Wildlife Stories Kiri Camp February 2026
Weather Report
Dramatic afternoon thunderstorms made February at Kiri Camp one of the wettest in recent months. The frequent showers have filled the channels and pans while creating new water sources all over the Okavango Delta. The weather had also cooled down due to the cloudy weather blocking some of the summer heat.
Don’t Mess With The Leopard
During an afternoon game drive, we encountered our resident female leopard, Kiri Blue Eyes, walking in the middle of the road near camp. She was being followed by a side-striped jackal, who was alarm calling and snapping alongside her.
Kiri Blue Eye reached the peak of her irritation and snapped. She lashed out at the jackal with blistering speed and instantly killed it with only a few bites.
A Dog’s Playground
Towards the middle of the month, the high-pitched “hoo” from African wild dogs could be heard throughout the night. The next morning, our guides set out at dawn toward the calls. When we found them, there were 14 wild dogs mere meters from one of our rooms, scattered across a flooded soccer field. The pups didn’t mind the water at all; they were too busy jumping and rolling around in it to care.
Lazy Cheetahs
On an early morning game drive to Ali’s Pan, an area known for its abundance of game and lush vegetation, we spotted a pair of male cheetahs lounging against a termite mound. We drove closer, but the pair still didn’t mind us at all and continued to lie in the morning sun.
Zebra For Breakfast
As dusk broke, we heard the roars of lions coming from the horizon. We rushed to finish our breakfast and coffee to hop into the safari vehicles as fast as possible. Once we got in, we headed towards the sound.
It only took a few kilometres before we found the Western pride of lions, a family of two females and four cubs. They were busy having breakfast of their own, but instead of bacon and eggs, they were feasting on a fresh zebra kill.
Dogs & Foxes
African wild dogs were a common sighting during February. Their favourite playground/hunting ground was our Kiri Waka airstrip. During a particular afternoon, the sun was setting as the dogs strutted up and down. The residents of the airstrip, a family of five bat-eared foxes, were spotted outside their burrow by the dogs.
The pack instantly went into hunting mode. Luckily for the foxes, they made it back into their burrow before any of them could be picked off.
February was another incredible month of wildlife sightings in the Okavango. Watch this space for our next Kiri Camp Wildlife Stories!
Until next time,
Stef
Kiri Camp
