hyena finished the bones quickly.

The following day Salayexe managed to kill 2 baby impalas and hide them in various places, half a kilometer apart. We followed her tracks until we found her on one of the kills with a full belly lying under the tree. The cubs were very playful; the male cub started playing with the carcass as his mother lay close to him watching him. The cubs then began to eat and dropped a few scraps to the ground for the hyena. He did not leave much for the other two cubs, while the hyena enjoyed the fallen bones on the ground. As the day progressed the sun was getting too hot so the hyena decided to move away and then all three leopards came down the tree and hid in the thick bush.

General game viewing has been wonderful with large numbers of zebras, wildebeest being seen. We also enjoyed excellent sightings of a number of herds of elephants on the property.

Until next time
Simbambili team.

African Safaris to the Sabi Sands Game Reserve in South Africa

20th to 27th Dec 2009

The Christmas week delivered some really good game viewing. The lion prides have provided some fabulous viewing and the leopard viewing has got back to its outstanding best after a quiet period at the beginning of the week.

The weather has been good with some cooler overcast conditions near the end of the week. We received a little over 10mm of rain this week and the bush is looking very lush. The animals have all regained condition after the taxing dry season and all of the game is looking sleek and healthy.

There has also been some fantastic birding to be had with some rare sightings including, Black-Crowned Night Heron, Dwarf Bittern, Pennant-Winged Nightjar and a large flock of Abdim’s storks being seen.

LeopardFresh leopard tracks always cause a ripple of excitement and this week when we picked up tracks early one morning as we were leaving the lodge it was no different. We had been struggling to find our usually ever present leopards and it was with excitement that we started to follow the tracks that had moved right up the lodge driveway. It was not long before we found Salayexe and her two cubs as they moved through a river-line close to the lodge. The family of leopards looked well fed and spent the majority of the morning resting in the shady riverine thickets.

Tyson and Shadow were seen later on the same morning after they had killed a warthog piglet. The larger male making the actual kill and therefore being able to dominate the female and feed on a larger share of the small meal that was on offer. The pair of leopards was left to their meal as the day heated up. That afternoon Salayexe had moved into the area and chased Shadow the younger leopard female out of her territory.

Salayexe and the cubs provided us with another great sighting on Saturday. The leopards were seen resting near the carcass of a large impala ram that they had been feeding on since the early hours of the morning. The sun had started to heat up the carcass and it did not take long for the hyenas to follow their noses and find the kill. The leopard female attempted to make a stand against them but in the end had to relinquish her meal.

The three leopards stayed in the area and fortunately found a few scraps that the hyenas had overlooked. They fed on what they could find before retiring to the cooler riverine area to rest up for the day.

LionThis week lion viewing has been some of the best for some time. The Tsalala pride has been utilising the southern section of our traversing area for the last four days resting in the area around one of the airstrips. The availability of prey seems to be attracting them to the area more regularly, with large numbers of zebra, impala and wildebeest being found in the open areas around the airstrip.

The Styx pride also made an appearance earlier in the week and spent three days in the area. We were lucky enough to witness them attempting to hunt impala and waterbuck one evening. The younger lionesses of the pride running for over a hundred meters as she chased a herd of waterbuck. The attempt although unsuccessful was great entertainment and it was good to see the sub adult lions taking an active part in the hunt.

ElephantElephant herds have been seen on a daily basis, the lush grasses being eaten with relish by the large pachyderms. There have also been a number of larger bulls on the property during the week.

Buffalo & RhinocerosA number of herds of buffalo have been seen throughout the area, the largest of which numbered in excess of a hundred and fifty animals.

There have also been a number of young calves in the herds and the births seem to be continuing with new calves being seen almost daily.

Regards, The Simbambili Guiding Team and Taga Safaris Africa

South African Safaris to the Sabi sands Game Reserve in South Africa

14th to 20th Dec 2009

The game viewing this week has been fantastic, we have been lucky to have had a number of fantastic predator sightings. Lion, leopard and wild dogs have all been seen over the course of the week.

A large number of elephant and buffalo have also been on the property. White Rhinoceros have been seen daily and this has made game drives really rewarding.

The weather has been great with some very hot and humid days being experienced. We have had two rain showers this week with a total of 50 millimetres of rain falling. Dinner on Sunday evening was beautifully highlighted by a large electrical storm lighting up the night sky.

LeopardNyeleti and her three cubs were seen for two days this week, as they played and rested in the Manyeleti riverine. The three cubs are growing up well and appear to be healthy and all three are relaxed in the presence of the vehicles. The trio entertained us for well over an hour one morning as they stalked and chased each other up and down the river bed.

The sighting of a new female leopard in the area had us all hoping to get a glimpse of this new visitor. The leopard female appears to be an older female and is utilising the area around Rhino Pan. She was found in the area over a three day period and was seen on a young impala kill.

Salayexe and her two cubs were found early one morning on an impala kill. This was quickly stolen by a hyena that ran in and appropriated the carcass. The full grown impala ram carcass was too large to hoist into a tree and the leopards had to wait until later in the day to reclaim the remains of the carcass from an hyena.

Mbilo and the old female Safari had an altercation near our southern boundary. The younger of the two leopard females, Mbilo, had managed to bring down an impala ewe and to hoist the carcass into the branches of a large marula tree. The commotion caused by the kill had attracted the attention of Safari who approached and chased the young leopard away from the kill. The pair spent the following two days in the area although it appears that there was never an actual physical confrontation between the two cats.

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LionThe highlight of this week’s game viewing has been the number of lion sightings that we have enjoyed with two different prides being found in our traversing area.

The Windmill Pride, were found early on in the week with a freshly killed buffalo. The pride numbering eight lions fed off the carcass before being chased off by two large male lions that move into the area from the Manyeleti Reserve.

