Show Stoppers

EcoTraining is about the small things, we all know this, and we truly believe it.  The mechanisms evolved over millennia by the coexistence of organisms know no bounds:  the relationship between figs and their wasp pollinators, the unique adaptations of an ant-lion larva to locate its prey and the fascinating behaviour exhibited by the polyandrous African Jacana are just some of the majesties awaiting a potential student on one of our courses.  That being said, nothing beats witnessing interactions between Africa’s heavy hitters, the big cats!

It’s a bit like buying a car: we know that we should spend our money on a nice safe and reliable family car with good fuel economy, but most of us would give our right arm to own an Aston Martin or Bugatti!  There is just something about them. The cats are no different.  They are the aces up the sleeve of the bush poker player, and the Mecca for any safari-goer!

What happens in the bush under the cloak of darkness is a mystery to most, but occasionally the nocturnal exploits of these key players transcend the dawn and we are able to view some unique events unfold.  Lions and leopards are mortal enemies.  Countless generations have fought this war; a war where both sides have their special weapons.  The lions have strength both in physicality and in numbers, but what the leopard lacks in this department it makes up with guile, agility and stealth.  Both will kill each other, especially their offspring, and most young cubs succumb to predation by one of their carnivorous cousins.

For a mother leopard nurturing a cub, a run-in with lions usually spells curtains, but lighting reactions and unparalleled tree climbing abilities might just be enough to save them.  By the time we arrived at the sighting, we found a majestic leopardess patrolling the treetops whilst her nemeses circled below.  Her footing was sure, and she almost mocked the comical attempts of the young lions far below her as they tried to scale the vertical trunk to reach her.  She spat and growled, but knew better than to antagonize her much larger relatives.  Her lightweight frame allowed her to control the canopy, but youth knows no bounds, and time and time again, the young lions tried their luck.  This made for some great viewing as their facial expressions matched their frustrations as their powerful limbs were nullified by their greater body mass and weak wrists.  Failed attempts ended in a shower of bark and a somewhat unceremonious dismount!  As usual, it is difficult not to anthropomorphasize the events, but if a lion could ever look embarrassed, this was it!

The leopardess however seemed distracted.  Between bouts of snarling at her feline foes, she continued glancing skyward towards a nearby fig tree.  Upon closer inspection we discovered a small cub, no more than 6 months old, sheltering in the upper reaches of its arboreal safe haven.  Whilst we could hear no communication, their glances spoke a thousand words, the maternal bond felt by both easily bridging the gap between their refuges.  Leopard cubs learn to climb from an early age, and this skill can save their life.  Despite balancing 10m from the ground, the cub looked sure-footed, relaxed and it matched its mother’s aggression towards its pursuers with low growls that defied its size.  Not that the lions were too concerned. However, despite several attempts, the lions knew they were beaten.  Disdainfully they relinquished their spot on the battlefield, slinking silently into the surrounding bush as the heat of the Sun sapped their resolve. 

The leopardess and her prodigy remained in their lofty sanctuary watching the retreat of their antagonists until the coast was clear.  The female gracefully dismounted and moved to the shade of a nearby termite mound but her terrified cub remained aloft.  This female is not very relaxed around cars and whilst their ordeal was over, our ethics dictated that we leave the area to allow mother and cub to reunite and disappear back into the bush in the way that only leopards can. 

It was an epic sighting for us, but just another day in the endless struggle for survival of one of Africa’s greatest icons.  The small things in the bush are fascinating, more so than many of you might realize, but some things are truly special.  We all have our weaknesses, our addictions if you will, and mine is the leopard. To see a mother and cub in a tree, and the interactions of hungry lions below them is as good as it gets!

Blogpost and photos by Ben Coley

Navigational Walk with EcoTraining Students in the Croc Dam area of Karongwe Game Reserve

The sun was well up and making its presence felt as we departed Ladder Kopje with Shelly Tomkins now leading the Group, her destination being Croc Dam away to our North East. The vegetation was thick at first with progress being slow but once Shelly had picked up the clear game paths following the drainage line to our left, the going became much easier.

