Deteema Springs Wildlife Stories May 2025
The nights are getting colder as we head into winter at Deteema Springs Camp. For the past four weeks, we haven’t been able to go on an early morning game drive without our hot water bottles, affectionately called “Bush Babies”, and a blanket. As soon as the sun shifts from the early morning gold to a brighter mid-morning yellow, temperatures start to require short pants and an ice-cold bottle of water.
The wildlife around camp has also adapted to the colder weather. Big cats hunt in the early mornings and late evenings to avoid the midday heat while the game searches for water throughout the day.
Instant Wild Dog Sighting
There are very few things we enjoy more than ending our day with a sundowner at Deteema Dam. As we headed there, we spotted a herd of impala and stopped to see the graceful antelopes grazing.
The herd started snorting and sounding the alarm. They had sensed danger. We spun our heads around looking for the culprits and found a pack of African wild dogs initiating a hunt. We watched the wild dogs chase after the pack while we intently followed the action.
We even forgot about the sundowner!
Lions On A Three-Day Honeymoon
Sometimes, persistence can be as valuable as luck on safari. For two days, we tracked a pair of lions that had been calling with no success. On the third and final day, we almost gave up.
The day was coming to a close as we were preparing for sundowners when we suddenly heard them calling again. We jumped into our vehicle and followed the sounds all the way to the formidable Deteema male. He was in the process of courting a female.
After a long and noisy struggle, he finally convinced the lioness to mate. We were in awe of how patient the massive male lion was in pursuit of a partner.
Lethal Lions
After a full day of spotting plains game, zebra, impala and giraffe, we decided to head back to camp.
Before we made our way back, Mother Nature whispered in our ears and told us to go look for some elephants at a nearby dam. When we arrived at the dam, we saw two male lions in the middle of an intense brawl.
The fight was as exciting as it was terrifying. Huge roars filled the air as the two lions bit and swiped their huge claws at each other. Eventually, one of the lions submitted, leaving the victor in control of the surrounding area.
Up-Close View Of Elephants
We often go out on foot to look at the smaller details. Animal tracks, dung, flowers, insects and many other signs of life and movement are observed on these walking safaris.
We particularly enjoy the opportunity to get up close with Zimbabwe’s wildlife. We picked up some elephant tracks and sensed one such opportunity waiting for us. We followed the massive footsteps until we saw a herd of elephants peacefully foraging on some mopane trees. Watching from a safe distance, the nature of being on foot was both a thrilling and grounding experience.
Mfezi!
Snakes are an uncommon occurrence at camp. Recently, one of our waiters spotted a snake making its way into the bushes. Mfezi is the Zulu translation of snake, and this was the perfect opportunity to witness this gorgeous reptile from the safety of the raised wooden decking Deteema Springs is built. It was a Mozambican spitting cobra, a brown snake with dark rings around its hooded neck. Although this is one of our more dangerous snakes, we find that, as the saying goes, they are more afraid of us than we are of them, and we generally find them retreating into the bushes, away from camp.
May was another great month for wildlife spotting. From wild dogs pack hunting to lions brawling, we can’t wait to see what next month has in store.
Until next time,
Ntandoe
Deteema Springs Camp
