Captured on Game Drives

Were are well into December, and the year has gone by quickly. For the team at Mashatu it has been a good year. We have loved having our camps full again, and the challenge of meeting and exceeding all our guests’ expectations.

As one of the resident wildlife photographers, I have traditionally shared my highlights of the year in December, but since it’s my last blog post as I move on to new adventures, I’ll be sharing my top sightings from game drives over the last six years.

Honey badger vs Lions

Within my first month at Mashatu I got to witness this exceptional encounter while accompanying guests on the Photo Vehicle. We were looking for the lions and their cubs when a radio call came in with their location. On arrival we were astounded to see a young honey badger sparring with the five lion cubs. The lion cubs were intrigued and yet to learn that this feisty little thing was not a toy to be played with. To the one side two lionesses kept an eye on things, but there was no sign of the mother honey badger. It was not long before the honey badger nipped one of the cubs and it’s yelp got the attention of the lionesses. They came barging in to take control of the young honey badger. Out of nowhere the mother of the honey badger pounced out. There was a short moment of snarling and growling from the lions and the “rattle-roar” used by honey badgers to intimidate predators. The rattle did the trick and the lionesses retreated with their cubs in tow.  I’d seen honey badgers many times before and I knew of their reputation of being invincible, but seeing seven lions scurry away from two honey badgers is something I will never forget.

Cheetahs protecting their young ones

Cheetah sightings are excellent at Mashatu, and there are some incredible cheetah mothers here. I’ve witnessed some of them raising numerous successful litters of up to 5 cubs. There have been some heart stopping moments, the first of which was when I was parked watching a family of cheetahs. In the distance I saw movement, and through my binoculars I noticed a lioness walking straight towards the cheetah and her cubs. The mother hadn’t noticed, and I held my breath, willing her to wake up and look around. Eventually with the lioness very close she lifted her head, and without hesitation or any audible signal, her cubs moved into the bushes nearby as she stood up and made herself clearly visible.  What ensued lasted a few hours. The lioness gave chase, the cheetah sprinted ahead to just out of reach and then stopped again making herself clearly visible. Again the lioness gave chase. This continued until she had led the lioness a few kilometers away from her cubs. Happy that the cubs were safe and that the cheetah was in no immediate danger, I went back to check on the cubs.  To my horror they were sitting out in the open – with a big male lion lying fast asleep only about 20 meters away. I parked at a distance from where I could observe without interfering and waited, hoping they would take refuge again. In the end they went back to lay down under the bushes, and the male lion woke up and sauntered off oblivious to the anxiety he had caused me.  Just as it was about to get dark the female cheetah arrived back and there was a relieved reunion.

Two years later I experienced a similar sighting with another cheetah and her now almost adult cubs. Only this time they walked straight into the middle of a herd of elephants, a dangerous situation as elephants do not like nor tolerate cats. As soon as they realized their predicament, the cubs lay down low and the mother walked away from them making herself very visible and drawing the herd’s attention to her. Her plan worked as the elephants watched her, and the matriarch made it clear she was not happy with her presence. With the attention on mom, the young ones took the gap and bolted away with mom following them as soon as they were a safe distance away.

Outrunning a cheetah

As is the way with nature, the animal that pulls your heart strings on one day is the aggressor the next. The same cheetah family that had me holding my breath as they walked into an elephant herd, now had me terrified they were going to kill a bat-eared fox while on drive one morning. Now almost fully grown, the cheetah cubs spotted a family of bat-eared foxes as they followed their mother clearly looking for something to hunt. While the mother ignored the foxes, it was too tempting for the cubs and they gave chase. The bat-eared foxes quickly ran to the safety of their den, but one was left stranded with the cheetahs between it and the entrance. Now I was rooting for the bat-eared fox as it sprinted around, zig zagging and outmaneuvering four cheetahs.  In the end it made it back, but it was a close call and another heart stopping moment for me.

The value of experience

In the same spot in the Majali river, I have watched two separate leopards hunt. The first was a young male, who lay concealed on the bank and pounced whenever a group of impalas came in for a drink. Within an hour he had tried this twice, and each time his impatience got the better of him and the impalas got away. His was a chaotic attempt and showed a lack of experience and patience, skills he would learn from these failed attempts. Of course for us photographing the scene, it was great fun.

About two years later, we caught up with another leopard, lying in the shade on the bank of the river.  Impalas were drinking and she never made a move but watched intently.  My guest enquired why she was not attempting to catch one, and I pointed out that she was experienced and knew she had to wait for the right moment. If we wanted to witness and photograph the action, we would have do the same. We parked the vehicle in a good position and waited two hours. Animals came and left and just when we thought nothing else was coming in, a lone impala arrived, had a drink, and walked straight towards the leopard. She lay dead still and we held our breath. It’s always difficult as your root for both predator and prey, but you must let nature take its course. The impala got to within a meter of her before she reacted. It was all over very quickly, her patience paid off just as ours did.

The wilderness, the landscapes, the animals big and small, and most of all the people of Mashatu – Thank you. The impact you have had on my life will last forever.

Thank you to all the team at Mashatu Game Reserve – management, guides, trackers, back of house staff, workshop, reservations and all the support staff – you truly are the best.  Also thank you to all the guests I have hosted, it’s been an absolute pleasure. Aubrey Tseleng and  Karabo LeBronpeter Moilwa, both outstanding photographers and teachers of the craft, will be continuing to host photographers from around the world here at Mashatu Game Reserve.  I have loved working with them both.

by Janet Kleyn