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.

Good and Bad News:

First the good news:
Yesterday saw the debut of the new, improved RonaldCam! One of the first sightings that Ron used the camera on was of the Ximhungwe pride on a wildebeest kill. On the morning drive we had seen the three lionesses on the very fresh kill and by the afternoon only one of the pride was feeding. Soon a report came in that one of the lionesses was approaching the kill with a tiny cub in her mouth! The cub is 3-4 weeks old and it was a surprise to hear that the lioness was bringing such a small youngster to meat. Ronald was able to capture some footage of the tiny ball of fluff as it sat in the grass watching the adults feed. Unfortunately I cannot post the footage yet as our internet connection is not good enough to upload video with.
Now for the bad news...
The mother of the little cub is showing no signs of the cub suckling and it may be that she brought the cub to the kill in the hope of getting it to eat. The cub seems weak and could hardly move this morning. It was also heard wailing as it tried to move and the mother was basically ignoring the distress calls. It seems that the new addition to the Ximhungwe pride may not last much longer. Hopefully with all the mating activity between the Selati males and the other two Ximhungwe lionesses there will be more cubs arriving soon.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

The Sun Is Setting On Africa’s Rhino Population

The poaching of Africa’s rhinoceros population continues to make headline news. We are only halfway through 2012 and already the number of rhino killed illegally is pushing close to the 300 mark. Rhino horn is estimated to reach up to $80,000/Kg on the black market at the moment making poaching an extremely profitable pastime. Rhino horns are even being stolen from museums! The horn is sent to countries such as Vietnam and China where it is prized as an important ingredient in traditional medicines, the increase in poaching in recent years seems to be linked to a claim that rhino horn can cure cancer. Other traditional medicinal uses include treating fever, rheumatism, gout, and other disorders. According to the 16th century Chinese pharmacist Li Shi Chen, the horn could also cure snakebites, hallucinations, typhoid, headaches, carbuncles, vomiting, food poisoning, and “devil possession.” (However, it is not, as commonly believed, prescribed as an aphrodisiac).

Unlike the horns of most animals, which have a bony core covered by a relatively thin layer of keratin, rhino horns are keratin all the way through — although the precise chemical composition of the keratin will vary depending on a rhino’s diet and geographic location. Rhino horns are not, as once believed, made simply from a clump of compressed or modified hair. Recent studies have shown that the horns are, in fact, similar in structure to horses’ hooves, turtle beaks, and cockatoo bills. The studies also revealed that the centres of the horns have dense mineral deposits of calcium and melanin — a finding that may explain the curve and sharp tip of the horns. The calcium would strengthen the horn while the melanin would protect the core from being degraded by ultraviolet radiation from the sun. As the softer outer portion was worn away over time by the sun and typical rhino activities (bashing horns with other animals, or rubbing it on the ground), the inner core would be sharpened into a point (much like a wooden pencil).

As far as actual scientific proof of any medicinal value to the horn goes, there is nothing, in fact even the government of China have gone as far as signing the CITES treaty banning the sale of rhino horn, and removing rhinoceros horn from the Chinese medicine pharmacopeia, administered by the Ministry of Health, in 1993. In 2011 in the UK, the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine issued a formal statement condemning the use of rhinoceros horn.A growing number of Traditional Chinese Medicine educators have also spoken out against the practice.

Despite all this the demand for horn remains high, fuelling the poaching crisis we are experiencing. 2012 has seen a large number of arrests in South Africa, yet the crisis continues…

Idube Safari Highlights #148: 09–12 June 2012

In this Highlights Video:

The title clip is the sunset over the Drakensberg mountains.

Metsi female leopard joined up with the Dewane male leopard with intent to mate.

Part of the big buffalo herd in the south-western section of the reserve

The Ximhungwe pride of lions (3 females, 3 youngsters) resting after feeding on a young member of the buffalo herd.

Another part of the buffalo herd on the south-eastern side of the reserve come down to drink at Lion Pan.

Some elephants close to the lodge

A huge crocodile on a sand bank in the Sand river.

Metsi female leopard, still together with the Dewane male.

Responding to a reoprt that the Selati male lions may have come back into the western sector we spent most of the morning trying to track them down. Eventually we found them sleeping off a meal of buffalo bull.

Crocodiles at the causeway in the Sand river.

A hippo in the deep channel of the Sand river.

The Selati males, still on site with the buffalo kill.

The Shangwa 3:3 young male leopard, we saw him hunt and catch a porcupine.

Hlab’nkunzi female leopard watching impala outside the lodge. She had been in the lodge grounds overnight.

The Selati males finishing off the remains of their buffalo kill. Hooded vultures surround the kill picking up scraps.

A huge bull elephant feeding on the side of the road.

Idube Safari Highlights #147: 05 – 09 June 2012

In this highlights video:

The title clip features the Dewane male leopard.

A courting pair of lions – Selati male and Othawa lioness, here the male is using his vomeronasal organ to check the receptiveness of the female.

Dewane male leopard patrolling his territory at night.

A newborn baby elephant staying close to the protective mother.

A big male giraffe feeding.

A buffalo bull ruminating.

A herd of elephants feeding in the Sand river.

Selati male lions with an Othawa lioness along the banks of the Sand river.

Dewane male leopard watching a waterbuck run across the clearings before continuing his patrol.

2 Selati male lions on the clearings in front of the lodge, following a scent trail.

One of the Othawa lionesses sitting on top of a termite mound, the two male lions were following her scent, a third male was in the area but was well hidden in the grass.

Metsi female leopard in the branches of a tall tree, keeping a close eye on the Maxabeni 3:3 young male leopard below her.

A second Othawa lioness feeding on a buffalo calf that she had caught alone after being chased from another kill by the Ximhungwe pride. She was within spitting distance of the two leopards

The Ximhungwe pride of lions (3 females and 2 youngsters – one young male missing) feeding on the remains of a buffalo calf that two Othawa lionesses had killed. The third Othawa lioness was happily feeding together with the Ximhungwes after initially being chased off, unaware that her sister had another kill close by.

The buffalo herd that the lions had been picking calves out of was still close to the lions.

Three Selati males and one Othawa lioness lying close to the lodge.

Tassleberry female leopard lying close to an impala kill she had hidden in the long grass.

The big buffalo herd at sunset.

One Othawa lioness watching the Metsi and Maxabeni leopards walk past in the dark, she did chase them but it was too dark to film. Both leopards got away safely.

One of the Selati male lions close to the lodge on the way back for dinner.

Bull elephants right outside the lodge first thing, they headed to Schotia dam to drink.

Shangwa female leopard looking for food north of the river. The wound in her back leg is probably from a run in with the Selati male lions who are thought to have stolen her previous kill. She walks through a herd of giraffe with neither species paying much attention to one another.