Machaba Camp Wildlife Stories April 2026
Weather Report
April 2026 is completely different from last year. Normally, Botswana is warm and dry at this time of the year. However, we have experienced above-average rainfall, especially in the central and northern parts of the country. Floodplains are still full of water, and some are even overflowing to the delight of many animals in the Okavango Delta.
Vegetation is still mostly green and lush, with only the tops of trees and other plant life starting to turn an arid yellowish-gold. This means many animals are still spread out all over the Okavango due to the abundance of water and food in their favoured habitat.
Family Dinner
April is typically one of the months when we see high predator activity, and on this trip, we saw why. During a game drive near Wild Dog Pan, we spotted a female leopard with her cub. The mother had just fished a successful hunt and dragged the impala kill up a tree to keep it out of reach of other predators.
A few moments later, a clan of hyenas showed up to try to steal the kill. Luckily, the carcass was in the trees with the female leopard and her cub. The scavengers were on the ground, causing a loud commotion, hoping and yelping up the tree, while the leopards were casually filling their bellies.
Staple Sable
After a brief afternoon shower, we caught up to a herd of around 15 sable antelope by the old Mokoro road. By the looks of their full bellies, they had been grazing for quite a while. They seemed lazy, moving slowly through the plains towards a nearby watering hole to wash down all the fibrous grass they had just eaten. Luckily, their numbers allowed them to keep an eye out in all directions before a predator launched a surprise attack on one of them.
Home Schooled
We had another magnificent big cat sighting in the middle of the month. We were driving in the Magotlho area when we found two lionesses with four cubs actively hunting. The adults stalked their prey while protecting their young ones from any incoming danger. When the coast was clear, the lionesses gave their cubs a hunting lesson.
The cubs were given a chance to hunt, putting everything they had learned thus far to the test. The scene was a dramatic display of coordination and ambush tactics to surround their would-be meal.
Leopard Cub Chase
During a morning game drive, we encountered a leopardess and her cub at the old sable ally campsite. The little one was practicing its hunting skills by trying to catch a squirrel. The cub pounced, missed, and chased its prey up a tree. The cub tried everything it could to get its paws on the swift squirrel, but it was no use. It was too nibble for the cub, and eventually the hunt ended with no kill to show for it.
Machaba Camp had an incredible variety of wildlife sightings this past April. Stay tuned for more coming soon.
Until next time,
Atty
Machaba Camp/Litlle Machaba
