The Cat Report: 28 July - 4 August 2017

SABIE SANDS

HOSANA

Screenshot: Lily Brown

30 July
Hosana surprised WE when he was discovered near treehouse dam in the morning during an elephant sighting. He was lying in the grass next to a tree stump and remained dozing there until WE left him to get on with his cat naps.

For more visit: https://www.facebook.com/Hosana.Male.Leopard


MVULA

Screenshot: Agnes Zsiga

31 July

Mvula was found alert as he walked through the bush close to Gowrie Main.

For more visit: https://www.facebook.com/Mvula.Leopard


NKUHUMA PRIDE

Screenshot: Lily Brown

31 July
The pride and their cubs looked full and fat crossing Aubrey’s road on sunrise safari.
Later on the afternoon drive, Birmingham Boys Tinyo and Mfumo gave the Nkuhuma pride a warm welcome, with the cubs looking especially excited to see them.

1 August
The lionesses and cubs were cat napping with Mfumo. While the lionesses had some blood from a recent kill on their fur it didn’t look like any had gotten a decent meal from it - compared to the big stomached Birmingham Boy sleeping beside them.

2 August
The pride eyed out a nearby giraffe but thought better of it and settled down again.

3 August
One of the lionesses and Birmingham Boy Tinyo lay flat in dense bush, possibly exhausted after a night of mating.

4 August
The pride and a Birmingham Boy (Tinyo) slept in on Galago shortcut. One of the lioness’s had her sleep rudely interrupted by a mouse who, confused by her camouflage on the pale yellow road, ran straight into her!

For more visit: https://www.facebook.com/Nkuhuma.Lions


BIRMINGHAM BOYS 

Screenshot: Karly

31 July
Tinyo and Mfumo gave the Nkuhuma pride a warm welcome, with the cubs looking especially excited to see them.

1 August
A full-bellied Mfumo catnapped with the Nkuhumas.

2 August
Moving around. One lioness getting up and stalking a giraffe. Then moving around a bit and settling down.

3 August
Tinyo and one of the Nkuhuma lionesses lay flat in dense bush, possibly exhausted after a night of mating.

4 August
Tinyo was found on Galago Shortcut, sleeping in with the Nkuhumas.

For more visit: https://www.facebook.com/Birmingham.Male.Lions


INVESTEC PACK OF WILD DOGS

Screenshot: Payton Payne

1 August
A rare prolonged sighting of the Investec pack who all lay flat south of Northern boundary. Later in the evening the pack got mobile and took down an impala. As they quickly devoured it, a hyena moved in and made off with a small morsel.

For more visit: https://www.facebook.com/Investec.Pack.Wild.Dogs


LOWER SABIE BREAKAWAY PACK OF WILD DOGS

Screenshot: Ann Animal Minnesota

1 August
The Lower Sabie Breakaway Pack were caught on the move, and WE were there to witness taking down a young female impala near Twin Dams.

MARA

PARADISE PRIDE

Screenshot: Ann Animal Minnesota

29 July
Two lionesses, attempted a Thomson’s gazelle hunt at night, but then mysteriously gave up and ran off. WE stayed with them until they started playing in the early hours of the morning

1 August
Two of the lionesses lay perched on an embankment above the river crossings.

4 August
Spotted from Governor’s balloon, a lioness lay warming up in the morning sun with one of the Musketeer males.


UNIDENTIFIED LIONS

Screenshot: M A

29 July
Two young males lay flat while a nearby lioness showed some interest in a large herd of wildebeest before she too lay down to sleep.

2 August
WE suspect it was the Sausage Pride that were spotted on sunset safari who, having taken down not one but four wildebeest (that they had hidden in long grass), contact called to their cubs to come share the meal.

ANGAMA PRIDE

Screenshot: Lily Brown

29 July
Surrounded by a large herd of elephants. The pride was found resting up on the edge of their favourite lugga, soaking up the sun.

