8 January
AM
This morning, we headed up into Manyeleti, and did our rounds to all of the watering holes. We came across a herd of elephants at S9 Dam, who had just finished drinking, and were heading back into the bush to feed. Near S8, a couple of daga boys were having a soak in the water, as well as a pair of hippo. On our way back towards Buffelshoek, we bumped into a female cheetah near Galago. She was lying up in the shade of a Guarri bush. It looked as though she was trying to decide which way to head for the day, to search for some prey.

PM
This afternoon, after leaving Vuyatela, we came across a nice group of zebra and giraffe on Quarantine. They were very relaxed as we sat amongst them, watching them as they fed. We then joined a sighting, of the cheetah female from this morning, at Sidney's. She was stealthily stalking some impala, and it wasn't long before the chase was on. Unfortunately, she missed her intended target, an impala lamb, and opted to go and catch her breath in the shade. After dark, not too far away, we bumped into the male leopard, Mafufanyane. He was prowling through the bush, marking territory, and listening out for prey. He came across a Boomslang (Tree snake.) in the grass, and watched it curiously as it slithering up into a nearby tree. The cat them headed into a Knobthorn thicket, and we lost him to the darkness.

9 January
AM
This morning, the weather had changed, and there was a steady drizzle of rain falling. We had great luck with several groups of elephant bulls, on Buffelshoek. The best sighting was of a trio, drinking water at Hardekool. The elephants seemed to be enjoying the cool, wet weather. The rain also brought out other interesting creatures. There were tortoises walking about, just about everywhere. We even got to see a pair of leopard tortoises mating. There were also a few chameleons moving about, bravely crossing the road. We also saw plenty of giant land snails, gliding along the ground at a snails pace!

PM
This afternoon, we headed up into Manyeleti, hoping to find some lions. We didn't have much sign of the cats, as we searched about, checking all the watering holes. Eventually, we got lucky, when we bumped into two lionesses and a young male, lying up at S8 Dam. Luckily, they were quite close to the wall, so we got a great view of them. Eventually, the sun dropped below the horizon, and we had to make our way towards home. Along the way, we spotted a hyena, romping along in the dark, looking for a meal. We also had good luck, spotting two chameleons and a Bushbaby in our spotlight.

10 January
AM
In Manyeleti, this morning, we managed to locate a trio of rhino, as they meandered down the road, on Rhino Shortcut. You could see that they had just been wallowing in the mud, as their skin was glistening with a thick layer of wet clay. When they eventually disappeared into the distance, we searched around a bit more, and came across a nice group of four elephant bulls. One of them was a huge tusker. He was a lot more shy than the other three bulls, and wasn't to keen on showing us his immense tusks. We also had great sightings of general game, including giraffe, zebra and wildebeest.

PM
The Sandy Patch lionesses were milling around at Buffelshoek Dam this afternoon. They had found themselves a nice shady spot, and napped lazily as they swatted away the buzzing flies with their tails. We sat around for ages, hoping that they would become active, but they were already very full, so hunting was probably not on their agenda for the evening. Eventually, we left them, and scratched around the area for any other game. We managed to locate a breeding herd of elephants, south of Buffelshoek Dam. They seemed to be on a serious mission, as they tromped through the bush at a pace much too fast for us to attempt.

11 January
AM
We started off our drive this morning, with a superb sighting of a group of wildebeest, on Kaalkol. They had three calves with them, who were frolicking about, playfully. The females were also joining in to the fun, as the bull watched over them. We then received a call on the radio, that a cheetah female had been located on the open area in front of Nkorho. When we arrived on the scene, the cheetah was ling up behind a bush, intently watching a herd of impala near the pan. We sat with her for over an hour, as she slowly and stealthily crept closer to the unsuspecting herd. The lambs from the herd were bouncing about, chasing each other about in a playful display. Suddenly, the cheetah saw her opportunity and ran at the herd. She singled out a lamb and chased it into the drainage line. We rushed to catch up, and found that the cat had killed the young buck. We then stayed on the scene for the rest of the morning, watching the cheetah eat her meal. What an exciting morning!

PM
As we sat, having our tea on the deck at Vuyatela, this afternoon, we heard some monkeys making warning calls in the drainage line, in front of the lodge. We hurried to get into the vehicles, in order to investigate what might be scaring the monkeys. We managed to locate a young male leopard, walking down Mvubu Road. This particular male, who is still a fairly young cub, is very skittish, and ran off into the bush when we tried to approach. When we finally gave up trying to relocate him, we decided to carry on with our drive. We had great luck with elephant bull and daga boys, who seemed to be milling about at most of the watering holes in the area.

12 January
AM
We headed up into Manyeleti, this morning, where we had a super morning. We started off with a pair of Kori Bustards, near Ivory Route. These birds are a rarity in the area, so we were thrilled to be able to see them. Nearby, we also spied a group of ground hornbills, which were flying off in the distance, and then perched atop a dead Leadwood tree. At S9 Dam, we had our coffee as we watched a pair of elephant bulls enjoying a morning drink. On the other bank of the dam, a wooly-necked stork and a pair of knob-billed ducks were also at the water's edge.

PM
We spent most of the afternoon, tracking a male lion in the Longpole area, on Buffelshoek. Eventually, we managed to catch up with him as he sat under a bush as thou he was waiting for us to catch up. We are unfamiliar with this particular lion, which must be a nomad, moving through the area. He was stunning with a blond mane and golden eyes. After grooming himself for a little while, he was on the move again. After dark, we bumped into a male rhino at Jordaan's Dam. He was having a drink of water, and then headed over the dam wall towards Manyeleti. Soon, with a grunt and much huffing and puffing, he disappeared into a thicket.

The Ranger's diary is updated weekly

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