WILDLIFE REPORT SINGITA SABI SAND, SOUTH …singita.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Singita-Sabi-Sand...would offer a bonus photographic opportunity while we waited for the leopards

WILDLIFE REPORT SINGITA SABI SAND, SOUTH AFRICA

For the month of September, Two Thousand and Seventeen Temperature Rainfall Recorded Sunrise & Sunset Average minimum: 17˚C (˚F) For the month: 16 mm Sunrise: 05:50 Average maximum : 30˚C (˚F) For the season to date: 26 mm Sunset: 17.45 Minimum recorded: 12˚C (˚F) Maximum recorded: 38˚C (˚F) Here's a highlights package of the month's sightings: Spring is here and it seems that it may have brought summer along with it. The temperatures have been soaring quickly during midday, much to the delight of the guests lounging around their private pools, whilst taking in the sightings and sounds on their decks. The wildlife retreats to the shade and find any cool areas during the higher temperatures, waiting for the cooler late afternoon before they start moving around again. It is the same procedure with our game drives departing in the afternoons in search of the elusive predators or alternatively watching activity unfold in National Geographic style along the Sand River or at some of the perennial water sources. The “shoulder” times of the day, either early morning or late afternoon, are when there is most activity in the bush. This will be when you are most likely to view most of the species on the move, in search of food or water. If you are lucky, you might also witness interactive behaviour between the different species.

Lions: The Mhangene pride continues to traverse through large areas of the Sabi Sand. With 16 adult or sub-adult lions on the move, it is notable that even large carcasses are only going to last for a short period of time. This lion pride is large enough to consume an entire buffalo within a few hours and move out of the area shortly afterwards. There are no opportunities to bank on the fact that this pride would be waiting for you in the morning if they had killed a buffalo the night before. The nine sub adult males in the pride are showing clear signs of approaching adulthood as their manes continue to grow and their general body size increases, soon to be larger than the adult females. It will be an interesting time for this pride as the nine males (if they stand together and remain as a coalition) will be a force to be reckoned with. The aging Majingilane male lions are preoccupied with keeping new coalitions at bay, which continue to push into the west from the Kruger National Park. Leopards: The Hlab’Nkunzi female and her young male cub continue to dominate the sightings within the area around the lodges. Recently the duo spent some time feeding on the remains of a bushbuck within the surrounding area of Ebony Lodge. This was a fair distance from the guest rooms, but the cub was sometimes seen watching the movement of staff through a gap in a wall. A surprise visit from an old friend was also recorded this month, as the large and legendary Kashane male returned to the edge of his old stomping ground in surprisingly good condition. The Kashane male has spent the majority of the last year in the southern regions of the Sabi Sand in an area close to where he was born. The older leopard has resigned himself to occupying a smaller territory, due to the impact of younger stronger males in the area (including his son, the Ravenscourt male). We have observed at least three times within the last year that leopards have returned back to their birth locations prior to passing away. Could this be the case with the Kashane male, or would he be considered to have taken early retirement from a legendary status? The Kashane male roamed the bulk of the Singita reserve in the Sabi Sand, this constituted for at least 80% of his territory, overseeing most of the female leopards in the area and siring all of the cubs for several years. Kashane means ‘far’ in Shangaan. This name was most appropriate for this leopard, due to the distances that were covered to maintain his vast territorial grounds. We end this month on the sad news that the Schotia females’ young eight-month-old daughter was killed by the Manghene Pride. Buffalo: Larger groups of buffalo have been viewed in the southern and western grassland regions of Singita Sabi Sand. The limited perennial water supplies in the area have caused a shift in the natural movement. The larger groups rarely spend much time along the Sand River as a result of the poorer grazing along the banks or in close vicinity of the river. Wild dogs: The beta ranked female from the prominent wild dog pack that is viewed has been reported to have given birth to a litter of puppies just west of our northern boundary. We have had some epic opportunities to watch the alpha male and female raise their puppies, and we have been fortunate to watch the pack successfully hunting along the Sand River and in the general area closer to where the current den is located. Elephants: Large groups of elephants continue to congregate along the Sand River and this has allowed for some incredible viewing. The interactive behaviour whilst in the river or along the greenery of the riverbed has afforded some great photographic opportunities of these large and gentle animals. Birds: The total bird count for the month of September was 211 (193 in August). Specials for the month included the return of Klass’ cuckoos, European bee-eaters and yellow-billed kites, plus a mocking cliff chat and white-headed vulture.

Dogs and dens Article by Iska Meyer-Wendecker We have been lucky enough to have a pack of “painted wolves” denning close to our lodges for the second year in a row. Painted wolves (Lycaon pictus), also known as wild dogs, usually give birth to a litter of pups at the start of the dry season, which begins around April and May. Scientists believe that this coincides with the mating season of the impala, which are the main prey species of the painted wolves. During the rut, impala rams are often weakened and distracted from fighting off other males, and can therefore be easier prey for the dogs. There is a clear dominance hierarchy amongst the members of a pack, with often only the alpha male and female having offspring and the rest of the pack helping with the upbringing of the youngsters. However, if the resources are rich and plentiful, the beta female can frequently also fall pregnant and successfully raise pups into adulthood. Last year we observed that the alpha female had given birth to seven pups, of which all are still alive this year, and the beta female gave birth to a second litter of also seven pups, of which we believe five are still alive this year. To our delight, the pack returned to the same denning area this year and so far the alpha female has given birth to ten pups, which are growing up fast and are doing extremely well. A few weeks back, in the middle of July, we went on an afternoon game drive and our route was straight to the den-site in order to catch the whole pack before they went on their daily hunt. The dogs tend to go out hunting later in the day with cooler temperatures yet still enough daylight. Our plan worked out and we found all members at the den, including the ten pups running around the mother.

