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2006 : January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December |
2007 : January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November |

     The end of the short month of February has taken us all by surprise but never the less the game viewing has been outstanding! We are still behind in our annual average rainfall even though as we sent out January’s Newsletter the skies opened giving us 40mm and then the tail end of the cyclone in Mozambique brought a stupendous storm. The guests donned their ponchos and we expected them back at the lodge and into their hot baths within half an hour. However, their spirits were not dampened (as the rest of their bodies!) and they stayed out even longer than a normal game drive. The grass had started to die off and we thought autumn was approaching but with the 55mm of rainfall the bush has been rejuvenated.

     Having said last month that the Ximungwe pride had splintered into groups, they amazed us by arriving on our property all together. There only seems to be one large female left and she is looking after the nine remaining cubs. Surprisingly, they were looking very well and had obviously been feeding regularly.

     We were happy to learn this month that both females of the Sand River pride have given birth. One of the females was seen with two cubs and with one of the Mpogo in attendance. This is a good sign as it means that the cubs have been accepted and the Mpogo should not kill them believing them to be their own. The other female, that we know to have given birth, has now been seen mating with one of the Mpogo. We are hoping that this is a false oestrus to ensure that the Mpogo accept her cubs too when they are introduced. Or else it could mean that she has lost these cubs and has now brought herself back into season again. However, it is still encouraging to see cubs being born and thereby raising our lion population to normal levels.

     The Mpogo continue to provide us with the most awesome viewing and it never ceases to amaze us when all six males are together and roaring their territorial call. This is an experience that moves even the most hardened rangers. Watch the video to experience the roaring of the Mpogo.

     On the subject of leopard, we had another scare this month when we thought that Mambiri had lost her one remaining cub. We found her alone one morning, thin, limping and no longer lactating. However, one week later, she surprised us all by leading us to a duiker kill and there was the cub in attendance. It was a great relief to see it fit and well. We are attaching a better photograph of this particular cub this month just to show you how different it looks from other leopards!

     We have also been seeing a fare amount of Shangwa and her 2 female cubs. More and more she is leaving them to fend for themselves. Where they will eventually establish their own territories is a mystery but we hope that they will choose an area within our boundaries.

     Mkwela and her cub are giving us the best viewing that anyone could ever wish for. The cub is so relaxed and inquisitive with the Land Rovers that we have to keep remembering that she is a wild animal. Both Mkwela and her daughter have obviously had an altercation as they both have bite marks but we are not sure with what. Luckily the wounds are not serious but are definitely an indication of conflict with another animal. We had a particularly good sighting where Mkwela and the cub had their kill stolen by a hyena. Fortunately, the cunningness and bravery of Mkwela saw her steel it back again!

     The buffalo herds continue to come back and forth but are not spending any length of time on our property. When they are not here, our buffalo viewing is restricted to bachelor groups that are resident around the river areas.

     We should encourage the animals through our Newsletters to come back more often. Last month we mentioned the conspicuous absence of female cheetah and now for the first time in nearly a year, we were privileged to view a female cheetah on our property! She came into the area and was here for 3 or 4 days before moving back east again. We have a suspicion that she could be pregnant although her extended belly could have been due to a good meal. We are hoping that she will produce as it would be wonderful to see cheetah cubs again.

     We are very pleased to welcome Julius to our permanent staff. Julius has been a key member of the Mabarule Youth in action choir for many years now. He has now finished his training as a tracker and is proving as invaluable to Savanna as he is to the choir. It gives us such pleasure to have three choir members now on our team. These include Oriel, who initially introduced us to the choir, and Tembinkosi – to be remembered by his catch phrase “Wow, its amazing”!