A Report from Kings Pool in Linyanti: the season so far in 2007.
January has been a hot and wet month in Kings Pool. The area has experienced some severe rainstorms, with as much as 128mm in an hour and a half, contrasting with dry hot spells - the water level in the Linyanti River continues to rise very quickly. Most of the floodplains are flooded and the Linyanti Concession is a paradise once again. Interestingly, even as far as the Savuti Channel, water is pushing in along the famous dry riverbed.
The game has been outstanding. We had frequent sightings of lion, elephant, wild dog, leopard and lots of other general game. Of course, because of the rain, elephants are spread out all over the concession, moving further into the Mopane woodland, but every now and then the breeding herds make an impressive comeback.
Lion seen on game drives from Kings Pool this month were the Linyanti and Selinda prides. The Linyanti Pride comprises three females, three cubs and one unknown male. They were mostly seen between the Kings Pool airstrip and Nkwe hide area. We also had a sighting of one of the females from the LTC pride mating with an unknown male. We witnessed this on drives for four consecutive days!
Early in January, the Selinda female and her two cubs returned to the Selinda concession but later in the month re-emerged in Linyanti area, mostly seen between the Chobe 1 and Livingstone's hide area. We are happy to see the cubs growing very quickly without being under any threat. They are still entirely dependent on their mother to do most of the hunting. When the mother goes on a serious hunt, she gives them a special growl sound and they obediently stay behind.
The spectacular sightings of wild dogs added another flavour. Both packs of wild dogs, namely DumaTau and Linyanti packs, were sighted in the Kings Pool area. The DumaTau pack is made up of ten adults and six puppies while the Linyanti pack is made up of five adults. In terms of the frequency of sightings, the DumaTau pack took the lead. The pack covers the area up to 10km north-east of Kings Pool camp and another amazing 100km north-west of Kings Pool. They travel as far as the Kwando Concession.
The following leopards were seen this month: Boscia female, Motopi, Thonningii female and Thonningii male. We only had a single sighting of the Boscia female being chased by a troop of baboons. She escaped by quickly running into the Mopane woodland. It is a common event in the Linyanti Concession for the baboons to chase leopards during the day whenever they see them. However, baboons can only do that when they are in a group. A single baboon cannot challenge a leopard.The Motopi female, the daughter of Boscia female, was seen with two different Impala kills in different locations.
The most interesting kill happened nearby at the back of the camp kitchen. Managers closing down the camp after an evening with guests drove 50 metres from kitchen and found the leopard holding down a struggling adult female impala, much bigger than her own size. Once the struggle stopped the leopard dragged her prize into the undergrowth. Efforts to find the kill the next morning were sadly unsuccessful and it is more than likely that the hyaenas who frequent the camp had taken the carcass it for themselves.
The Thonningii male is the Kings Pool territorial male. His territory overlaps the territories of eight different females. He can travel 20km north-east and 10km south-west of Kings Pool camp. As a result of having a bigger territory, we don't see him all that often except in the winter dry season.
This time of year is favoured by many for photographic reasons; the lush green vegetation is an ideal backdrop for these beautiful animals and birds; birdlife in the Linyanti Concession is always wonderful and the stormy skies with the sun's rays behind provides the most magnificent light, especially sunset. The sunset always silhouettes a bird of prey perched on a fallen tree and turns the river water into extraordinary pinks, purples and oranges. Ripples spurred on by the water birds: Jacanas stepping across waterlilies, Kingfishers diving into the pink glassy surface, Herons picking their way alongside the rushes alert for that tiny movement giving away the fishes' hiding place and the Weavers landing on a thread of papyrus which then sways under their delicate bodies.
The warm air, the warm-coloured skies and the cacophony of frogs and hippo calls amount to the most magical of moments in Africa. All the guests have been amazed by the different sounds of frogs especially the painted reed frog and bull frog.
One guest highlighted the diversity of the Linyanti, saying: "It's nice to experience both the wet and dry season because they are totally different but equally as good".Report by Keiditsemang 'KD' GabogolelweKings Pool Guide
The game has been outstanding. We had frequent sightings of lion, elephant, wild dog, leopard and lots of other general game. Of course, because of the rain, elephants are spread out all over the concession, moving further into the Mopane woodland, but every now and then the breeding herds make an impressive comeback.
Lion seen on game drives from Kings Pool this month were the Linyanti and Selinda prides. The Linyanti Pride comprises three females, three cubs and one unknown male. They were mostly seen between the Kings Pool airstrip and Nkwe hide area. We also had a sighting of one of the females from the LTC pride mating with an unknown male. We witnessed this on drives for four consecutive days!
Early in January, the Selinda female and her two cubs returned to the Selinda concession but later in the month re-emerged in Linyanti area, mostly seen between the Chobe 1 and Livingstone's hide area. We are happy to see the cubs growing very quickly without being under any threat. They are still entirely dependent on their mother to do most of the hunting. When the mother goes on a serious hunt, she gives them a special growl sound and they obediently stay behind.
The spectacular sightings of wild dogs added another flavour. Both packs of wild dogs, namely DumaTau and Linyanti packs, were sighted in the Kings Pool area. The DumaTau pack is made up of ten adults and six puppies while the Linyanti pack is made up of five adults. In terms of the frequency of sightings, the DumaTau pack took the lead. The pack covers the area up to 10km north-east of Kings Pool camp and another amazing 100km north-west of Kings Pool. They travel as far as the Kwando Concession.
The following leopards were seen this month: Boscia female, Motopi, Thonningii female and Thonningii male. We only had a single sighting of the Boscia female being chased by a troop of baboons. She escaped by quickly running into the Mopane woodland. It is a common event in the Linyanti Concession for the baboons to chase leopards during the day whenever they see them. However, baboons can only do that when they are in a group. A single baboon cannot challenge a leopard.The Motopi female, the daughter of Boscia female, was seen with two different Impala kills in different locations.
The most interesting kill happened nearby at the back of the camp kitchen. Managers closing down the camp after an evening with guests drove 50 metres from kitchen and found the leopard holding down a struggling adult female impala, much bigger than her own size. Once the struggle stopped the leopard dragged her prize into the undergrowth. Efforts to find the kill the next morning were sadly unsuccessful and it is more than likely that the hyaenas who frequent the camp had taken the carcass it for themselves.
The Thonningii male is the Kings Pool territorial male. His territory overlaps the territories of eight different females. He can travel 20km north-east and 10km south-west of Kings Pool camp. As a result of having a bigger territory, we don't see him all that often except in the winter dry season.
This time of year is favoured by many for photographic reasons; the lush green vegetation is an ideal backdrop for these beautiful animals and birds; birdlife in the Linyanti Concession is always wonderful and the stormy skies with the sun's rays behind provides the most magnificent light, especially sunset. The sunset always silhouettes a bird of prey perched on a fallen tree and turns the river water into extraordinary pinks, purples and oranges. Ripples spurred on by the water birds: Jacanas stepping across waterlilies, Kingfishers diving into the pink glassy surface, Herons picking their way alongside the rushes alert for that tiny movement giving away the fishes' hiding place and the Weavers landing on a thread of papyrus which then sways under their delicate bodies.
The warm air, the warm-coloured skies and the cacophony of frogs and hippo calls amount to the most magical of moments in Africa. All the guests have been amazed by the different sounds of frogs especially the painted reed frog and bull frog.
One guest highlighted the diversity of the Linyanti, saying: "It's nice to experience both the wet and dry season because they are totally different but equally as good".Report by Keiditsemang 'KD' GabogolelweKings Pool Guide
Labels: Kings Pool Report
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