Tag Archives: Lion

Summertide Diary: Exploring Mountain Zebra (part two)

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2 January 2021

When dawn found the Mountain Zebra National Park under heavy skies this morning we were already underway along the Kranskop Loop.

Black-backed Jackal
The view westwards from the western leg of the Kranskop Loop
Grey Rhebok
The view eastwards (towards the camp) from the western leg of the Kranskop Loop

When we arrived at the start of Rooiplaat Loop we found a male lion lying there, flat on its right-side. We sat there as the minutes passed, studying it through cameras and binoculars and finally coming to the sad conclusion that this lion was dead – there wasn’t even a twitch of an ear or any movement of its stomach to indicate a breath being taken. Disheartened, I started the car to drive off.

King Roy, fast asleep

The sound of the Duster’s engine had a miraculous effect. The lion lifted his head, sleepily. He rested his head on his paws for a while, then gave a mighty yawn before getting up, stretching his legs and then lying down again to look at us in irritation. He is magnificent, known as Roy, and despite his advanced age one of the ruling coalition of lion males here at Mountain Zebra National Park, along with Nomad whom we saw at a distance the day before .

King Roy, awoken
King Roy, in repose
King Roy, yawning
Male lion at Mountain Zebra National Park
King Roy, contemplative
Male lion at Mountain Zebra National Park

When the next vehicle arrived at the lion sighting we moved of so that those visitors too could have a private audience with The King. The skies have cleared and it’s turning into a glorious day. On our way back to camp we passed Roy again, and he was fast asleep again.

Springbok dot the Rooiplaat Plateau
Young Springbok
Black Harrier
Black-shouldered Kite
Mountain Wheatear
Red Hartebeest trio
Eland cow
Red-billed Quelea
Blue Cranes in flight
Meerkat
River crossing in Mountain Zebra National Park
South African Shelduck
Southern Rock Agama
Steppe Buzzard
King Roy, asleep again…

With it being our last afternoon at Mountain Zebra we opted to visit all our favourite spots along the Ubejane and Rooiplaat Loops and the Link road between them again. There’s just something so indescribably peaceful about driving around wild Africa as dusk approaches.

Young Springbok rams testing their strength (photo by Joubert)
Blue Crane
Cape Mountain Zebra
Thirsty Secretarybird
Mountain Zebras
Cape Longclaw
Kopieva
Springbok on the wide open plains of the Mountain Zebra National Park

We posted a special feature about Mountain Zebra National Park following a previous visit, if you’d like to learn more about this special destination.

Map of Mountain Zebra National Park from the SANParks website (https://www.sanparks.org/images/parks/mountain_zebra/mznp-map.jpg)

Summertide Rambles 2 January 2021

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This morning we were treated to a very special audience with the King of the Mountain Zebra National Park at his residence on the Rooiplaat loop road.

Male lion at Mountain Zebra National Park
Male lion at Mountain Zebra National Park

A day in Pilanesberg: Hour 6

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We’re still on a high from our sighting of Rain the cheetah and her cubs when we turn from Nare Link into Sefara Drive in the Pilanesberg National Park, following the road uphill. Before we even crest the rise we become aware of the sound of thundering hooves moving at speed…

“Buffaloes!”

The Park’s buffaloes are so seldomly seen that they’re known as the “ghosts of the Pilanesberg”, and any encounter with them is a thrilling treat. Even more so these particular buffaloes, as they are in quite a rush to get away as quickly as possible, allowing only a few photos as they run past us, thankfully without smashing into our vehicle. Was it us who scared them?

Buffaloes rushing past us on Sefara Drive
Buffaloes rushing past us on Sefara Drive
Buffaloes rushing past us on Sefara Drive

As the buffaloes stampede down into the valley, we get back our composure and drive on. We don’t get very far however before Joubert yells out, again, “Lions!” Could it really be our third lion sighting of the morning!?

