Well another hot day here in the lowveld feels like summer is just around the corner except no rain yet. This afternoon my drive started out quite slow with the new arrivals I got earlier the day, saw very few animal species here and there some impala, blue wildebeest running around, a giraffe walking across the road and some warthogs. We eventually found some fresh rhino tracks and decided to follow it, might just get lucky. told my guest that its not always that simple and easy to find the big 5 just like that sometimes it takes some time and patience, we ended up tracking the two rhino for more than an hour and a half just as I was about to give up and wanted to go to some other rhino that was spotted earlier by one of the other rangers the two that we had been following appeared in the road staring at us. After viewing them for almost 15minutes or so I decided to go and relocate the three others that were spotted earlier but that was unfortunately unsuccessful. we stopped to have some drinks and stretched our legs, the sun was under by now so looked at the stars for awhile and explained a few thing before we headed off again, when I heard they found the four young lionesses, when we got to the area they were busy trying to catch some impala but that did not go so well, in my opinion I think its good practice for them but for now whilst they still that age rather should stick to the easy ones which is the warthogs. by now it was already time to head back to the lodge when someone called in a leopard unfortunately the sighting was about 20minutes drive from where I was at that stage and was afraid to take that chance straight away to go and view it, just as well I did not go because not long after they lost the visual of the leopard and her cub. when we came back at the lodge and the guests were done with their dinner I told them that most of the other guests staying at the lodge have now seen the leopard and her cub tonight and I asked them if they would like to take a chance by going out for an hour or so to try and relocate try our luck and just maybe we find it. just as we left the lodge a honey badger ran straight across the road right in front of the vehicle, when I shown the spotlight into the bush to try and find it again a African civet walking not to far. So far not a bad start for an after dinner drive, on our way towards the area where the leopard was we stumbled across some buffalo sleeping in and next to the road. when myself and Frikkie one of the other rangers that joined eventually came into the area we drove around, found nothing at the kill that they had made and luckily no tracks of them crossing out of the property, just when we decide to give up drove one last time a two track going into a block that we had not checked and there they were mom and cub, very relaxed, bellies full. As we were about to leave so did they but at the end of the day every one went to bed happy I think us rangers more than the guests.
Story by: Casper Marais-Kapama River Lodge Ranger