MALAMALA GAME RESERVE GAME REPORT AUGUST 2016 AREAS COVERED: MARTHLY / EYREFIELD / MALAMALA / FLOCKFIELD / CHARLESTON WEATHER SUMMARY AUGUST

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1 MALAMALA GAME RESERVE GAME REPORT AUGUST 2016 AREAS COVERED: MARTHLY / EYREFIELD / MALAMALA / FLOCKFIELD / CHARLESTON WEATHER SUMMARY AUGUST AUGUST WEATHER SUMMARY TEMPERATURE Celsius ( C) Fahrenheit ( F) Actual Average Actual Average Maximum 32 26,4 Maximum 89,6 79,4 Minimum 9 13,0 Minimum 48,2 55,4 RAINFALL Millimeters Inches Days of rain 0 0,00 0 *AGES ARE APPROXIMATIONS AS AT END OF AUGUST 2016 LIONS STYX PRIDE = 13 1 ADULT FEMALE 13 YEARS 7 MONTHS 1 ADULT FEMALE 8 YEARS 7 MONTHS 1 ADULT FEMALES 5 YEARS 7 MONTHS 2 ADULT MALES 4 YEARS 7 MONTHS 5 CUBS ±5 MONTHS 3 CUBS ±2 MONTHS NORTHERN EYREFIELD Males last seen with core pride: May, Last seen: January, 2016 (4 sightings) Our encounters with the Styx pride in August were somewhat less than they have been in the months previously, with four sightings of these lions being recorded in total - all of which took place during the second and third weeks of the month. Our first encounter was with a single lioness and six of the cubs, on the Gowrie boundary - these animals spent a majority of the day laying around on the boundary close to the Mlowathi River before moving off the property in the evening. This was the first and last we saw of the cubs during the month. The remainder of our viewing of this pride, consisted of between one and all three lionesses - all in the company of a couple of Gowrie males. During one of which, these animals were seen sharing the remains of a kudu kill around Mlowathi dam.!1

2 EYREFIELD PRIDE = 10 2 ADULT FEMALES 9 YEARS 2 MONTHS 1 SUB-ADULT MALE 4 YEARS 6 MONTHS 1 SUB-ADULT FEMALE 4 YEARS 6 MONTHS 1 SUB-ADULT MALE 4 YEARS 3 MONTHS 1 SUB-ADULT MALE 4 YEARS 0 MONTHS 1 FEMALE CUB 9 MONTHS 1 MALE CUB 9 MONTHS 1 FEMALE CUB 8 MONTHS 1 MALE CUB 8 MONTHS MALA MALA, FLOCKFIELD (20 sightings) 19 and 20 - the number of: days we viewed members from the Eyrefield pride and encounters we had with them, respectively. On one day, there were two separate sightings of the Eyrefield pride - which happened to be of the youngest lioness and one of the Matshapiri males spending some time away from the pride as they spent it mating. This was recorded on two days during August, the other was in much closer proximity to the pride. In addition to these two days, the Eyrefield pride were seen with the Matshapiri males on six ore occasions - four of which they shared three different buffalo kills. With the drought ongoing, these lions have capitalising on the opportunity to take down the weaker animals, keeping themselves all very well fed, basically moving around their territory following the herds of buffalo which pass through virtually on a daily basis to drink from the Sand River. Over the middle of the month, the bulk Eyrefield pride wasn't seen for three days - our only sightings were of the the youngest lioness, around Dudley crossing. She was clearly searching for the remainder of the pride, initially making use of soft contact calls which escalated to full blown roars by the end of the second day - with no response form the others (that we could hear, anyway). The pride eventually met around Drum crossing, with evidence that the lionesses had some interaction with other lions. One of the older lionesses had a number of puncture wounds, a very pronounced limp and a laceration across the top of her nose. There are two options as to who it could have been - the Marthly breakaway pride (viewed once, in a similar area/time to where the youngest lioness was seen) or the Fourways pride. We are leaning toward the latter, as the Eyrefield pride spent a fair amount of time in the Fourways prides territory during August, announcing their presence often.!2

