Big 5 Sightings 24 – 30 December 2012

The Big 5 highlight of the week was the five young cheetahs we saw. They came into our area and stayed here for a few days. We really enjoyed having them here as we do not see young cheetahs on their own very often

The 5 young cheetahs - Louis Liversage

Monday, 24 December 2012

(34 ºC)

• Three buffalo bulls feeding on Wetpatch Road
• Salayexe, the female leopard and her cub, moving west on EP Shirley’s cutline
• One buffalo bull feeding on Pungwe Island
• The Nkuhuma sub adult male lion eating a tortoise on Simbambili open area

Tuesday, 25 December 2012

(35 ºC, 17mm)

• A pack of eleven wild dogs moving west on our southern boundary close to Big Dam Link South
• One elephant bull feeding close to Tamboti Crossing
• One buffalo bull resting in the water at Leeukuil
• Three buffalo bulls and 2 cows drinking water at Baboon pan
• A breeding herd of about 30 elephants feeding on Wessels’ Old Driveway

Wednesday, 26 December 2012

(28 ºC)

• Styx pride of lions with a wildebeest kill on Safari airstrip
• One elephant bull moving west on Seepline
• One buffalo bull rolling in the mud on the eastern side of EP open area
• Kwatile, the female leopard, resting in a tree east of MMM South

Sub adult male cub of the Styx pride - Morné Fouché

Thursday, 27 December 2012

(30 ºC)

• A pack of eleven wild dogs with three impala kills around Leeukuil
• Two breakaway Tsalala lionesses resting at Poachers corner
• Four buffalo bulls resting in the water at Rhino Pan
• One elephant bull moving south on EP new driveway
• A breeding herd of about ten elephants feeding in Shirley’s Crossing

Friday, 28 December 2012

(34 ºC)

• A pack of eleven wild dogs feeding on a juvenile impala on EP open area
• Four buffalo bulls resting close to Shirley’s Crossing
• Salayexe, the female leopard, stalking impala on Jerry Drive
• Styx pride of lions resting on Grasscut Road
• A breeding herd of about twenty elephants feeding on Gowrie Main
• Five young cheetahs resting on Djuma Old driveway

Saturday, 29 December 2012

(35 ºC)

• Tingana, the male leopard, feeding on a juvenile wildebeest kill on Guarri Central
• Three breakaway Tsalala lionesses resting at Rhino Pan
• Four buffalo bulls resting in the water at Rampan
• Shadow, the female leopard and her two cubs, resting on Old Borehole road
• A breeding herd of about 20 elephants feeding and drinking water at Simbambili Dam

Wildebeest cow and calf - Morné Fouché

Sunday, 30 December 2012

(35 ºC)

• A breeding herd of about 40 elephants feeding on Matimba Road
• Another breeding herd of elephants feeding on Marula Bult South
• Four buffalo bulls resting in the water at Rampan
• One buffalo bull resting in the water at Big Dam