1 August
The pride was spotted in the company of the legendary Scarface.


NOTCH COALITION

Screenshot: Debbie M

2 August
Two of the males were found romancing two unidentified females on the Mara plains.


MUSKETEER COALITION

4 August
Spotted from Governor’s balloon, one of the males warmed up in the morning sun with a Paradise Pride lioness.


MALAIKA CHEETAH

29 July
Malaika was found lying in the grass with her two male cubs.. She later got up and started walking around.

4 August
As Malaika observed the expanse of the open plains from a termite mound, her two cubs played in the cool morning air.


UNIDENTIFIED CHEETAH MARA

Screenshot: Lily Brown

31 July
Unknown sisters were lying in the grass before getting up to pursue a scrub hare. They then settled down and enjoyed the small meal together.

1 August
A coalition of five male cheetahs groomed each other then headed toward a small herd of wildebeest, before disappearing into a thicket.


UNIDENTIFIED LIONESS 

31 July
An lioness walking through long grass towards some wildebeest then disappeared.


SCARFACE

Screenshot: Lily Brown

31 July
We admired big teeth as Scarface gave a giant yawn, the wind blowing through his mane as he lay in long grass.

1 August
Not alone today, Scarface was seen in the company of the Angama pride.

21 July - 28 July: Cat Report

HOSANA

(Image Credit: Payton Payne)

22 July - Lying in the thicket next to twin dams. Stretching before getting up and starting to move then lying down again. He started walking and watching impala using the car to hide from them  then he moved off toward the dam wall and stopping for a drink along the way. Going into stalk mode crawling close to the ground. Then straightening up and crossing south giving up the hunt.

24 July - Standing in long grass, looking for food. Looking so beautiful and camouflaged in the dry winter tones of the bush.

For more visit: https://www.facebook.com/Hosana.Male.Leopard

THAMBA

(Image Credit:MA)

25 July  - Thamba was seen in the thick bush from a distance appearing to stalk small prey. He later settled in the grass still looking like his alert self.

26 July - WE caught a glimpse of Thamba on the edge of a drainage line. He jumped into a small tree giving us a clear view of him before disappearing into the drainage line.

27 July - Thamba brightened up the overcast morning when WE found him in the branches of a large tree tearing away at his breakfast. WE spent most of the morning watching him gorging himself.

For more visit: https://www.facebook.com/Thamba.Male.Leopard

THANDI

(Image Credit:Thandi)

27 July - Thandi was spotted lying under the big tree where her son was eating a duiker kill. Thamba occasionally dropped pieces of the kill while eating. Often on top of Thandi’s head.

For more visit:https://www.facebook.com/Thandi.Leopard

MVULA

( Image Credit:Gecko)

25 July - Mvula was found lying in the grass with his porcupine kill. He promptly proceeded to get up and feed on the kill for a while and then posed nicely for his onlookers to take photos and admire him.

For more visit: https://www.facebook.com/Mvula.Leopard

BIRMINGHAM BOYS

(Image Credit:Karly)

23 July -  During the morning Tinyo was found lying in the grass looking majestic in the golden sunrise on Quarentine. He was joined by his brother walking up and greeting him. Tinyo was eating the remains of a kill. The brothers then moved off patrolling their territory.

During afternoon drive another Birmingham, Mfumo,  was found sitting in the afternoon light. He then got up and started walking towards Buffelshoek, sniffing the ground looking for the lionesses. He was confused not knowing where they went and then gave up returning to Djuma side.

For more visit: https://www.facebook.com/Birmingham.Male.Lions

ANGAMA PRIDE

(Image Credit:MA)

25 July - The Angama cubs were found playing enthusiastically with their siblings while the lionesses dozed about uninterested  in the antics of their playful offspring.

