Singita Kruger National Park: July 2024

Winter is in full swing. This year however, is different. It is the coldest it’s been in almost a decade. Our warm breath creating white steam in front of our faces as we sip on hot coffee at the lodge, eagerly awaiting the sunrise. We wrap up in blankets and beanies, hot water bottles on our laps, and set out in the now dry and dusty concession. Water is scarce, and congregations of animals around the river and last remaining waterholes are a common site. As a result we have seen more predators than ever, with at least one leopard being seen almost every day this month.

A Sightings Snapshot for July follows:

Lions

The Shish Pride eluded us for almost a week after sneaking through the southern part of our concession and then turning east, disappearing into the Lebombo Mountains. A week went by with only a few tracks until finally one of our guides found them lazing around on Nyokene ridge with full bellies. They had most likely had a successful hunt and left their sanctuary in the mountains to head to the N’wanetsi River, the only source of water in this area now.

In the middle of the month Shish Pride took down an old female giraffe, on which they fed for three days until there was nothing left but bones for the poor hyenas and patiently perching vultures.

Chava Pride was also successful in taking down a large wildebeest in the first week of July. Our team had watched patiently as they stalked a group of giraffes that morning, before moving on to a few waterbuck. They were unlucky and it was not until the next day we found them fighting over the wildebeest carcass. By this time Maputo and Xai-Xai had heard the commotion and made sure they got the “lions’ share”.

Maputo and Xai-Xai have been moving about the northern half of our concession quite a bit. They were seen early in the month near Ingwe link, where our team found them vocalising in unison with the Chava Pride.

The Mananga Pride at the beginning of the month introduced us to three brand new cubs. We had had our suspicions when a single lioness was seen moving in and around Dumbana rocks for the last two months without the rest of her pride. This brings the current cub count to 11! The previous eight are still small but growing in confidence with every encounter. Towards the end of the month the pride was seen feeding on a buffalo cow in the N’wanetsi River before heading west out of our concession near the sticky-thorn thickets.

On the morning of the 20th, one very lucky guide and tracker with their guests, came across the Chava Pride as well as a few tiny cubs. This would explain why we have only been seeing four of the five females recently. The Maputo male and Xai-Xai have officially sired their first offspring on our concession.

The oldest female in the Shish Pride was seen sleeping alone on a rocky outcrop in the N’wanetsi River. We have not seen her since and believe she has passed on. She was roughly nineteen years old, the mother of the famous white lion cub (now nine years old with his own territory near Satara Rest Camp), and the saviour of the Shish Pride. Without her, we probably wouldn’t have such a strong and thriving pride that we see today.

Leopards

Nyala female was seen right in the beginning of the month, looking for any remains of her impala carcass which she unfortunately lost, we suspect, to hyenas. Luckily, she had managed to eat some of her hard-earned meal the previous evening before the hyenas came past. On the 13th July the guiding team found her with another impala carcass stashed underneath a knobthorn tree. We were certain she was going to lose it to hyenas again, but she managed to feed on it for a few days before moving north again along N’wanetsi. She is proving to be a successful and independent young female, and I'm sure we will start seeing her hoist her kills into trees as soon as she gets a bit bigger.

Towards the middle of the month, we believe Nyala female and Dumbana female had a small altercation over a carcass Dumbana had left unattended when she went to fetch her cubs. As a result, Nyala female has a small wound on her side. We are not too worried, as these animals are resilient and this is merely “growing pains”.

Nhlanguleni female was seen dragging an impala carcass across the Central Depression Road towards the Xinkelegane drainage. We were all surprised when for the next two days she did not attempt to hoist it into a nearby tree but rather stashed it under a conveniently fallen branch on the bank of the Xinkelegane. She appeared to have fed previously and so probably was not too concerned about losing this opportunistic meal.

On the 6th July one of our trackers spotted an impala ram wedged into the fork of a giant sycamore fig tree on the banks of the N’wanetsi River. On further investigation we found the beautiful Confluence male leopard perched on one of the ancient branches and a spotted hyena sleeping below. He was seen again regularly in the N’wanetsi River between Euphorbia Crossing and Wahlberg’s Nest.