African wild cat Article by Joshua Bell Every field guide has a list of animals that at some point during their career they really hope to see. I am talking about rare and elusive species which would classify as a “once in a lifetime” sighting, even when working in the bush each and every day. Most visitors to Africa might leave without ever having heard of such species, and a lucky few get to take away a precious memory of a moment in time that may likely never be repeated. Top of the rarity list in our area would probably be pangolin and aardvark, but I have been fortunate to see both of those on a single occasion each.

As special is a sighting of an African wild cat (Felis lybica) which had, until this month, eluded me completely throughout my bush career. I remember one occasion (at my previous place of work) where I came down to my Land Rover in the morning and there were tracks of two African wild cats playing on the bonnet in red dust, almost as if they were mocking me! I was finally lucky enough to have a great sighting of one a couple of days back in the dead of night, and it even hung around for me to take a photo or two. An African wild cat looks remarkably similar to a domestic cat but has much longer legs, allowing it to jump and leap with impressive agility. These similarities are actually no coincidence as wild cats were originally domesticated in Egypt 5 000 years ago where all “domestic” breeds had their beginning. The ancient Egyptians were agriculturalists with huge grain stores that in turn attracted lots of rodents which allowed the cats to thrive. Gradual genetic mutation resulted in the approximately 100 domestic breeds we have today. The African wild cat is a solitary creature which has well developed senses to pursue rats, mice, small birds, lizards and insects among other small species. Both males and females spray urine to mark their territory and their dung is buried just like a domestic cat. Kittens are often born in summer when there are plenty of rodents around, and they have a life expectancy of roughly 15 years. Rock-climbing hyena steals from leopard Article by Andries Mohlala On the morning of 10 August, which was a cold 5 degrees Celsius, I was taking guests on a photographic drive, what one could really describe as a leopard expedition. We had had a stable sighting from the day before, which we were looking to target as early as possible, in order to get the best position for photography. We’d had some challenges the day before with the sighting in terms of the animal’s visibility, because the female and her cub had a kill on top of a rocky outcrop that was inaccessible with a game viewer, but nonetheless everyone was happy to brave the cool morning to try for the sighting. On approach we encountered a few spotted hyenas also waiting for an opportunity to try to scavenge the remains of the leopard kill, which in my opinion was not going to be possible because of the positioning of the kill, but the smell of the carcass would attract these highly opportunistic scavengers into the area which would offer a bonus photographic opportunity while we waited for the leopards to show themselves. The face that showed up at the very top of the rocky outcrop was not what any of us expected, in fact I had to announce to all the guests that a hyena had somehow, miraculously found its way to the top of the koppie! I just had to make sure that I was not seeing things, since the hyenas had been waiting for over twenty-four hours without any successful means of getting to the top. Now we had a real opportunity to learn that in Nature the only guarantee is that there aren’t any! The leopard wasted no time; as soon as she realised who had come calling, she charged full speed and made the hyena understand that it was not welcome! She attacked the hyena with such ferocity that all the hyena could do was just try and hide from the rain of claws falling all over him with no break for about five seconds.

In the end the leopard eased the onslaught and the hyena acted as if it did not even feel any of the blows. It got up and went straight for the carcass, grabbed it and went down the koppie with the prize. The hyena then had a welcome from its brothers and sisters wanting for a share of the prize. With that, all hyenas disappeared into the cool morning mist. Having lost their kill, the female leopard and her cub descended from the koppie, and our guests were able to get some great photographs. In the end the hyena had done it again; a sighting that had been almost impossible to photograph became one the best leopard and cub sightings because of the work of these competitive scavengers.

Baby safari Article by Warrick Davey Almost everyone loves baby animals. As humans we find them irresistibly cute. It is literally hardwired into our evolutionary biology. Cuteness is based on the basic proportions of a baby and its expressions of shyness and coyness. As soon as we see a large, rounded head in relation to the body, a high, protruding forehead, large eyes which are low on the face and wide apart, and especially when these characteristics are accompanying a fuzzy body, something is triggered inside our brains and we immediately think “CUTE!” It makes us feel protective and nurturing, as if we could pick up the cute, teeny fur-ball, cuddle it and never ever let it go. The “oohs” and “aahs” we are met with whenever we come across a baby animal while on safari are a sure sign of the love people have for them. The cute factor makes them a crowd favourite and people will often specifically request to see babies. So when is the best time of year to come on safari and get your cuteness fix? The answer is… all the time! Many of the animals we commonly see on safari do not have a fixed birthing season. Lion, leopard, cheetah, elephant, rhino, giraffe and many other favourites drop their young throughout the year. This past winter brought us amazing baby animal viewing, with a pack of African wild dog and their 9 or 10 new pups denning on our property, various leopardesses and cubs, hyena cubs, lots of elephant calves and many more. Certain animals do have fixed birthing seasons, which are as follows: Impala, wildebeest and warthog – November through to late February/early March. Cape buffalo – July through to February

We are fast approaching spring, which is often known as baby season, and the year-end will undoubtedly bring many new lives to the reserve. Exciting times ahead at Singita Sabi Sand, especially if ‘cuteness’ is a top priority.

Photographs on location by Ross Couper, Warrick Davey, and Joshua Bell

Singita Ebony and Boulders Lodge Sabi Sand

South Africa Thirtieth of September 2017