Ingwe Pan Camp Wildlife Stories October 2024
October has always been one of the hottest months at Ingwe Pan Camp, and just like humans, the animals around the camp try to cool off as much as possible. This often takes the form of hunting and foraging in the early mornings and evenings and visiting watering holes more often in the afternoon.
This means early morning safaris, night safaris, and unexpected visits to Ingwe Pan are incredible. Instead of braving the heat, elephants come in the early morning while other animals hunt and forage in the significantly cooler evening and nighttime.
The Evening Calls
Many of the big cats at Mana Pools are more active in the evening as the seasons change. Guests seated in our camp's main area waiting for dinner were greeted by a leopard looking to drink from our pan. After that amazing dinner and show, we heard the unmistakable sounds of lions mating in the distance.
Spiral-Horned Beauties
Our guide AB and his guests went on a walking safari and spotted a herd of beautiful nyala, a species of spiral-horned antelope related to kudu and eland. The group consisted of two males, a female and a few adorable calves. This was a first for guests who had been on many a safari.
We sat and watched them for about 45 minutes. AB explained that the nyala has the largest physiological differences between males and females of any spiral-horned antelope. Meanwhile, the guests captured pictures and videos of their first encounter with one.
The Source Of Life
Water is the most important resource for all life. We witnessed the full effects of a lack thereof when we came across three female sable and their two calves after a full day on the floodplains.
They looked in poor health, so we concluded they must have travelled a long distance looking for water. Many of the natural water sources have dried up, so we will be seeing more animals looking for water near camp before the summer rains arrive.
Lurking Leopard
We had another leopard in camp looking for a sip of water during our dinner. This time, the leopard in question was a lot more shy. It snuck into camp as quietly as possible, trying not to cause too much commotion. After some time, the elusive leopard disappeared back into the night.
Follow the Food
Where there is a cloud of dust, there is likely a massive herd of buffalo. On a morning game drive, we spotted a herd of buffalo looking for food along a treeline. We decided to follow the buffalo and saw that they were already in the middle of grazing and eating the flowers from the sausage trees they were following.
Sights like these are quite infrequent at Ingwe Pan, so we'll take any chance to follow such powerful and majestic creatures!
Until next time,
AB & Marcy
Ingwe Pan camp