3 FOURWAYS PRIDE = 6 1 ADULT FEMALE UNKNOWN AGE 1 SUB ADULT FEMALE 6 YEARS 2 MONTHS 2 MALE CUBS 9 MONTHS 2 FEMALE CUBS 9 MONTHS EASTERN FLOCKFIELD (6 sightings) The Fourways pride spent the entirety of the first day they were spotted in August (3rd) napping on the bank of a dry river bed, that all changed as night fell however. An unsuspecting kudu bull stumbled across these lions, and met his demise - providing these six lions with a meal, lasting them just shy of two full days. We did not see them for a few days, until the two lionesses were seen close to the windmill at the start of the second week of the month. The following day, the pride was seen with a zebra kill, on our boundary with the Kruger National Park (KNP). Moving generally northwards from here, our last encounter with the members of the Fourways pride was along the eastern parts of the MalaMala-Flockfield boundary over the middle of the month. From there, they seemingly moved south and east, judging by tracks in the area, in the general direction of the KNP. Not seeing these lions for extended periods of time, is not too uncommon. However, with the clear evidence of a fight canvassed on the lionesses from the Eyrefield pride and the absence of the Fourways pride from their usual stomping ground, combined with the clear intrusion from the Eyrefield pride - it is more than likely these two groups of lions have had a run in. While this is possibly not their first interaction, as a clear yo-yo of movement with their shared territory on MalaMala has been noticed, it was definitely one where some physical contact more than likely took place. MARTHLY PRIDE = 11 2 ADULT FEMALES 14 YEARS 0 MONTHS 1 ADULT FEMALE 5 YEARS 1 MONTH 3 SUB-ADULT MALES 3 YEARS 2 MONTHS 1 SUB-ADULT FEMALE 3 YEARS 2 MONTHS 2 CUBS ±3 MONTHS 3 CUBS ±2 MONTHS MARHTLY, MALAMALA (15 sightings) August was another month when the two sub-adult males from the Marthly pride were seen the most often, this month they were seen with their mother and two siblings. We are not sure when they did, but during the first week of the month, these five lions were looking very comfortable with one another around Bicycle crossing. Clearly their choice of position was not purely based on comfort, but to take advantage of the easy hunting grounds which the confluence of three rivers makes in this persistent dry season. These five members of the Marthly pride were seen on four kills in the last half of August, one nyala and three buffalo - taking time off in between, resting in front of MalaMala main camp.!3

4 Two two lionesses were also seen, on two occasions - both of which were around Matumi rocks. One included an excellent backdrop of dark granite rocks, wild date palms, river sand and flowing water - while the two mothers napped and their five youngsters explored the surrounding area. and their five cubs being CHARLESTON PRIDE = 5 1 ADULT FEMALE 11 YEARS 7 MONTHS 2 ADULT MALES 5 YEARS 3 MONTHS 2 MALE CUBS ± 1 YEAR 5 MONTHS CHARLESTON (0 sightings of the female; 0 of the two male cubs; 0 of the two adult males) There were no sightings of the Charleston pride in August, on MalaMala. The two males are spending a lot of time with lionesses from the Southern pride, which they have sired a very new litter of cubs with. Their aunt and two young male cousins, spend most of their time just south of MalaMala. They have linked up with a young male lion, who is very protective over the youngsters - which is more than likely a great help (and relief) for the Charleston lioness. MATSHAPIRI PRIDE = 3 2 ADULT MALES ±6 YEARS 4 MONTHS 1 ADULT FEMALE ±4 YEARS 4 MONTHS FLOCKFIELD, SOUTHERN MALAMALA DOMINANT OVER THE EYREFIELD AND FOURWAYS PRIDES First encounter: April 2015 (17 sightings) While it cannot be confirmed 100%, but there was one day when the lioness from the Matshapiri pride was possibly seen. The visual was not the best, and with the recent overlap of territories between the Eyrefield and Fourways pride - there are a number of possibilities. As this is the case, it will not be recorded as a sighting of her. The two males from the pride, were seen on 17 occasions - spread over 15 days. On two of these days, the males were both seen separately - one day the mohawked male was seen with the youngest lioness from the Eyrefield mating some distance from his brother and the rest of the Eyrefield pride. The second day they were apart, both were in Flockfield - one in the western parts, the other the eastern. Of the prides which these males are dominant over, they were only seen with the Eyrefield pride during eight encounters. Besides the mating, they were also witnessed sharing two different buffalo kills with the Eyrefield pride. The first of which was directly after these males had come off a sub-adult buffalo kill, which they had presumably made themselves. It seems a trend is emerging where these males catch a buffalo calf to tide them over between sharing larger, more substantial meals with the Eyrefield pride.!4

