Phinda – Lion cubs on a kill

This morning at Phinda Forest Lodge we find a lioness with three six-ish month old cubs. The lioness has recently killed a wildebeest, and has stashed it under a palm. They have fed from it already, and the mother has buried the entrails, but not well enough to avoid the attentions of a nearby side-striped jackal, which makes off with a prized section of intestine.

We also find the cheetah cubs from yesterday again – their mother still hasn’t made a kill, and they have moved a fair distance overnight. They still look hungry and skinny for young cubs.

 

The photo below has some rarely seen behaviour from two nyala bulls  seen from close to the track – grooming each other’s faces to remove ticks. As someone currently covered in tick bites, I can understand how itchy these two nyala must be!

Nyala are interesting creatures – they are the ‘transition’ species in antelope. The male is a bull, the female a ewe, and the offspring are ‘lambs’. We found a new born nyala lamb in the dark – it sounds exactly like a lamb bleating.

The afternoon game drive starts out as ‘spot the reptile’. Other than the occasional gecko and skinks, we have seen no sizeable reptiles. On the way out, we startle an iguana, which moves off the road into the undergrowth, and at the nearby waterhole, we find this large water monitor sunbaking on a tree limb.

This handsome 6 year old lion is a new introduction to Phinda Private Game Reserve – he has only recently stopped charging at vehicles, but his expression at times suggested that he was still considering charging at us as his preferred action. He is the same male lion from last night from the first night at Forest Lodge. Nearby is the lioness. Their four day mating marathon must be close to coming to an end.

Later on, we find the other female cheetah with cubs – these ones are only 3 months old, and look more like honey badgers than cheetahs. Their mother has them well off the road in a burnt out area, so it is difficult to get a close look at them as the sun sets.

After it is dark, we revisit the location of the wildebeest kill from this morning, and find that the lioness has dragged it out from under the palm to feed on it. Two out of the three cubs are feeding, and one seems to be trying to sleep off the effects of a full stomach. The same jackal is also hanging around hoping to steal some food.

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And to cap off a great game drive, a couple of chameleons are spotted in a tree at the side of the road on the way back to the lodge.