Right at home

Although this may seem like a really quiet time for some, for others it is a really busy time. Life out here in the bush is an especially busy one. Basile, one of the resident female leopards around the lodge, has been moving around significantly as she still has two very hungry mouths to feed.

One of our staff members managed to locate Basile as she was moving her cubs in the direction of the lodge. She seemed quite determined to reach a specific destination. After some time, we managed to get a quick glimpse of her crossing the walkway to the rooms. We went on to investigate where she was going to.

We managed to find her, comfortably relaxing on the viewing deck of Room 3. She started calling for the cubs. We sat in silence for a few minutes and sure enough, out popped the little cubs.

After having enough of the magnificent views that Room 3 has to offer, Basile took the cubs back down into the thickets below the deck. They spent some more time in the shade, grooming and interacting with one another.

Not only was this a fantastic experience, but Basile had one more trick up her sleeve. She most certainly was leading the cubs to a specific destination. Once assessing that the area was free from any would-be scavengers, Basile got up and called for the cubs once more. Not far from the last shaded rest spot, the mother had managed to make a small nyala kill. She summoned her little ones over and invited them to join in on the feast.

These cubs are just short of six months old now. They have certainly experienced a great deal during their existence. The siblings are ferocious feeders and waste no time tucking into any meal that mom provides for them.

Written by – Cal Butler