The Pursuit of Cats and Dogs - Timbavati, Sabi Sands

[PT123]

Regarding kids on smartphones/tablets:

 

 

In my opinion, their parents' are doing the kids a disservice by not telling them to turn off the devices and try to enjoy the moment. It's a missed educational/life moment for the kids. As a fellow traveler as long there is no beeping or chirping it really wouldn't bother me.

[SafariChick]

Beautiful photos of the cheetah! I could not see the leopard cub

Edited September 19, 2015 by SafariChick

[Kitsafari]

@@PT123 the Rangers thought it was stiffness from lying in that position too Long as she seemed slightly better after that. I liked that picture as well. Sometimes I think I take too many closeups and then forget the larger picture to put in perspective.

 

Agree with you on the smartphone-dependent kids, though they were at least not that restless or noisy.

[Kitsafari]

@@SafariChick hint - follow the line of the rock surface.

[Marks]

The dogs and cheetah are great sightings. No such thing as too many pictures, after all! I cannot imagine turning to a smartphone in the face of such a beautiful cat.

Also, your elephant video was impressive; it's interesting to see how effortlessly they can knock over a tree.

 

I LOVE the bushbuck video. Really got me laughing.

[SafariChick]

@@SafariChick hint - follow the line of the rock surface.

 

Ok I see it now! I stayed at Varty Camp, not Founders. We found our room to be pretty luxurious! The bushbuck is hilarious!

[michael-ibk]

Great Dogs "farewell", what a fantastic last sighting! I love Bushbucks, so Londolozi would be great to me.That close? Interesting, normally they are so skittish. The fences look a bit scary, but if zero poaching is the result then so be it. And what a wonderful cheetah. Great report, Kit - enjoying this very much.

[Tom Kellie]

~ @@Kitsafari

 

Londolozi Founders Camp looks fascinating — bushbucks gamboling through the premises? Wonderful!

A cheetah in Sabi Sands? That's more than enough reason to stop and enjoy. Love your cheetah photos!

The top of the leopard cub's head is cute. I've never seen any leopard cubs or juveniles.

The chef's treats at Londolozi are made even better by her radiant smile.

Funny how sincere warmth, kindness and hospitality make any safari accommodations a premium experience.

I depart in ten days...almost nine days now...for Hong Kong then on to Johannesburg and finally Sabi Sands.

Your current Londolozi trip report installment is exactly what I want to read this week!

Thanks so much for your thoughtful words about the realities you observed. I admire your commitment to fairness.

With Appreciation,

Tom K.

[SafariChick]

I don't recall seeing bushbucks when I stayed at Londolozi, but at Phinda I recall we had Nyala grazing all around our chalet! We were staying in the very farthest back chalet so perhaps the relative privacy attracted them to that end of the camp.

[Kitsafari]

@@Tom Kellie very excited for you! there;s so much things happening in the lion population and dogs are running around sabi sands with pups!

 

I missed seeing the pups by just a couple of weeks.

[Tom Kellie]

@@Tom Kellie very excited for you! there;s so much things happening in the lion population and dogs are running around sabi sands with pups!

 

I missed seeing the pups by just a couple of weeks.

 

~ @@Kitsafari

 

What ?!?!?!

This is very unexpected GREAT news !!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you for telling me. You've lifted my spirits at day's end.

Who knows what will pass before my lens, but what you've mentioned is most encouraging!

Departure is nine days away. I'm finishing up writing my trip report as a distraction from anticipation daydreaming.

If any wild dogs pass my way, I'll send a silent thanks and good luck wishes to you!

Tom K.

[Kitsafari]

@@Tom Kellie i was going to post a couple more instalments. I'm on an overseas assignment and I was rushing on SUnday to copy the photos and videos to an external drive to bring along on the trip. but terrible news - i deleted the wrong folder. i permanently deleted the entire folder containing all my edited photos and videos. really depressed that day.

 

i've got quite a few photos already on picasa and a couple of videos on youtube but a lot of videos for the rest of the Londo stay were deleted. luckily i still have most of the originals but that means I will have to wait till sunday to edit them.

 

i still aim to put up a couple of posts tomorrow night when time permits!

[Tom Kellie]

@@Tom Kellie i was going to post a couple more instalments. I'm on an overseas assignment and I was rushing on SUnday to copy the photos and videos to an external drive to bring along on the trip. but terrible news - i deleted the wrong folder. i permanently deleted the entire folder containing all my edited photos and videos. really depressed that day.

 

i've got quite a few photos already on picasa and a couple of videos on youtube but a lot of videos for the rest of the Londo stay were deleted. luckily i still have most of the originals but that means I will have to wait till sunday to edit them.

 

i still aim to put up a couple of posts tomorrow night when time permits!

 

~ @@Kitsafari

 

Owwww !!!!!!!!!!! That's awful!

Having done exactly the same, I know the feeling only too well how you must have felt.

Mega-bummer, as they say.

It's especially fortunate that the originals weren't lost.

Your Londo stay is fascinating to all of us on Safaritalk. For me, it's like a final overview of what it's like this season in Sabi Sands.