MUSKETEERS

(Image Credit:Louise Pavid)

26 June - One of the musketeers were seen moving through the grass.

EGYPTIAN GOOSE PRIDE

(Image Credit:Louise Pavid)

26 July -  Three lionesses from the Egyptian goose pride were seen perched on a termite mound watching the herds of wildebeest pass with mild interest. They didn’t seem to be hungry enough to attempt a hunt.

CHEETAH BROTHERS

(Image Credit:Shmama)

26 July - The cheetah brothers were seen dozing in the shade and later got up and started moving around, one of them stretching against a tree.

UNIDENTIFIED LIONS

25 July - An unidentified male coalition was found sleeping soundly in the long grass on the morning safari.

UNIDENTIFIED CHEETAH

24 July  - Three unidentified male Cheetah were seen sitting in the green Mara grasslands.

UNKNOWN LIONESS (MISSING TIP OF TAIL)

26 July -  WE found a lioness in the grasslands missing her tail tip. She was mobile in the thick grass when WE moved on.

The Cat Report: 14 July - 21 July

THANDI

Screenshot: Lily Brown

14 July
Thandi was getting her beauty sleep just off Twin Dams road, having covered a great distance the day before (when she was spotted on Torchwood).

For more visit: https://www.facebook.com/Thandi.Leopard


HOSANA

Screenshot: Rick Horton

16 July
WE encountered Hosana in a tree with eyes wide and sniffing the air nervously. It seemed that he had been chased into the tree by the Styx pride resting nearby. He remained in the tree in a nervous state throughout the remainder of the sighting only relaxing toward the end of the sighting when WE left.

20 July
Hosana was playing tug of war over an impala kill with the male hyena No Tail. Another leopard, whom we suspect to be Thandi and whom the kill had originally belonged to,  slunk around in the thickets nearby.

For more visit: https://www.facebook.com/Hosana.Male.Leopard


THAMBA

Screenshot: Lily Brown

21 July
WE went back to the site near Twin Dams where Hosana and the hyena had been sharing a meal and spotted two very skittish leopards. Both leopards looked were skittish, one we could positively identify as Thamba and the other we suspect to have been Thandi.

For more visit: https://www.facebook.com/Thamba.Male.Leopard


VUTOMI

I hope your journey across the proverbial rainbow bridge was as peaceful as possible, young Vutomi - James Richard

20 July
With heavy hearts, WE took in the news of the death of Inkanyeni’s son Vutomi.

For more visit: https://www.facebook.com/Vutomi.Male.Leopard


MVULA

Screenshot: M A

21 July

Mvula, who had been mobile through the night, was found lying down and giving himself
a good groom just east of Gowrie cutline.

For more visit: https://www.facebook.com/Mvula.Leopard


BIRMINGHAM BOYS

Screenshot: Lily Brown

15 July
Surprising WE near the end of drive, one of the Birmingham Boys strolled along on the road and through the bushes, finally heading towards Sydney's dam.

16 July
WE had a brief sighting of Nhenha walking along Gowrie/Buffelshoek cutline looking hungry before disappearing into buffelshoek.

For more visit: https://www.facebook.com/Birmingham.Male.Lions


STYX PRIDE

Screenshot: Lily Brown

16 July
When WE found the Styx pride, the cubs were lying in the long grass. Females were growling then going flat for the day. When WE encountered the pride again later the same day in a “lion pile”, the youngsters were grooming one another and playing by grabbing each other’s tails.

For more visit: https://www.facebook.com/styx.lions


LOWER SABI BREAKAWAY PACK OF WILD DOGS

Screenshot: Ann Animal Minnesota‏

19 July
WE kept up with two males and one female for as long as WE could on sunrise safari as they ran erratically through the bush with full bellies.

21 July
Again mobile, the breakaway pack looked like they were hunting, stopping to scent mark as WE followed hot on their heels.

For more visit: https://www.facebook.com/Lower.Sabie.Breakaway.Wild.Dogs


MUGORO PRIDE 

14 July
The pride was flat, relaxing in the long grass.


SAALAS PRIDE

14 July
Two lioness and their four cubs (one female, three males) appeared to be in a playful mood on the Mara. The cubs amused themselves in games with a young wildebeest that one of the lionesses had killed before becoming serious and tucking into the meal.


