The reports were that the roaring was heard coming from the north, but our tracker insisted it was coming from the south, so we headed that way. Sure enough, it was nearby camp and sitting under a tree. This was a different lion than we saw the first day, but a similar set up - minus the Nyala carcass. It doesn't matter how many times I see any of these animals, they are all still so incredible in their own, unique way. This guy was on the verge of a major cat nap... He could barely hold his head up when we found him! He shortly fell to the side and began to drift off, but those ears.....still perked up and aware of everything going on around him. Such a majestic animal, the lion. Their presence is intimidating, but when you see them in such a relaxed setting, it's easy to forget just how dangerous they can be.
The next encounter was something we never could have expected to see - a male and female leopard mating. It felt more like watching a porno, it was CRAZY! The female essentially uses the male for a good 2-3 day run, mating like every 5 minutes throughout. It is a very quick process, but is painful for the female as the male bites the back of her neck to hold her down. It's hard to believe that she was actually the one initiating every session when we see the blood on her coat. It was a pretty amazing sight, sometimes taking place directly at our feet!
We had a few other encounters along our last drive with Justin & Chris, making the most of it by seeing 4 of the 5 Big 5. Pretty impressive! After our drive, we said our good-byes, packed up our things, and relocated to Leadwood Lodge. It is on the same property, just 5 minutes or so away, tucked away for a more intimate experience with only 3 rooms available. With our crew occupying 2 of the 3, we liked our odds.
We never expected the trip accommodations to get much better than Exeter River Lodge, so we were completely taken aback when we were given the tour of Leadwood. It is hands down the nicest place any of us had ever stayed - Four Seasons, Maui and Four Seasons, Bora Bora included (our respective honeymoon destinations). WOW!
Once the initial shock of our new environment wore off, we sat in a tree and had lunch. You read that correctly, we ate lunch in a tree. This was our favorite dining location, overlooking an robust area of the reserve, booming with Impala, Kudu, Bushbok and other unseen creatures, I'm sure!
At 3:30, we met our new guide and tracker (Mac and Prince) along with the two women who would be joining us on Safari. Sue and Jeanette from Australia, but we would later refer to them, lovingly, as Trip & Fall. More on that later... Justin had already informed Mac of my love for the Cheetah, so he knew this was high on my list (should one find its way into the area). Turns out, the other ladies had not seen a Cheetah either and were up for some tracking. Perfect!
While the evening drive is not an ideal time for a Cheetah sighting, we decided to try our luck in scoping out the clearings for the following morning. As suspected, we didn't find a Cheetah, but we DID locate tracks. Mac and Prince said they looked to be a day old, but I was holding out hope!
We were able to see 4 of the 5 Big 5 on our night drive too! So despite the lack of Cheetah presence, we were not lacking by way of photo opportunities for other animals in the surroundings areas of the reserve. We learned quickly that Mac is a big bird guy, pointing out a number of little flying friends that would have otherwise gone undetected.
Another exciting day, filled with new encounters! As we wrapped our drive the for the evening, we were informed that we would all be participating in a traditional African braai that night for dinner. This is essentially a BBQ where they cook meats, pap, sauces with spices and salads. It's a giant social gathering filled with South African culture.
As we were winding down dinner, we heard singing coming from the kitchen, making its way towards us. Next thing we know, we are all standing in a circle, clapping and dancing along to about 5 different songs. They had the African drums and maracas in full effect, so it was another fun African dance session for us. Towards the end, they took us each to the center of the circle for our solo performances. Claire and I went together, and I think Jason and Brandon did too, though this was the point of the performance when B decided to go rouge and freestyle his way into some accolades for his moves. He had everyone bent over and laughing, but also impressed.
Such a great end to our first day at Leadwood. We all made the very scary walk back to our lodges, escorted by our security guard, but made it safely and ended the day on a high.
Animal Sightings: Male lion, Male & Female Leopards mating, Male Leopard hunting at night, Rhinos (both a crash and bull alone on separate drives), Elephants (a herd and bull alone on separate drives), Impala, Nyala, Kudu, Bushbok, Duiker, Warthog, Baboons, Black Snake Hawk, Small Spotted Genet, Dwarf Mongoose, African Hare,
Interesting Interactions:
1. Leopards mating was amazing. I know I touched on it above, but it is well worth the second mention. The female was a petite leopard - one of the smallest the guides had seen. We learned that she is known around the camp for being a feisty, fearless feline. She holds her own among larger animals when threatened and all of the guides said she is full of personality. The male was huge - easily double in size. The roaring/gurgling sound he makes while mating will forever live in my head, mostly because Brandon and Jason took to replicating it throughout the remainder of the trip.
2. We spotted a male leopard (a different male than the one mating) hunting at night. We were so close to seeing a kill, but the Bushbok spotted him and the element of surprise was lost. Because leopards are not large cats, if they are spotted and unable to attack without surprise, they will walk away. He did, and we stuck with him a little while longer, but ultimately never found another opportunity for a kill. Still so cool to see him on the prowl for a short time!
3. Remember the animal noise I mentioned hearing overnight? I heard it again during the braai and asked Mac what it was.... A lion roaring. How cool is that?! This one was further away than the noise I had heard earlier in the morning, but how surreal it was to learn that I was unknowingly listening to the same lion roaring before finding him a few hours later on the game drive.
No comments:
Post a Comment