I hope that your out-of-Singapore assignment goes well.

Tom K.

[Kitsafari]

we heard impala snorting across the gully. the cheetah sat up, her ears upright and her eyes scanning into the dense vegetation in the gully. did the impalas see her and started alarm-calling? the impalas continued to snort, and they seemed to be moving slowly down the gully. finally one of the 4 or 5 vehicles decided to go have a look as the cheetah still sat up very alert looking.

 

we joined the vehicles but instead of the taking the easy roads, we crashed straight into the bushes, thrashing them aside, flattening them only to see them bounce back into life, bumping over logs and hearing a steady cool "watch the left side" "watch the right side" drone of Sandros telling us to duck quick. and soon we glimpsed the flick of a long curling tail.

 

it was the Tamboti young female. she had been mating for a few days ago and now she was marking her territory. I think pursuits in greater kruger private concessions are akin to walking in to the bush. the vehicles were almost competing to knock down any bushes to chase the animal. but when the Tamboti female flicks her tail, you can't but help become entranced and rush to get a view of her. She is a young stunning beauty.

 

Now, I think there's a certain kind of magic in Sabi Sands. @@bettel had nearly all her wishes come true in Kirkman's. H had his wishes to see rhino and dogs come true, and I had my wish for a honey badger come true. So, I've seen a few leopards and it's never enough of course. but i've never heard of what is described as a hacking cough when they call, so i told that to Sandros. almost within half an hour, the leopard answered my wish and started her calls. Wow. the thrill that went down my spine. it was just incredible. we followed her as her royal entourage as she darted from bush to bush, marking her scent and calling. Sandros thought she was trying to attract another mate, and that perhaps she couldn't conceive in the earlier mating.

 

as the light faded, she suddenly laid down. she had scented a hyena who was attracted by her calls. the hyena passed close to her, not seeing her, and as she passed by, the leopard followed her, and walked into the Mala Mala border which we couldn't go anymore.

 

 

 

 

fully alert impala watches as the tamboti struts by

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 22, 2015 by Kitsafari

[Kitsafari]

got a few videos on the beauty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

last one...stalking the hyena

 

Edited September 22, 2015 by Kitsafari

[Kitsafari]

Some of the other beautiful creatures we saw along the way....

 

Tall and graceful, giraffes in monochrome

 

 

 

 

Kudu on a mound

 

 

 

the stunning but ubiquitious LBR

 

 

 

[Tom Kellie]

we heard impala snorting across the gully. the cheetah sat up, her ears upright and her eyes scanning into the dense vegetation in the gully. did the impalas see her and started alarm-calling? the impalas continued to snort, and they seemed to be moving slowly down the gully. finally one of the 4 or 5 vehicles decided to go have a look as the cheetah still sat up very alert looking.

 

we joined the vehicles but instead of the taking the easy roads, we crashed straight into the bushes, thrashing them aside, flattening them only to see them bounce back into life, bumping over logs and hearing a steady cool "watch the left side" "watch the right side" drone of Sandros telling us to duck quick. and soon we glimpsed the flick of a long curling tail.

 

it was the Tamboti young female. she had been mating for a few days ago and now she was marking her territory. I think pursuits in greater kruger private concessions are akin to walking in to the bush. the vehicles were almost competing to knock down any bushes to chase the animal. but when the Tamboti female flicks her tail, you can't but help become entranced and rush to get a view of her. She is a young stunning beauty.

 

Now, I think there's a certain kind of magic in Sabi Sands. @@bettel had nearly all her wishes come true in Kirkman's. H had his wishes to see rhino and dogs come true, and I had my wish for a honey badger come true. So, I've seen a few leopards and it's never enough of course. but i've never heard of what is described as a hacking cough when they call, so i told that to Sandros. almost within half an hour, the leopard answered my wish and started her calls. Wow. the thrill that went down my spine. it was just incredible. we followed her as her royal entourage as she darted from bush to bush, marking her scent and calling. Sandros thought she was trying to attract another mate, and that perhaps she couldn't conceive in the earlier mating.

 

as the light faded, she suddenly laid down. she had scented a hyena who was attracted by her calls. the hyena passed close to her, not seeing her, and as she passed by, the leopard followed her, and walked into the Mala Mala border which we couldn't go anymore.

 

~ @@Kitsafari

 

哈哈! Ha! You're highly skilled at 100% winding me up !!!!!!!!!!!!

What you've described above is enough to start my packing, one week in advance!

Wow, Wow, Wow! It's all beyond my imagination. You and your Other Half were abundantly blessed for your 25th.

Love the photos, love the commentary, love the Sabi Sands enthusiasm!

The description of your own reaction to the leopard sounds is THRILLING !!!!!!!!

With Appreciation,

Tom K.

[SafariChick]

@@Kitsafari ah the leopard is so beautiful - thank you for all the videos!

[Marks]

Amazing how a video transports you the way no picture can...the sounds of the bush...quick glimpses of everyone in the car bundled against the chill...and of course the leopard's liquid movements.