ANGAMA PRIDE

14 July
The new mother of the small cubs was found with one of them missing (the cub had not been seen for a few days now). She looked hungry and set out to find the rest of her pride but shortly returned to where she had left the tiny cubs.

15 July
A solitary lioness stalked an impala, biding her time and waiting for the opportune moment to strike. When the impala settled for the night, she pounced on her prey. The impala was too quick for her and managed to evade the hungry huntress. She rested for a while before starting to move again.

17 July
The pride was flat, the lionesses barely moving. No cubs were visible in the sighting.

18 july
The lionesses were lying out in the morning sun, with one female moving about before settling in the shade to escape the oncoming heat of the day.


NOTCH COALITION

Image credit: Laurel Craft

15 July
The males were mobile and showed some vague interest in nearby wildebeest but not enough to give chase.

21 July
Two of its members relaxed with the Purungat Pride whose cubs were playing. One tried to romance one of the lionesses but without success.


PURUNGAT PRIDE

15  July
One of the lionesses caught a very small wildebeest calf, which she carried to the rest of the pride being not very hungry herself after a successful night of hunting and feeding.

21 July
Purungat Pride was in the company with two of the Notch males, sleeping on as the cubs played and ignoring the attentions of one of the males.


UNIDENTIFIED CHEETAH

Screenshot: Lily Brown

17 July
Two young cheetahs (most probably having only recently separated from their mother) were spotted in the distance, walking through the marsh of the Mara.

17 july
An unknown male lay flat in the shade. It looked like he had fed earlier in the day.

21 July
Five male cheetahs, having been mobile and hungry all night, found a wildebeest herd just before dawn - successfully bringing one of the herds’ younger members down. They ate fast, leaving few scraps for scavenging hyena.


UNIDENTIFIED LIONS 

Screenshot: Lily Brown

17 July
Two males and one female were eating off a kill, circled by a clan of at least fifteen hyena.

19 july
An unknown pride was walking across the plains, led by a large and well-muscled lioness.

The Cat Report: 7 July - 14 July

TINGANA

Screenshot: Lily Brown

7 July
Last minute leopard Tingana sawed his way through the thickets between Gowrie and Buffelshoek cutline, his eyes aglow in the IR.

For more visit: https://www.facebook.com/Tingana.Male.Leopard


HOSANA

Screenshot: Saara

8 July
Hosana took us by surprise at Treehouse Dam on sunset safari! WE hadn’t expected to see him and were in actual fact on the trail of elephants. Crouched low to the ground, he looked like he might be hunting.

9 July
This time he was found lurking in the Mulwati, the little prince elusive as he slunk silently through the soft sand which betrayed him with a record of clear tracks as evidence of his presence.

For more visit: https://www.facebook.com/Hosana.Male.Leopard


THANDI

(Screenshot: Lily Brown)

9 July
Thandi was found feeding off a duiker kill that she had hoisted up a tree just west of Entrance road. After spotting an approaching hyena, she lept down to devour the stomach contents and some bones that had fallen below - foiling any plans or hopes of scavenging that the hyena might have had.

For more visit: https://www.facebook.com/Thandi.Leopard


XONGILE

Screenshot: Payton Payne

11 July

Poor Xongile looked miserable, having had her kill stolen by the old king Mvula, west of Mvubu road. She watched him from below as he devoured the remains of hard won duiker high up in a tree.

For more visit: https://www.facebook.com/Xongile.Female.Leopard


MVULA

Screenshot: Lily Brown

11 July
Having absconded with little Xongile’s duiker kill and spending most of the day lunching on his loot, he descended down the sturdy trunk when Xongile moved closer and replied to her complaining chuffs with authoritative growls. Later, at sunset, Mvula climbed back up the tree and ended the day in quintessential leopard style, posed against a dusky pink sky.

