On yesterday’s  safari I headed first to nyala dam as the breeding herd of Cape buffalo were believed to be there. On my arrival we found buffalo but also the breeding herd of elephants, one of them was rolling around in the mud near the inflow and the buffalo was peacefully lying in the shallow water. Also in attendance was a beautiful Saddle Billed stork,  a pair of yellow billed storks as well as Blacksmith plovers. The elephant that was rolling in the mud came past us completely covered in mud! Then he (a largish bull) went for a swim in the dam, but not before scattering some buffalo out of the water! Elephants can be very possessive of water supplies and sometimes other animals not giving way can be killed, especially in dry times when water is in short supply.

Sebastiaan Janse van Vuuren

Senior Ranger

Kapama Main Lodge

Dendroaspis polylepis more commonly known as the Black Mamba is one of our most venomous snakes. I had an amazing sighting of one with my guests by Skelm Dam. This mamba was possibly the largest I’ve seen, being about 3-4 meters in length. When mambas move they can raise 2/3 of the their body in the air and when this snake was moving through the grass to the waters edge I mentioned to my tracker that it looked like it was walking, so large was this mamba. The snake was quite relaxed and gave myself and my guests a great sighting showing off in the grass, in the open, and then down by the water. Black Mamba’s venom is neurotoxic and renders its prey’s body functions inoperable within minutes. It is an aggressive snake that is quick to attack and bite. The name comes not from it scale color, that being gun-metal grey, but from the color of the inside of the mouth: a deep black surrounded by fixed front fangs.

By: Richard Venter - Kapama River Lodge Ranger

A few months ago we posted a piece on pangolins, those ever elusive creatures that every guide still wants to see, or has seen once and will recount the tale over and over again. In the months since that piece only two have been spotted; the most recent sighting being the other night. After a fantastic viewing of some of our lions Patrick, one of our veteran guides, was leaving the lions on his way back to the lodge and there, in the open, was a pangolin. Due to the rarity of these beautiful creatures, he immediately alerted the other guides on drive and multiple guests were treated to a mammal “Lifer.” A Lifer is most often used for Birders, or Twitchers as they are most commonly called, but in the case of the pangolin, the term is quite appropriate as one may never see this beautiful and interesting mammal again. Now guests from the world over, and several rangers, will be telling the story of their pangolin sighting at Kapama for years to come.

By: Noelle DiLorenzo - Kapama River Lodge Ranger

During drive the other afternoon our two large adult lionesses killed a fully grown zebra to feed themselves and the two new two month old cubs. A day later, they were still there, enjoying the fruit of their labors while the cubs wrestled, played, napped, and nursed. A full grown male lion can consume roughly 25 kg of meat at a sitting with females averaging about 15-18 kg. After consuming such vast quantities of protein most lions will take a rest and then head off for the nearest water. Having killed the zebra on the banks of one of our larger dams, the lionesses, with cubs in tow, indeed headed straight for the water but were acting quite nervous and alert and kept backing away. We pulled forward to try and get a better visual as they went back and forth in the bush when we noticed a three meter crocodile lounging at the waters edge. A croc that large and with cubs around is enough for any mother to become nervous and abort any attempt for a quenching drink. One lioness kept watch the rather large reptile while the other herded the cubs farther up the banks to safety. A crocodile can launch itself about twice its own body length and has the ability to feel/hear ripples of animals lapping water from quite a distance, thus giving it a distinct advantage over animals drinking at any waters edge.

By: Noelle DiLorenzo - Kapama River Lodge Ranger

Two days ago we set out from the lodge on the evening safari, hoping to see some of the awesome things that nature has to show us. We were roughly about 2 minutes out from the lodge, when we came across a hyena, lying in the water at a waterhole close to the lodge.

He was in pretty bad shape, struggling to breath and almost too weak to move. At first we just thought that he might be sick, but upon closer inspection we found that he had some severe bite marks on his neck and back, most likely caused by a fight with a lion.

This is a common occurrence between these two species, and the main reason for this conflict would be that they compete for the same food sources as the lions. Unfortunately lions are bigger and stronger than Hyena and therefore normally come out on top after such a quarrel. Not to say that hyena cannot defend themselves… with one of the most powerful jaws in the animal kingdom, they are worthy adversaries. This specific individual has been in the wrong place at the wrong time and most likely came to close to our lioness with her cubs.

The next morning on drive we went back to where we had seen the hyena and found that he unfortunately died of his injuries sometime during the night.

Another interesting few days in the African bush at Kapama Game Reserve.

Last night we followed a pair of lionesses trying to hunt

The lionesses are about 26 months old and they rely on their mothers for food up to the age of 12 months than they start catching small prey for themselves! In the wild lions normally have a success rate of 20% when they hunt ,so generally lion are not good hunter if you think about it. And last night we observed that.

We followed the 2 lionesses for about 15 minutes when they came across impala, zebra and blue wildebeest all together, they stalked them from about 200m before they both went their different directions to try and surround the animals. The vegetation was thick so we were ready to see a kill. We drove closer to the herd of animals to wait for the lions witch disappeared in the dense bush. After about 10 minutes waiting the one lioness appeared right next to our vehicle, stalking her prey. We silently waited and then the next moment the other lioness gave a soft call to look for her friend?

