Renewal, transformation & life at Umlani - Page 4

WE RECENTLY HAD SOME RETURN GUESTS WHO HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH ME WITH A REQUEST, TO SEE LEOPARD. NOT AN UNCOMMON REQUEST AS LEOPARDS ARE OFTEN ON THE VERY TOP OF THE LIST OF THINGS TO SEE. BUT THIS REQUEST WAS DIFFERENT, I HAD AN EXTREMELY GOOD RUN WITH SEEING LEOPARDS AND MY CONFIDENCE HAD BEEN SKY HIGH IN MY COMMUNICATION TO THE GUESTS. I MAY HAVE EVEN PROMISED THEM A LEOPARD, SO WITH THAT BEING SAID THE GUESTS ARRIVED AND IMMEDIATELY REMINDED ME OF MY PROMISE THAT I HAD MADE, THE CATCH I ONLY HAD ONE DRIVE TO DO IT IN.

ANOTHER YEAR HAS COME AND GONE, 2019 WAS AN INCREDIBLE YEAR FOR GAME VIEWING HERE AT UMLANI BUSHCAMP. OUR BIG CAT VIEWING WAS SOME OF THE BEST IT HAS BEEN IN RECENT TIMES AND WE HAVE ALSO SEEN THE BUSH GET SOME MUCH NEEDED REPRIEVE FROM THE DRY PASSED YEARS IN THE FORM OF A LOT OF MUCH NEEDED RAIN. IN THIS BLOG WE WILL TAKE A LOOK AT THE BEST SIGHTINGS WE HAD THIS YEAR, SOME OF YOU WILL EVEN REMEMBER BEING HERE AND WITNESSING THEM FOR YOURSELF. IN THIS BLOG WE REVISIT SOME OF OUR MOST MEMORABLE SIGHTINGS OF THE YEAR, WE HOPE YOU ENJOY THE TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE.

THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER NOT ONLY SAW US HAVING SOME INCREDIBLE SIGHTINGS BUT IT WAS ALSO THE MONTH THE FIRST BIG RAINS FOR THE SEASON ARRIVED TURNING THE BROWN ARID BUSHVELD INTO A LUSH GREEN PARADISE. AS ALWAYS THE BIG CATS BROUGHT MANY SIGHTINGS FOR THE MONTH BUT WE ALSO SAW AN ABUNDANCE OF ELEPHANTS AND GENERAL GAME TOO. WITH THE RAINS THAT WE RECEIVED A FEW OF THE SMALLER THINGS LIKE THE TORTOISES AND VARIOUS FROG SPECIES HAVE BEEN OUT AND ABOUT FILLING THE NIGHTS WITH THEIR CHORUSES, NOVEMBER HAS DEFINITELY SIGNALED THE START OF THE TIME OF PLENTY.

SINCE THE DISAPPEARANCE OF MARULA WE DEFINITELY FELT IT WITH A SIGNIFICANT DROP IN THE REGULARITY OF LEOPARD SIGHTINGS, HOWEVER IN RECENT WEEKS SOME OF OUR OTHER LEOPARDS HAVE BECOME MORE REGULAR AND SEEN A LOT MORE INCLUDING A NEW YOUNG MALE THAT SEEMS TO HAVE MADE THE AREA AROUND THE TREEHOUSE HIS HOME FOR NOW UNTIL THE LARGER ROTHSAY MALE PICKS UP ON HIM AND CHASES HIM OFF.
WE RECENTLY HAD TWO INCREDIBLE SIGHTINGS OF THESE DIFFERENT MALES RIGHT ON THE CAMPS DOORSTEP.

SPRING HAS SPRUNG HERE IN THE BUSH, AND ALTHOUGH WE STILL AWAIT THE FIRST REAL RAINS OF THE SEASON TO BRIGHTEN EVERYTHING UP, THE GAME VIEWING HAS BEEN PHENOMENAL. IT HAS BEEN A MONTH OF EXTREMES, NOT ONLY HAVE WE EXPERIENCED MASSIVE WEATHER FLUCTUATIONS FROM SUMMER-LIKE HEAT TO GUSTING WINDS THAT DROPPED THE TEMPERATURES INTO THE LOW TEENS, BUT THE SIGHTINGS HAVE ALSO BEEN OFF THE CHARTS...ON BOTH ENDS OF THE SCALES. OUR LION SIGHTINGS WEREN'T AS GOOD AS PAST MONTHS AS THE MYAMBULA PRIDE TOO SHOWED SOME EXTREME BEHAVIOR AND ALL BUT DISAPPEARED FROM OUR TRAVERSING WITH ONLY A COUPLE OF SIGHTINGS OF THEM WHEN THEY MADE THE ODD APPEARANCE. WITH THE ABSENCE OF THE LIONS THOUGH OUR OTHER TOP PREDATORS CAME TO THE PARTY, WE HAVE HAD A PACK OF WILD DOGS DENNING ON OUR TRAVERSING AREA, THE LEOPARDS HAVE BEEN A RELATIVE CONSTANT THROUGH THE MONTH AND ON ONE OCCASION WE EVEN GOT TO SPEND TIME WITH 3 CHEETAH BROTHERS. SO ENJOY THIS INSTALLMENT OF OUR MONTHLY SAFARI HIGHLIGHTS.