Discovering dens

It was a cold and rainy day. Tracker extraordinaire Banele turned around and smiled at the guests and me as we were leaving the lodge. Come rain or shine Banele’s smile never waivers. I usually work with Renneck at Singita Sabi Sand but due to the renovations at the Singita Kruger National Park property, I had the privilege of working with Banele for a few days. The few days leading up to this amazing find were great. I recently started here and being able to explore the property has been full of surprises and adventure, and who doesn’t enjoy some adventure? It was equally exciting for Banele, as coming from Kruger he had not explored the Sabi Sand property. We felt like two explorers in unchartered territory.

With Banele’s big smile leading the way we set out in search of some elephants and maybe a leopard on this particular cold afternoon. We headed into the western part of the property as word had spread that there were leopards and elephants in that area, and a dependable hippo in PamPam Dam. We drove up onto the ridge with rain and wind lashing us. It wasn’t heavy rain, more of a mist but with the wind it felt worse than it was.

We visited the hippo at PamPam Dam before Banele stopped the vehicle with a classic hand up and a now sneaky smile. The cause was fresh tracks of a leopard moving into the bushveld just south of PamPam Dam. With more enthusiasm than a child at a theme park, Banele provided us with clear instructions on which roads to drive whilst he would head off on foot to track the leopard.

With our mission clear we headed off into the mist. We crossed the riverbed and started heading up Ndlovu Road. We stopped, looked and listened for any signs of a predator moving. The sounds of cicadas and dark-capped bulbuls filled the air. That’s when we heard the call. An impala snorting violently almost as if the fresh grass seeds had given it allergies. But this wasn’t allergies – it was alerting all to a predator moving through the area.

We moved towards the impala with eyes peeled and you could feel the excitement in the air. I told the guests to keep a sharp eye out for any ears poking out of the grass or tails hanging from the trees. All of a sudden, an excited screech as someone said, “I see ears”. I stopped the car and looked left. Two ears sticking out the grass on top of a huge ancient termite mound. We had done it! We had found the leopard we were tracking. But then it lifted its head and the face looked less like a leopard and more like a hyena.

Everyone picked up their binoculars and scanned. The hyena lifted up its head almost to show us it was a hyena and then another head appeared. The second head a little smaller and browner in colour. It was a cub. We sat in awe, all thoughts of the leopard had cleared our minds as more hyenas kept emerging. We counted two adults and three cubs.

We sat there in silence and curiosity got the better of the cubs. They dismounted the termite mound and started to move towards us. These encounters with young animals are crucial for future viewing as the feelings they feel today will impact how they see us in the future. We sat quietly and watched with amazement as the little cubs approached us with mom keeping a close eye on us. They ventured closer and closer with nostrils flaring, taking in all the smells that they possibly hadn’t smelt before – whether it be someone’s cologne or the game drive snacks in the back.

They edged closer and started playing around the front of the car showing us they were truly relaxed. We sat in complete silence except for a few, “Ahw cute!” comments coming from everyone. There was one cub who seemed more curious about us than playing with its siblings. He/she approached the car one last time and must have gotten a little too close because mom made a grumble and with that, they all went scurrying back to the termite mound. Climbing the big mound, they gave us one last look before disappearing into a tunnel, all under the watchful eye of mom.

I turned around to the guests and everyone’s faces said it. Raw excitement and hearts full of joy. We spoke quietly for a few moments and deemed it best to move out and give them some space. We circled back and found Banele who had been tracking for some time now. He had followed for a while, however the leopard seemed to have been moving quickly and with it getting late, we decided to enjoy a classic sundowner and reminisce. We had a great misty sundowner and shared stories with Banele of our epic encounter.

The good news is that Banele visited the den several days later and deemed it as amazing as the guests had said. To this day the den is still active and the cubs are growing up quickly. Truly a special occasion and process to see them start from small cubs to one of Africa’s most successful predators.