Kwando Files (Images from Lebala/Lagoon)

[madaboutcheetah]

August 2011 was extremely frustrating for me. The cheetah boys were hiding in the woodlands - over a two week period we tried several all day drives up and down the Kwando concession without a sign of any fresh tracks, whatsoever ........ Suddenly, they popped out on my final two days and SLEPT the entire time; yet just towards sunset on my final day provided a couple of poses in stunning light.

[madaboutcheetah]

August, 2011

 

Balli from Lagoon radioed us to say that the boys popped out of the woodlands ......... We were with Lions and didn't even think twice to rush over! These images are from the day following the radio call.

[madaboutcheetah]

Alert Impalas

 

(We think a predator - but, we didn't find any that day!)

[madaboutcheetah]

A busy John's Pan; the Boys of Lagoon with full bellies ...... this is Oct 2008, when they were still new into the territory of the old Blood brothers and still camera shy .........

 

(A popular picnic spot (John's Pan) for wildlife and tourists in the kwando concession)

[madaboutcheetah]

Cheetah cub, Oct 2008

 

A few weeks after my safari, I learnt that he did not survive .......

[madaboutcheetah]

Not sure what I was trying to do here with the wide-angle (it certainly didn't work well .......

[madaboutcheetah]

Dogs having a go at buffalo - August, 2010

 

This winter (2012) they really did take to buffalo hunting while they were denning from all the bush tales that were told to me around the fire at Lagoon.

[madaboutcheetah]

Little bit of a History lesson with this image; This is the starting of the "Lagoon pack 2" - In 2005, the original Lagoon pack was decimated by a Lion attack on the den site ...... Late 2005, they went into denning again 3 dogs in the pack. 2006 was the only non-den year in the history of the Kwando concession.

 

This is the re-make of the current Lagoon pack that started with a pack of 6. Alpha female with pups at the den, other 5 out on a hunt (June, 2007). If you are at Lagoon camp anytime soon, this image is right behind the Omelette station in the dining hall.

Edited November 5, 2012 by madaboutcheetah

[madaboutcheetah]

Mr.Moe

[madaboutcheetah]

Leopard posing on a tree (found by guide Thabo)

[madaboutcheetah]

I think one of the boys can see his reflection in the water?

[madaboutcheetah]

Portrait

[madaboutcheetah]

Mother and cub, Sunset (Oct, 2008)

[madaboutcheetah]

Wet N Dry Elephants

[madaboutcheetah]

Buffalo sunrise

[madaboutcheetah]

That Serval. Not your usual serval image... could go in the Show us your Servals topic. Thanks for a cracking series of photos. Be sure that I will be showing Kwando this thead at WTM, if they have time to meet me...

 

GW, bring back lots of Interviews from the expo.

[madaboutcheetah]

Dogs stop at a putrified carcass on their route to the hunting grounds

[madaboutcheetah]

Another LBR to get that scene out of our minds .......

[madaboutcheetah]

Dear All,

 

I had requested GW to move this thread from the Photography forums section to the Trip Reports section ............. Since I have been so far behind on Trip reports etc etc., I could just get away with the one thread (although I intend for this thread to be purely Lebala and Lagoon).

 

Thanks a lot, GW!!!

 

Regards

Hari

[madaboutcheetah]

More dogs/Puppies (Lebala, August 2012)

[madaboutcheetah]

More of the Boys of Lagoon, this image from Aug, 2010 - these two boys are calling out for their brother who got lost while hunting

 

(AND)

 

just a nice pose in between the mound on a different day!

[madaboutcheetah]

Herd of Elephant at the Lagoon in camp (image from the boat); there seemed to be a lot of Elephants swimming across the lagoon every day in the afternoon - However, no such luck when we took the boat out - this is the best I could come up with!

[madaboutcheetah]

Wildebeest at White Plains, Lebala - Green season (Feb, 2011)

[madaboutcheetah]

Maribou Storks out fishing ......

[madaboutcheetah]

Standing Guard

 

Dogs returning to the den, don't necessarily return together at the same time; a few at a time, perhaps - this dog watching eagerly as he thinks some of the pack members are back home to the den (He could also sense some other animal/s in the vicinity and has his antenna up!)