July 2025

Kruger National Park

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Kruger National Park: July 2025

July at Singita has marked a clear shift in the seasons. The once green landscape has transformed into beautiful shades of gold and burgundy, with a fine dust settling on every surface - a true sign of winter in the Lowveld. After a cold front moved through, temperatures dipped noticeably, but nothing a hot coffee with a splash of Amarula couldn’t fix on early morning game drives. With the vegetation thinning out, we enjoyed some incredible predator sightings this month. Lions, leopards, and even hyenas made the most of the easier hunting conditions as the dry season takes its toll on prey species.
A Sightings Snapshot for July follows:
Lions
  • The Sonop males have been venturing further south beyond their core territory, with sightings as far south as the Dumbana drainage. This area was once part of the Shishangaan Pride’s territory. However, following the disappearance of the Trichardt males and the Sonop males’ takeover of the former Mananga Pride territory, the Mananga Pride shifted further south, pushing the Shishangaan Pride even further south and west.
  • At the beginning of the month, two of the Chava lionesses joined the Sonop males on their explorations. One afternoon, the Mananga Pride had been feeding on a buffalo bull, and with plenty of meat remaining, we decided to return the following morning. To our surprise, we found two of the Sonop males and two Chava lionesses feeding on what had originally been the Mananga Pride's kill. Based on the tracks, it appears the Mananga lions were chased off. Their tracks were scattered in all directions, suggesting they had to flee quickly into the mountains.
  • For the past few weeks, a lone Mananga lioness has been quite vocal, occasionally wandering away from the pride and calling. Could this behaviour have drawn the attention of the Sonop males? It’s possible, as earlier this month, one of the Sonop males was seen mating with a single Mananga lioness.
  • Love appears to be in the air this July. A single Shishangaan lioness has separated from her pride and has been seen mating with the unnamed male who has been roaming the southern section of our concession, just north of the lodges. He has been very vocal lately, actively marking his new territory. While it's wonderful to have a male lion around again, there's concern that his presence and vocal displays could attract rival coalitions, potentially disrupting the current lion dynamics once more.
  • The Shish Pride has been highly active in the south-eastern corner of our concession, leaving tracks on nearly every road. This has given us plenty of clues to decipher as we try to determine their movements. The young males in the pride are now approaching two-and-a-half-years of age and are growing into impressively large individuals, with early signs of manes beginning to form around their necks. For now, the pride has split into two groups, possibly due to territorial dynamics involving the Sonop males, who appear to be attempting a takeover.
  • Taking advantage of a massive herd of buffalo moving through their territory toward Gudzani Dam for a morning drink, the Chava Pride managed to isolate an old cow. By that afternoon, we found the entire pride still feeding on the carcass. The cubs are becoming increasingly boisterous, leaping onto the buffalo’s chest and tugging at its ears and tail. There’s something about a tail — why is it that lion cubs simply can’t resist one?
Leopards
  • Nhlanguleni female was found with an impala hoisted into a beautiful jackal-berry tree along the Xinkelegane drainage. In typical Nhlanguleni fashion, the kill was not in the tree for long. She appears to be a leopard that only feeds in a tree when absolutely necessary, such as when hyenas or lions are around. Otherwise, she hides it in a thicket or underneath fallen branches.
  • The Dumbana leopards once again dominated our leopard sightings this month. The young male has been venturing further into the outskirts of his mother's territory. On one occasion, his mother and sister left him alone with the remains of an impala stashed in a leadwood tree. While he was feeding, another slightly larger male appeared. This newcomer was less accustomed to vehicles and kept his distance. However, as the last game viewer began to move away from the scene, the unfamiliar male cautiously approached the tree. The Dumbana young male hissed in warning but eventually climbed down, leaving the final scraps of the impala in the fork of the tree. Two weeks later, we found the Dumbana male again—this time with a young impala ram hoisted in a small jackal-berry tree. Less than 24 hours later, the shy male from the central depression was also spotted nearby. We're unsure whether he fed on the kill, as he, like the previous strange male from the south, has yet to become habituated to our game viewers. He is definitely the larger and more dominant of the two. In fact, while watching the Dumbana young male gnawing on a leg bone, the older male began sawing loudly—a clear vocal assertion of his presence and dominance.
