Gomoti Plains Wildlife Sightings December 2024
From the golden hues and the exposed bushes that mark the end of the dry season to the lush and vibrant greens of the rainy season, the Okavango Delta’s landscape has transformed. Birding at this time of year is unprecedented and we’ve been observing a boom in the offspring of wildlife, galavanting in the abundance of the season. The rains bring a particular kind of beauty and a unique safari experience to the delta’s channelled waterways.
Love Across Generations
Multigenerational travel has become popular in the last decade and we have loved seeing extended families join us on safari. We recently hosted a group of 18 guests, ranging in age from 17 to 80!
During a game drive with this group, it was especially sweet to see some multigenerational love in the wild. A female cheetah was teaching her four cubs how to hunt. She had caught a baby reedbuck, weakened it and allowed the cubs to practice their hunting skills - an important survival lesson.
This somewhat emotional scene was also a rare experience, offering a deeper understanding of life in the wild.
Family Finds
During an afternoon game drive, we came across a family of leopards - a mother, father and cub.
It is rare to see the male leopard with the mother and daughter. Usually, it is the mother who is responsible for raising the young. The cub seemed shy and noticeably weary of the game viewer. After we snapped up what pictures we could of the shy leopard cub, we moved on before giving her more reason to shy away from our vehicles.
A Pretty Pack
Meandering along the road on a game drive, we stumbled on a pack of 35 wild dogs. Those who have been on safari before will know what an incredible sighting this is. Finding a pack this large is surely one of the highlights of the year.
Some were lying down after what seemed like a big meal while others were playfully greeting each other in that characteristic way by wagging their tails and making squeaky happy noises. It was a beautiful display of how close and social these animals are.
Lost
For about a week, we saw a lone lioness wandering around camp in search of her pride. Calling out, she kept coming back to the place where they left her as she rested.
We’ll keep a close eye on her and hope she is soon reunited with her pride.
Our month was filled with beautiful sundowners with guests, boma dinners under the stars and many sightings of sweet cubs. We can’t wait for what next month and 2025 holds for Gomoti!
Until next time,
Derick
Gomoti Plains
