Singita Kruger National Park
Singita Kruger National Park: September 2024
Winter in the Kruger National Park passes as quickly as the monkeys that snatch up an unattended snack before game drive, and apart from a few cold mornings, spring has now sprung, and on those particularly hot days all one needs to do is head either to the N’wanetsi or Gudzane Rivers to find a plethora of game. The last green vegetation follows the riverbanks like a giant green snake winding through the very dry savannah. The dusty roads expose tracks with crisp edges, and the sun acquires a crimson orange glow as it sets below the horizon. Towards the end of the month, we were almost blown away by an extreme cold front moving north from the Antarctic but the sun has come out again and summer is definitely on its way!
A Sightings Snapshot for September follows:
Lions
- On the morning of the first, we found tracks of a few individual lionesses on our western boundary road (S41). On turning off the cruiser to further inspect the tracks we heard the lions; the intensity of the growls led us to believe that they were fighting with other lions. When we located them, we found it was the Mananga Pride, and they had just killed a female kudu. The outcast Mananga lioness was nearby though so the initial growls we heard had most likely been the pride chasing her away. All eleven cubs were able to feed and it is incredible to note how confident the small ones are becoming, risking a smack from one of the adults to get a good piece of meat!
- The solitary outcast Mananga lioness has been seen frequently this month in and around Xinenene Poort. On one occasion a few guides witnessed very interesting behaviour between her and three younger lionesses, still to be identified. They initially were very aggressive towards the single Mananga lioness and there were signs of injuries around her neck and head. Later that morning upon returning to the sighting, the Mananga lioness was fast asleep beside the three females, as if there had never been any previous altercation. The next day she was alone again, resting near Catfish Crossing with a few spotted hyenas lurking in the background.
- Shish Pride has been moving between the Lebombo Mountains and Xinenene Poort, interestingly resembling the old habits of Mountain Pride. It seems as if they disappear into the mountains to hunt and then we find them a few days later at Xinenene Poort, sleeping off their full bellies near the water. Towards the end of September, we found them doing just that, sleeping off full bellies near Xinenene poort. The next morning, they were located finishing off the remains of a zebra. We hadn’t even finished morning drive when one of our lucky guides saw them take down yet another zebra near the river, further south of their original position. This time however they had to compete with the large crocodiles, opportunistically trying to steal from the lions.
- The Mananga Pride has had a stressful month. With the remaining Trichardt male last being seen on the 12August, three “new” males have found their way onto our concession. They have been seen here before but never established themselves as the dominant males. They are, as far as we know, not related, and are known in the Kruger National Park as the N’wanetsi male, the S90 male and the one-eyed Chava male. They seemed to have formed a strong coalition, collectively chasing the Mananga pride off a kudu carcass. Luckily all eleven cubs managed to get away unharmed and are alive and well. They were last seen lazing about on the rocky ridge south of Gudzane Dam before heading back west into the Kruger National Park.
- The N’wanetsi male, after following a few vultures descending south of N’wanetsi west, managed to find an impala that had died of natural causes. While he was feeding, we were joined by the Monzo male leopard who kept his distance, but was most likely also drawn to the area by the descending vultures, hoping for a free meal.
- Early on the morning of the 28th, the new coalition of three males took down a large buffalo bull in the Gumba drainage. The noise most certainly chased away the weary Shish Pride back towards the mountains.
- Two of the four Sonop males have been sighted a handful of times in the northern sections of our concession. On one occasion the two brothers were feeding on a kudu and twice now the one male has been mating with a Chava lioness.
- On 18 September we set out on a very misty morning. As a few guides reached the central depression we began to hear lions fighting. Dividing ourselves to cover more ground, we found the fresh tracks that led us to the Shish Pride. They had full bellies, but looked very nervous and were moving east into the mountains at a quick pace. Back tracking, we managed to find the Mananga Pride, with all eleven cubs feeding on the remains of a wildebeest carcass that was most likely killed by the Shish Pride.
- A single lioness, from the Chava Pride, and her two cubs, we estimate to be around six months old now, have been seen a few times in the far northern reaches of our concession. Due to their proximity, they do not see vehicles as regularly as the other resident prides, hence the name (Chava – fearful/shy in Tsonga) and the cubs are also mimicking this weary behaviour.
Leopards
It has been raining leopards this month, with almost one sighting every day!
- Majority of the sightings have been of the Kalanga male. He has taken up the area around Xinenene Poort and Pony Pan. Towards the end of the month, we spent time with him on an impala carcass in a beautiful old leadwood tree just south of the stickythorns. Three days later we found him with another impala south of the Xingwenyana crossing. He is growing bigger everyday with signs of a small dewlap beginning to show.
