Gomoti Plains Camp Wildlife Stories July 2025
July showed us why this winter is one of the best times of the year to visit Gomoti. The month started with very chilly mornings and the lowest temperature recorded was 2 degrees. During the day, we had wonderful weather with temperatures averaging between 25 and 27 degrees.
Rare Leopard Sighting
We were lucky enough to see leopards mating early in the month. This species of big cat does not have a strict mating season and usually only mates once a year. Females reach sexual maturity at about 2 years old and come into heat for up to 2 weeks every 2–3 months, while males can start breeding at 1½ years.
A Night To Remember
In a rare showing from Mother Nature, we managed to spot a lion, an aardvark and a leopard on a single night safari. Seeing so many different nocturnal species was a real treat, especially the aardvark, which is a rare and special sighting.
Over thousands of years, nocturnal animals have evolved specialised adaptations to thrive at night, such as heightened senses of sight, smell, and hearing. The most recognisable trait they have is a reflective layer on their eyes called the tapetum lucidum, which enhances their visibility in low-light conditions.
Lurking Around A Leopard
On one of our safari drives, we spotted a female leopard in a tree with an impala kill, calling out to her cub. Not even 20 meters away were two lionesses watching the leopard’s every move. We stayed for some time, hoping to see some action, but it seemed like the leopard was not going to budge. The next day, we saw that the lions had moved on, and the three-month-old leopard cub was back with his mother.
Unbelievable Elephant
No matter how many times we go on safari, there will always be something to surprise us. A knob thorn tree had been pushed over by a group of elephants outside Room 8. One of the elephants astounded us. It was a teenager with no trunk and no tail! We had no idea how it survived without a trunk, but we did see it drink water by submerging its entire face in the water.
Predators Everywhere
Our guests were having a sundowner at Wild Dog Pan when we heard a jackal alarm calling. We went to investigate and found a leopard with a warthog kill. The leopard was pulling the kill towards a tree when two lionesses showed up and stole its hard-earned meal. Not too long after, a few hyenas arrived and started harassing the lions. Fortunately, big cats, the hyenas, were not brave enough to attempt to steal it.
July showed us how wild, unpredictable and wondrous southern Africa can be. Join us next month for another Gomoti Plains wildlife story.
Until next time,
Grant Parker
Gomoti Plains Camp
