Wildlife Stories Gomoti Plains September 2022
As the sun slowly starts to warm the evenings in the African bush, the Delta’s water levels continue to drop and excitement builds in anticipation of the summer rain.
Nature’s Lawnmowers
Flattening the tall grasses, the large herds of buffaloes make their way through the African savanna, ensuring our view of various cats remains unbroken.
The lions around Gomoti Plains are well-fed as they follow the large buffalo herds and take their chances with the young and the weak. A herd of buffalo will create a barricade of their immense bodies to keep the vulnerable safe in the middle, taking one down takes patience and perfect timing.
Battle of Bulls
An intense battle broke out between two massive bull elephants. Even these gentle giants must ensure their bloodlines are strong and their genes prosper. Bulls will fight each other often leading to broken tusks, some serious injuries and even death in some cases.
A Series of Fortunate Events...
A series of events marked an incredible day in the African bush. A leopard killed a young buffalo and when a vulture got too close, the leopard killed it, too. A hyena lurked nearby and when it had the chance, stole the kill from the leopard.
Taking chase after the hyena, the leopard was chased away by an elephant. Leaving the hyena to enjoy the freshly stolen kill.
And so it goes in the ruthless African bush.
Cutest Cubs
Alarm calls are vitally helpful in the African bush. Birds can tell us many things and bring our attention to what they see as a potential threat. So when we heard the alarm calls sounding and saw a lioness chasing an impala our interest was already piqued.
To our surprise and delight, Carl, one of our professional guides, came across a lioness and her three cubs! Having thought only one boisterous cub had survived, we were overjoyed to find this little litter. As the cubs are only about three weeks old, the mother will stay in this spot making it easy for us to find her and keep an eye on the cubs, as there might even be more than three.
Since Nagmerrie conceded his residency at Gomoti Plains and moved south, we are unsure of the current dominant male who might be the father. But we suspect that these cubs are sired from the loins of Tripod who seems to be one of the dominant males in the area.
Time will tell.
Hungry Visitors
Gomoti Plains is often surrounded by dispersed herds of impala. When a pack of wild dogs found this was the ideal hunting ground, the impala stood no chance. The camp was abuzz with wild dogs successfully chasing and bringing down numerous impala over the course of a few days.
Breathtaking sunsets brought each day to a beautiful close. The evenings are warming up and the water levels steadily dripping. The untamed wilderness awaits the summer rain to wet its dry earth.
Until next time,
Ponche
Professional Guide