5 TJELLAHANGA PRIDE=9 2 ADULT FEMALES UNKNOWN AGES 1 SUB-ADULT FEMALE ± 4 YEARS 7 MONTHS 6 SUB-ADULT MALES ± 4 YEARS 7 MONTHS EASTERN CHARLESTON, EASTERN FLOCKFIELD, EASTERN MALAMALA (0 sightings) There were no confirmed sightings of this pride. JAKKALSDRAAI MALES = 2 2 ADULT MALES 6 YEARS 1 MONTH WESTERN FLOCKFIELD, WESTERN CHARLESTON (0 sightings) There were no confirmed sightings of this pride. CLARENDON MALES = 2 2 ADULT MALES ±11 YEARS 8 MONTHS MARTHLY (2 sightings) Of the two sightings we had of these male lions in August, the first was in a very unusual place - in the Sand River, downstream from Rattray s camp. The single male, which was seen - was not alone, but in the company of six lionesses from the Marthly break-away pride. These lions reportedly killed a zebra, south of Flockfield drift, west of our boundary. The second encounter we had, was with both Clarendon males - along Jeremiah s loop in the last week of August. As good as it is to see them, they were positioned fairly close to where the Kikilezi female leopard was roaming - much relief was felt when there was no interaction between these two species. GOWRIE MALES = 5 1 ADULT MALE ± 5 YEARS 10 MONTHS 1 ADULT MALE ± 5 YEARS 4 MONTHS 3 ADULT MALES ± 4 YEARS 10 MONTHS EYREFIELD, MALAMALA - DOMINANT OVER THE STYX PRIDE First encounter: September 2015 (4 sightings) Two of the Gowrie males were spotted close to Tslebe rocks on the second day of August, much further south than they have ventured in recent months. They were followed that evening as they headed north off the property, right past a herd of kudu - in the direction of roaring, which we can assume to have stemmed from the other members of their coalition. Members of the Gowrie coalition were seen on three more occasions in the month, all of which were with the Styx pride, on the northern parts of the property. One included sharing a kudu kill.!5

6 Other lions encountered Marthly break-away pride: 1 sighting Six lionesses from the Marthly break-away pride were seen during August, in the company of one Clarendon male. They were all seen resting in the Sand River, south of Rattray s camp - reportedly having come off of a shared Zebra kill. August is the first encounter we have had with any of these lionesses since the last days of NUMBER OF DIFFERENT LIONS ENCOUNTERED (approximate) AUGUST 44 LEOPARDS: Note: 18th August was an exceptional day of leopard viewing on MalaMala with 16 unique individuals being seen on one day, including: two sets of leopards mating, two sets of two cubs and a leopard kill. BICYCLE CROSSING MALE WESTERN MALAMALA, FLOCKFIELD (8 sightings) 14 YEARS 6 MONTHS Once again, a majority of our sightings of the Bicycle crossing male were in the western parts of his territory - close to the Sand River. He was seen between Flockfield lookout and Charleston north crossing, and on one occasion just shy of the halfway mark in August patrolling in eastern Flockfield. This fourteen and a half year old leopard was seen on one kill (impala) during the month, on the eastern bank of the Sand River, opposite Rattray s camp. The Tamboti female was in the general area, and kept glancing in the general direction of the large fig tree in which the kill and the Bicycle crossing male were found. If this male stole the kill from her, or she was just aware of his presence in the area - we can not be certain. WEST STREET MALE CHARLESTON (3 sightings) 7 YEARS 4 MONTHS The West street male was not seen once on his own in August. Of the three sightings we had of this lioness-sized male leopard, they were all in the company of a younger female (referred to as the teardrop female, south of us), in the second half of the month. This pair were seen mating on all three of these encounters, which is definitely something which raises a few eyebrows as she was seen with cubs no longer than two months ago. Is the West street male being lead away from her cubs by distractive mating, or has she lost them and now seeking out dominant males in the area to father her next litter?!6