Indeed, there obscured behind some twigs and branches, are a pride of 5 lions wrestling with a buffalo cow on the ground! Now the stampeding herd of buffaloes we saw half-a-minute ago makes perfect sense!

Lions killing a buffalo on Sefara Drive
Lions killing a buffalo on Sefara Drive

As the bellowing of the cow dies down, no longer to be heard above the sound of raindrops on the car’s roof, and her feverish kicking stops, it’s clear that the fight is all over. In the excitement it takes a while for me to figure out that if I drive past the scene we’d have a much clearer view of it looking back. Just as the feeding starts one of the younger lionesses gets up and walks off, presumably to collect the pride’s cubs to join the feast. While we wait almost an hour for her to return, she doesn’t, so the cubs must’ve been quite some distance away. In the meantime the sights and sounds of the lions tearing the buffalo cow open and apart is as bone-chilling as you can imagine.

Lions preying on buffalo in the Pilanesberg National Park
Lions preying on buffalo in the Pilanesberg National Park
Lions preying on buffalo in the Pilanesberg National Park
Lions preying on buffalo in the Pilanesberg National Park
Lions preying on buffalo in the Pilanesberg National Park
Lions preying on buffalo in the Pilanesberg National Park
Lions preying on buffalo in the Pilanesberg National Park
Lions preying on buffalo in the Pilanesberg National Park
Lions preying on buffalo in the Pilanesberg National Park
Lions preying on buffalo in the Pilanesberg National Park
Lions preying on buffalo in the Pilanesberg National Park

And to think we’re only half-way through our day in the Pilanesberg!

If you’d like to follow along as we explore the Pilanesberg, a map may come in handy (for a large format version click here)

Scene where we saw the buffaloes and lions on Sefara Drive

If you need to catch up on our drive through the Pilanesberg National Park, you can read all the previous posts here.

To be continued tomorrow.

A day in Pilanesberg: Hour 4

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Mankwe Dam, a large man-made impoundment that holds water throughout the year and that’s a veritable magnet for wildlife, is located in the heart of the Pilanesberg National Park. On its banks you’ll find the Mankwe Hide, very popular with photographers and recently rebuilt after being destroyed in a veld fire. That is where we are headed next.

African Pipit just outside Mankwe Hide
We weren’t exactly thrilled to see this exotic invader, a Common Myna, at Mankwe Dam
Warthog and Mankwe Hide
View over Mankwe Dam from Mankwe Hide
Yellow-billed Stork at Mankwe Dam

Back in the hide’s parking area this southern masked weaver is enjoying a bath in a small puddle- as if he is too scared to go swimming in the big pool on the other side!

Southern Masked Weaver enjoying a muddy puddle at Mankwe Dam
Southern Masked Weaver enjoying a muddy puddle at Mankwe Dam

Almost immediately after driving out of the parking area at the hide, we come across a pair of lions – our second lion sighting of the day and less than 200 steps from where we were standing outside our vehicle just a few seconds ago! Luckily, being a mating pair, their attentions are focused on satisfying other base instincts than finding food. Our day just keeps getting better!

Mating lions at Mankwe Hide
Mating lions at Mankwe Hide
Mating lions at Mankwe Hide
Mating lions at Mankwe Hide
Mating lions at Mankwe Hide
Mating lions at Mankwe Hide
Mating lions at Mankwe Hide
Mating lions at Mankwe Hide
Mating lions at Mankwe Hide
Mating lions at Mankwe Hide

Leaving the lions to their honeymoon, we head north along Kgabo Drive and take a left into Tlou. Along the way we add further to our list of birds seen, including this rufous-naped lark singing its lungs out from a prominent perch.

Rufous-naped Lark

Just as we get to the junction of Tlou and Thuthlwa drives we find another brown hyena, walking quite purposefully away from an old elephant carcass with a large chunk of bone in its jaws. We follow alongside until it disappears into a thicket, its destination remaining a mystery to us but we like to think that it is headed to a den with hungry youngsters waiting.

