Singita Kruger National Park Lebombo & Sweni Lodges South Africa

Wildlife Journal For the month of July, Two Thousand and Thirteen

Temperature Rainfall Recorded Average Minimum: 12.3°C (54.1°F) For the period: 0mm Average Maximum: 27.0°C (80.7°F) For the year to date: 409.5mm Minimum recorded: 02.0°C (35.6°F) Maximum recorded: 34.0°C (93.4°F)

Winter is definitely coming to an end Winter is always a productive time of the year for us on the concession, and this year has been as exciting as ever. A combination of the vegetation thinning out, and the permanent water sources have made for some spectacular, and consistent seasonal game viewing. Spring is upon us, and already some of the migratory birds have returned to this their southern destination - like southern yellow-billed kites and Wahlberg’s eagles. We now look forward to the first rains, with the promise of green colours, insect sounds and fresh smells, not to forget it's coming up to baby season!

Coming of age It’s a harsh time in every young male lion's life, the day that they are seen as a threat to the dominant male and pushed into independence. When these young males reach puberty they are evicted from the pride and need to fend for themselves, this way ensuring there is no inbreeding within a pride. Pride dynamics dictate that all female members are related, being sisters, cousins or aunts to one another. Male eviction happens at roughly 2½ years old, the same age at which the mane becomes evident. The two Xhirombe young males have been independent for just over a year now, since the new dominant male to the south established himself and sired his first cubs. They stared off as a young coalition of five, but only two have survived, - the saying ‘'survival of the fittest’' is never more merited. These two are particularly good hunters of large prey, and when the possibility arises they are very opportunistic in stealing a kill. They have been growing in size, confidence and ability.

These males are making for some amazing sightings, as they find their feet while trying to survive as independents. Two such sightings were caught on camera last month. First was a sighting that played out as these two males came across a male leopard who had stashed his young male impala kill in the limbs of a dead leadwood tree. The adult male leopard, although fully grown, was no match for the two lions, and at his first opportunity escaped the potential conflict, leaving his kill still balancing in the tree. It took almost nine hours with the males sleeping at the base of the tree wishing it down, until eventually one of the males got fed up and was clearly tired of waiting for his next meal. He ascended the tree with little difficulty to reach the impala carcass, some 4½ meters above the ground! Once he was there he was clearly not keen on sharing his prize so did not want to drop it down for the other male who was, at this point, salivating at the base of the tree. He then proceeded to climb higher in the fork, balancing two paws and hanging over the V shape of the tree. Stabilizing himself he then proceeded to feed off the carcass, just like a leopard would. He nearly lost his footing a couple times until eventually he decided to climb back down the tree head first, only to find out climbing up was the easy part...

The difference between the two large cat species is that leopards have a special mechanism in their wrists which allows them to set their wrists to make them able to hold their weight, which the lions definitely do not have. The male lion managed to work his way down to the lowest fork, he then slipped and his shoulders got caught in the V, eventually he ended up in a pile of dust, slightly humiliated, but with a fresh kill in his mouth to show for his efforts. He growled at the other male and then continued to eat his prize on the ground. An amazing sighting – which lasted almost three quarters of an hour! This tree-climbing sighting shows leopards aren’t the only big cats capable of climbing, but also what lions are willing to go through for a free meal. After all, who can blame them, it is always easier to steal a kill then to go out and hunt for yourself! The second incredible sighting was an aggressive one, with the two young males coming to blows with the two large males from the Shishangaan Pride (which are also believed to be their fathers). The Shishangaan males, accompanied by at least four other pride members, were feeding off a giraffe carcass in the western half of the concession. The large carcass attracted the attention of hundreds of vultures and this sent out an unmistakable signal to any potential scavengers. With it came hyenas, jackals and the opportunistic Xhirombe males to investigate what the fuss was all about. They certainly realised the presence of these other lions around the kill, but still decided to chance their luck, making a move for the meat. The Shishangaan males did not tolerate or appreciate the extra mouths at the carcass and set out to teach them a stern lesson. What happened next was ferocious and lighting quick. If it was not for the submissive behaviour and the fact they are also their own offspring, it could have ended very differently. Fortunately it was ‘’more of a bark then a bite’’ and was intended to clarify where they stand. The two males were able to slink off slightly beaten and bruised, but still breathing. Although we don’t know how much longer we will have these two Xhirombe males on the concession, we will be sure to enjoy all the breath-taking sightings while they are still around! Next is a sequence of that encounter, where two larger Shishangaan males gang up on one of the young Xhirombe males.

Southern ground hornbill (Bucorvus leadbeateri) The charismatic Southern Ground Hornbill is unfortunately threatened in many parts of its range. It is estimated that there are only about 1 500 individuals left in South Africa, of which half are expected to be within the Kruger National Park. They are considered vulnerable by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). They are obligate co-operative breeders consisting of three to nine birds, but with an ‘alpha male and breeding female’ who breed on average twice every five years! The rest of the group are designated helpers. The breeding female only lays two eggs at a time and only one chick survives because of an act called cainism /siblicide. So, if something happens to the single chick almost 2½ years are wasted. Another threat to birds on the IUCN’s vulnerable list is usually due to the loss of suitable habitat due to farmlands, bush encroachment and forestry plantations. The resultant loss of nesting sites, is always a problem for this species. They have a need for large cavities in the larger trees like marulas, jackalberries and leadwood trees. An interesting, but debatable theory is that due to the elephants nature of pushing trees down, and their ever increasing numbers in the park, they are possibly causing a negative contribution to ground hornbills success, in that they are decreasing the availability of ideal nesting sites in large trees.

Kori bustard (Ardeotis kori) The kori bustard is the world’s heaviest flying bird at up to 18 kg! (30 lb). In this picture the male is showing off, doing his breeding display. They stand 71-120 cm high (2 ft 4 in – 3 ft 11 in) and have a wingspan of 230-75 cm (7ft 7 in to 9 ft). It is also one of only a few birds where the males outweigh the females; normally in any species where eggs are laid this is not the case.

Martial eagle (Polemaetus bellicosus) The martial eagle is southern Africa’s largest raptor. The following photo is of a juvenile, which appears very different in comparison to the adult. This could be as a way of protecting the birds to not be seen as potential competition, only matching the appearance of the adults when they are big enough and strong enough to look after themselves. This is a common practice in territorial raptors, sometimes taking as long as 7 years to reach adult plumage. Juvenile martial eagles are often misidentified as an osprey.

By Nick du Plessis Photos by Nick du Plessis, Enos Mngomezulu & Angelique Helmchen

Singita Kruger National Park South Africa

Thirty-first of August 2013