Wilderness DumaTau & Little DumaTau Newsletter – September 2024

September delivered yet another incredible month as far as animal sightings were concerned. We had quite a number of amazing sightings around camp, on the south-western side of the Savuti Channel. At the top of the list was an epic encounter between crocodiles and elephants right in front of guests in camp in the late afternoon.  

A big breeding herd of elephant with babies decided to cross from the other side of the river to our side, and as the guides anticipated, we watched a bunch of crocodiles racing to the middle of the river, getting ready to launch an attack. Even though the elephants ended up losing one of their babies, it was very interesting to watch the hunting strategy of this aquatic reptile. 

Our Savuti and Linyanti prides of lions have earned a fearsome and well-deserved reputation for taking down bigger mammals – from kudu to buffalo, and most interestingly, elephants. Our guests were treated to some astonishing lion sightings, one being when a pride of 10 (six cubs and four adults) hunted and took down an old buffalo bull at Dish Pan, giving the guests an opportunity to view these felids feeding and enjoying their prize for a couple of days. 

One of the many other interesting lion sightings was of our biggest pride of 13, which mostly hung around the Savuti Channel where they had quite a number of successful hunts. This same pride was also spotted with a freshly killed male buffalo carcass. The guides have advised us that this is a new pride in our area. 

Our well-known lioness, Mma Mabele (which literally describes her big teats), did not shy away from showing up either, mostly bringing her beautiful cubs. 

Other amazing lion sightings this month included a pride of 10 that was seen heading south of Giraffe Bones, a lone female feeding on a buffalo calf, another dramatic encounter when two females were chased by a big bull elephant on the western side of our old DumaTau camp, seven adult lionesses feeding on a baby elephant at Rock Pan by the Blue Bush crossing, as well as a pride of 11 with cubs, and watching a male lion growling at the playful cubs that were seeking his attention. Among the prey targeted by our local prides, we have noticed, and counted, quite a number of young elephants being the most hunted. 

The big herds of elephants never cease to amaze our guests, showing off their swimming skills and crossing from one side of the river to the other, giving our guests on boating activities a fantastic show. 

The dry season has changed all the animals’ movement patterns to the most predictable – from the hunters to their prey – with all the antelopes and elephants congregating along the Savuti Channel around patches of water, in turn attracting lots and lots of cats, from lions to leopards, as well as hyenas, jackals, and many other smaller predators.  

Our leopard sightings for the month of September were remarkable! We viewed a lone feline feeding on a warthog kill, while another lone male was seen resting up in a tree, and a female leopard with her cub was spotted feeding on an impala kill west of DumaTau. Because of the heat, most of our leopard sightings were up in the shade out of the blazing sun.

Birding has been particularly brilliant here in the Linyanti Wildlife Reserve! The carmine bee-eaters, our summer visitors, are back and displaying their beautiful bright red and blue plumage, and providing excellent photographic opportunities for the avid birders. The most amazing aspect of these birds is that their striking colouration doesn’t only attract admiration, but also enemies such as birds of prey – from owls to eagles and many other raptors. Other bird species spotted in our area included a female ostrich with her chicks, Verreaux’s eagles, kori bustards, and many others.