The first week of July dawned cold, cloudy and damp from the 5mm of unexpected rain that fell overnight, our game viewing was not affected though and we have had some wonderful sightings.

The coalition of four cheetahs made an appearance on Wednesday and we spent pleasurable hours with them throughout the rest of the week. One morning we found them resting in an open area, a pile of spots and tails until they got up to stretch and scent mark. We noticed one of the males had a nasty wound on his leg and one of the others was limping, but they seemed in good shape and later that morning they killed a baby zebra.

Later that same day we found the four males resting on a termite mound and we watched as they groomed each other and played, re-establishing bonds before they set off to ambush another herd of zebra with a small foal. We sat in the darkness listening to them make their dash towards the unsuspecting herd. They were unsuccessful in making a kill but the experience was certainly one we won’t forget.

On Friday morning, the wettest of the week, we set off in the cold, not expecting to find much but were rewarded when one of the guides spotted one of the resident leopard cubs lying on the dam wall at Ingwe Manzi. We approached slowly and discovered mom and the female cub close by. We followed them into some thick bush and had a wonderful sighting as the cubs showed interest in the herd of giraffe nearby. After calling to her cubs, mom and the little ones moved further in to the bush, stopping here and there and finally rested on a termite mound. The whole family is so relaxed it’s such a treat to find them and be able to stay a while.

We are proud to announce the arrival of two new leopard cubs. The sister of the resident lodge female has made her home in the area around Sable Bridge and John spotted her a couple of weeks ago and noticed the two furry bundles at her side but did not get a good visual. Since then she had not been seen again, until a couple of days ago, when we managed to get confirmation and photos for our identity database.

We had audio of the pride of seven lions in a drainage line near Main Dam. As we tried to pick up tracks we noticed a large herd of buffalo moving through the block. We made our way around the block and sat with the buffalo for a while in the hope that the lions would try something. As the herd moved across the road, we found ourselves surrounded by over five hundred buffalo. We heard a bellow, the herd was spooked, we could feel the tension and thought that the lions might have managed to kill one so we stayed close. The tension continued to build and our guests sat riveted, watching the herd and listening for any signs of a chase. We waited for over an hour but the lions stayed hidden and we have not been able to locate them since, but we know they are there. Next time perhaps.

Night drives can be quiet but we have been lucky this week and saw two Spotted Eagle Owls, a Barn Owl, a small Spotted Genet, lots of Bush-babies, Chameleons and a Side- Striped Jackal.