Amakhosi Safari Lodge

Bush Beat (February 2010)

1 February 2010

When the dust settles…

It has been a busy couple of months at Amakhosi but also rewarding in many ways, rewarding to see all the new life of summer, rewarding to share those special moments out in the bush and rewarding to see people’s dreams come true.

The Zululand bush did not disappoint this festive season and many guests at Amakhosi witnessed incredible - close up - sightings of elephants, lions and cheetahs. One particular incident that happened, with Dean (one of our guides), one morning had his guests enthralled for more than half an hour. The alpha female of the Northern lion pride caught a big wildebeest bull but did not dispatch it in her usual quick and ruthless way; instead she left it to the youngsters to finish off. She has done this before but this time she offered no help, it was all in their hands now. The young lion where all over this wildebeest, on its back, flanks, underneath but none of them could really take that decisive killing bite in the vital neck/throat area. After a while it all seemed a bit cruel and unnecessary but in nature cruelty does not exist and our opinions does not really matter, it was nature going its course pure and simple. Eventually the wildebeest was dispatched and the feast could start. These young lions learned that the food mom provides does not always want to be eaten and will fight to stay alive, next time these lions will be more effective and decisive in the business of killing. It is impossible to describe the atmosphere at such a spectacle and one can only be left in awe.

An incident that I experienced myself reminded me of how incredibly inadequate we humans are compared to that quintessential cat, the leopard. My tracker (Nduku) and I where driving on the western sector of the reserve when he noticed a drag mark over the road, He assumed without pondering too much that it was a large female rock python that crossed there as she is very often seen in this area. I had a guest that was very keen on snakes and thought it would be great to get him a nice 4m python. I took my snake tongs and handed my Rifle to Nduku, told my guests that we will be back in 5 minutes. I lead the walk with my tongs testing the long grass to make sure I did not get a surprise from the snake’s business end. We followed the drag through the grass into a drainage line with very steep sandy walls. We reached a thick shrub and could not go around it so I decided to climb out of the drainage line and go around and back in again. Just before we did so Nduku’s keen eyes picked up a “bamba” (a kill) through the entangled undergrowth and I though we have our snake for sure!

We climbed up the steep bank and went around the thicket, when we saw the dead impala we realised that it was not killed by the python but by a leopard as the carcass was opened up. I took my rifle from Nduku and we very slowly walked another 25 meters down the ditch when the big Tomcat popped out not more that 15 meters from us, took a couple of strides and then stopped to have a quick look at us before melting back into the undergrowth. That leopard was aware of our every move and and despite Nduku’s keen eyes and ears we never realised that it was literally meters away from us. The animal chose to leave us alone despite the fact that we invaded his space. I was humbled. After a careful analysis we realised that the leopard killed that Impala that morning and then dragged it over the road down into the ditch to feed in peace.

There is much to be said about what Africa does to one’s soul, I have heard some say that Africa’s dust gets into your being and you will always long to return. I am rooted to this continent by birth, its people, wildlife and rhythms are as part of me as the air I breathe but I imagine that people visiting from other continents must also feel that sense of mystique and wonder. To come to Africa is to explore raw wildlife but invariably also one’s own soul. So when the dust settles it is time to contemplate, savor and dream and those memories will be yours forever.

Alwyn Wentzel
General Manager
Amakhosi Safari Lodge

Stay informed

Want to be kept informed? Sign up for our newsletter or visit the news page, or Amakhosi Blog.