Here another update from Kwando Safaris. These are sightings for December. We'll lead off today with sightings from Kwando Lagoon Camp, Kwando Lebala Camp, and Tau Pan Camp. The next blog post will feature Kwando Kwara Camp and Nxai Pan Camp.

Enjoy this month's update!

Kwando Lagoon Camp

With the wild dog pups now completely part of the pack, the dogs are highly mobile, and cover a large territory. This means it’s harder to track them down and keep up with them, but it’s a good sign that the puppies have adjusted well to their life, and are learning the skills needed to sustain them throughout adulthood. This month they ranged over the whole concession, and spent several days close to Lebala. Later in the month they were back close to camp. One morning, they caught a warthog piglet and killed whilst the guests looked on. The next night they switched back to their more usual diet of impala.

Leopards were also seen this month, hunting impala. A shy female cheetah was also seen hunting impala, together with her two cubs.

As predicted, the large herds of buffalo that we have been enjoying seeing the last few months have moved off again into the areas of good grazing. They will be back, but not in the number that they have been for a few months.

Jackals – both black backed and side striped – are often seen in most areas of northern Botswana. However, it’s very rare to see them together, and even rarer to see them chasing each other! Jackals do compete for the same food, but generally keep out of each others way. On this particularly morning, we were watching the two black- backed jackals running along in line with the car, when we realised one of them was actually a side striped jackal – much fluffier and larger looking than the black-backed. It streaked passed us, and was running at pace, being chased by the much smaller black-backed jackal. A second black-backed jackal was following at a distance. We lost sight of the side striped, and a few minutes later the black backed jackal came trotting back to check on his partner.

The carmine bee eaters are still in abundance, and have been joined by their offspring, who have not quite got the same vibrant colouration as their parents. Also still learning to catch, their parents occasionally catch an extra insect on the wing, and offer it to the young.

With the large Kwando channel right in front of camp, it’s essential to get out on the boat and take a trip on it. And this month, the guests are providing some strong competition with the crocodiles that inhabit the water: impromptu fishing competitions! Some huge catfish and bream (tilapia) have been hauled up on the lines, to the glee of those watching. Cast off to live another day – or perhaps end up in the croc’s mouth after all – the end of December marks the end of the fishing season for Botswana, to let the fish breed in peace!

Kwando Lebala Camp

There has been phenomenal general game in the area close to the Baobab: zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, tsessebes and baboons all in the same area. Visits to Kubu Pan were also very productive, with 25 hippos squeezed into the rainwater pan! Three roan antelope – normally a very rare sighting – have been seen relaxing around Lebala airstrip each morning. There was also a very unusual sighting of a black mamba fighting a yellow mongoose – we couldn’t tell who the ultimate winner was!

Smaller herds of elephants than last month – about 30 at a time – have been seen coming from the western edge of the camp, crossing the swamps in front of the camp. Normally in December, the elephants spread out through the area once the rains have fallen, sometimes making it difficult to find them, but this year they have still had a forceful presence.

Leopards were also seen during this month, with an unusual sighting of a large male and younger male seen playing and relaxing in the same area. Males are exceptionally territorial, and do not normally tolerate the presence of other males, but perhaps the older male in this case did not feel threatened by the younger one. As it was, the older male was also seen the next day, being chased by a pack of 20 wild dogs, and he eventually had to take refuge up a tree!

The pride of four lionesses were found several times this month, once feeding on a kudu, with a hyena keeping a watchful eye over them. The three male cheetah were also seen a few times, hunting, but no successful catch whilst we were watching.

The festive season was not a very happy one for some of the young impalas and tsessebes in the Lebala area, particularly around Kubu Pan.

On Christmas Eve, the wild dogs killed a baby tsessebe – it took them about 20 minutes to devour it. On the same day, the cheetah brothers managed to pull down a baby wildebeest, but before they managed to kill it, the wild dog pack arrived and took over the kill, quickly ripping the wildebeest to pieces. Not satisfied, the dogs then moved through the bush and killed three baby impalas. This all happened between John’s Pan and Kubu pan – about 15km – moving through the bush.

Again on the same day, a leopard was found hunting but was unsuccessful.

The wild dogs spent the night Kubu pan, and for Christmas morning, they found Santa had delivered them four baby impalas which the pack caught simultaneously.

The cheetahs, which – sensibly - had moved off away from the dogs, also had a good Christmas catching a male impala. When they finished eating, they moved a long way off – as they had been sandwiched between the wild dogs and the lions.

The lions – one male and a female – were found at Wild Dog Pan, also on Xmas. The next day, they were seen in the same area, mating.

he dogs killed a female impala by Kubu pan, and then a warthog piglet in the afternoon.

On the 28th of December, close to Lebala camp, the dogs again killed an impala. As they were feeding on it, a hyena made a surprise visit – only to be attacked by the wild dogs. As the hyena made a swift retreat, a lioness appeared out of the nearby bushes and grabbed the remains of the kill before the dogs could return to it! Amazing interaction!

Tau Pan Camp

Unusually hot temperatures for December which followed the few days of rain at the beginning of the month led to the Tau Pan lions doing a fair amount of resting from the heat, under the shade of umbrella thorn trees. A leopard was also seen walking along the cut-line, quite relaxed, but no repetition this month of the leopardess drinking from the pool! Tracks are still being seen in and around the camp, so we know she is still around.

Two brother cheetahs were found feeding on a baby oryx, in Passage valley. They were a little nervous and shy, perhaps fearing the arrival of the lion pride that inhabits the area. We also saw a female cheetah that was encouraging her two cubs to try to stalk springbok… not very successfully I am afraid!

The most spectacular – and exceptionally rare sighting for the Central Kalahari – was a group of 20 bull elephants drinking and wallowing in the mud at Passage Pan! Although signs have been seen of elephant activity in the region, this was the first sighting of the actual animal in many months. And then there were 20 of them!

Great birding this month as well, with secretary birds, painted snipes, hamerkops, marabous, lappet faced vultures, and giant eagle owls. General game was also good with sightings of bat eared foxes as well as the black backed jackals, giraffes, springbok, hartebeest, kudus and wildebeest.

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