29 March
AM
It was another cool, cloudy morning, as we left the lodge and headed towards the east. As we drove down the Kruger Boundary, we bumped into a rhino bull, near Milkberry. He was heading towards the watering hole for a drink. He took his time, ambling towards the dam, before submerging his big lips into the muddy water. He then slurped thirstily, still listening to us with his big leathery ears. After quenching his thirst, he contemplated having a wallow, but decided against it before making his way back towards Kruger. Next, we headed back towards the west, to join a sighting of a female cheetah, near Gowrie Cutline. We lost her in the block just north of Gowrie Dam. The bush here is very thick and nasty, so we decided to leave her, hoping she would pop back out later.

PM
This afternoon, we managed to relocate the cheetah female from this morning. She was lying up atop a termite mound, watching for some prey. After some time, she hopped to her feet and darted off. We managed to follow her for some time, but then left to join another sighting nearby. A young male leopard was also lurking about near Nyala Dam. He was a bit skittish and seemed to appear and disappear amongst the long grass and bush as we followed him. He then made his way into the drainage line, where he found a nice fallen log, upon which he lay down and posed for us.

30 March
AM
It was fairly misty this morning, which is a sure sign that it's going to be a hot day. The sun was slowly climbing over the horizon, glowing a golden-range color through the soft mist. The bush was fairly quiet, except for an array of impala, zebra, and waterbuck. The birds were also plentiful, as usual. Later in the morning, we bumped into the young male leopard, Nyala, on Djuma Central. He was walking along the road, keeping himself busy, listening to the sounds of birds and squirrels, rustling through the bush. He made his way to Three in a Row Pan, where he had a drink, before disappearing into a thicket.

PM
This afternoon, we had a stroke of luck, as we came across a female cheetah on the open area in front of Paul Kruger's Camp. She was lying up in the late afternoon sun, which made her amber eyes glow. Her tail was swishing back and forth as she swatted the flies, buzzing around her. We then headed to Buffelshoek Dam for some sundowners. A pod of hippo was bobbing about in the water. Two of the tiniest calves would pop their heads out of the water every now and then, to take a breath of air before disappearing again. Eventually, one of the little ones headed to the bank, where it splashed about in the shallow water, opening it's tiny pink mouth, trying to look very fierce.

31 March
AM
We had a great start to our morning drive, when we came across a leopard at Hardekool. The young male was drinking water from the dam, when we spotted him, and then moved off into the bush. We then took a relaxed drive up to Manyeleti, where we were lucky to spot another male leopard, near S8 Dam. This male was very skittish, and darted off almost as soon as we saw him. At the dam itself, a huge herd of buffalo was enjoying a morning drink, while a small group of hippo watched them from the water. We stopped for coffee at S9 Dam, where a few more hippos watched us curiously from inside the water.

PM
We had a tremendous stroke of luck, this evening, as we came across the Manyeleti male lion with one of the Sandy Patch lionesses. For the first time, we were able to see the new additions to the Sandy Patch Pride! Four tiny cubs were trying to escape from their hiding place, while their mom picked them up one at a time, trying to put them back. The Manyeleti Male, who fathered these cubs, was lying up nearby, not paying any attention. A male cheetah was also seen, this evening, on the open area next to Kobus' Dam.

The Ranger's diary is updated weekly

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