Verney’s Camp Wildlife Stories April 2025
April has officially drawn the curtains on the rainy season. This meant that the lush green vegetation had begun to dry out as the days became hotter and the nights became cooler. The wildlife have begun to adjust accordingly. Predators can be seen lounging under the shade during the day and hunting more frequently at night.
Where There Is One Wild Dog…
Things rarely go as planned during a game drive, that's what makes them unique. As we were preparing to find some elephants, we spotted an African wild dog sprinting in the distance. We hopped in the nearest safari vehicle and trailed the beautifully coloured animal.
As we followed, we noticed it was intercepting an impala that the rest of its pack was chasing from behind. We found a perfect vantage point to stop and witness the corner and kill the impala. Sightings like these are rare at Verney’s, so we took our time watching the pack of wild dogs share a meal.
Leisurely Leopard
Seeing the Big 5 has become the dream for so many travellers, and for some of our guests recently, their list was nearly complete. Lions, elephants and cape buffalo were already ticked off, so they were ecstatic to see a leopard lounging in a tree on their last day.
The guests took out their cameras and took some amazing photos of the photogenic big cat. It posed for the cameras and even showed us its kudu kill in the next tree. It had only eaten the internal organs of its kill before deciding to rest and save it for later.
Bat-Eared Beauties
During an early morning game drive, we were looking to spot some big cats. Lions were our top priority, so we drove where we knew they spent their time in our concession - Manga 1.
On the drive, we spotted six bat-eared foxes play-fighting. They were jumping, nipping at legs and chasing each other. This was such an adorable sight to see, we stayed for a full 30 minutes before they disappeared into the bush.
Long-Awaited Lions
Some of our guests had been wanting to see lions since they arrived at Verney’s Camp. The majestic cats would call for each other every night and morning, but they were nowhere to be found during the day. That is, until we spotted them during a late afternoon game drive.
We saw the vocal lion pride in the shade of a Jackalberry tree. We parked at a safe distance to observe the beautiful creatures. As time went on, the lions started to play around and get closer to our vehicle.
Suddenly, some impala appeared. The lions used our vehicle to hide themselves until they sprang into action and began a hunt!
April was another fantastic month for wildlife spotting at Verney’s Camp. Join us next month to see what else is happening at Hwange National Park.
Until next time,
Themba
Verney’s Camp