These males fed on the buffalo carcass for the following three days, chasing the young males of the Windmill Pride who are rapidly approaching independence from the pride. The pride however seems to have regrouped and their tracks were seen heading east into the Kruger National Park.

The Styx Pride made an unexpected return to our property when they were found feeding on a wildebeest kill one morning. The pride is made up of seven individual lions, three lionesses, three sub adult lionesses and a young male lion. They have spent the week moving around the northern section of our traversing.

The Tsalala Pride also made a brief appearance one morning being found feeding on the remains of a wildebeest kill that they had made on one of the airstrips. They moved south and out of our property later that day. The eight cubs are all still well and are growing almost daily as their mothers provide them with a constant source of meat. The wildebeest have all calved recently and this has added to the bonus that summertime brings for most predators

ElephantLarge numbers of elephant were present this week with all of the larger herds utilising the mud wallows to cool off during the hot weather that has been experienced. The sight of a large herd of elephants enjoying a mud bath is one of the highlights of any safari. The excitement that ripples through the herd as they move toward water and the relief it will bring from the heat is almost palpable. The young elephant as with children cannot resist a good play session in the mud and often have to be dragged away from the water by their mothers as they gather the herd together to move off and feed.

Buffalo and RhinocerosBuffalo have been seen daily this week with the resident bulls once again being found easing away the days submerged in a cool mud wallow or waterhole, often with only their eyes and nostrils protruding out of the water!!

White rhinoceros have been found most afternoons as they move to the waterholes or temporary pans to wallow or slake their thirst. Once again the tracks of a black rhinoceros were found on the property and it is only a matter of time before we get a glimpse of this rare pachyderm.

Wild DogA Pack of six dogs was spotted moving over one of the airstrips in the area, it appeared that they were hunting and it was not long before the excited yips of feeding dogs were heard.

We approached to find the pack feeding on an impala lamb. The dogs soon finished the small kill and moved away, they entered an area with very dense bush and we could not follow any further.

We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
The Simbambili Guiding Team and Mark and Celeste of Taga Safaris Africa

African Safaris to view Leopards in Simbambili Game Reserve

7th to 13th Dec 2009

As we approach the middle of summer the bush is looking radiant as the trees have all come out in full leaf and the grasses have started to seed. The fruiting season has also started with a number of Sour-plums starting to bear their tart but very tasty fruit.

Predator viewing this week has been very good with leopard being seen on every drive and Al and Mumps were lucky enough to watch as Thandi, stalked and killed a young impala and dragged it into the braches of a Marula tree. A single male cheetah was also seen this week as well as a brief sighting of wild dogs.

The wildebeest calving season has begun and we have started to see the fawn coloured calves running with their mothers.

LeopardThe leopard viewing has been superb this week, with as many as five different leopards being found during a single game drive. Salayexe and her two cubs are still providing the bulk of our sightings as they move through the central areas of our traversing. The cubs are becoming more independent and have been seen exploring further on their own.

The old female leopard Safari , was seen on a young impala kill for a three day period as she remained in the vicinity and finished the kill that she had stashed in the branches of a Marula tree in a leisurely fashion. This old one-eyed female who is in her seventeenth year is still a very capable hunter. The wounds that she seems to have received from an encounter with a warthog appear to be healing well.

The young female Mbilo has made the area in the vicinity of Big Dam her own and has been found in the area over the past week often resting up in trees as she surveys her surroundings for any likely prey.

LionThe Tsalala pride made a welcome return to our property during the week. The entire pride of eleven were found early one morning feeding on a recently killed wildebeest cow. The eight cubs are all in good condition and have grown considerably since we last viewed them. The pride remained in the area for the entire day resting in the shade of a thicket after they had finished the meal.

The two Mapogo male lions moved through the area during the middle of the week and were found resting in the eastern half of our traversing. These two males have been moving through the property more frequently, scent marking and roaring. This could be due to the fact that their scent marks are not lasting as long because of the frequent rainfall in summer.

The Sandy Patch lioness has still not fed this week and at the last sighting we had of her and her cub, the pair appeared rather thin and in need of a good meal. The lioness is struggling to hunt successfully due to the constant presence of her young son. The young lion in all his enthusiasm often gives away the presence of the lions to any possible prey as he bumbles along behind his mother.

ElephantA number of breeding herds have been seen this week, feeding on the fresh growth of greenery that has appeared with our summer rains. Elephant appear to be grazing the very nutritious grasses around the termite mounds.

Buffalo & RhinocerosA large herd of approximately six hundred buffalo was found during the week. Seeing the African buffalo in such large numbers is always a memorable sighting and even more so if they are in an open clearing where one can get a true sense of the size of the herd. The number of buffalo bulls in the area is still high and the resident camp bulls have been seen wallowing in the mud pans around the lodge.

Rhinoceros viewing is still good with a crash of six being seen regularly. The rhino are all utilising the fresher grass growth in the open areas and have also been seen as they utilise the temporary pans that have been created by the heavy rain, wallowing in the thick mud to protect their hides from biting insects and the African sun.

Special SightingsThe sighting of a male cheetah was a highlight as we don’t see these sleek cats that often. The cheetah was found early during a morning game drive as it fed on an impala. The cheetah then moved off and then headed in an easterly direction towards the Kruger National Park.

A single wild dog was seen as she moved along our southern boundary. The dog stopped and called often probably as a result of having lost the rest of the pack during a hunt. The remains of a kill possibly made by the pack were found in the area around Big Dam, this was quickly finished off by a number of vultures.

Kind Regards
The Simbambili Guiding Team

Safaris to Simbambili Game Lodge in the Sabi Sands Game Reserve