With the game paths now starting to converge on a regular basis, Shelly crossed the drainage line and led us into the lower reaches of Croc Dam, the raucous grunts of the resident Hippos and the often hysterical cries of the Egyptian Geese giving her the comfort that she had indeed successfully found her way to the correct spot! A convenient exposed granite outcrop reaching out into the water provided an ideal rest-up spot for the Group while also providing a great view of the dam to our left and right.

With the Hippos just below the dam wall to our right, a clutch of Egyptian Geese goslings being shepherded by their parents into the water to our front, some very large crocodiles drifting effortlessly in our direction, an African Darter spreading its drenched wings to dry and an African Fish Eagle regally surveying its territory from its lofty perch to our north, all providing for an amazing early morning setting for the Group, well worth the many kilometres already under the belt on this morning’s navigational walk.

Croc Dam, Karongwe, Navigational Walk. The African Darter and large Crocodile can be seen while the Egyptian Geese family is just visible in the top right. Photo: Tim Flavell

The African Fish Eagle surveys its territory. Photo: Tim Flavell

All too soon it was time for the map to be handed to Jake Cook for the next leg. He briefed the Group on our destination and began re-tracing our steps for a short distance along the bank before heading off to the South East to his distant destination. As Jake led us into a shady thicket just off the bank with the water to our right, an unmistakable warning growl stopped us in our tracks! “Lions..!!” mouthed Jake pointing beyond the thicket into the open area ahead of us. Lions indeed, the immature male, his fledgling mane just visible, was lying in the open staring intently in our direction!

The immature Male eyes our thicket! Photo: Tim Flavell

I quickly motioned Jake behind me and brought the Group together, thankful for the cover the thicket was able to provide. Crouching down we could clearly see the big male on the edge of the tree-line just behind the juvenile, his face encircled by his massive mane !

Our view of the big male! A great sighting for the students! Photo: Tim Flavell

I heard a digital whirr behind me, Tim hadn’t forgotten his camera and was clicking away merrily. The Lions in view were seemingly comfortable so we crouched down and watched these magnificent animals. Aware that this was only a small portion of the Pride, I shifted the Group slowly to the right bringing two lionesses into view to the left of the youngster, both of them moving to our left. With the water to our right, escape routes were limited while there were another three lions still unaccounted for. It was definitely time to leave and not overstay our welcome! Particularly with the lionesses on the move!

I motioned to Jake to lead the Group out of the thicket, back the way we had come with me bringing up the rear keeping myself between the Group and the Lions. As soon as we were clear I took the lead and moved at least five hundred metres away from the Lions’ last position, past the granite outcrop on which we had enjoyed our break. Once stopped, the Group broke into animated whispers and shared experiences of a wonderful encounter. However, as I looked up from our new position back from whence we come, the big male’s large head appeared from the scrub line not 60 metres away!!

The Pride was obviously making their way North and we were in their way!

I quickly but quietly asked everybody to stand behind me, Tim’s camera again working overtime! The big male then lay down in the shade but with the two lionesses flanking him, once more on the move!

The big male as we saw him for the second time! Photo: Tim Flavell

Again it was no time to hang around, warning the Group I would be walking hard, I headed north towards and beyond the dam wall following the incoming game paths well clear of the area. I then looped back to the east in a wide arc in the general direction of where the vehicle was parked.

With more than enough distance now between us and the Pride, I asked Jake to re-orientate himself and lead us back to the vehicle! An amazing morning in a really beautiful area highlighted by a great encounter with the Lions.

