March 2025

Singita Kruger National Park

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Singita Kruger National Park: March 2025

March in Singita Kruger National Park is a time of transition, where nature takes a much-needed breath after the heavy rains, strong winds, and soaring temperatures of the hot summer months. The air feels fresher, with early mornings and late evenings beginning to cool, offering relief from the heat. The once lush green grass is slowly taking on a yellowish hue, signalling the end of the wet season. As the park quiets down, the rhythm of nature shifts; a few migrant birds have already departed, while many others gather, preparing for their long journey ahead. The sound of chirping insects fills the air, and the landscape shifts into a more tranquil, reflective mood. It’s a month where the park begins to find its calm after the storm, with every breeze and sunset a reminder of the delicate balance between the seasons.
A Sightings Snapshot for March follows:
Lions
  • The Mananga Pride managed to take down a large wildebeest at the beginning of the month near the central areas, where the grass is short and game is abundant. The long grass near Pony-Pan offered them refuge from the hot sun the following day. The next evening, we found them very far south on the S41. This area is typically where we expect to see the Shish Pride, but territories are not fixed. Without a dominant male, the pride is moving around more in the south to avoid the Sonop males from the north.
  • A Sonop male has been mating with one of the Chava lionesses. If all goes well, we could have three mothers in the Chava Pride within the next three to four months.
  • In the middle of the month, we found two Chava lionesses with four tiny cubs. They all appeared to be of the same age, so we assume they are from one mother.
  • The two portions of the Shish Pride, which split about a month ago into three adults, one subadult, and ten others, have finally reunited! In the first week of this month, they came together, creating a breath-taking sight as 14 lions walked down the road at dusk.
  • For the remainder of the month, the Mananga Pride spent a significant amount of time hunting in the dense sticky-thorns and the area east of Green-Apple Hill. Without success, they decided to move north. For almost a week, they were nowhere to be found, and only by following a group of descending vultures did we manage to spot the ears of a single lioness peeking out from the tall grass. As we approached, the rest of the pride came into view, their bloated bellies and bloodstained mouths evident. For a moment, it seemed the Mananga Pride had returned to their old territory in the north when we found them a few days later in the beautiful open plain known as 'Kori-Clearings,' named for the many Kori Bustards that roam the grasslands. They appeared to be hunting again. Early the next morning, we heard male lions calling. By spreading out across the concession, we were able to find tracks and gradually piece together what must have been a tumultuous night for the Mananga and Sonop males. Vultures perched on nearly every dead leadwood around Kori-Clearings, so we decided to investigate. Like falling dominoes, we first found two of the Sonop males - one with a full belly but a serious gash on his back right leg. Moments later, a radio call informed us that the third Sonop male had been located to the south, accompanied by a single lioness. A few seconds after that, the Mananga Pride was discovered further south, moving quickly away from us. A headcount revealed only six adult lionesses and seven cubs. While it's purely speculative, it seems the Sonop males and the Mananga Pride had encountered one another. Being large, powerful females, the lionesses managed to escape with most of the cubs, though three were still unaccounted for. Two days later, all ten cubs were found sprawled out on park road near the sticky-thorns with five adult females. They had killed what we believe was a female waterbuck, though it was hard to tell as nothing remained except for the stomach contents. It appeared that crocodiles and hyenas had finished off all that the lions had left behind.
  • After nearly a month of absence, the Shish Pride returned to our concession for a brief visit at the end of the month. The subadult males, now around two years old, have grown larger than their mothers. Their scruffy necks and faint mohawks hint at the early stages of their manes.
  • Casper, the iconic white lion, has made a historic return to the area where he was born after a long absence since leaving the concession in 2019. The speculation surrounding his return stems from reports that younger male lions have recently taken over the territory once ruled by Casper and his brothers. March 28th marks a significant event as Casper reappeared in the very same area of his natal pride, signalling a potential shift in the local lion dynamics. Interestingly, this return coincides with the exact spot where, just the day before, the Shish Pride was observed playing, adding an unexpected twist to the narrative. Casper's return not only captures the attention of wildlife enthusiasts but also hints at the evolving power structures within the pride territories.
Leopards