- Dumbana and her two cubs are spending their time along the Ntsibitsane drainage line, being seen all the way from the N’wanetsi River to where the Ntsibitsane drainage enters from Mozambique near Nyokeng/Sisal line. This drainage line and adjacent rocky ridges being the perfect place to leave the young cubs while she goes hunting. One particular afternoon we were following her and the two cubs, who appeared to have just left a carcass as their bellies were hanging heavily. A single guineafowl, completely unaware of their presence, casually strolled by a mere ten metres away from them. Dumbana, being an experienced and opportunistic mother began to leopard crawl and pounced, catching the poor fowl as it tried to take off. Interestingly her female cub, ran to snatch the bird away from her mother and began plucking the feathers after ascending an apple-leaf tree. Being so young and inexperienced she dropped the guineafowl, that we realised was not yet dead. Dumbana ran in to stop the escaping prey and the young female once again snarled and hissed at her mother and brother before running away with the guineafowl. She is shaping up to be a confident and independent young leopardess.
- Nungu female (the daughter of Nhlanguleni) had an interesting interaction with the Kalanga male. We believe that he had killed a female kudu, hoisted it into an apple-leaf tree and after feeding for some time, left to drink water from Xinenene poort nearby. Nungu then found this carcass and decided to take advantage of the “free meal”. Kalanga returned, but had apparently had his fill so besides from a few snarls and teeth baring he decided to just lie at the base of the tree. Nungu left the carcass but remained around the rocky gorge for a day or two.
- Nhlanguleni female was seen for a few days at the beginning of the month, resting on the branches of a beautiful jackal-berry tree near Cubs Crossing. Then at the end of the month she managed to catch a steenbuck in the mountains near Pelajambo, a road on our concession translating to “sunset” from Shangaan language.
- The Lebombo male has been enjoying the shaded cover and cool damp soils around the sedges along the N’wanetsi River, south of Fig-in-the-Lead.
Cheetahs
- A single cheetah female was spotted from our northern boundary mid-way through the month. She was scanning the open burnt areas for any solitary steenbuck before finding a shady spot to rest in the heat of the day.
African wild dogs
- This month left us with two African wild dog sightings, the newly formed pack of three females near the south of our concession and a pair, most likely from Mozambique, near the north eastern boundary.
Spotted hyenas
- A mother was seen nursing her two cubs near the old hyena den-site on Granophyre West. There have been more females seen in the area and lots of tracks creating a well-worn path to and from the den-site.
- With all the predator traffic around Xinenene Poort the hyenas have been making sure they are there for the leftovers. A clan of eight were seen finishing off the remains of a male kudu left by the Shish Pride before settling in to the water to cool off.
- Every hoisted carcass this month has had at least one or two inquisitive hyenas follow their noses to the tree, leaving them to wait patiently for anything to fall down.
Elephants
- It has been a drier season than previous years, meaning that the N’wanetsi River, and Gudzane Dam in our concession currently holds the last water available over a very large area. This has resulted in hundreds of elephants passing through, and on some game drives it feels as if they are even outnumbering the impala.
- Old and young bulls following the breeding herds as they crop the remaining sedges along the river, dig up the already mangled raisin bushes and debark the large old knobthorns.
- A newborn calf was seen at the end of the month, audibly greeting each new face he saw. Trunk flying as he ran from one elephant to the next, accidentally mistaking a bull for his mother, melting our guests’ hearts.
Buffalos
- An absolutely massive herd of buffalo, around 1 000 animals, followed the Dumbana drainage east towards the N’wanetsi River and headed back west, as if in a slow dance, moving back and forth across the dry grassy plains.
- A small herd of dagga boys (old male buffalo) split from the herd for a few days to laze and graze along the N’wanetsi near the Wahlberg eagle’s nest.
Plains game
- Xinenene Poort currently holds the last bit of water in the central area. It has been a hotspot for not only predators but also elephants, wildebeest, dazzles of zebra and even the double-banded sandgrouse flock there in the hundreds after sunset to quench their thirst.
- The impala ewes are beginning to show off their growing pregnant bellies. Some other species have already given birth and our guests have been treated to sightings of brand new nyala and bushbuck lambs in the lodge grounds.
Rare animals and other sightings
- A single roan antelope bull as well as a single sable were seen in the south-east of our concession this month. Both these antelope species are rare in the central regions of the Kruger National Park. They require long grasses and are water dependant restricting them to the northern part of the park.
- A few African wild cats, including one particularly relaxed individual seen on the S41 near Joes and again on N’wanetsi West.
- A serval was spotted on the way to the lodge near the staff village early one morning.
- With the grass being so cropped down, even a few honey badgers have been seen bounding along on the cooler early morning drives.
Birds
- The N’wanetsi River is slowly drying up, and we are seeing a greater variety of storks, egrets and herons congregating near the shallow pools where the fish become trapped from the main stream. Amongst these were a beautiful pair of saddle-billed storks at Euphorbia Crossing, greater painted snipes with chicks near N’wanetsi Sisal Line, and the “not so common” common moorhen at the weir. The river in front of Sweni has hosted a goliath heron and the regular giant and pied kingfishers are still calling loudly to all.
- A cuckoo hawk was seen in the beginning of the month.
- The yellow-billed kites, Wahlberg’s eagles, European bee-eaters as well as a single southern carmine bee-eater have returned to our concession from their summer retreats in the central and northern hemisphere. The barn and grey-rumped swallows have also returned.
- A few rare warblers were spotted by our keen birding guides; the common reed, lesser swamp and marsh warbler.