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Mashatu Game Sightings 24 February - 01 March 2008
Sunday 24 February Afternoon drive It was a warm sunny day today. We had a wonderful high tea and left for the drive after that. As we drove out of Mashatu Main Camp we saw a large family group of baboon. They were feeding and resting and some females had little baby’s with them. We drove through the MJ / M1 crossing and found a leopard there. She was walking in the riverbed and we watched her for a few minutes before she disappeared into the bush. Then, at Kanda Waterhole, we saw many, many elephants. There must have been at least 200 of them. They were spread out in family herds and all were grazing. It was an amazing sight. At Brian’s Store we saw the new pride of lions - two males and two females. They were feeding on a warthog kill. Monday 25 February Afternoon drive Near one of the small dry rivers we saw an impressive eland bull today. He was very large and had that wonderful blue-grey colour. He was resting in the shade. Along a small dirt road we found a pair of steenbok. They looked at us for a few seconds, ran away, stopped behind a bush close by and looked at us again. They are very elegant animals. Not far from Mashatu Main Camp we found a female cheetah resting under a bush. It was amazing that our ranger saw it, because it was very well camouflaged. Near Disappointment Koppie a male leopard was on his way to go hunting. He stalked an impala, but was spotted. They gave their alarm calls so he gave up and walked on. At the Matabole/Nyaswe Confluence we found elephants and hyena’s. The elephants were grazing and drinking while slowly walking on and didn’t seem to be too worried about the hyena’s that were resting under a bush. Tuesday 26 February Morning drive We found a pride of 6 lions this morning - two males and four females. They were walking along the riverbed at Brian’s Store. What a sight! Not far from Matabole we saw a female hyena with 4 sub adults. They were resting under some bushes. We spotted a group of 6 giraffes browsing along a dirt road. A jackal passed by and for some reason that startled the giraffes and a few of them ran off a short distance. It is an amazing sight to see those animals run. They are fast, but it looks like they are running in slow motion. Afternoon drive This afternoon we drove through the Majale River bed not far from Mashatu Main Camp. At White Cliffs we found a female leopard resting on a rock. Every now and then she would lift her head and have a quick look at us, but she was very relaxed. Near Disappointment Koppie we met a family herd of elephants. There were ten elephants in total and one of them was a tiny calf that was having fun sliding down a little slope and quickly lying down to rub his head in the sand. He was flapping his ears at high speed, almost as if he was trying to fly! It was great to watch him having such fun. Wednesday 27 February Morning drive Today we found the Majale Island pride’s grandmother at Lucenda Crossing. She was resting under a beautiful Mashatu tree, overlooking the river. On the open area not too far from there we found a herd of Blue wildebeest and a few zebra’s. Both species had youngsters with them. A family of warthogs got startled when we drove past. The male, female and their four piglets ran away, all with the thin tails straight up in the air. At Dispute Corner we found a large herd of 75 elephants. We watched them while they were taking turns drinking at the puddles of water or digging little holes for themselves to drink the fresh clean water that collected. Afternoon drive At Hamerkop Crossing we found two females of the new pride of lions. They were resting under a bush and were very hard to spot. But when we moved closer we had a great view of them. We could see the golden colour of their eyes and the markings on their faces. Just when the sun was setting, we saw four large kudu bulls. They looked beautiful in the golden light and their horns were huge. We found a pair of jackals walking along through the bush, probably on their way to go hunting. Thursday 28 February Morning drive Today we found the two females of the new pride of lions at White Cliffs, not far from Mashatu Main Camp. They were resting under a tree and we could have a good look at them. At Beacon Hill we had an exciting sighting. We found a female leopard with a tiny little male cub! It was very special to see. Along the dirt road we found a large male giraffe and he looked a very old age. He was browsing and not in the least worried about us watching him. Near the water tanks we watched as large herd of 175 elephants slowly moving on while grazing. Everywhere you looked you could see elephants. A wonderful sight! Afternoon drive The two females of the new pride of lions were still at White Cliffs. This time we watched them as they slowly walked along the riverbed before settling down in the shade under a bush. In and around a huge Mashatu tree we found a large group of baboons. We watched them feed, rest and play for a while, there were a few small baby’s too. At the Kanda Waterhole we found a herd of around 75 elephants. They were slowly walking and it is amazing how silently these huge animals can walk. A few young bulls were sparring and one of them showed off by kicking some sand towards the vehicle before he quickly walked off. Friday 29 February Morning drive During the drive we saw steenbok, zebra, wildebeest and many more animals, but we unfortunately also found the old male giraffe once again and he had died. 16 Hyena’s were feeding on the carcass, and many vultures waiting nearby. Saturday 1 March 2008 Afternoon drive The grandmother of the Majale Island pride of lions was found at Sesana Motswiri. She was resting in the shade of a bush and very hard to spot. At Quelea Colony we spotted a male leopard. He was feeding on a kudu calf he had killed and took it up a tree. We watched as he plucked the fur off before he started to eat. A female and 2 baby hyena’s were found resting at Long Grass. The little ones are still very small and almost black in colour. A herd of elephants walked past us at Agatha Koppie. A young bull was a little behind and when he realised he started running after the family, trumpeting and kicking up dust in the light of the setting sun. It was a lovely sight.
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