  • The Dumbana youngsters (now almost 17 months old) spent a few days playing in the small guarri-bushes and long grass, crouching low before ambushing one another. Their mother is leaving them alone for longer periods now, enabling them to slowly gain more independence and confidence in their abilities. The young, energetic pair have dominated our leopard sightings this month. The female subadult (2:3) was stalking a Swainson’s spurfowl one afternoon when it saw her and flew dramatically into a tall knob-thorn tree nearby. She casually strolled to the base and leapt up, climbing almost to the thinnest branches, determined to catch the bird. Just as we thought she was about to learn a lesson on which branches she could and could not climb, the spurfowl took off, and she quickly slid back down to a more suitable fork in the tree. After methodically scanning the grass below, she carefully descended the tree. We thought the chase was over - until she cocked her ears, crouched, and leopard-crawled into the long grass. This wasn’t the end for her. With the sun setting, we decided to leave her, allowing the opportunity for her to practice her hunting skills in the cover of darkness.
  • A shy male leopard, seen fairly regularly, was found one morning when investigating a kettle of vultures circling over an open area where an adult impala ram lay dead. He had most likely seen the vultures descending and was hoping for a free meal.
  • After a five-week absence, Kalanga has finally returned! Due to the rainfall covering any and all tracks, he could have been hiding within our concession. As a young male leopard, exploring is part of his nature. He is almost at the age where he will establish his own territory and begin mating with females therein. His return was nothing less than epic. As he strolled down the road with all his usual swagger, he suddenly paused, crouched, and leapt into the long grass adjacent to the road. A Swainson’s spurfowl flew out, shrieking in panic. Kalanga was too quick and caught it in the air with his front paws. Our excitement was short-lived, however, as the next day he was back in Kruger. Two weeks later, we glimpsed him strolling down the S41, into the loop road south of the N’wanetsi Crossing, and back into Kruger again.
Cheetahs
  • A female has been moving along the H6, just east of the first rise. She is in beautiful condition, holding her head high as she glides through the long grass.
  • There was a single sighting of a cheetah in the central depression mid-month. Aside from that, these spotted beauties are most likely seeking out plains with shorter grasses to avoid accidentally running into a pride of sleeping lions.
African wild dogs
  • The pack of three was seen twice this month, near the granophyre’s, less than a mile from the Mozambican border.
Spotted hyenas
  • The den-site in the granophyre ridge is active, yet the youngsters remain elusive.
  • Three individuals are regularly seen in the pan system near the Nstibitsane drainage. Two sub-adults with fluffy coats and their legs still covered with the black fur they are born with, and a single female, can be found almost daily, stalking impala, chewing on an old bone, or resting in the shade of one of the beautiful umbrella thorn trees.
Elephants
  • The first week of March saw only a few elephant sightings, most of which were solitary bulls. With the marula trees nearing the end of their fruiting season and our concession having few marulas, we know that this time of year, the elephants migrate west to indulge in the sweet fruit.
Buffalos
  • Besides the herds grazing in the far northern plains, only a single buffalo bull wandered along the Xinkelegane drainage this month. Buffalo bulls are often called "dagga boys" because of their behaviour and their preferred habitat. The term "dagga" refers to mud in some southern African languages, and the nickname "dagga boys" is given to these bulls due to their tendency to wallow in mud. This helps them cool off, protect themselves from parasites, and perhaps even hide their scent from predators. Additionally, these older, solitary bulls tend to be a bit more reclusive and are sometimes seen as rough or tough, much like the mud they wallow in. These bulls often live alone or in small groups, and their rough, rugged appearance and behaviour have contributed to this nickname.
Plains game
  • On the H6 near Sonop, nearly 1 000 zebras gathered, their striking black and white patterns creating a mesmerizing sight across the landscape. Meanwhile, the impala ewes are beginning to show the first signs of the season's change, with the males' horns starting to protrude like small black daggers from their heads. As March progresses, the game has begun to disperse throughout the concession, spreading out into the vast wilderness.
Rare animals and other sightings
  • One rainy morning, as we drove through the central plains, something the colour of a steenbok—a light reddish-brown—slipped across the road. It moved with a smooth, gliding motion that heightened my suspicion. When we reached the spot where I thought it had vanished into the tall grass, a rattling cisticola suddenly took flight, hovering above one spot and calling out. Moments later, a caracal dove out from the underbrush! It vanished as swiftly as it had appeared.
  • One late afternoon, a serval was spotted gracefully leaping into the tall grass. These elusive, smaller cats are typically found in grasslands and are most abundant in places like the Serengeti and Maasai Mara. As such, encountering one in our area is a rare and truly special sighting.
Birds
  • As summer comes to a close, European swallows and European bee-eaters are gathering in large numbers in preparation for their upcoming migration along the east coast of Africa, heading towards southern Europe.
  • A flock of five southern ground-hornbills gave chase to something in the open areas north of Dave’s Crossing. It was a bit too far to identify the target, but it had their full attention, and it was quite comical to watch these turkey-sized hornbills hopping along together. These large birds possess incredibly strong bills capable of penetrating even a tortoise shell. Their diet includes termite alates, snails, frogs, snakes, chameleons, squirrels, and even young hares.