We found a few fresh leopard tracks early in the drive and started to follow up on the signs. After a bit of following we came to an area were we saw that the leopard was chased away by a few hyenas, so my tracker Steven and I could not find any more tracks so we left the area.

Just after we left the area we heard on the radio that someone has found a big male lion, so excitedly we made our way to the area so we could see the “KING” of the beasts.
Just before we reached the location of the lion, I heard on the radio that there was a leopard in the tree, the leopard was chased up the tree by the lions, and so even more excited I couldn’t wait to get there.

When we pulled into the sighting my guests were so happy to see the lion that they didn’t notice the leopard in the tree until I pointed it out. My guests didn’t know where to look, at the lion or at the leopard.

It was amazing to see how these big cats were looking and snarling at each other and to see which one will give in first.

It was great to be able to get both of these amazing animals in the same spot. It was the highlight of the day and could even be the highlight of my year.

Stefan de Weerd – Kapama River Lodge
19/03/2013

The trailing part of the course was the most difficult. In order to pass, you need to find a track and stay on it without losing the tracks or signs. It looks easy when a professional does it but when you’re doing it yourself it is tough, especially through different types of terrains.

Regardless of the difficulties, we thoroughly enjoyed the course. So, on behalf of myself and the others, a great thank you to Kapama and Colin for the wonderful experience.

Bryan – Kapama River Lodge
17/05/2013

In the list below I will be giving the weights of these animals and then also there estimated live spans:

Animal: Body Weight: Lifespan:
Vervet monkey M- 6kg F- 4kg 12
Baboon M- 33kg F-15kg 18
Pangolin 5 – 18kg 12
Porcupine 12 – 18kg 15
African Wild Dog 20 – 30kg 12
Blacked backed jackal 7 – 10kg 10
Honey Badger 8 – 14kg 20
Dwarf Mongoose 350 – 400 grams 6
Spotted Hyena M- 60kg F- 80kg 20
Lion M- 190kg F- 130kg M- 10 F- 14 (18)
Leopard M- 90kg F- 60kg 21
Cheetah 40 – 60kg 16
Elephant M- 7 tons F- 4tons 50 – 60
White Rhino M- 2000kg F- 1800Kg 40
Giraffe M- 1200kg F-800kg 28
Impala M- 65kg F- 40kg 12
Blue Wildebeest M- 250kg F- 180kg 18
Waterbuck M- 260kg F-250kg 17
Nyala M- 115kg F- 60kg 15
Kudu M-300kg F-210kg 18
Zebra 300 – 320kg 20

Stefan De Weerd
12/05/2013

We stayed with the dogs for about 45 minutes and we noticed that they were looking for something to eat. All of a sudden, their momentum and stature changed and they were engaging in a full chase after a young waterbuck left alone by the mother. Soon, the chase ended and they had caught the waterbuck. All the dogs surrounded their prey and it was devoured within minutes.

Wild dogs are extremely good hunters and have a success rate of about 90%, especially since they are endurance runners.

This wild dog kill was a first for me and my guests. It is definitely a memory that will stay with us for a very long time.

Clive – Kapama River Lodge
14/05/2013

We all know that the bush is always full of surprises and I had a few great sightings of these 14 wild dogs that have found their way through our property. I was pleasantly surprised and so were my guests. Something new always makes this “adventure” so much better.

Jakes – Kapama River Lodge
05/05/2013

So today I am going to give you a list of some of the animals of the gestation and number of births per animal:

Animal: Gestation: Number of young:
Vervet monkey 5 ½ months 1
Baboon 6 months 1
Pangolin 4 ½ months 1
Porcupine 94 days 1 – 3
African Wild Dog 70 days 2 -21
Black backed jackal 60 days 1 – 6
Honey badger 6 months 1 – 4
Dwarf mongoose 63 days 2 – 3
Spotted hyena 90 days 1 – 2
Lion 110 days 1 – 4 (6)
Leopard 100 days 2 – 3
Cheetah 95 days 1 – 6
Elephants 22 months 1
White Rhino 16 months 1
Giraffe 15 months 1
Impala 7 months 1
Blue wildebeest 9 months 1
Waterbuck 9 months 1
Nyala 7 ½ moths 1
Kudu 9 months 1
Zebra 375 days 1

Stefan De Weerd – Kapama River Lodge
3/05/2013

The hippos started opening their mouths as wide as they can in order to show off their massive incisors – this is what they do in order to intimidate other animals. However, the elephants did not seem to be bothered by the hippos – they are, after all, the biggest land animals. The elephants just became more aggressive and started trumpeting and running towards the hippos. The hippos were left with no choice but to run into the water for safety.

Unfortunately for the hippos, elephants are not afraid of water – one of the elephants followed the hippos into the water and forced them to get out on the other side of the dam. All the young elephants were having a blast as they were the ones antagonising the poor hippos.

My guests and I had an amazing sighting and couldn’t believe our eyes.

Nelson – Kapama River Lodge
10/05/2013

While chatting to the guests, I heard some birds giving their alarm call in a nearby tree. So I decided to investigate. The birds were blue waxbills and they were sitting in a buffalo thorn, screaming and shouting at something. As I looked at the one branch, I saw a snake and called over my guests to show them.

The snake was busy eating one of the chicks out of the nest. It was sad but it was interesting to see how the rest of the blue waxbills started to attack the snake with full force. The blue waxbill is a very small bird and to see the courage of such a small creature was quite amazing to see.

My guests were also intrigued by this behvaiour.

It was good to see that guests can also enjoy the smaller things in the African bush.

Harry – Kapama River Lodge
29/04/2013

First of all, fish are cold blooded (ectothermic) – they do not regulate their own heat. They play a great ecological role, such as; they regulate the amount of bacteria and algae in dams or rivers and they also serve as a very big food source.

But what I find most interesting is their swim bladder.

The swim bladder is what they use to keep them sinking by secreting gas into the swim bladder via a gas gland. Gas from the blood is moved into the gas gland and when they need to sink they release gas and when they need to rise they secrete gas. Some fish are a bit more basic and rely on getting gas by surfacing, grabbing air and releasing air. These fish generally can’t go as deep into the water as the more advanced fish.

Even though they are “below the surface”, they are still there and serve an extremely important purpose in nature.

Jakes – Kapama River Lodge
28/04/2013

We were following the wild dogs while they were chasing some impala up and down. They eventually caught one and started eating while the impala was still fighting back. Unfortunately, the impala could not get away and the dogs managed to kill another. However, it was still amazing to see how just 14 wild dogs finished, not one, but two fully grown impalas in just 30 minutes.

We were so excited so we tried to follow them further as they finished their meal. Unfortunately, the bush got rather thick so we decided to leave them in peace. What a sighting it was. This was truly something that other rangers would only dream to see.

Nelson – Kapama River Lodge
26/04/2013