Verney’s Camp Wildlife Stories November 2024
The rainy season has finally come to Zimbabwe and Verney’s Camp. This means that many of the migratory animals will slowly start returning to our concession. By the time they come back, the vegetation will be lush and green, and water will be much less scarce.
For now, the weather is still hot. But as the rains persist and increase in frequency, average temperatures will drop.
A Rare Sight
Leopards are some of the most rare cats we see at Verney’s. Their fur pattern is well suited to blend into the aird Zimbabwean landscape, but there are external forces that put pressure on this species. Massive elephants intimidate them while the larger and heavier hyenas often try to steal their kills.
For these reasons, seeing this mysterious cat at Verney’s is that much more captivating!
We were on an early morning game drive when we saw the magnificent creature. It was resting under a bush, and all our attention immediately darted towards it. The golden hue of the leopard's fur, accented with deep black rosettes makes this cat a master of camouflage.
Mother-To-Be
Lionesses enter estrus every two to three weeks, a four to seven-day window when they can conceive, and may mate up to 20 times a day. However, spotting them in the act is a rare thrill. In mid-November, we were lucky enough to see this event firsthand.
A group of females had made a kill, drawing the attention of several males. As the males approached, the females bolted for cover, and instinctively, one male singled out a lioness and chased her down. It is an aggressive but standard courting strategy assumed by lions.
Cunning Foxes
Smaller animals risk becoming prey for many of the larger predators in Zimbabwe. Den selection is therefore a crucial element to their survival. On a game drive, a family of bat-eared foxes showed us how they survived an encounter with a lion by dashing to the safety of their den in an abandoned termite mound.
Termite mounds can be ten times as strong as the surrounding soil and have a compressive strength greater than some manmade structures. It was no surprise that when the lion tried to dig the fox family out of their den, it couldn't.
Well, that's it for this month. We look forward to another exciting month of sightings at Verney's Camp and can't wait to share them with you.
Until next time,
Themba
Verney’s Camp
