The concession is becoming quite dry as the peak of the dry season comes upon us in Pafuri. This is excellent for game viewing as visibility is easier and the attraction of the remaining water points is huge for the large mammal population. This has been exacerbated by the heat with some very hot days experienced this month and of course no rainfall or persistently overcast days to cool things down.
This month was full of excitement with a lot of predator sightings. Both leopard and lion were seen regularly while spotted hyaena and wild dog were seen less often. It appears as if the local wild dog pack has been reduced to only one animal, a male. We had hoped that when the five animals were first seen here towards the beginning of the year that a small breeding nucleus would establish itself. Soon only three animals were being seen, and now since July we have only been able to confirm this single male - a former member of what was known as the Punda Maria Pack. He is being seen in the western parts of the concession in areas of low lion density and there is always the outside chance that he is hunting for a partner who remains at the den site with the puppies, but we have almost had to give up hope in this regard.
Lion and leopard were seen on a number of kills this month - both on nyala carcasses - while a leopard was seen stalking and catching a scrub hare close to the well known Twin Baobabs at Mangala. Another young leopard thrilled guests when spotted in a large baobab tree.
White rhino sightings have been good as have those of eland, the largest antelope in the world - this species was seen very regularly, virtually daily. Their clip-clopping sound made when walking or running is a strange, almost ventriloqual, sound, believed to be produced either from a tendon clicking over the knee joint or the hooves clicking together. In addition it is thought to play a role in the advertisement of dominance in the senior adult bull in the herd.
An exciting sighting for the month and only recorded once before here in our four years of operation was a pangolin, which was seen along the Limpopo floodplains. This is a very rarely seen, secretive, nocturnal mammal, which feeds on specific species of ants and termites and is also known as a scaly anteater, due to its scaled armour which is exceptionally sharp-edged. These scales have many traditional uses in southern Africa including use in circumcision ceremonies. Almost as exciting was a one record of an aardwolf, another secretive nocturnal mammal rarely encountered in the Kruger National Park. We also had a number of sightings of water mongoose.
An interesting interaction was a black-backed jackal (possibly a parent protecting pups) seen chasing away a spotted hyaena who got too close to its den site.
A good variety of bird species including some local and regional specials and returning migrants was seen in September. The list included: Racket-tailed Roller; African Barred Owlet; Pel's Fishing Owl; Arnot's Chat; White-faced Scops-Owlet; Crested Guineafowl; Scaly-throated Honeyguide; African Cuckoo; Senegal Coucal; Grey-headed Parrot; Mottled Spinetail; Bohm's Spinetail; Three-banded Courser; Crowned Eagle; Retz's Helmetshrike; Black-throated Wattle-eye; Eastern Nicator; Stierlings Wren-Warbler; Orange winged Pytilia; Lemon-breasted Canary.
Walter Jubber