Machaba Camp Wildlife Stories January 2022
The summer rainfall at the beginning of this year brought some breathtaking rainbows, which were the perfect backdrop to a month of incredible sightings and some hungry felines! Read about what we witnessed in January with our stories from Machaba Camp.
A Lion's Feast
Two lionesses with five juvenile cubs were successful in hunting and killing a giraffe! Giraffes have been known to fight back at times, so this was definitely a well-deserved meal. Two males later joined the dinner party.
Coupled Up for a Few Days
Leopards are solitary mammals and only come together to mate. The process is a loud one, as both the male and female can be quite vocal. With keen ears, one of our guides heard the calls from a distance and went over to investigate. There, he and his guests found two leopards mating, a sighting which is extremely rare given the shyness of the cat.
The couple will mate every 15 minutes for a few days and then they will part ways again, continuing on their solitary existence.
A Not-So-Happy-Ending
A kudu calf was left to fend for itself after a lion killed its mother. After joining a herd of impala close to camp, it seemed the calf might be safe for a while. Unfortunately, our resident male leopard, Zaphod, caught wind of the abandoned little one and made it his dinner, hoisting it up a tree to keep it safe and out of the way of other predators like hyenas and wild dogs.
A Cackle of Hyenas
The ‘laugh’ of a hyena is unmistakable and we have been hearing the cackle close to camp recently. We love hearing their laughter at night and seeing them cause trouble on night drives!
Until next time,
Ona, Shaun and Eric
Camp Managers
