Posts Tagged ‘leopard’

The sightings have been pumping, really well in the bush of late; can not even decide where to go on drive. We may plan a rough route to take, but within half an hour of game drive, the radio is buzzing. An awesome week to be out on game drive.

Shhh…crackle…pop..lions have killed… or 4 cheetah brothers next to the road..static..crackle… relocated on leopard cubs at…static

Really all the cats have been out and active, rhino, elephant, antelope and giraffe are all begging to have there photos taken.

Wanting to head north for a birds and trees drive, to relax and enjoy the smaller less talked about parts of the African bush, but the sightings keep calling us back, and we head off south or east to find again a beautiful creature.

At this point I must stress that these sightings and conditions is not the “normal”, the bush has just come alive this past week, and we rangers are taking full advantage.

There have been 6 male lions, a strong coalition of 5 young males along with a older and wiser male, they were first sighted and heard at the water hole outside our camp late at night, the next morning we tracked them down they had covered a considerable distance, about 10km from our water hole over night and still had time to kill a old buffalo bull, we converged on the scene as they were lazing about there kill with full extended stomachs. An awesome sighting

The two leopard cubs around the river road area, were hanging around the same patch for a few days so we could relocate them and view them on a few different occasions, one such occasion I took a chance in the morning and headed to that area, the reward was to witness the young female leopard execute a stalk on a herd of impala, we sat patiently for about a hour as we gauged her progress, in the end she failed in the final charge, but for that hour we had her, the adrenaline and excitement were palpable. Such a beautiful young lady in stalking mode, I was reminded again how hard it is to keep with them as she would stalk in and out of view as she used the local vegetation as cover. After having a good look at the leopard thru my binos,I explain that this female is still very young and  inexperienced, and may be punching a little over her weight class. Awesome morning

Our four cheetah brothers are back in our area of operation after not being seen for a month or two, they have returned from Kruger and are scent marking there old stomping ground, next to a leopard the cheetah is as beautiful and graceful. We may be lucky and they may stay in our area. Awesome again to see

Duikers, steenbok, stately giraffe, noisy zebra and other antelope are around, with the dry season not broken as yet, they are a little more few and far between but still there. And as much as the cats, predators and other big 5 are the most sought after, these others can not be ignored. We bumble thru the bush, me happily throwing a piece of information or two about the fauna and flora found here. I try to depart a piece here and there, but honestly the bush has spoken for itself and my guests are happy to simple drive around and enjoy the sightings.

We rangers have a little knowledge on the bush and always wish to share and show off, at the same time, the more we guides find out the more we need to find out more. A good guide will recognize that he/she does not know it all and learn everyday.

would love to have all the answers for the bush out here, but nature simply does its thing and we are the observers, who sometimes wonder and ask why…sometimes it is nice not to have natures answer and simply say ”Nature does as nature does”

Awesome week

Some guests reckon we have it easy, living and working in the bush, some thing it is all day driving around looking at nature, well we too have a our stress and worries. The last few days for instance, let me run thru the last few days, in a short form and not bore you with the details.

AS many would have picked up, there is a little thing called the soccer world cup in south Africa at present, this would mean a increase of international visitors to south Africa and hence a increase of visitors to my lodge i.e. WE Are BUSY. Well booked at the camps.

Been a few niggled things pop up here and there the last week, radio in my game viewer not functioning correctly, flat tyre etc  and a very slow reserve, seems someone forgot the gate open and the animals have all left…

Had guests arrive for another ranger few days back, had to rush them thru a check in and then link out with said ranger to hand over the guests somewhere in the reserve, of course could not link out as could not contact other ranger on radio, so had to do a impromptu drive them myself, with no cooler box for drinks break,(in Africa there is no excuse for a warm beer) no tracker, no spot light, no jersey, gloves etc (yes we are in winter) so a short drive, with freezing hands only my personal torch on the way home. When we did get home (did I mention cold) found we had no water in camp, which is the whole camp, from top to bottom has no water. Fight with the staff to come help (staff would rather have watched the soccer than help) pull up a 100 meter pipe from the bore hole to fix the pump at night. Water know trickling into water tanks, barley coming in. have to inform guests that we are on water restrictions, I have to switch off water for lengthy periods while the tanks refill at a snail pace.

Next day get my own guests, but have a stand in tracker who is not very good, and I have to remind him a few times it is impolite to swear on the game viewer. Game viewer is old to say the least, a bumpy ride ensues, and half way home the spot light breaks, with few animals seen. No hot water bottles either for guests, I feel like an idiot.

Dinner has me telling same guests can not shower as water restrictions… next morning, radio not working; I have borrowed my handheld radio to another ranger as he has nothing at all…

Next day, water still not pumping properly, tent 11 has leaking toilet, some guests understandably not happy with water times I have put in place. Miss breakfast as running around fixing camp problems. Arrange for some of my guests to go to other camp to watch soccer. These runs to other camp to watch soccer is becoming a regular appearance, so up at 5am go all day and in bed by 11pm.

