Monachira Camp Wildlife Stories December 2025
Weather Report
Monachira Camp was blessed with rain in December. Between its hot high 20s to low 30s degrees Celsius weather, dramatic rain, and thunderstorms delivered life-giving water to the parched landscape. As a result, the vegetation in the area began to turn a lush shade of green while the wildlife spread out to newly forming water sources.
On Arrival
Shortly after a new group of guests landed at our airstrip, we were treated to a sighting of an adorable five-month-old leopard cub lounging high in a nearby tree. It cutely tilted its head from left to right as we took pictures of the cub. In a tree opposite the road, its mother kept a wary eye on it. We snapped a few pictures before arriving at Monachira for the first time.
A Queen’s Patience
During a morning game drive, we were watching a family of warthogs grazing when we spotted a lioness slowly creep up onto a nearby termite mound. The picture of a textbook predator, the lioness hung low to the ground, only moving to reposition herself and get a better view of the warthogs. For 45 minutes, we watched her stalk her prey, only to be interrupted by two male lions.
The two males made a mad dash for the warthogs, ruining the lioness’s cover and scattering the prey. A chase ensued, and luckily, the lioness was able to grab one of the smaller warthogs and ran into a bush.
Pel’s Fishing Owl
On our way back from a morning mokoro canoeing activity, we spotted the incredibly elusive Pel’s fishing owl. This is only the second sighting of this magnificent bird since April, so we had to let all the guests and guides in camp know.
We returned to camp, collected the most enthusiastic birders, and tracked the owl for nearly 30 minutes through thick vegetation before spotting the Pels fishing owl nested high in a jackal berry tree.
Elusive Antelope
We were leisurely making our way down the Monachira Channel on a boat cruise when we spotted a pair of sitatunga grazing on the side of the channel. This amazing water antelope species is famous for its unique water-based adaptations. A look at their long, splayed hooves and shaggy, oily coat makes it the ideal swamp-dwelling animal with incredible swimming capabilities. Just like many other antelopes, sitatunga are skittish, so we had to make sure not to spook them.
Weaving Wild Dogs
During a rainy afternoon, we ended our safari drive early on to find two excited African wild dogs running past our vehicle. As we got back to camp, the pair was darting past one of our rooms. So, since the safari came to us, we decided to relax in the common area with a pair of binoculars in one hand, a beverage in the other, and watch the two wild dogs weave in and out of the plains in front of Monachira.
We’ve had an absolute blast spotting spectacular wildlife and sharing our stories with you. We can’t wait to share 2026’s Wildlife with you in the very near future!
Until next time,
Stef Ellet
Monachira Camp