7 TREEHOUSE MALE WESTERN MALAMALA (14 sightings) ± 6 YEARS 8 MONTHS The Treehouse male was seen on 16 occasions in June, with a big drop in July being seen on 6. August, well - he made his presence known, in a big way. He was first seen on the eastern bank of the Sand River - a part of the property which was once roamed by the Airstrip male. Since his death, it is open territory for the Treehouse male to claim. Or is it? We often find tracks of an impressively sized male leopard south of Campbell koppies - do they belong to the Treehouse male, or another - more illusive individual. Over the course of the month, the Treehouse male roamed between both the eastern and western bank of the Sand River, between MalaMala main camp and Rattray s camp, being seen on 14 occasions in total. During our viewings of this leopard, he was seen in the company of at least two different individuals - both the Tamboti female and, her daughter, the Island female. The Treehouse male was seen with an unidentified female too, based on location we assume it to have been the Tamboti female - but this cannot be confirmed. During the six days which the Treehouse male spent with the two identified leopardesses, two were with the Island female and the remainder the Tamboti female. He was witnessed mating with both of them on numerous occasions and sharing an impala kill with the Tamboti female too. This was not the only kill which he was seen on, and was seen on the island south of the causeway with another impala carcass. TSLEBE ROCKS MALE NORTHERN EYREFIELD (0 sightings) ± 10 YEARS 2 MONTHS There were no confirmed sightings during the reported period. ACCIPITER MALE MALAMALA (4 sightings) ± 6 YEARS 0 MONTHS The Accipiter male was seen fairly often during August (by his standards), being spotted on 4 days of the month. The first two were in the general area of West Street bridge, the other two sightings in the Matshapiri river Between Drum crossing and Matshapiri open area crossing. On both of the days which he was seen close to the Matshapiri River, he was on different kills - impala and duiker. Additionally, he was not the only leopard in the area as both of these occasions a female was noticed too. The first could not be identified, the second was the Matshapiri female. Whether or not this is sheer coincidence or if he is asserting himself and claiming their kills as his own, we are uncertain. We hope we are fortunate enough to see this male even more in September.!7

8 KIKILEZI FEMALE 14 YEARS 10 MONTHS 2 FEMALE SUB-ADULT DAUGHTERS 2 YEARS 8 MONTHS 1 MALE CUB 4 MONTHS 1 FEMALE CUB 4 MONTHS WESTERN MALAMALA, WESTERN EYREFIELD, MARTHLY (7 sightings of female, 11 sightings of female and cubs, 1 sighting of female and DOKF(s), 10 sightings of DOKF(s) without female) DOKF = daughter(s) of the Kikilezi female The Kikilezi female and/or her offspring were seen on 22 days of August, during 29 sightings. The Kikilezi female taking first place, being seen on 18 of these occasions - alone on seven and with her newest litter for the remainder. The Kikilezi female and cubs were seen most often around the lower reaches of the Manyalethi River, and in the Sand River - upstream from Bicycle crossing. During one sighting with her 4 month old cubs, this trio were joined by the Kikilezi females older, 2:2 spot pattern, daughter in the Manyalethi River. We have now recorded both of her daughters spending time with their mother and half-siblings. The two older daughters of the Kikilezi female, seen on ten occasions in total during August, are now just over two and half years of age. Both of these young leopardesses are fully capable of looking after themselves, and will only spend time with their mother out of their own choice. As this is so, we will be naming them next month - watch this space. TAMBOTI FEMALE 8 YEARS 11 MONTHS WESTERN FLOCKFIELD, WESTERN MALAMALA (10 sightings) After the unfortunate loss of her cub during July, the Tamboti female was seen ten times this month - predominantly in the second half of August. During six of these occasions she was seen with/near other leopards, two with her daughter the Island female and the others - the Treehouse male. The Tamboti female was seen sharing two different kills with both of these individuals, and mating with the Treehouse male on at least three days. ISLAND FEMALE 3 YEARS 6 MONTHS WESTERN FLOCKFIELD, WESTERN MALAMALA (18 sightings) The Island female was the most viewed leopard on MalaMala during August, a title which she shares with the Kikilezi female. She spent most of her time in the small area between MalaMala main camp, Picadilly triangle and Maxim s lookout - providing much excitement to all who were fortunate to view her. In this time she was seen: mating with the Treehouse male on two days; killing, feeding on and loosing an impala (hyena), on another kill and sharing two others with her mother (the Tamboti female).!8

