LH Focus Online, Author at Leopard Hills

A bush full of colour

Posted on 21 August 2018 by LH Focus Online

As the bush reaches the end of the dry season, it can start to look rather drab and dreary. However, under certain conditions there are beautiful colours that can be seen during and after game drive.

During the winter months there is a lot of smoke hanging over the horizon caused by nearby villages burning their fields. This creates a beautiful filter through which sun must rise and set.

From time to time we experience an early morning mist. This adds a whole new dimension to the surrounding bush. One might also see numerous amounts of spider webs laden with water droplets.

Once the sun has set the sky softens with some spectacular pastel colours still present. This light often allows for great silhouette images.

Recently we experienced a beautiful full lunar eclipse which resulted in a blood moon which could be seen during dinner time in our outdoor boma area.

When the skies are clear and the moon has not yet risen, The Milky Way will stretch across the length of the sky.

Written by – Cal Butler

Lions and hyena with a python kill

Posted on 27 July 2018 by LH Focus Online

Plans don’t always go according to plan. Even on game drive plans can change in an instant.

Ranger Cal and his tracker, Mowell, were heading down to some lions not too far from the lodge. On the way Mowell spotted a hyena in a clearing. He suggested we quickly view the hyena and then head off to the lions. As we approached, Mowell said, “I think it is eating something”.

We approached the hyena and nobody could believe their eyes. In its mouth hung a large African Rock Python. We don’t know what killed it.

To add to the spectacle, some impala started alarm calling in the immediate vicinity. We knew they weren’t phased with the hyena. We decided to go investigate as the lions were not too far from the area. As we drove through the block we spotted two Mhangene subadult lions hiding in the grass.

The two felines waited patiently until the hyena moved off. They approached the kill with great caution and eventually tucked into their meal.

This was the first time that both Cal, Mowell and our guests had ever seen this type of sighting.

Written by: Cal Butler

The Beautiful One

Posted on 11 July 2018 by LH Focus Online

Seeing the resident animals grow up successfully is always a great pleasure. We got word that the young female leopard, Sasekile, was on an impala kill nearby. She is no longer dependent on her mother, Thlangisa, and manages to take care of herself very well. Sasekile has only recently been named and means “The Beautiful One”.

As we arrived at the sighting, we found Sasekile stranded in a tree. She was surrounded by 11 hyenas who had stolen her kill.

Once the frenzy had finished, the hyenas left the area and the young leopard wasted no time and made her way out of the tree. She continued moving through the thick grass. Further on she found a beautiful Marula tree and climbed it to scout for more unsuspecting impala.

Sasekile pressed onwards and spotted some impala in the distance. The wind and sun’s position was in her favour. She sat patiently looking for the best way to stalk. The image below shows just how well she camouflages in the surrounding vegetation.

The impala had no idea that she was there. She crouched down low and stealthily made her way closer to the antelope. She made it to within a couple of meters of them until she was rudely interrupted by a tree squirrel that set off the alarm and spoiled the hunt.

Written by – Cal Butler

Prying Pups

Posted on 2 July 2018 by LH Focus Online

Termite mounds do not usually stir up a great deal of excitement. However, from time to time you may just find some treasure inside.

There has been a flurry of activity around a well-established termite mound recently. One of the hyena dens is active again.

Seeing petite little pups pop their heads out of the holes brings great joy and excitement to our guests. It does not take long before the pups become comfortable with our presence and come closer to investigate.

Once the sun starts to go down their energy levels peak and the pups will practice their stalking and hunting techniques on their unsuspecting siblings.

Here a little one decides to guard the hole as mother took a little nap.

Written by: Cal Butler

New cats on the block

Posted on 30 May 2018 by LH Focus Online

It has been a while since we have had a little shake up. With the current resident lions shifting territories, new cats are moving into the area.

We had received exciting news that a female cheetah with two cubs was moving steadily west. How long it would take for them to reach us only time would tell. This week we were all surprised to find them on our traverse.

Apparently these wild felines made their way down from the Thornybush area and settled here in Sabi Sands.

The cubs are around 9 to 10 months old. They have lost 2 of their siblings due to attacks from lions and 1 from a snake bite. With less pressure from lions, there’s a good chance that these young cubs might survive the next few crucial months.

Written by: Cal Butler

The Playful Ones

Posted on 26 May 2018 by LH Focus Online

Winter is quickly approaching and the bush is swiftly showing signs of the changing season. Yet there is still a hive of activity on the reserve.