Rhodes Bezuidenhout

Instructor

EcoTraining, Navigation & Orientation Course

Karongwe

Sundowner Surprise at Karongwe

We were nearing the end of the Level 1 55 day course at Karongwe Camp and
as is usually the case at this time in the course the students, who were now
preparing for their practical assessments, were now starting to explore the
area for a suitable route for each of their assessments whilst brushing up
on a few of their guiding skills. We left camp in the late afternoon and
wound our way through the woodland north of Camp towards an area known as
Beacon Rock. On the way, our "guide for the day", Katarina, stopped to point
out many interesting birds, flowers, trees and animal tracks from the game
drive vehicle.
Katarina had asked each of her guests, before leaving camp, what animal or
interest they had, and for one of the few times during the course, nobody
said "Leopard"!
One of the vehicles driving from a commercial camp in the reserve had found
a 3 Cheetahs in the direction we were headed, but Katarina and the group
decided to avoid the sighting and stick to the original plan of reaching
Beacon Rock for sundowners!!
Whilst winding our way down a road, having a small competition of "who can
identify that tree" as one tends to do from time to time on these courses,
thankfully our guide had her eyes on the road and when the vehicle came to
an abrupt stop, we all looked to the road to see what had caused the sudden
halt!
There in the road no more than 50 meters from the vehicle was a magnificent
female Leopard. She stopped for a few seconds to look at us, and then to
everyone's amazement, she just continued walking straight towards the
vehicle.
Straight away, we noticed that one of her eyes was darker in colour and in
fact was all "cloudy" in appearance. I have seen this a few times over the
years in big cats and in nearly all the cases I have witnessed, it was from
a bad injury to the eye that could have been caused by a claw of another
Leopard whilst fighting, an antelope's hoof to the eye or another such
injury. The amazing thing is that it doesn’t seem to impede the cat's in any
serious way from carrying out their day to day functions. One Leopard I
followed lived over 10 years after sustaining such an injury and
successfully raised a few litters of cubs in the process!
Anyway, back to the leopard in the road!! Just a few meters short of the
vehicle she moved into the bush to allow herself some breathing space before
returning to the road and resuming her march, stopping once in a while to
elegantly scent mark her territory with urine.
We followed at a distance that she was comfortable with for about 600meters,
before she decided to head off the road and into the open woodland. This
was a perfect opportunity for our guide to get some off road driving practice
in!!
We followed her watching her movements to predict the best route for the
Land Rover to take, avoiding all trees, such as Sickle Bush whose large hard
spines will deflate a tyre as quick as a six inch nail!! After about 100
meters into the bush, the Leopard stopped and put her nose into the air and
sniffed once. She then let out a vocalization that safari guides live for. A
short grunt followed by a few loud sniff like noises, then repeated them. I
quickly explained to the group, that what she had done, was to try contact
another Leopard at close quarters, possibly and hopefully young.
She called a once more and moved slightly deeper into the bush, where we
lost sight of her for a second. The anticipation and excitement on the
vehicle was electric, and we after repositioning the vehicle we saw what we
were hoping for. A Leopard cub bounded out of the grass to greet its mother,
and we watched as the two played and groomed.
After having enjoyed the Leopards for nearly an hour, we left them moving
into thick bush too thick for a Land Rover to follow, but we had all had a
fantastic time watching and learning about Leopards.
So next time your Safari Guide asks you your interest before a drive,
perhaps, Trees or Birds should be your response!?

Photos supplied by Joep

THROUGH THE BUSH TELEGRAPH: Look before you leap – Selati

If there’s one guarantee in nature, it is that the unexpected is sure to happen, as sure as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. As this update from Christine Jutz from our wilderness camp in the Selati Game Reserve clearly indicates:

“Instructor Mark Gunn would always tell us that part of guiding and conservation is to clear the road of any overhanging branches, as this would prevent the creation of new roads and so disturbing the natural environment. So every once in a while, he would stop the vehicle and say “Tracker, take the panga and help me to get this branch.”

Then of course the following happened on one of the drives… Our ‘tracker’, fellow student JJ, jumped off his seat, grabbed the panga, and as he was walking to the sickle bush, everybody on the vehicle started yelling “Lion, lion!”

Less than five meters from JJ, two lionesses and a young male rose from the vegetation where they were sleeping before we attempted to clear the sickle bush.

JJ levitated back to the vehicle in a single bound, and the lesson was learnt: Look before you leap!”

NOTE: The picture is not of the lions in this story, it is however of the Selati lions.