February ’15 Field Guide Report by Matt

 So at some point in this year it was January, the next thing I know a cycle has flown by and February came to an end. Admittedly February is a short month but it seems to have flown past. We still have had no rain and the bush is prematurely turning the beautiful blonde colour that suggests the rain might not come this season. The last few years have seen really plentiful with rain and when I drove in a drainage line a few days ago the ruts filled with water. So the crests have this golden colour and in the valleys it is still largely green. There are no almost no pans of water left, so all the animals have been spending more and more time along the river. This is really good news as Inyati is perfectly positioned to have excellent game viewing all day long. 

So in this last month we have seen Hlaba Nkunzi a few times and had the privilege of seeing her new cub who is around three months or so. She crosses into our neighbouring property and so we don’t see her as much as we used to so it’s nice to see little cubs. Tlangisa is still thriving in the North and it is quite difficult to tell at a glance between her and her cubs. They are fast approaching a year old and are so big. They must surely be thinking about starting to learn to hunt. Dewane has now officially displaced Nyeleti and has been seen far east of our traverse which has historically been Nyeleti’s territory. Nyeleti has moved east out of our traverse and south, so we don’t see him all too often anymore. Xhikavi, Schotia, Ravenscourt and Torchwood have all put on cameo displays for us but they are not seen all that regularly.

Leopards like Boulders haven’t been seen in a few months. Dewane has been around a lot and we have seen him patrolling his territory and feeding on kills and generally posing like the rock star he is! The Ximungwe’s are still at a composition of six and doing pretty well, they are a clever bunch of lions and I’m sure the Majingies don’t even know they exist. The sub-adults are looking really big at the moment and should be in the clear. The two Othawa sub-adults have not been seen with the adults in weeks, yet they are doing well and by all accounts have started hunting for themselves as the few times I’ve seen them they have both been full and looking happy.

There have been hundreds of buffalo and elephants all over the property, they have taken it upon themselves to redecorate the reserve for us and we are constantly having to clear the roads of big trees they keep pushing over.

So I have saved the best for last, only for the few people who read on to the end of the blogs. I’ll let you into the secret… One of the Othawa’s has cubs. She has been seen in the north/eastern part of the territory but I haven’t seen them yet. I cant wait to get my first glimpse of the Majingilanes hard earned reward.

That’s all from Matt for this month. We thank you for spending few moments with us in the wilderness, sharing our experiences and joining our adventures. We are committed to keep you updated. Please follow our Facebook page for daily updates.

Regards, THE INYATI TEAM

Keith & Francis – Managers George (Head Guide) & Solly (Tracker) Khimbini (Senior Guide) & Rodger (Tracker) Matthew (Senior Guide) & Nelson (Tracker)

This month’s sightings report compiled by Matthew Brennan. Photographs by Khimbini, Keith and Matthew