11 March
AM
This morning, the male leopard, Pink Nose, was still in the tree at Twin Dams, with the remnants of his kill. We were glad to see that he didn't lose it to the two lions from last night. His belly was nice and full, as he lay perched on the branch, sleeping. Down the road, at Nkorho, we joined a sighting of a female cheetah. She was sitting, watching a herd of impala on the open area in front of the lodge. We also had some really great elephant sightings, including a big tusker who was having a drink at Kudu Corner, before walking back into Kruger.

PM
By this afternoon, a weather front had moved in, and it had started raining. The bush looked a bit gray and gloomy, and a chilly wind was gusting through the trees and grass. Despite the wet weather, we had a great game drive, with several sightings. We came across some daga boys at Nyala dam, who loved the cool weather. The elephants we saw, scattered about on Buffelshoek, were also enjoying the weather, as they moved about feeding. After dark, we joined a sighting of two male lions at Bushbuck Dam. The two impressive cats looked a bit miserable, with their soggy manes, as they walked along the boundary to the east.

12 March
AM
The rain clouds had cleared, this morning, making way for the golden sun as it rose over the horizon. The air was crisp and cool, as we drove north, towards Manyeleti. Most of the game was still hiding out in thicker bush, as a cold wind was gushing. As the day warmed up, they would more than likely become active, and start heading to watering holes and good areas for feeding. We stopped at S9 Dam, for a hot cup of coffee, and watched a pair of hippo in the water. At S8 Dam, an old elephant bull was enjoying as scratch against a marula tree, after having sprayed himself with mud. Some lionesses were also seen this morning, near Big Dam, dragging a wildebeest kill into a thicket to feed.

PM
This afternoon, we headed straight for Big Dam, to see if we could relocate the lionesses on their wildebeest kill. We managed to spot two lionesses and were excited to see that they were new lions that we hadn't encountered before. They were stunning cats, of a dark, reddish brown, which is an unusual color for lions in this area. We couldn't see the carcass, as it had been dragged into a thicket. After leaving them, we headed along the boundary, where we could see a herd of about 10 elephants, strolling off into Manyeleti. We then headed to Milkberry, to join a sighting of a rhino bull. It was our old friend, with the half ear, who had crossed over from Kruger for a drink and a wallow.

13 March
AM
This morning, as we were driving east along the Gowrie/Buffelshoek Boundary, we bumped into the Skuthane lionesses trotting along the road. We were happy to see the oldest female, Magogo, was still with them, and looking good. We also saw that the very thin female we'd been seeing on her own, had managed to catch up with the pride, and it looked as though she'd had a meal. The rest of the lionesses were waiting for her to catch up as she lagged behind, so hopefully she'll be able to keep up with them, and recover. After leaving these girls, we headed up to Umbrella Thorn Clearing, where we came across two magnificent male lions. They were huge and their manes were a lovely shade of blonde. We guessed that they had come out of Kruger, as they were very skittish. Later in the morning, we stopped at Sussen's Dam for coffee. In the water were three adult hippo and two of the tiniest calves we've ever seen. On the bank, a crocodile was basking in the sun. Suddenly, an elephant bull appeared and came to the water for a drink. It was a marvelous scene to behold as we sipped our coffee and Amarula!

PM
This afternoon, we started our drive with a foursome of black backed jackals near Buffelshoek Airstrip. They were lying up in the sun, grooming each other playfully. We then found a herd of buffalo on the Manyeleti Boundary. They were heading towards Big Dam for an afternoon drink. Nearby, we also came across a huge elephant bull, with amazing tusks, feeding on clumps of grass. Not far from there, near Milkberry, we came across the rhino bull with the half ear. Once again, he was heading to Milkberry for an evening drink. We stopped for sundowners at a nearby clearing, where we were joined by the rhino after he'd finished at the dam. It was quite dark, and he was walking straight towards us. We hopped onto the vehicle and finished our drinks with our visitor grazing nearby. The two male lions, from this morning, were also spotted this evening, running down Rhino Cutline.

14 March
AM
We scratched around Western Gowrie, for a while this morning, where we came across some daga boys, and elephant bulls. We then took a turn around Cheetah Plains and the Mala Mala boundary. As we turned up Green Thorn we bumped into two leopards. White Cloth Female and her male cub, were walking straight up the middle of the road. The youngster would walk ahead of his mom and hide in the grass, pouncing on her as she got close enough to him. Mom just kept walking along, being very tolerant of the games as she kept an eye out for prey. Eventually, the two crossed over into Annette's. A male cheetah was also spotted this morning, south of Cheetah Plains, inside Mala Mala.

PM
As we sat drinking our afternoon tea, on the deck at Vuyatela, we watched the array of usual visitors in front of the lodge, but we also had a young bull elephant drinking at the dam. When we set out on drive, we came across a huge herd of buffalo on the Manyeleti Boundary, near Sydney's. They were heading to the water for a drink. We sat with them for ages, watching all the different actions and interactions of the herd. There were several pregnant females as well as plenty of females with tiny calves. The old bulls just walked along, pushing everyone out of their way. We left the herd to join a sighting of a female cheetah, on an open clearing, nearby. She was lying under a magic Guarri tree, flicking flies with her long tail. After dark, the Sandy Patch lionesses made an appearance at Buffelshoek Dam, before heading into the bush for a night of hunting.

The Ranger's diary is updated weekly

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