Took a tight corner a little too hastily, Drove my tracker through a buffalo thorn, ripped his shirt, guests must think I am a moron driver. No animals or not much. Having to resort to Ferrari safari, just to sight some more awesome animals. Dislike Ferrari safari (being polite to say dislike)

Last morning woke up, brush teeth and dress, walk to main building to receive guests for drive, still busy wiping the sleep grip that accumulates in the corner of your eye, when grass splinters, twigs snap and turmoil, out the corner of my eye, no less than 3 meters away, out of the long grass, like a apparition, two gigantic horns rise out of the grass! BUFFALO! He rises there while I am caught in the open and taken by surprise! Training to hell, instinct kicks in, swearing and flashes of possible male lion charging,(lions do not have horns) leap in the air like a girl, more swearing when training takes over after that first split second and I stand my ground to confront. My god! Lucky for me the

Buffalo got a fright like me and ran in the opposite direction. (Possibly also swearing in buffalo lingo) made it to the lodge, still shaking. Had he not ran but took two steps foreword; he would have gored me before my morning coffee! Buffalo around camp every night is no longer a joke. Going to have a beer now and re group tonight. Lesson learned never forget where you are…

He lives to type this blog, maybe some other day…reason I am still shaking.

Buffalo 1 Ranger 0

Guests for that afternoon for me, only going to arrive at 8pm, gates close at 6, so have to contact reserve and arrange, also need our vehicle to meet them at the gate to show them the way in the dark. Late dinner and late check in, always wrong!

Bored with this, Rest of week in point form…

Some lights on pathway, not working, no spares to be had in camp

Chest in tent 9 broken by guests, they left and did not say a word

Monkeys are playing havoc around camp looking for food

Flat tyre at 5.45 am this morning, broke record changing to spare tyre

Vehicle leaking oil? Can not find source

Guests not happy with other vehicle (other guests or ranger), have to transfer to mine, know have 10 guests plus tracker on my old landy

Guests broke bar stool, Drunk Mexican soccer fans?

Utility old (read very old and tired) landy has been towing a tractor tyre behind, and know the chassis has cracked on both sides.

Buffalo encounters almost every night while walking back to my room.

…

The list goes on…

However I end the week with a sighting of note, 4 leopards, yep 4, a male, female and two cubs on a waterbuck kill. Makes it all worthwhile. Another reason to be shaking, this time, not an unhappy shake…

Back from leave and almost had half a bum cheek back in the saddle. meaning that I am back in the bush after a leave, had a drive or two but am not driving too much this month, boo hoo, will have to enjoy the bush from the lodge deck. On leave had a new addition to my sister’s family, great to see a new baby.

Baby’s in the bush will be coming end of this year, we have just completed the rut season, breeding season for many, most of all the impala, great to see the male strutting and roaring there stuff around the bush, trying to put on a good show for the females, nice to see males cavort and prance and put the effort into winning there right to breed, impala with a gestation of six and a half months will bring the storks bearing young impala in time for Christmas this year. Look foreword to that.

The herds of buffalo also have young at present, ranging from a week to a few weeks; I have sent the herds sporadically the last few times. Over all though, since returning, and having a few drives, the general consensus is that it is quite in our region of the bush. Not too much to report on game activities in the immediate area, and some of the drives have seen us range a little further and move a little quicker to get there.

Of course not all things are out far in the bush, whilst walking a guest back to there accomadation, after dinner so therefore in the dark, in the corner of my eye I saw a movement, at first the glance told me lioness, large, sleek and silky. But as I brought the torch light up to bear, it illuminated a female leopard, rather large if I say so myself, she was moving thru camp, in-between the buildings in the direction of the lodge waterhole in the front of the main deck. Guest and I had a full one second to

1.see her

2. identify it as leopard

3.anaylyse what we could do, should she change direction.

All this in a second and she was gone. Poof like the magic dragon, gone. But that is how leopard sightings go.

Drives themselves have become cold, lekker warm days hitting as much as 28 degrees, yes for us lucky few winter us could mean 28 degrees, however, when the sun dips below the horizon, or before the sun peeks up over the morning horizon, it is cold, a bearable cold but a cold that can only be shaken with the hot water bottles we supply for drive. Lucky for a ranger, we are immune to the cold, we have thick blood. We feel neither cold nor discomfort, or so it seems…

Do not always enjoy these cold moment beginnings to a morning drive, these cold moments in the morning are unloved, like orphans.