Thlangisa, a wonderfully relaxed female leopard, has provided us with a gift of cubs yet again.

The mother has found a secure den site and she has finally revealed these bundles of joy to us. She has 2 tiny cubs and they take after their mother. Thlangisa, “The Playful One”, has passed her nature onto her cubs as these two little fur-balls constantly chase each other around or hop all over mom when she is around.

This is not her first litter and most of her cubs have survived to adulthood. We look forward to see these cubs grow up into strong, independent leopards in years to come.

Written by: Cal Butler

Kelly Dam and her kill

Posted on 19 May 2018 by LH Focus Online

Night time in the bush can be a daunting thing for some, but sometimes it yields wonderful surprises.

One of our rangers, Cal, headed down to the reserve’s airstrip to fetch some guests. As he passed through a wooded area something caught his eye. It was an impala in a tree, but no leopard in sight.

That evening after sunset, our game drive vehicles headed back to the area and guests were treated to a wonderful sighting as the leopard had returned to finish her kill.

As we arrived at the scene a female leopard called Kelly Dam sat casually in a tree feeding on her kill.

Sitting in silence and surrounded by darkness we all just marveled at the sights and sounds of the feline tucking into her meal.

There was some interesting interaction as 2 hyena came to visit hoping that Kelly Dam will drop her meal or at least parts thereof. She was not phased with their presence and just stared them down.

After she had her fill she moved over to another branch and took a nap for the evening.

Written by: Cal Butler

Mhangene’s saving grace

Posted on 9 May 2018 by LH Focus Online

Life can be tough in the bush, even at the best of times. For the subadult lions of the Mhangene pride life seems to be hanging by a thread.

The Mhangene pride was once a highly successful pride and their numbers stood strong at sixteen. The pride consisted of 4 adult females, 3 female cubs and 9 male cubs. The adult females were ferocious hunters and were highly skilled at taking down buffalo.

With a weekly supply of fresh buffalo, the young cubs always had round bellies and have since grown into sub-adult lions.

There was word of some large male lions making their way towards the western sector of the Sabi Sands. Soon afterwards the adult females made their way towards those males to mate with them and they simply haven’t returned since.

The sub-adults were left to fend for themselves for the last 2 months. They were all inexperienced and had not been taught how to hunt correctly. This lead to their detriment. Two sub-adult females have since perished and the young males find themselves in a very vulnerable position. They had become extremely skinny and their lives are hanging on by a thread.

Last week something miraculous happened. The young males managed to find some energy and somehow killed a buffalo on their own. This event was with out a doubt their saving grace and has provided them with enough food to last a little longer.

Written by: Cal Butler

Othawa’s kill a kudu

Posted on 22 April 2018 by LH Focus Online

It is not over until it is over. This could not be more true as we recently had a great surprise while we were finishing an evening game drive.

There was a comotion close to the lodge when another ranger called us into a sighting. It is not easy to catch the action as it happens. This time around we just missed the action by a few minutes. The evenings are getting cool now and as we manouvered the land rovers through the bush we could see steam rising out from a lifeless carcass.

In the grass lay two adult female lions from the Othawa pride. They managed to catch and kill a kudu a few hundred meters away from the lodge. They wasted no time tucking into the fresh meat. We could hear the contact calls of the two subadult lions who had trailed behind. The two adults did not heed their call. They continued to feast selfishly as if it was their last meal.

Together with our guests, the rangers sat in silence just observing and taking in the sounds around them. What seemed to fascinate our guests the most was the sound of crunching bones a few meters from them.

Written by: Cal Butler

Mondzo’s Season

Posted on 14 April 2018 by LH Focus Online

Mondzo Male Leopard has been away from his mother Xikavi for some time now and has been looking after himself extemely well. He is often found in the presence of either Khokovela or Basile female Leopards and at times even shares a meal with Dayone.

He was seen not too far from a kill that was hoisted into a tree with a hyena lurking nearby. Basile also joined him in the area – so he is still very comfortable in the area his mother raised him.

Approaching 3years now, it will be interesting to see where he moves to as the pressure is being increased by Ravenscourt, who is now venturing further into Dayone’s territory – which up until now has been the home of the young Mondzo male.

The season has started changing, with the bush still lush green after the rains, there is a wonderful chill in the air and the return of golden winter light. So to it will be an interesting season for Mondzo as he starts gaining more experience as an adult leopard.