Brown Hyena at the junction of Thuthlwa and Tlou drives in Pilanesberg
Brown Hyena at the junction of Thuthlwa and Tlou drives in Pilanesberg
Brown Hyena at the junction of Thuthlwa and Tlou drives in Pilanesberg
Brown Hyena at the junction of Thuthlwa and Tlou drives in Pilanesberg
Brown Hyena at the junction of Thuthlwa and Tlou drives in Pilanesberg
Brown Hyena at the junction of Thuthlwa and Tlou drives in Pilanesberg
Brown Hyena at the junction of Thuthlwa and Tlou drives in Pilanesberg

If you’d like to follow along as we explore the Pilanesberg, a map may come in handy (for a large format version click here)

Mankwe Hide to Tlou Drive

If you need to catch up on our drive through the Pilanesberg National Park, you can read all the previous posts here.

To be continued tomorrow.

Pilanesberg for a day

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Yesterday, Joubert and I slipped away for a day visit to the Pilanesberg National Park. We’ll soon be telling you all about our amazing day in the bushveld, but until then we’ll share this little teaser of what’s in store.

Lions preying on buffalo in the Pilanesberg National Park
Lions preying on buffalo in the Pilanesberg National Park

 

Waiting hours for a glimpse at a White Lion

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White Lions are exceedingly rare and especially so in the wild. Several zoos, “safari parks” and circuses around the world house White Lions, but these are often horribly inbred. These lions are not albinos, instead being the result of a mating between two lions carrying a recessive gene for white (leucistic) fur instead of the usual tawny colouration. Naturally White Lions are only ever found, from time to time, in South Africa’s Lowveld, where the Kruger National Park and a few renowned private nature reserves are situated. As far as wild White Lions are concerned, at present, there are known to be two young white cubs in the same pride that roam around Orpen in western Kruger and the adjacent Timbavati reserve, and a single young male born to a pride near Satara and fairly wide-roaming since he and his brothers were ejected from their natal pride.

It is this latter individual that we came across on the 3rd of January 2020, the final full day of our Satara Summer. Having fairly often visited the Kruger National Park my entire life, it was always my, hitherto unfulfilled, wish to see a truly WILD White Lion, so you will appreciate just how excited we were at this opportunity! It was an exceedingly hot day, and on hot days lions are seldom very active. So we sat for hours in our vehicle in the blazing sun, waiting, hoping, that he might get up, and move around just a little, so that we can get more than just a glimpse. He obliged, for a minute or two only, to move from the large tree where he was lying with his three brothers to a smaller shrub a few meters away. That was it. He didn’t move again until we had to leave to get back to camp before the gates closed. But we were thrilled and grateful for the chance to see such an enigmatic animal.

On arriving at the scene, the White Lion is peeking at us from behind the tree
The four lions doing what lions do best
Finally, the White Lion gets up and stretches
He decides he doesn’t like his brothers in his personal space
White Lion
White Lion
White Lion (photo by Joubert)
and moves to a smaller shrub
where he drops like a sack of potatoes in the shade once again
The first of his brothers walking over the clearing to join him
A Giraffe watching the lazy lions from a safe distance
A jackal and hooded vulture moving in for a closer look
The next brother rises and moves towards his white sibling
Snarling Lion (photo by Joubert)
Tawny Lion
Joining his white brother in a shady spot
And finally the last male gives in to peer pressure…
Two elephants passing the scene
Our final view of the lions as we depart for camp

While they can not be considered wild, there is a pride of White Lions on view at the Rhino & Lion Nature Reserve near Johannesburg.

White Lions at the Rhino & Lion Nature Reserve
White Lion at the Rhino & Lion Nature Reserve
White Lion at the Rhino & Lion Nature Reserv

My Mom is stronger than you!

