Elephant Plains: Tracking Lions, then Leopard, and quality time with Hyena pups
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Andrew reports:
After the great start we had to our safari yesterday you can imagine that we were keen to leave early and capture more amazing bush action.
While we were enjoying our early morning coffee before setting out, we heard lions roaring, and they sounded quite close, so without any dallying we jumped into our vehicles and started out in the direction of the roars.
Sure enough we found tracks not too far away and followed them until we found them. There were three large males ambling along. It was still dark, so out came the spotlights and flashes as we proceeded to take as many images as one could desire.
We followed the three, snapping away, until they moved onto a neighbouring territory.
We had hardly left the three lions when we turned around and encountered a beautiful female leopard. We followed her as she strolled through the bush, down the road, and then back through the bush again. She settled on the bank of a riverbed for a while and proceeded to groom herself. More lovely photographs for us!
When she moved away and disappeared into some thick bushes we decided to enjoy our morning coffee break in the bush - and we did enjoy this even more than usual, delighted with our lion and leopard photographs, and pleased to down those warm drinks and snacks.
We were hardly back on our vehicles and on our way when we encountered the same female leopard again. Delighted with seeing her again we made the most of the time, taking more and more winning shots of the beautiful cat until it was time to return to the Lodge for breakfast.
This afternoon we headed out and spent the first part of our time photographing impala, warthogs, kudu, and birds - including some vividly plumaged Lilac-breasted Rollers.
We had been informed about the hyena den, and decided to head there.
The three pups, one about six months old and two about two months old were playing energetically in the afternoon sunshine. They had a set of old impala horns which they gnawed, dragged around, tussled over, fell over and thoroughly enjoyed - much to our delight as our cameras clicked away capturing the interactions. They interrupted their game with the horns only to leap on each other, nibble ears, and tumble over one another with enthusiasm, and then returned to the horns again.
Our enjoyment of the scene was ended when darkness fell, and we had to return to the Lodge.
This has been another very successful day for us and as we listen to the grunts and roars out there tonight, we are thinking of trying to find a leopard again tomorrow morning, but we know that the bush always holds surprises ...
Tagged in:
Andrew Schoeman
Hyena
Impala
Kudu
leopard
Lilac-breasted Roller
lion
ODP Safaris
Warthogs
Wim van den Heever
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