9 MLOWATHI FEMALE DAUGHTER OF THE MLOWATHI FEMALE NORTHWESTERN EYREFIELD (0 sightings) 9 YEARS 7 MONTHS ±3 YEARS 9 MONTHS There were no confirmed sightings during the reported period. OSTRICH KOPPIES FEMALE SON OF THE OSTRICH KOPPIES FEMALE EYREFIELD (0 sightings) 11 YEARS 8 MONTHS 2 YEARS 2 MONTHS There were no confirmed sightings during the reported period. MATSHIPIRI FEMALE 15 YEARS 10 MONTHS EASTERN MALAMALA, EASTERN EYREFIELD (1 sighting) A second month in a row we have seen the Matshapiri female, after a few months of absence. This aged individual was found on a termite mound, around Matshapiri open area crossing - not too far from where the Accipiter male was, with the remains of a duiker kill. The question is - was this a coincidence, did she loose her quarry or was she hoping to scavenge some of the remains. We are not sure what the outcome was, however tracks from her last position indicate she headed into the Hogvaal donga and in the general direction of Paddy s pools. EMSAGWENI FEMALE 6 YEARS 8 MONTHS CUB ±6 MONTHS MALAMALA (3 sightings of female, 2 sightings of female and cub, 1 sighting of her cub) Six sightings of either of these two leopards in August, the first two were of the Emsagweni and her cub were between Emsagwen and Matshapiri open area. This pairs moments were southwards. The next time the Emsagweni female was seen, she was alone - in the Mhlabatini donga. Her cub was seen alone one one occasion too, exploring the northern parts of Matshapiri open area - clearly the place it was left merely a few days prior. This was the last we saw of the cub of the Emsagweni female for the month of August. The Emsagweni female was seen on two further occasions: Buffalo Bush dam and West Street bridge. Somehow between our last two sightings of her, the Emsagweni female had been in some kind of altercation/interaction and has suffered a fairly severe blow to the eye, which is looking in particularly bad condition. Perhaps she crossed paths with the recently returned Matshapiri female?!9

10 FLOCKFIELD FEMALE 12 YEARS 4 MONTHS CENTRAL & EASTERN FLOCKFIELD, NORTHERN CHARLESTON (0 sightings) There were no confirmed sightings during the reported period. LOOKOUT FEMALE 6 YEARS 7 MONTHS MALE CUB ±9 MONTHS WESTERN FLOCKFIELD, NORTHERN CHARLESTON (2 sightings of the Lookout female, 1 of the cub, 0 sighting of the Lookout female and cub) A big sigh of relief was shared by all when the cub of the Lookout female was called in, in the last week of the month. The lookout female was seen once alone earlier in August opposite Rattray s camp, her cub alone - midway along the track which leads to hyena waterhole. The next, and last, sighting of the Lookout female was in the Kapen River where she was seen looking interested, and even going so far as stalking various herds of impala. She was however moving in the general direction to the last known position of her cub - who apparently was not where she had left him. The Lookout female began contact calling, which quickly escalated to a roar - none of which got a response. We left her entering an acacia thicket, clearly still searching for her young one. Other leopards encountered: Males: (5 sightings, 5 individuals) o There were five sightings of 5 male leopards during August, which we do not see too often or recognise: The son of the Tslebe rocks male (Kunyuma) - north of Campbell koppies with a treed klipspringer kill One male was seen with the Calabash female, around Charleston north crossing One in central Eyrefield, another in the Sand River in front of Rattray s camp An unknown male was seen with a female leopard, both of which were in close proximity to an impala carcass which the leopardess stole from a pack of cape hunting dogs Females: o The Calabash female: this female was seen around Charleston north crossing, with an unknown male and the remains of an impala kill o The Teardrop female : referred to as the teardrop female, south of MalaMala. She was seen on four confirmed occasions; two with the West street male (mated during one), as well as successfully stalking and capturing a common duiker in Charleston o There were nine sightings of female leopard which we were unable to identify: o One with the Treehouse male, another with the Accipiter male o One around the windmill, on sibuye drive, at Mlowathi dam, three in Charleston o A single female in the Sand River, downstream from Rattray s camp!10

