I have time for one more game drive this morning at Kwandwe, before leaving for Port Elizabeth airport for a flight to Cape Town, then London. I can hear the rain dripping from the thatched roof of the cabin. Half-awake and half-asleep for hours, I am conscious that it has also been raining for hours. Jami’s wake up call arrives promptly at 6am for the morning game drive. I can hear an unsaid question in his voice – are you sure you want to do this? The worst that can happen is that we get wet. The best case scenario is something unexpected is out and about in the rain.
By the time we depart at 6:45am, the rain has eased to a gentle drizzle, with some clear sky to the west. Within half an hour, Digby has spotted lion tracks in the soft ground on the trail.
We head off in the direction the lion has headed, only to stumble on the two sub-adult lions we observed yesterday morning, quite by accident. Unlike yesterday morning, all concerned are surprised by our sudden meeting. One male is 5 metres from the open vehicle, his more reticient brother is 8 metres away at 1 o’clock to the vehicle. We beat a hasty retreat to allow Digby to get off his chair perched at the front of the vehicle, and into the ‘relative’ safety of the interior – which resembles an open tin of fresh meat to a pair of hungry lions. We then approach them again at the same point, neither of them have moved, or seem disturbed by our presence. The more assertive brother, known as ‘Johnny Bravo’ is constantly yawning, and seems unfazed by the shutter sound accompanying everything he does. He appears to be struggling to keep his eyes open, but then must have decided that he can’t nap whilst we’re around, so time to rouse his brother to practice their hunting skills. On us. Both brothers rise and move to a tree they use as a scratching post, and tussle along the way. Johnny Bravo suddenly changes direction and confidently approaches the vehicle, prompting Jami to shout at him and start the vehicle. The green shape at the bottom of the photo is Jami’s rifle case. If Johnny Bravo wanted to, he’d be on the bonnet of the jeep before anyone could react. Johnny Bravo is obviously wise to this manouevre – he backs off and then approaches again, flicking his tail at his brother for tactical support. His brother seems disinterested, but Johnny Bravo persists in challenging the vehicle. We back up down the trail to allow them to move on – they follow us on the trail and then flank us to the right.
30 metres further down the trail, we have stopped and are watching their progress through the thicket, moving parallel to us, when Johnny Bravo rounds a small bush and challenges again. Enough is enough by then – the lion wants to play, but challenging a vehicle is not a behaviour that Kwandwe want to encourage, so Jami again revs the engine and advances to force Johnny Bravo to back off, and we then leave them in peace. Awesome!
It starts raining in earnest shortly after, but doesn’t last long. By the time we happen upon jackals feeding on a kill of springbok, the rain has stopped again. There is no sign of the predator who killed the springbok, and only the skeleton and pelt remain for the jackals to work on. Further on, Digby (who’s been on a roll for the last two days!), spotted leopard tracks on the soft earth of the road. The leopard is likely responsible for the kill, and has ambled down the road to find a spot for a well-earned siesta.
Kwandwe is a great game reserve, committed to responsibly and respectfully managing their animals, and is somewhere I would be happy to return to! The drive back to Port Elizabeth is a bit under 2 hours, and I’m grateful there is so little traffic on the road, as there are a series of squally rain showers along the way, reducing visibility quite a bit. I just need to watch out for hitch-hikers (there are a lot of them) along the way. The plane to Cape Town is delayed 30 minutes, but I safely make my connecting international flight to London at 20:15. Next stop, London!
