I often tout the importance of including some night drives in quality areas for a full safari experience. South Luangwa National Park has the most productive night drives that I have ever experienced and it has a deserved reputation for leopards after dark.

In October I had arranged a special night for the group I was guiding to meet up with South Luangwa’s predator research team to do some broadcast surveys for hyenas and lions.

However, as we were on our way to the survey location and twilight was upon us all of a sudden a leopard sprung from a tree and ran. We then noticed a big male leopard was in the tree panting from a full meal and still nibbling some. Due to the thick cover we could not tell what he was eating and then he stood up and repositioned the prey revealing that he was having a baboon feast.

We then discovered a 3rd leopard at this location as a young male was laying in the bush. Manda, the guide from Bilimungwe Bushcamp knew these leopards and was sure that the first leopard that dashed was the mother of this young male and the big male feeding was his father. As adult leopards are solitary this was a rare situation to have all three at one location.

Following some exciting time with the researchers predator calling we headed back to Bilimungwe Bushcamp but on the way we found our baboon feeding leopard full and content, this time relaxing on the ground.

   

As I announced last week I have lots of new safari video being added to The Wild Source Channel on YouTube and I will be featuring quite a few of them on our blog. Last week I ran a series of lion video clips, this week leopards will take the starring role.

I was guiding a group in the remote Northern Serengeti last August and very close to Lemala Mara Camp we spotted the flash of a leopard cub run over some rocks. We were then treated to a display of grace and power as the mother sprang up to the top of some rocks. After watching her for a while we decided to drive around the kopjes (series of granite rocks) and see if we could find the cub. Not only did we sight him but as we parked he curiously approached us to where he was just about 3 yards away from our vehicle with a little bush as a barrier. His mother watched unconcerned from a perch high above while we enjoyed the antics of this adorable little cub.

Three month old leopard cub in the Northern Serengeti.
©Bill Given

While I have endeavored to take more video I still tend to shoot pictures first and then supplement with a little video. To see more of this leopard cub and other sights of the Northern Serengeti I have an album here.

   

This is the final Mapula Lodge video from my set of four that I've been blogging in my recent blog posts. This final video covers lion tracking from Mapula Lodge. For the remainder of the Mapula Lodge lion videos, click on the appropriate link below:

• Mapula Lodge Lion Greeting Video
• Lion Courtship at Mapula Lodge
• Mapula Lodge Lion Flehmen Response
• Lion Tracking at Mapula Lodge

Mapula Lodge Lion Tracking Video

I often discuss how important dedicated tracking can be for finding predators and Mapula Lodge staff match anyone in this department. Quite often the guide and the tracker both go on foot to follow a predator’s trail.

On a couple of occasions clients of The Wild Source have been asked if they would like to drive the vehicle and be part of the team for dedicated tracking. In this video I was guiding a group of six and took the wheel as head guide Dicks Tsima and tracker Simon pursued lions.

As we followed one trail another vehicle tracked a separate trail and we all met up where the lions had come to drink and re-group. We then successfully tracked down the three Mapula Boys and one female.

I hope you enjoyed this set of Mapula Lodge Lion videos. Coming up next - a series of leopard videos.

   

Welcome to the third Mapula Lodge lion videos that I have recently introduced. This video covers the Lion's Flehmen response - how male lions check the sexual status of the females. For the remainder of the Mapula Lodge lion videos, click on the appropriate link below:

• Mapula Lodge Lion Greeting Video
• Lion Courtship at Mapula Lodge
• Mapula Lodge Lion Flehmen Response
• Lion Tracking at Mapula Lodge

Mapula Lodge Flehmen Response

When the female does start to move off she urinates on a bush. Pheromones present in her urine likely indicate her reproductive status.

In this video you can see the male lion has come to scent the urine and grimaces, exposing his teeth by lifting up his lips. This is known as the Flehmen Response, or simply flehming, and is done to allow the pheromones to be detected by the vomero-nasal organ using ducts located between the nose and mouth cavity.

Lion performing Flehmen Response to check the pheromones in a female lions urine to determine her sexual status. This is to show a front view as the video is from the back and side of the lion flehming.
©Bill Given

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The Wild Source's Africa Video Channel - safari videos taken by The Wild Source founder Bill Given

   

This is the second video from the set of Mapula Lodge videos that I mentioned in my last blog post. This video covers courtships rituals of the lions near Mapula Lodge. For the remainder of the Mapula Lodge lion videos, click on the appropriate link below:

• Mapula Lodge Lion Greeting Video
• Lion Courtship at Mapula Lodge
• Mapula Lodge Lion Flehmen Response
• Lion Tracking at Mapula Lodge

Mapula Lodge Courtship Video

During my two visits to Mapula Lodge over the past 12 months, lion mating was an ongoing focus as well as this new coalition tried to convince the females that they were here to stay.

In January I saw the results as we discovered three beautiful new cubs. In these videos you can see some typical behaviors of lion courtship.

First the male lies with the female and you can notice he always wants to be in contact with her so that he can sleep but not let her sneak away. He is trying to monopolize her from the other males and thus needs to be there when she is ready to conceive. Again the care that goes in to the social bond between lions is apparent in this video.