11 Unknown cubs: o A pair of cubs were seen around Clarendon dam, on three occasions. They are about 7 months of age, and are known to our neighbours to the north. NUMBER OF DIFFERENT LEOPARDS ENCOUNTERED (approximate) AUGUST 33 CHEETAH August had a few less cheetah sightings than the average, however we were fortunate to come across the two brothers who frequent the more open areas around Clarendon dam on three occasions. These two killed an impala int he last third of the month, which they ate as much as they could before being chased off of the remains by a high number of vultures. One of the individual vultures seen was a juvenile white headed vulture, as well as a few cape vultures and the more populous, white backed vulture. NUMBER OF DIFFERENT CHEETAH ENCOUNTERED AUGUST 2 CAPE HUNTING DOGS It appears that the puppies, born in May/June, are now of the age where the adults are ready to move with them. The young ones are not hunting yet, but they are definitely more mobile and able to keep up fairly well when moving locations. As this is so, we had fourteen encounters of these animals on 13 days of the month. Five of these sightings were of the somewhat nomadic pack of three, which were seen between Dudley crossing and the northern parts of the Mlowathi - basically the north western section of the property. This leaves nine sightings, all of which were in Charleston and included individuals from a pack (22 members) which denned south of MalaMala. The smaller pack captured a warthog sow, which had recently been seen with a broken leg. While the larger pack killed two different impala - the second of which was stolen from them by a female leopard along Calabash drive. NUMBER OF DIFFERENT CAPE HUNTING DOGS ENCOUNTERED (approximate) AUGUST 25! 11

12 CAPE BUFFALO AND ELEPHANTS August, there was somewhat of a decline in the sightings of buffalo this month - possibly attributed to the fact that many of which are being chased by lion prides all over the place. We have 58 sightings of these bovines during the ninth moth of the year, which consisted of one large herd (>500 individuals), 14 smaller herds and 138 individuals. Elephant sightings however, were still plentiful - we have 102 sightings of these giant animals during August, which comprised of 11 large herd (>50 individuals), 82 herds and 15 lone bulls. OTHER INTERESTING SIGHTINGS There were countless sightings which caught a number of people s attention during August, there were many honey badger sightings (in one sighting there were four individuals within the same area), porcupine, serval, civets and ostriches. We are looking forward to next month when some of the migratory birds will hopefully start arriving back TOTAL SIGHTINGS: AUGUST 2016 LION 64 LEOPARD 107 ELEPHANT 102 BUFFALO 58 CHEETAH 3 CAPE HUNTING DOG 14!12

13 BIG 5 ANALYSIS: AUGUST 2016 LION LEOPARD ELEPHANT BUFFALO DATE ANIMALS SIGHTINGS ANIMALS SIGHTINGS ANIMALS ANIMALS SIGHTINGS LH H INDIV. LH H INDIV. SIGHTINGS TOTAL

14 KILL STATISTICS: AUGUST 2016 LION LEOPARD CAPE HUNTING DOG CHEETAH OTHER TOTAL DUIKER 1 1 KLIPSPRINGER 1 1 WARTHOG 1 1 BUSHBUCK 0 IMPALA NYALA WATERBUCK 0 WILDEBEEST 0 KUDU 2 2 ZEBRA 1 1 BUFFALO 7 7 GIRAFFE 0 OTHER 0 TOTAL