Why would she do that? The animals became aware of them and that’s what happened, the impala gave alarm calls, zebra were running for their life, but at least the lionesses found each other. What a disappointment. Just shows you even though they were build for hunting, they still need to develop their own tactics.

Story by: Hendrik Erasmus-Kapama River Lodge Ranger

No matter how many times you see new-borns on drive, it is always a thrill. The other night my guests and I were fortunate enough to have a fantastic sighting of one of our adult lionesses with her two month old cub. They were very relaxed with our presence, and gave us quite a show out in the open playing, allo-grooming and being just plain cute. My guests were on their first safari ever, and this is the type of sighting you wish for as a guide for any guests, especially first timers. The lioness was also calling all the time for her other two cubs. We have only seen her twice before, right after the birth, and about two weeks ago after she moved the cubs. Unfortunately, no other cubs appeared, but that is nature and one of the reasons why the big cats tend to have so many in a litter, mainly to guarantee that at least one survives. Shortly after this wonderful sighting we came upon our lone lioness with the nine month old cubs. These two are growing more and more every time I see them and they also gave us a great sighting - chasing each other around, jumping on their mother, and being kids.

Story by:Noelle Di Lorenzo-Kapama River Lodge Ranger

Today we decided we would go and look for a leopard as it was the only big animal my guests haven’t seen. There were some light drizzles of rain so I thought it would be a quiet day!

We went a long a road that had a couple of mud pans and only after 20 minutes drive we found 3 female white rhino sleeping next to the mud hole that woke up on our arrival. There was one big female and 2 sub adult females. it is not to unusual to see a group of rhino, but most of the time it is either a territorial male that walks alone or a fully grown female with a calf. When new calfs are born the females will chase away the older one and then they will look for new company, and that’s what we found 2 youngsters walking with a new older companion.

As we left the sighting we found fresh tracks of a female lioness as we followed them we came across three 2years old lionesses. The previous day they were found quite far from our location with an older female and another 2year old. As we found the 3 females the king of the jungle was found walking from their previous location. It seemed that he did not like the young females to join the older one so he chased them away and the 5 lionesses split up in smaller groups.

Story by: Hendrik Erasmus –Kapama River Lodge Ranger

Last night’s drive started with a sighting of our big herd of buffalo in the south of the reserve. It was still quite hot and they were competing for shade under some acacia trees. They were all very close and shoving each other out of the way to get some space! We were then fortunate enough to see a medley of general game in a big open area; zebras, blue wildebeest, impala and warthog. It was an impressive scene against the beautiful backdrop of the Drakensburg mountain range as the sun was beginning to set over Kapama. Also there perched in the tree tops were some marabou storks, a tawny eagle and a bataleur eagle. There are many hyaena on the reserve. We often see tracks, especially close to areas where the lions have made a kill. And we often get audio at night. But we rarely see them and if we do it is usually a short glimpse. However, tonight we were blessed with an amazing sighting of a male spotted hyena lying beside a mud pan. We spent a lot of time watching him doing not much at all!

This morning we were on a mission to find white rhino and were rewarded with a sighting of a “crash” of 5 rhino – females and their calves. Initially they were in the middle of the bush and we could only see ears and tails. But in cases like this patience is a virtue and after waiting a short while they meandered towards the road for a fantastic photo shoot!

Last night we were lucky enough to find a large male leopard – we followed him as he chased and killed a warthog. He ate his fill and then slept peacefully nearby. The solitary leopard is extremely difficult to spot in the wild. It is renowned for its sharp vision and keen sense of hearing, and for its unique ability to avoid detection . On this morning’s drive we went back to the site of the kill and relocated the leopard, but to our surprise and delight we discovered that he had been joined by a female leopard. 

We kept our distance for a while to see what would transpire, and were rewarded with a mating show right in front of the vehicle. To witness leopards mating is a once in a lifetime experience. Leopards are solitary and only come together to mate. Male and female leopards come together to breed for only 6-7 days when the female is in heat. After mating, the male returns to his territory, leaving the female to give birth and care for the young alone. The birth takes place in a hidden lair after a gestation period of 3 months. So we hope that the mating was a success and that we may be lucky enough to see some young cubs in the not too distant future. 

Also in the lodge today, some guests came across two male Boomslangs (snakes) fighting over a female who were eagerly watching them from a short distance away. Not something you see every day! The name “Boomlang” derives from the Afrikaans language, meaning Tree Snake (Boom -Tree) (Slang - Snake) . The Boomslang is predominantly arboreal and is a very placid snake. They are back fanged snakes and biting any surface bigger than a finger or side of the hand will most likely only result in a “dry bite” as the fangs are to far back in the mouth to actually pierce the skin. They do however have a Haemotoxic venom and are considered the snakes with the most dangerous venom in Africa.  Luckily for us they will only bite if provoked and / or handled, and poses no threat to humans otherwise.

Story by: Sarah Sangste-Kapama River Lodge Ranger