[Kitsafari]

the clouds put up a weak cover on the horizon which the sun easily penetrated the next morning. we first checked out the leopard cub den but the babies were snug tight in their den and refused to emerge so we moved on. Early risers giraffes and impalas were up already browsing for the first bite of morning dew on juicy green leaf shoots.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 24, 2015 by Kitsafari

[Kitsafari]

we were gently cruising so we didn't get any advance notice of where we were heading until we saw a stationary vehicle on the road.

 

Painted dogs! to go from nought to such great viewings of the dogs for my OH, how very lucky we have been! 3 sightings of dogs on 3 consecutive days! totally incredible but we were happy to grab all the blessings. The group of 7 were in various forms of lying down and staying alert. A curious one went up to the other vehicle as we crept slowly towards them. the road marked the border between Mala Mala and Londolozi. any sudden movement might just send them over the border and we would lose sight of them. I marked out a distinctive looking dog - a dog with floppy ears although Sandros called it broken ears.

 

One minute they were sitting pretty, and another, the dogs flashed past our vehicle as the lead dog dashed into the bushes. we couldn;t see much but my video picked up the flash of a bushy white tail as an antelope jumped high into the sky followed closely by a dog. as we followed them on the roads, the nyala (Sandros called it) dashed across the road and with the dogs hot on its trail, it vanished into the dense bushes of Mala Mala.

.

we drove up and down the road, went to the Sand river but saw none of them. we were disappointed for such a short sighting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[TonyQ]

@@Kitsafari

I have just got to the dogs by the water - you cannever have too many wild dog photos. And I am so pleased you got such a good sighting of the honey badgers - very exciting(and followed by late leopard. You had a great trip!

[Kitsafari]

@@TonyQ I did! so much to see. and so much thrashing into the bushes and swaying around like a kungfu master or taiji master to avoid those branches whacking us.

[Kitsafari]

We were just about to leave the area when a call came through. the dogs were back and were in the river. the pack pups were just across the river in the Mala Mala concession, and the canines looked ready to cross over. it didn't look like the hunt had been that succcessful. first a drink at the river then they milled around facing across the river, and I noticed that Floppy was missing. Then, Luck stayed on our side, the dogs turned back into our side of the river and 2 dogs emerged from behind us and met up with the rest of the pack. and now a deluge of pictures of tortoiseshell color painted dogs.

 

 

For the next 2.5 hours, we (and three other Londo vehicles) stayed on their tails. It was clear that they were still in hunting mode. they weaved up and down the banks, in and out of ravines and bushes.

 

 

 

 

lithe Floppy

 

 

 

 

 

 

at one point, impalas ran across our view and the lead dog was hot on the chase, but he initiated the chase too prematurely and he returned later empty handed.

 

 

 

all four vehicles lost sight of the entire pack as they ran into a dense and steep ravine - it was no place the cars could conquer. but the Londo guides speculated they were heading to a nearby waterhole and sure enough they were there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

as we followed the dogs, we also noticed a single hyena doggedly pursuing the dogs from a distance. The canines had made no sounds, so the hyena must have seen them and came to the same conclusion as us, that the dogs were hunting and a kill could provide it with some tasty leftovers.

 

Edited September 26, 2015 by Kitsafari

[Kitsafari]

we had followed quite a distance now and I was beginning to feel sorry for the dogs. the vehicles did not impact on their hunt as we watched from a distance and kept a respectable gap from them, giving them sufficient space to sprint if necessary.

 

The dogs with their entourage (humans) continued their runs into huge block of tall trees with an elephant trail cutting the block into two. It was a good area to loose the trailing human spectators as there was no way the vehicles could have weave their way in there. the four vehicles circled the block and separated to keep a lookout at strategic points. we drove to a top of a hill, turned off the engine and waited. and waited. and waited. Now, we had been following for nearly 2 hours, my bladder was full and I couldn't ignore it any further. I thought i could climb down behind the vehicle for a quick one. But there were no trees or bushes to block the view, and we could see the other vehicles as clearly as they can see us, with binos! what if the dogs dash out towards us and i'm in the middle of it? not that the dogs will attack me, but I would be holding us back in the pursuit. all these thoughts flashed through my mind as I grappled with my bladder. In the end, sheepishly i asked if we could have a loo break. I could almost hear the inaudible sigh of exasperation. sandros radioed the other cars, and we moved off. he brought us to another block about 2 kilometers away, and i prayed that we wouldn't miss anything.

 

there we had our breakfast break as well. Just as we were polishing off the snacks and finishing my machorula (a mixture of Coffee chocolate and Amarula!) a Londo vehicle drove at top speed past us with guests all agape at us that we still could be eating in the middle of a dog pursuit. The dogs had been found - just a km behind where we were having coffee!

 

we quickly gulped down the remains, jumped into the car, and went round the corner. it was too late. the pack was already relaxing with full tummies, the vultures were holding conventions on the ground and in the trees, and poor Floppy was rushing to eat whatever was left on the young male impala and trying to keep the competition away. we learned later that while we were camping out at the big block, the dogs had moved on. No one saw the actual hunt or the kill. They were only alerted by the circling vultures in the skies. which made me felt less guilty and less jealous!

 

Keep away, Floppy tells the vutlures