I had never been to the Central Kalahari Game Reserve before, and so I really was not sure what to expect. The truth is that you cannot really explain fairly how the “fairy Bushman grass” dances and glows in the light and to the tune of the desert winds, or the vastness, or the magic of what was once a massive inland sea. Although, one thing I can explain fully is the fact that the desert wind was unbelievably cold for our visit. We had the misfortune of arriving at Kalahari Plains Camp at the same time as a cold front, which had just swept through South Africa heralding the end of the World Cup. Although it was cold enough for me to get dressed in bed, we made our way to the early morning fire set in front of the main area of camp where we thawed out with a cup of coffee. Whilst we were remarking on how quiet the night had been for animal sounds, the roar of a lion interrupted us. Another lion accompanied him and both were clearly visible on the plain. We headed out and Mike was just in time to get a pre-dawn shot of the two magnificent beasts walking in front of camp.

That then was the start of one of the coldest, but most rewarding, game viewing days of my life. With the icy cold came clarity of colour in the pale blue sky of the Kalahari that is a delight to any photographer. Aside from massive herds of springbok and oryx, honey badgers, giraffe, red hartebeest, kudu, steenbok and warthog, we managed to get the closest I have ever been to a juvenile Martial Eagle.

But that was not the end of it. We took a drive down to Letiahau Pan where we came across a brown hyaena feeding off the remains of a dead lion. Two days earlier, a territorial battle had ensued and two lions had succumbed. That was the second kill we witnessed that day; the first was a lanner falcon on a Hornbill and the final one was a pale chanting goshawk on a black korhaan kill.

Of course the birds were spectacular too and our special sightings included an ant-eating chat and swallow-tailed bee-eaters. Lots and lots of pale chanting goshawks (affectionately known as PCGs) are a feature of the area.

During our three-day stay, we found what we believe was the black-maned lion responsible for the territorial fight. He was strolling along with a lioness and two sub-adults. It was a fabulous sighting of what we considered THE perfect black-maned lion of the Central Kalahari. We also saw bat-eared foxes and an aardwolf up towards Deception Valley.

The weather finally warmed up so we could do the cultural walk with two Bushmen or San people, which is an activity I can recommend to anyone. We were fascinated when they demonstrated how to catch a spring hare using their elongated reed sticks that had a hook on the end made from the horn of a steenbok. They also demonstrated how they read the signs of the wilderness as well as their tracking and fire-making skills.

After a fantastic three days, we agreed that it would be our wish to make a pilgrimage to the Central Kalahari Game Reserve at least once a year – it is that special. We also agreed that our future visits will not be less than three nights at a time as that way we will be able to cover a larger territory and to get a better feel for the Reserve.

Our thanks to Basha, Russel and the team at Kalahari Plains who made our stay so memorable.

Date:  26 July 2010

Observer: Russell Crossey

We had the most incredible cheetah experience on 26 July.

It began with lions calling around camp at dawn. We headed out hoping to find the two big pride males. Just after leaving camp we spotted an adult female cheetah and her small cub. The cub was very small and still had its honey badger-like pelage – just a few months old. This mimicry of the honey badger is thought to make potential predators confuse the helpless cub with a pugnacious badger.  The cub was full of fun and energy and charged back and forth, ambushing its mother. It could barely contain its excitement on the perfect Kalahari winter’s morning.

The sleek, waspish waist of the adult cheetah indicated that she was hungry.  She walked up a slight ridge and froze. The baby immediately took its cue and vanished from sight. A springbok ram was grazing contentedly about 50 metres to the north and on the downwind side.  The cheetah exploded from the cover of a small bush and stormed at the unsuspecting antelope.  The chase was over in seconds and when the dust settled, the cat had her jaws firmly clamped on the springbok’s throat while its limbs thrashed in vain. This all happened in the middle of a vast plain, not more than 50 metres from our vehicles.

Once the cheetah had suffocated the ram, she began the laborious task of dragging it toward the nearest cover – a small green shepherd’s bush about 40 metres away. She was very alert and kept dropping the carcass and scanning the surroundings. About ten metres from the bush she found herself besieged by a trio of shrieking pied crows. She dropped the carcass and retreated to the bush and kept a close eye on proceedings.

When nothing appeared as a result of the crows’ alarming, she began calling the cub with a high-pitched bird-like sound. The cub came running across the plain to join its mother. It was at least an hour before the female was satisfied that the coast was clear. She returned to drag the carcass to the bush and the two fed for the rest of the day.

The dawn was greeted by a cacophony of excited jackal calls alerting us to the fact that the carcass had been discovered by other predators. We arrived just in time to see a leopard leaving the scene – apparently he had appropriated the carcass sometime that night.

The rainwater-fed waterhole in front of camp is really coming into its own now as the dry season progresses. Every day we see more and more game arriving on the plain in front of camp. There are still scores of springbok and oryx on the plain right throughout the day. As usual one can also often count as many as eight honey badgers scattered across the open area. Groups of red hartebeest are also beginning to appear in greater numbers.

The real action however has been with the cats. It all began on Friday 11 June when Frances and his guests witnessed four cheetah kill and eat a steenbok very close to their vehicle. Two mornings later, while Willie was doing the early morning wake-up, he came across a leopard that had just killed a springbok. The leopard dragged its prey under Room 10 and proceeded to feed. Some jackals close by began to alarm call and we were sure that the lions would show up as they did the last time there was a kill near camp. The leopard must have known this and as soon as the dawn broke, she dragged the carcass deeper under Room 10 and disappeared from view. 

Sure enough, as soon as we left camp on game drive, we came across the Plains Pride. They (two adult males and three adult females) were making a beeline for the camp. The females were, however, distracted by some oryx which they began stalking but the males continued to the waterhole for a drink. They walked right by Room 10 without noticing the carcass and after drinking they returned to the females. The females had failed in the hunt and the pride then disappeared toward the south.

That evening things really got interesting. Shortly after 19h00, we saw two leopard making their way towards Room 10. The female who had made the kill was returning with her sub-adult cub. They went straight to the carcass and continued feeding.

A while later, the staff were having dinner behind the camp and the female appeared, apparently thirsty. She went to a small puddle in the shadows, passing just five metres from the table and completely ignoring everyone. A few moments later, she reappeared with her cub and they both passed within metres of us again. We collected the guests who were thrilled to see the pair so close – we all stood in a huddle enjoying the spectacle. The leopards then moved onto the deck in front of the curio shop and then onto the pool deck. It was breathtaking stuff and the guests were beside themselves with excitement. We left the cats moving off into the dark.

By 23h00, the lions had finally picked up the scent. They arrived and polished off the remains of the carcass. 

Our guests left the next morning, totally blown away by the Kalahari as the lions roared all around camp as we left for the airstrip. On our return, we found the ladies raving. The camp staff were again entertained by the leopard who came into camp at about 08h00 and spent most of the morning sleeping under the deck.