Honey Badger Safari House
01112019
October Safari report
Hello all. Time flies when you on safari, we again have hosted people from all
around the world on various safaris into the Kruger National Park. We have
had our first real effective and welcome rains in the southern area of Kruger
national park, and the foliage is starting to sprout and leaves returning to the
trees. The heat is starting to build and the thunderstorms lighting our nights.
We have had a month of some unique sightings for the guests and I to enjoy
including such as Sable antelope, leopards, lions, cheetah, wild dog and African
rock pythons. Our first returned migratory woodlands kingfisher for the season
was spotted on the 27th of October 2019 and a host of other plains game and
large mega herbivores have kept us enthralled. The sighting I would like to
focus on this month is one we enjoyed on the Gomodwane road (s130) at the
southern entrance. It had been a slow morning up to that point and as we
came around the corner on the narrow dust road, I noticed one other game
viewer stopped. We drew slowly up to the sighting and were greeted with a
pack of wild dogs spread all around the road and into the bush. They had blood
from a recent meal on their muzzles and were active but hanging around, so
we enjoyed them and drove a bit further up the dust road to be greeted with
pups playing on the road and some further active adult wild dogs.
We observed them interacting and engaging each another and then suddenly
the pack was hyper alert and vocalising their excited high-pitched calls, chasing
after something. I thought an Impala was sighted and notified the guests to be
alert when another guide stopped next to me and stated. “leopard.” We
followed him back down the road and sure enough one disturbed leopard was
up a tree with the pack below.
The leopard in a one on one situation would be able to easily hold its own, but
a pack of wild dogs together. It was wise to take the aerial route and get out of
the dog’s reach. Predators often do not tolerate other predators in the same
space and the conflict can result in deaths since they are competing for the
same food source. Leopards being solitary cats can climb trees and often will
take this route instead of potentially getting injured in a scuffle, but it was not
pleased. The dogs where trying to jump to reach the big cat, vocalising and
circling the tree and the cat watched them from the safety of the tree
disdainfully. Every now and then hissing at his would-be attackers.
African wild dogs are endangered and Africa’s second most endangered
predator behind the Ethiopian wolf, so we were fortunate to find these
animals. As the Kruger National park is a large wilderness area of about 20000
km2 (about the size of the state of Israel) and there are only approximately 300
individuals (latest census of wild dogs in the park) So spotting one is always a
privilege and for them to find the elusive leopard for us gawking observers was
certainly a sighting to behold. The leopard then decided it was not high enough
from the dogs and began to climb a bit higher, hoping the dogs would lose
interest.
The Leopard got comfortable as it went higher, preparing to wait it out.
The dogs entertained themselves around the bottom of the tree for about a
half an hour, but then happily went off in search of something else and our cat
decided to come down after all was clear.
It slunk down cautiously and melted into the bush. What a sighting, we can’t
guarantee any sighting in a wilderness area as the animals are free roaming
and wild, which is its charm, but we can state that we enjoy finding these
sights for guests.
Please see below some pictures of some of our safaris highlights in October
Keep well
Honey Badger Safari Team