This young Lioness was stalking prey – using one of the game viewing vehicles as cover. An exciting and unforgettable moment for the Thanda guests on the Land Rover!
Hunter or hunted?
We had some great sightings this morning – First a herd of Buffalo enjoying themselves at a Waterhole, then four Lions trying to hunt some Buffalo and finally three White Rhino enjoying the sun after a mud bath. The guests on my vehicle were especially impressed with the Lion-Buffalo interaction. It was not always clear who was the hunter, and who the hunted? The Lions gave up at the end and the Buffalo moved on.
At one time we could see all three “Big Five” species from one spot : looking to the left > the Lions / looking straight on > the Buffalo / looking to the right > the Rhinos. The three landscape images below were taken without moving the vehicle!
Christmas Sightings!
The Thanda guests enjoyed great sightings over the Christmas holidays.
Two young Elephant bulls giving a sparring demonstration …
… a White Rhino mum and her son hosting an Oxpecker party …
… a young Kudu bull in front of a beautiful Thanda vista …
… and Thanda’s dominant male Lion smacking his lips after a big meal!
Happy Holidays!
Pictures by Christian Sperka – Specialist Photography Guide and Resident Wildlife Photographer – Thanda Private Game Reserve.
Just too hot!- and gone for a while ….
Our dominant male Lion gave me “the look” when he was rolling over in a shady spot on a very hot and humid afternoon.
Have a good weekend!
PS: I will be off Thanda for a few days and my blog messages may be less frequent than usually. I am looking forward to participating in a birding course at Pakamisa, one of my favorite places in Kwazulu Natal, and then I will just go where the fancy takes me – that might not be the correct English expression – but you know what I mean 🙂 I will be back working on Thanda on 18 December.
My first week!
From Thanda’s dominant male Lions point of view …
“It was a hard first week, but what a place! As soon as they let me out of the boma – which was pretty nice, by the way, with full room service and everything – the Thanda Lion ladies were most hospitable…
… The first three days I spent with the most experienced female of the North pride and when she left I was pretty exhausted …
… From time to time these strange rolling animals with lots of round eyes came by. One can’t eat them so I just ignore them …
… On Thursday a younger Lion lady showed up and she was very forthcoming. But I was just too tired. Maybe next week …
… I was just “lion” around when another of these large animals with the round eyes came by – it must like me! It followed me for a while …
… when I heard another male roaring. I decided to investigate. The funny animal was still following me ?:-)
… I showed it how to sharpen my claws – just in case! …
… and then the strange animal almost got stuck in the muddy ground – which gave me quite a scare – Now it is gone and I will have a little rest – what a first week!”
This is a “record” of the new male Lion’s first week at Thanda Private Game Reserve, observed by many Thanda guests (sitting in the strange rolling animals with the round eyes :-).
Thandarized!
What a welcome! When the boma gates were opened yesterday morning it was not the new dominant male coming out to look at his new home. No, it was the oldest female of the North Pride walking into the boma and immediately initiating mating behavior.
They walked out together and started mating procedures. As Lions mate over several days (in short frequencies between 20 minutes and an hour) we found them this evening still engaged in the process.
What a welcome for the new “man on the block”!
See also yesterday’s blog message https://christiansperka.wordpress.com/2013/10/22/thanda-lion-news/
Thanda Lion News!
To maintain a healthy Lions gene pool and to control the number of Lions on Thanda, five of these magnificent cats have been moved to a new section of the reserve (called the Mduna Royal Reserve). The two adult females, two cubs and the dominant male will form a new pride in an area which had no Lions until now.
A film crew from the UK (www.thebigsky.co.uk) recorded the capture and transfer of these Lions to the Mduna. In this image the Lions were still sedated as the Thanda Wildlife Team and the attending Veterinarian performed a “physical check” on each Lion.
One day after this re-location procedure Thanda’s new dominant male was release onto Thanda. Only a few hours after his release he started mating with one of the females, who was waiting for him outside the boma 🙂 see previous blog from 16 October: https://christiansperka.wordpress.com/2013/10/16/my-new-man/
If you are interested to actively participate and contribute in Thanda conservation activities please contact research@thanda.co.za for more information.
My new man!
One of the young Thanda Lionesses is really looking forward to the release of the new dominant male onto the reserve. She checks regularly if her “new man” is still in the boma.
Soon after the current dominant male will be moved to a new section of Thanda the new guy will be released onto the reserve. Changing dominant males on game reserves is very important to keep a healthy gene pool.
The young lady is ready for him 🙂
The new Thanda dominant male Lion!
Nature at Work
Observing “nature at work” can be difficult at times. Last nights Lion sighting showed that human sentiments do not apply to animals.
We observed a Lioness, which had killed a Blue Wildebeest, first eating the unborn calf fetus before returning to the adult kill.
Shortly afterwards the Lioness was chased off the kill by Thanda’s dominant male Lion who took over the feast.
The first image above shows the Lioness when feeding. The second image shows the male after the take over.
I got some amazing footage from this very unusual sighting. The links below lead to four more images.
WARNING: Please do not click on the links below if you are disturbed by images of animals feeding on other animals.
Mummy, get him!
Imagine you are a Baby Elephant …
“Well, today is a very windy and cold morning. We were all were pretty thirsty and moving towards a waterhole …
… when grandma spotted a Lion …
… We do not like them! …
Mummy started walking really fast, trumpeting and everything. Great! …
… I love a good chase and I ran as fast as I could – keeping up with mum. But we did not get him 😦
Grandma decided to turn back towards the water.
Maybe next time 🙂 “
This is a “record” of an exciting Elephant/Lion chase at Thanda Private Game Reserve, enjoyed by many Thanda guests on a very windy morning.
Christian Sperka Photography | Custom Luxury Tours 