Renewal, transformation & life at Umlani - Page 5

CONCERNS AMONGST THE GUIDES AND TRACKERS IN THE CENTRAL TIMBAVATI WITH REGARDS TO MARULA FEMALE LEOPARD CONTINUE TO GROW WITH EACH PASSING DAY THAT SHE IS NOT SEEN. WHAT HAS BECOME OF OUR ONCE MOST VIEWED LEOPARD? WHEN IS IT TIME TO GIVE UP HOPE AND MAKE THE CALL?

AS THE MONTHS PASS BY IT SEEMS OUR SIGHTINGS JUST SEEM TO GET BETTER AND BETTER. JUST WHEN WE THINK IT CAN'T GET ANYMORE INCREDIBLE, MOTHER NATURE DELIVERS EVEN MORE SPLENDOR. JULY AND AUGUST SAW US HAVE ALMOST DAILY SIGHTINGS OF THE MYAMBULA PRIDE WHO SEEM TO DEFINITELY HAVE MADE THE CENTRAL TIMBAVATI THEIR NEW HOME AND CONTINUE TO INCREASE THE SIZE OF THEIR NEW FOUND TERRITORY. THE LEOPARDS REALLY ALL CAME OUT TO SHOW THEMSELVES AS WELL WITH US SEEING 12 INDIVIDUAL LEOPARDS. HOWEVER IT WASN'T JUST THIS THAT WAS OUTSTANDING IT WAS THE SHEER QUALITY OF LEOPARD SIGHTINGS THAT WE HAD THAT TRULY STANDS OUT. ELEPHANTS AND BUFFALO HAVE BEEN EVER PRESENT WITH LARGE HERDS OF BOTH SPECIES FREQUENTING OUR TRAVERSING AREA AROUND THE LAST REMAINING WATERHOLES. THEY SAY WINTER IS THE BEST TIME OF YEAR FOR GAME VIEWING AND FROM THIS LAST MONTH, WE COULDN'T AGREE MORE, SO FOR NOW ENJOY A BUMPER ISSUE OF THE LAST TWO MONTHS SAFARI HIGHLIGHTS CAPTURED IN PICTURES.

MANY PEOPLE READING THE TITLE OF THIS BLOG WILL THINK THAT ANY LEOPARD SIGHTING IS PERFECT, AND FOR THE MOST PART I TEND TO AGREE. HOWEVER, EVERY NOW AND THEN A LEOPARD SIGHTING IS EXTRA SPECIAL. IN THE CASE OF THE SIGHTING WE HAD RECENTLY I HONESTLY BELIEVE IT COULD NOT HAVE BEEN MORE PERFECT. IT HAD A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING AND PROBABLY SOME MORE. STARS ALIGNED, LUCK WAS ON OUR SIDE AND TIMING WAS EVERYTHING. HERE IS MY ACCOUNT OF THIS INCREDIBLE ENCOUNTER WE HAD WITH THREE VERY SPECIAL LEOPARDS THAT CALL THE TIMBAVATI HOME.

ANOTHER MONTH HAS FLOWN BY HERE AT UMLANI BUSHCAMP, WINTER HAS DEFINITELY SET IN WITH VERY FRESH MORNING AND EVENING TEMPERATURES. WE ENJOYED ALMOST DAILY LION SIGHTINGS IN JUNE WITH THE MYAMBULA PRIDE TAKING UP RESIDENCE ON OUR PROPERTY CLOSE TO THE PERMANENT WATER OF MARCOS DAM. LEOPARDS WERE A LITTLE MORE SCARCE PROBABLY DUE TO THE CONSTANT PRESENCE OF THE LIONS. WE STILL ENJOYED HUGE NUMBERS OF ELEPHANTS MOVING THROUGH OUR TRAVERSING AREA AND EVEN GOT TO SEE THE ODD BIG GROUP OF BUFFALO AS THEY SEARCH FOR WATER AND GOOD GRAZING IN THE TOUGH DRY SEASON. ENJOY THIS MONTHS INSTALLMENT OF OUR SAFARI HIGHLIGHTS FOR JUNE.

IT IS NOT OFTEN THAT WHEN GUESTS REQUEST TO SEE A KILL WE ARE ABLE TO DELIVER, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT IS NOT JUST ANY KILL THAT THEY WANT TO SEE, BUT WHEN THEY SPECIFY THAT THEY WANT TO SEE THE MOST ULTIMATE SPECTACLE THAT THE BUSH CAN PROVIDE IN THE FORM OF LIONS TAKING DOWN A BUFFALO. WHEN IT COMES TO WITNESSING KILLS A MIXTURE OF PATIENCE, LUCK AND BEING IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME ALL NEED TO COME TOGETHER AT THE SAME TIME WHICH IN ALL HONESTY DOES NOT HAPPEN ALL THAT OFTEN ALTHOUGH THE ACT OF PREDATORS KILLING HAPPENS ON A DAILY BASIS SOMEWHERE IN THE AFRICAN BUSH.
HOWEVER, WHEN THE GUESTS MADE THIS REQUEST NO ONE EXPECTED WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THAT TO ACTUALLY HAPPEN AND THE LONG TIME DREAM OF WITNESSING THIS EPIC BATTLE BETWEEN AFRICA'S LARGEST CARNIVORE AND AN OPPOSING ADVERSARY IN THE FORM OF THE CAPE BUFFALO TO BECOME A REALITY. HOWEVER IT DID...AND HERE IS THE STORY