  • The Lebombo male has been hunting on the outskirts of the lodge grounds. He successfully caught an impala ewe just beyond our newly built bridge. Later, on the western side of the lodges, he hoisted a young impala ram into a brown ivory tree. Fortunately, he managed to feed on most of it before, the next day, a lone Shish lioness leapt up and snatched the remains from the lower branches, devouring every last piece.
Cheetahs
  • A single mother and two cubs were seen on the H6 early one morning. The cubs are almost as big as their mother now, so it is just a matter of time before they disperse to find their own territories.
African wild dogs
  • A pair of wild dogs was briefly observed near the Mozambican border, while the larger pack appears to favour the open grasslands north of the H6. This region is currently rich in game, likely due to the Shishangaan drainage, which serves as the closest water source across a wide expanse.
Spotted hyenas
  • Spotted hyenas have been active throughout July, with notable sightings including a clan of eight feeding on a giraffe carcass. With no other predators in the vicinity, it's unclear whether the giraffe succumbed to natural causes or if the hyenas managed an impressive kill. Individuals have also been seen at dusk, silently moving along the roads with noses to the wind, searching for their next opportunity. With the abundance of lion and leopard kills we've been fortunate to observe, hyenas are never far behind—often appearing that same evening or by the following day, waiting patiently at the base of trees or lingering at a distance, just out of the lions’ line of sight. In the Ostrich Open Area, several cubs from the resident clan have begun venturing away from the den, still under the watchful eye of their mothers or older siblings.
Elephants
  • As the vegetation continues to dry out across the reserve, elephant activity around the lodge has noticeably increased. With fresh browse becoming scarce, many herds have begun moving directly through the lodge grounds, taking advantage of trees that had not yet been heavily fed on. One particular group, led by a large, tuskless female, has been seen in and around the lodge almost every week this month—her distinct appearance making her easy to recognise. The elephants have shifted their feeding strategy, now focusing on debarking raisin bushes, and toppling knobthorns, apple leaf trees, and even a few long-tailed cassias to access the nutrient-rich roots and inner bark. It’s a stark but fascinating display of their adaptability in the face of seasonal change.
Buffalos
  • A massive herd of over 2 000 Cape buffalo has recently been seen roaming near the N'wanetsi River, just west of our concession. In addition to this large group, smaller bachelor herds have been sticking close to the last remaining water pools in the now-dry drainage lines. Meanwhile, smaller herds—numbering a few hundred—continue to move through the northern grasslands, relying on the Gudzani and Mavumbaye Rivers for their daily water needs.
Plains game
  • A fresh green flush has emerged in the recently burnt areas, attracting warthogs, zebras, wildebeests, impalas, and countless birds. Meanwhile, the game paths leading to the N'wanetsi River and Gudzani Dam have become busy highways across the dusty plains.
Rare animals and other sightings
  • The elusive serval near Gudzani Dam has been seen twice this month—a rare and exciting occurrence in the Lowveld, where this beautiful feline is seldom seen. As the vegetation continues to thin with the dry season, sightings of other nocturnal species such as African civets, genets, and African wildcats have become more frequent. Even black-backed jackals, typically more secretive, are now more commonly seen and heard as they traverse the open short-grass plains.
Birds
  • This month brought an unexpected treat for birders: a flock of ten orange-breasted waxbills was observed foraging in a cluster of wild date palms near Gudzani Dam. These striking little birds, with their olive backs, bright orange breasts, and delicate red bills, are not typically seen in this part of the Kruger. Their usual range lies further east and south-east, commonly in the moist grasslands and savannas of KwaZulu-Natal and parts of the Lowveld, making this sighting particularly noteworthy. Meanwhile, vulture activity has been nothing short of epic. The carcasses of a giraffe, three buffalo, and several impalas provided ample feeding grounds, drawing in large congregations of scavengers. On one such occasion, we recorded the rare Cape vulture, a species now endangered due to poisoning, power line collisions, and diminishing nesting sites. Their presence alongside the formidable lappet-faced vultures and the ghostly pale white-headed vultures made for a dramatic scene. This time of year, the riverine thickets between Sweni and Lebombo Lodge may offer a rare glimpse of the Eastern nicator. With olive-green plumage, pale yellow underparts, and subtle light-yellow spots on its back, it blends in perfectly to the dense tangled undergrowth.