Bateleur 2: The wind did not deter us

On Saturday morning, our first full day in Bateleur, we left the camp at 5:40 am tucked up with blankets and hot water bottles. (It was very cold and windy.) I was dressed in almost everything I had packed: both silk and 32 degree leggings under my pants, with similar layering on top. I bought a warmer hat and scarf from the gift shop and wore those as well.

We drove immediately to the lion feast we had visited the evening before. The entire pride was still there, joined now by the solitary male (brother) we had seen in the afternoon. The two subadult males were relegated to the edges of the group, probably pushed there by the dominant males. Once male lions reach sexual maturity they are forced out of the pack by the breeding male(s), forced to make their own way (or not) and eventually challenge other males for control of a pride.  Young male lions are most successful if their exile includes brothers (see Simba in the Lion King, although Simba’s “brothers” don’t represent the norm:)  

Except for the smallest cubs, there was not a lot of activity this morning. Looking at those bloated bellies, one could see why. Lions (and other big cats) tend to eat every 3-4 days, gorging themselves on a kill, then spending several days sleeping it off. 

Last night, we saw a fresh, full carcass, with lions eating the buffalo inside out: guts first, then below and behind. This morning there was little left beyond the hide, skull, ribs and legs – parts the lions won’t eat that will eventually be devoured by hyenas. But the cats weren’t ready to surrender the carcass just yet, in case someone felt a bit peckish.

Leaving the lion pride to digest, we passed a number of elephants and saw our first ostrich, way off in the distance.

We passed beautiful blue-green granite in one of the stream beds, and very interesting boulders called gabbro, igneous rocks formed from sloe cooling magma below the earth’s surface. I didn’t get a picture, but here’s what gabbro looks like.

In the late morning we joined a queue for a Cheetah, then followed a 7-8 year old male for about ten minutes. Male cheetahs often hang together (like male lions) but this guy is solitary now because his brother was recently killed by a wildebeest.  Like Wild Dogs, Cheetahs have a very high mortality rate, lacking the size and strength and larger predators like lions and hyenas.  This male had eaten recently (see his bulging belly) and was very watchful, constantly scanning his surroundings.

Back at camp for the mid-day break, I found a handy key to the language guides and trackers were using to name the animals we saw: our tent names.

The cold wind continued throughout the afternoon, so there were few birds in the air and the herbivores were taking cover in the bushes.

We passed an intriguing tree house perched high above a waterhole.  I learned later that the treehouse is part of the Umlani Bushcamp.

A herd of elephants came calling at the waterhole as we watched.

We tracked a male leopard along the top of a riverine corridor, through very difficult terrain. This guy was hungry – you can see his hollow belly in the video.

As darkness approached, we made a Ferrari Safari to a waterhole on the far edge of the block looking for Maribou Storks (which another group had recently seen). Alas, a Green-backed Heron was the only bird in residence. As we returned in the dark, we were lucky to see two tiny, rarely seen nocturnal critters: a Bushbaby and a gorgeous little Scops Owl. Nobody captured a good picture of the Bushbaby, so I included a stock photo.