Dumbana female was located late one morning near Xingwenyana Crossing. One of our guiding teams were lucky enough to catch a quick glimpse as she sped through the bush to catch an impala that had been unaware of her presence. She pulled the animal under a thick clump of bushes and set off to get her two cubs. The next morning, there was no sign of the impala, but her and one of her cubs were sleeping in a large apple-leaf tree nearby. The Mananga Pride walked right past the Dumbana leap without realising it and settled down about 200 metres away. She had probably hidden the impala carcass very well in some thick brush because the next day we found her and her cubs feeding on it in a small apple-leaf tree. The tree was so small however that they had to take turns feeding.

Lebombo male made his first appearance this month near Fig-In-The-Lead.

Nhlanguleni’s previous female cub, now known as Nungu female, was seen hunting spurfowl in Xinanene Poort. The next day Khalanga male was found with a kudu carcass just west of this. Unfortunately for him however it was stolen by the single Mananga lioness.

Cheetahs

Near the end of the month a female cheetah was seen chasing impala around the Central Depression.

A few days later a lucky guide and guests witnessed her opportunistically hunt an old impala ram that was moving alone through an open clearing. She managed to feed for a few hours before hundreds of vultures descending eventually led her to leave the carcass and go find water in the Xinkelegane drainage.

African wild dogs

There were two packs seen this month. One pack of eight near Shidulu Pan and another pack of nine with a collared individual on Three-Trees.

Spotted hyenas

Six individuals, including two cubs were seen moving over the ridge north of Milkberry Road. They are believed to be part of the clan that was denning north of Hyena Crossing. The cubs are old enough now to leave the den in the evenings but young enough that they are not yet wandering alone but rather following close behind mum.

A clan of seven adults were seen one evening calling and greeting as more and more individuals joined the group. It appeared as if they were trying to get a large group together to drive the Shish Pride from the remains of the giraffe carcass.

Many individuals have been spotted near the sticky-thorn thicket, we believe something large must have died as the Mananga Pride and the Trichardt male have been spending much of their time in the sticky-thorn thickets and the Loop Road west of that when they need to get a drink from the N’wanetsi River.

Elephants

With Kruger National Park boasting over 25 000 elephants (according to 2021 census), we are blessed to be able to see elephants every single day. Many herds have tiny calves with them and a small bachelor herd of three bulls with very impressive tusks was seen near Shidulu Pan.

Buffalos

At the end of last month, a massive herd of almost one thousand animals divided into two groups, some went west, and the rest headed straight for our concession where they have been drinking from the N’wanetsi River near the Dumbana drainage. At the end of the first week a group of guests were sipping G&Ts from a high ridge line on the edge of the Lebombo Mountains when the sun started setting behind this huge herd as they slowly marched south leaving dust clouds in front of the crimson red and glowing sky.

The very dry conditions elsewhere have translated to this herd frequenting our concession for the last remaining water in the N’wanetsi River. The Mananga Pride took advantage of this and managed to bring down a buffalo cow on the 25th of this month.

Plains game

With the unfortunate accidental spread of a wildfire in the northern parts of our concession, we have noticed a plethora of game moving south towards the Gudzane Dam and N’wanetsi River. The zebras are always the first to reclaim the burnt areas and seek out the new green flush that follows after a few days.

Hippos are congregating in the last deep pools, specifically Dumbana Pools, where a few guides and their guests have been treated to over 40 hippos stampeding from one end of the river to the deeper section.

Rare animals and other sightings

Two caracals have been seen on the H6 on the way to and from the Shishangaan Staff Village on more than one occasion this month.

A serval has been spending time near Green-apple Hill, and to the delight of our guests, was seen twice in one day this month.

Birds

A flock of four ostrich, two male and two female, as well as a pair of secretary birds have been seen a few times on the H6 this month.

The African stonechats are perched on dead tree stumps in the basalt plains, a common site only in our winter months.

Different species of vulture, including the critically endangered, white-headed vulture, have led the guiding team to more than one predator on a carcass this month.

A violet-eared waxbill and pale flycatcher were seen near the Poort and the common moorhen has been seen darting between the reeds at the weir quite regularly this month.