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While out driving one rainy afternoon near Satara in the Kruger National Park, we came upon a lonely and obviously terrified lion cub, running in the road and trying to hide in roadside bushes, all the while calling for his pride. We were still feeling sorry for the little one when suddenly his demeanor changed totally – he picked himself up and confidently started running past our car. It is then that we noticed his mother standing, and looking quite intimidating, behind the assembled vehicles, ready to attack anyone or anything that threatens her little one. When he reached her they both gave the human spectators a parting glance, joined the rest of the pride and confidently walked off into the bush. The encounter made a wonderful impression on all of us.

A lonely and scared little Lion cub
He’s seen his mother and hastens towards her
Mom and cub, reunited
Lion cubs and one of the pride females
The whole pride then walked off into the bush
The whole pride then walked off into the bush
The whole pride then walked off into the bush

You don’t ALWAYS find lions behind EVERY bush, you know..?

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When we visited in September, there appeared to be a convention of Lions around Lower Sabie Rest Camp in the Kruger National Park. Whether you were following the river in an easterly or westerly direction from camp, you would have been very unlucky not to encounter at least one pride of lions within the first 4 kilometers of your drive.

Mating pair of lions on the bank of the Sabie River
Lioness on a sand bank in the Sabie River (photo by Joubert)
Lions lazing on the rocks at Lubyelubye
Lions lazing on the rocks at Lubyelubye
Lion cub at Lubyelubye (photo by Joubert)
Lion cub at Lubyelubye
Pride of lions on a sandbank near Lower Sabie
Lioness on a sand bank in the Sabie River
Two male lions, one considerable older than the other, sharing a rock that overlooks the Sabie River
Lioness on a sand bank in the Sabie River
Big male lion staking his claim to a sandbank on the Sabie River
Pride of lions on a sandbank near Lower Sabie
Pride of lions on a sandbank near Lower Sabie
Pride of lions on a sandbank near Lower Sabie
Mating pair of lions on the bank of the Sabie River

On one occasion we even saw two lions right in front of camp while we were taking an afternoon stroll on the lawns! They spooked a herd of fleet-footed impala, alerting us to their presence as well.

Male and female lion walking the river bed in front of Lower Sabie Rest Camp
Male and female lion walking the river bed in front of Lower Sabie Rest Camp

Finding Lions in Kruger is not always this easy. With the dry season now coming to an end, surface water is hard to come by, and the lions take advantage of this by ambushing herbivores coming to slake their thirst from the Sabie. We also found lions in other parts of the park while we were driving around, and in all instances they were close to or at a water source, lying in wait.

Lazy young lion on a hot day, just north of Crocodile Bridge
A pair of young lions waiting near Mac’s Pan for passing herds
A pair of young lions waiting near Mac’s Pan for passing herds
Lone male resting near Lower Sabie

The lady that stops traffic

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This lioness was using the bridge outside Lower Sabie in the Kruger National Park as her own personal catwalk, settling down to give her adoring fans some close up views of her beauty – and I was lucky to get a front-row seat!

Lioness on her way to the bridge at Lower Sabie
Lioness on her way to the bridge at Lower Sabie
Weighing up her options
The Queen of Lower Sabie
The Queen of Lower Sabie
Lioness on the bridge with her adoring fans
Lioness on the bridge at Lower Sabie

But lions aren’t always such show-offs – sometimes they like to keep their distance, and other times they lie hidden in plain sight…

Lions in the grass next to the Crocodile River
Well-hidden Lion

 

The King and Prime Minister of Imfolozi

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This morning we spent some time with two magnificent male lions in the far western reaches of Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park.

One of them was bruised and battered with battle scars all over his body. Obviously he’s the enforcer for the King; the light-maned male with the relatively unscathed hide and face.

Sadly, today was our final full day here at Hluhluwe-Imfolozi. Tomorrow we only have the distance between here at Mpila Camp and the Memorial Gate to savour this pristine wilderness one last time before heading back to Pretoria.