For more visit: https://www.facebook.com/Mvula.Leopard


NKUHUMA PRIDE

Screenshot: Gecko

9 July
WE watched a endearing reunion between the Nkuhumas, when the absent lionesses joined the rest of the pride and dozing cubs in a dense thicket off Central and Mamba road.

10 July
Though the pride was looking thin and in need of a meal, the heat of the day cast a spell of lethargy upon the cats. As a result they spent the majority of their time hunting for shade rather than buffalo.

14 July
The pride were moving off from Gowrie Gate and down MMM, eventually disappearing into Simbambili with  Birmingham Boy Mfumo. He was hot pursuit of the ever lovely and ever uninterested Amber Eyes (who was looking not at all  happy with his amorous attentions.)

For more visit: https://www.facebook.com/Nkuhuma.Lions


BIRMINGHAM BOYS 

Screenshot:Gabi Hossain

12 July
A big-bellied Tinyo spent most of the day digesting what must have been a considerable meal on Pangolin Track. Yet in true lion style, he closed the day with one of the best sounds in the world - a dominant male lion’s roar.

13 July
Nhenha, also looking full-bellied from the Zebra kill he had shared with Tinyo, lay on Impala Plains, fat, flat and in a state of digestion.

14 July
Mfumo, once again, was in amorous pursuit of the Nkuhuma lioness, Amber Eyes.

For more visit: https://www.facebook.com/Birmingham.Male.Lions


MUGORO PRIDE

Credit: SafariLIVE

7 July
The Mugoros had a night of action, first taking down a wildebeest calf and then having to fight off a massive hyena clan who wanted a share in the fresh meat. Once the lionesses had their fill a young male lion also pushed in on the kill. He fed for a bit before an epic tug-of-war battle won the hyenas the chewed up remains.

8 July
One of the lionesses was stalking an impala, pressing herself low in the ground before giving chase. The lucky impala got a head start though, when the rest of the pride called out to the hunting lioness, alerting the impala to her presence.

13 July
A single lioness stalked a small herd of impala, waiting patiently for her time to strike. As she made her move they spotted her and then raced off snorting their indignation. She then rested for a bit before becoming mobile again and rejoining her pride.

14 July
The pride was flat and relaxing in the long grass after a full night of prowling the plains for a potential meal.


ANGAMA PRIDE

Credit: SafariLIVE

7 July
The ten lionesses were on the hunt during the night, stalking and chasing zebra but each attempt met with failure. Two males from the 4km Boys coalition joined them and together they returned to a termite mound to reunite with their cubs who had been left out of the nightly action. The rest of the evening was then spent relaxing and playing.

8 July
All ten lionesses lay flat with four of their cubs.

9 July
The pride was mobile at sunrise having slept all night, bounding around in the cooler hours of the morning before going flat. Later, a large breeding herd of buffalo spotted them and came over to investigate, chasing off the cubs and lionesses. That night WE were very excited to discover three new cubs, approximately 3-4 weeks old, making a grand total of 13 Angama cubs!

10 July
 A very weary looking lioness nursed the cubs, while the rest of the pride lay flat.

13 July
The lionesses ambitiously stalked a topi, one of the fastest antelope in the Mara. The hunt ended in success and three of the pride lionesses fed off the kill hungrily with the 7 oldest cubs joining in near the end.


OLOLAIMUTIEK PRIDE

9 July
The pride of ten successfully took down a wildebeest.  Adults, sub adults and cubs then all fed off the kill before going flat.


PARADISE PRIDE

Credit: SafariLIVE

13 July
From the serenity of Governors balloon, WE went on an emotional rollercoaster ride as we watched a dramatic take down of zebra by a Paradise pride lioness. The zebra, having narrowly escaped death by crocodile, made it to shore only to be caught between the jaws of a lion - a sudden twist of fate that left us stunned.

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