Leopard Kill!

The initial stalk and the suffocation

Whilst on the way to view Shangwa female leopard close to the river Hlab’nkunzi appeared on the road in front of us stalking impala. She patiently followed the small bachelor herd until she saw her chance and dashed of after them. When we caught up with her she had a male impala by the throat and slowly drained the life out of it!

The next night

The next evening we returned to the sighting to find that a hyena had taken the opportunity to claim a meal whilst the leopard  could only watch and pick up scraps.

Day 3

A day later we returned again to find thet Hlab’nkunzi had reclaimed her meal and was busy finishing it off. Good news for her as at that time she was still having to return to her tiny cub to suckle regularly and a lost kill is a lot of nutrition to go to waste in that situation.

Graphic content: Lions Kill Buffalo

Not one for sensitive viewers!

Three of the Selati male lion coalition destroy a big buffalo bull…

Battle At Idube Hits One Million Views!

This awesome capture of the Othawa pride of lions fighting a herd of buffalo for control of a small calf at Idube’s Marula Dam has been featured on television worldwide and now has over a million views on YouTube.

Leopard Vs Warthog

The Maxabeni 3:3 young male leopard takes on a warthog sow as big as himself. The leopard puts his own life on the line for the sake of a kill. Both animals become locked in mortal combat as each tries to ensure their own survival. Warthogs have been known to kill leopards in situations such as this and big male leopards will often kill bigger warthogs than this!

Idube Safari Highlights #150: 19–22 July 2012

In this highlights video:

The title clip features a male kudu feeding.

One of a group of 6 or more elephant bulls close to the lodge.

One of the Selati male lions (#4) whom we found on foot.

The Maxabeni (3:3 young) male leopard at night.

The big buffalo herd.

A Selati male lion in the company of a Ximhungwe lioness.

A male hippo sporting some serious bite marks, looks like he was pushed out of his spot in the river by a bigger male.

Hlab’nkunzi female leopard watching the hippo as it passes under the tree her impala kill is stashed in.

An outburst of aggression between hippos at hippo pools.

A giraffe feeding along the northern bank of the Sand river.

A herd of elephants descending a steep sandbank to drink at the river.

A lovely sighting of a serval on the clearings in front of the lodge.

Close up shots of a herd of elephants.

Hlab’nkunzi female leopard lying in the grass close to her kill which she had moved around in the tree a bit.

Hippos coming out of the water to lie on a sandbank in the morning sun.

A mating pair of lions – Selati male/Ximhungwe female.

A small zebra foal.

A side-striped jackal in the road.

One of a couple of hyena chewing on some old bones.

Another herd of elephants around the lodge.

The Selati male lions just as they finish feeding on a nyaa and go to rest.

Hlab’nkunzi female leopard feeding on her kill.

3 Ximhungwe lionesses feeding on a wildebeest they caught moments before.

Idube Safari Highlights # 149: 12–15 July 2012

In this highlights video:

The opening title features a close up of an elephants trunk as it feeds on the branches of a marula tree.

A white-backed and hooded vulture at the carcass of a buffalo cow that two of the Selati male lions had finished off close to the lodge.

The two Selati male lions had been joined by a Ximhungwe lioness at the kill, they moved off a short distance and were sleeping in the grass.

A large group of buffalo bulls in the Mabrak riverbed.

The Kashane male leopard sleeping close to the lodge.

A giraffe bull feeding on an acacia tree in the early morning.

One of a group of bull elephants feeding on a freshly pushed over marula tree.

A big herd of cape buffalo moving through the bush at dusk.

A close-up of the Kashane male leopard.

Some of the Selati male lions sporting fresh injuries after more in-fighting over mating rights.

A big herd of buffalo crossing the road.

Kashane male leopard patrolling his extended territory along the banks of the Sand river.

The Tai Dam male leopard (Previously the Shangwa 3:3 young male) listening out for movement as he looks for a meal.

The big buffalo herd, we found them whilst tracking one of the Selati male lions. His tracks went straight past the herd.

Selati male lion, the one we were tracking. He had circled ahead of the herd and decided to watch them from the elevated position of the termite mound.

The Romance Between the Selati Male Lions And Othawa Lionesses

Once the Selati male lions established themselves a Killing one and chasing the other two Mapogo lions, their next job was to take over a pride.

In the Northern parts of their new territory was the Othawa pride, once controlled by the Mapogo and raising four cubs fathered by them, the cubs were young and were soon gone and by May and June 2012 all three females were mating with the new territory holders.

The Following videos were filmed at the end of May and beginning of June as the Selati males established their right to mate with the females:

Male #3 was actually mating with both the lionesses in this clip.

 

Male #4 with one of the lionesses after the group finished a buffalo kill

Male #4 and the female again, this time he got it a bit wrong.

 

Male #4 and the female mate for a third time in less than 30 mins!

 

2 Days later and #4 is still with his lady.

 

The mating was less frequent now, this session about 30 mins after the first.

 

#3 takes over the lioness from #4 after a fight – #4 took over the lioness that was with #3!

 

Later the same day #3’s wounds have dried and the mating continues.

 

The next morning, after some more fighting, Male #2 takes over a lioness.

 

Nearly 40 mins between mating now.

 

A few days later, Male #2 was still mating with one of the lionesses.