Swear I could hear the cats laughing at us, playing there cat and mouse (excuse the pun) laughing and talking amongst them themselves in lion talk, “come try and find us”

Here in the north where grass is as high as an elephant’s eye, ok so not that high but still well above my door, Grass that is covering a few square kilometers, grass that was as high as a man’s shoulder if you were unlucky enough to be walking in the north. And here I was, here I was suppose to find the pride of lions? The guests I had were really keen to see the big cats. Out there somewhere maybe around the next barely-can see-corner was 16 of them.

And as usual, persistence pays, found them lounging in the only open area amongst that tick ridden grass for a kilometer in every direction. Doing what big cats do, try to look like small cuddly cats. Lording it over the plains in that typical “I could give a…” look that lions have. Guest’s happy, tracker happy and I beaming from ear to ear.

This with an afternoon drive with the dogs being back in town. Looks like one or two of the pack are pregnant, watch this space.

The following 3 days had a couple from Belgium on honeymoon, and they not only brought with them, sunscreen and fear of the bush (that fear that says we will be eaten, fear things are out to get you, but we are here anyway, the ranger will protect us, type fear)

Believe me, things are not out here to get you, safer here than most big cities. Animals fear us and our greed more than we need to fear them.

They brought all this and some heavy luggage from Belgium (did they think they needed to bring there entire wardrobe for the African bush?)And they brought luck with them, oodles of luck as we I went about my business of driving around giving an interpretation of the bush and finding the four legs and a heartbeat for the cameras, this we did at a phenomenal rate. We found wildlife sightings like those guys who work at a driving range, find golf balls. Elephants, rhino bulls, buffalo and buffalo herds, impala and zebra enjoying the late season green grass, a journey of giraffe or two and those 16 lions devouring a wildebeest. All that and so much more. Birds coming out of my ears.

Luck was with us, as we found the five most sought after animals (big 5) to see in the bush one after the other, and all of them posing nicely for photographs. Along with all the other of gods creations. Normally I could stretch this over a few days but we bagged up all good sighting on the first days and first morning. This including an elephant encounter on a bushwalk after breakfast. That was a time for rational fear and caution.

Of course know that we had see most on the first time to Africa honeymooners list, we could spend the rest of the time cruising around, anything else being a bonus, and I could spend time showing off knowledge on birds and trees, but did we get that bonus at this slow pace, you betcha! Two leopard cubs in a drainage line, oblivious to the vehicle, just playing around. Awesome and beautiful. Click, snap whir goes the cameras. Best leopard sighting of my career.

However we were not done, as the two cubs then sighted  a puff adder, a venomous snake and proceeded to investigate it, I of course called this on the game drive channel, and the response from all those that were listening, was that just this once against the rules out here, I had to interfere and separate them. They all asked me to go against the grain and interfere with the natural order of the bush. Long story short, you have me about 20 meters from the safety of my car, a large irritated puff adder 2 meters away and one of the cubs, being cheeky sitting watching me about 6 meters away. And where was mommy leopard? Never in my life did I expect the cub not to run, to sit there, and watch me whilst on foot! Insane! And still were was mommy leopard with here cub so close to a human on foot! So now what goes through my head?

1. Retreat and risk a cub getting a snake bite that will kill it. This is no good!
2. keep eyes in the back of my head for mom leopard, chase the snake and save the day

No real choice there, the Belgians had a good eyeful of my backside in the air whilst I was knees down under the bushes chasing a venomous a snake and a bemused leopard cub was watching. Worst of all, gave my camera to my tracker and he didn’t even take a photo!

Belgian honeymooners bought me a few beers that night.

The rest of this week has been manual labor, no guests this side, so slashing of fire breaks, fixing of roads, blisters on hand, tick bitten feet and sweaty t-shirts. Not all good all the time. Only a hand slasher, grass a meter high and a hundred meteres to cut.

At least I can know say bring on the fires season.

Right know I am going to take my very sore from unaccustomed labor, body back to my bed, crack a beer and remember that one time with the leopards…they will be around for a few more photo sessions.

The alarm rings at 3:30 am, time to get up, you read correctly 3:30 am, three in the morning. Why you may ask, well had to drop off guests at the gate, they had a early flight from Johannesburg to Mozambique and had to leave the lodge early, packed a coffee flask for on the way back, may as well do some game viewing on the route back from gate, if I have to get up that early, make it nice for the route, coffee and a smoke, that would equal a morning breakfast for me. Read the rest of this entry »

Had a interesting day yesterday, been some quite s**tty drives of late then yesterday morning,  followed a rhino bull for about 1/2 hour, would not get out of the road, he was following a female cow with calf.  She must be in estoruis, but was having none of it and spurring his advances. Saw a opprtunity to get past him -  and he saw me as competition! Lucky I did not put another dent in the car, full 2.3 ton rhino bull charging at me, while I am flooring it out of there….missed me by inches…..! Read the rest of this entry »