3 February - 5 February

Yesterday morning and the evening before were of the maddening variety, while last night and this morning, simply smashing!
Beginning with the day before, all guides and trackers had their work cut out for them as the bush seemingly hit a lull we here in the Sabi Sands are not too familiar with. 

Game seemed to taunt us as we ceaselessly pursued but never sighted them. The primary culprit being a large male lion known as the Nkahuma male (forgive my spelling) whom walked all the way down Gowrie main in the dark recesses of night and proceeded to lead us on a wild goose-chase all morning, only to run away at the first sign of vehicles making a sighting of him impossible.

Though a little down-trodden, we headed out yesterday afternoon in the hopes that the bush would revitalize our faith, and she surely did with leopard sightings in abundance!
First, elephants walked across our open area, stopping and searching for Marulas as they went.
We continued westward and were soon rewarded with a great sighting of Tingana (male leopard) who had just caught a young warthog as it was leaving the safety of its burrow. 

Upon our arrival he lay there, panting under a Bushwillow, catching his breath before hoisting the unfortunate piglet into a tree where he soon devoured it.

Proceeding from sun downers at Serengeti pan where we were entertained by a lone bull buffalo wallowing in the fading light, the next leopard showed up on Elephant Alley road where she walked down the roads for some time, offering many photographic opportunities (we believe it may have been Shadow, sister to Thandi).

En route home one of Karula’s cubs were sighted briefly on Gowrie Main, and thereafter Bahuti (young male leopard) who stalked, caught and proceeded to play with a scrub hare before finally killing it and wandering into the bush with his prize hanging limply from his jaws.

This morning was spent following Salaexe (female leopard). She was first sighted resting in a Marula, but soon climbed down and marched through the bush, with a cool candour and marked her territory as she went. At one stage we were parked next to a grass-laden termite mound, waiting for her. She didn’t disappoint but soon popped her head over the mound and stood atop it, eye-level with us, she surveyed her surroundings, looking for a dense bush to lay-up for the day, she soon crawled into the bush and after grooming, lay to sleep with us parked and chatting right next to her.
Once deep in lala-land we decided to leave her to her siesta and headed home for a fantastic morning walk.

Other than elephants, buffalo and a vast array of general game we also saw; chameleons, terrapins, giant plated lizards, ground horn bills, an Eastern tiger snake, African hawk-eagle, six hyaenas at their den, a scrub hare with a tiny baby and a squirrel carrying her offspring in her mouth like a lion carrying her cub.

All in all, I would have to say all is back to as it should be!