The Big Cat Diary and a Couple of Lifers

[Flutterby]

Simply beautiful!

[Richprins]

also nature was calling heavily now

Wow, and you made it all the way back to Satara!

[Mel]

That was a really great lion sighting for Kruger And it's awesome to see how patient the males were with their offspring.
Usually you'll see them hissing at their kids as if they were the biggest nuissance on earth

Great stuff, Pumbaa

[Pumbaa]

I like this one when Dad whisper to the youngster

He treated the younger ones very gentle

I like the steenbok trying to find something to eat

Never saw that much steenbokkies as this year and I hardly cannot see any green but obviously they found always something to eat

Simply beautiful!

It was more than beautiful

[Pumbaa]

also nature was calling heavily now

Wow, and you made it all the way back to Satara!

Yip but I noticed each bump on the road

That was a really great lion sighting for Kruger And it's awesome to see how patient the males were with their offspring.
Usually you'll see them hissing at their kids as if they were the biggest nuissance on earth

Great stuff, Pumbaa

Both of the big males were very kind to all youngsters who came to them - It was amazing to see their interaction

[Pumbaa]

Tuesday, 23. February, 2016

Roads we visited that day: H1-4 – S100 – S41 – S37 – S41 – S90 – H1-4

Our last day in Satara already dawned and for us it is always extreme hard to leave this area, actually it is always hard to leave each camp and area in Kruger but for me to leave Satara is the worst goodbye each time we stay in this camp.

On our last day in Satara we normally do drive the S100 again (I know it is a cliché....) but that is simply one of our favourite roads in that area as well as the S41 and the S90 and we wanted to say goodbye to those appropriately.

In the beginning the S100 was quiet - same can be disappointingly quiet along some stretches but then you will hit the jackpot and so it was today.....After we travelled already quite a while on that road we suddenly were forced to stop as four lionesses were lying in the middle of the road.



Same were still very sleepy and were not willing to clear the road – Do not know why the first pictures came out that pink but the morning looked in fact that way.



For sure soon a traffic jam had built up but gladly none of the passengers were in a hurry and had to drive past the lionesses



and so we could enjoy them a bit longer – Although some of them still looked extreme tired





and it happened as normally when a pile of cars is meeting lions – Suddenly one of the lions stood up and preferred to have a quieter place in the grass alongside the road and when one is leaving the road it will not take long until the remaining ones will follow



and in fact the second one followed already but same was limping badly



whereas another still needed to groom



and finally all of them cleared the street



and only two of them stayed visible for us whereas the other two had already been melted together with the brown bushes and the brown grass.



For us it was already a great start into the day and we were extreme happy in having found more lions on that famous road that day and so we continued our drive but we came only a couple of meters further as there in a tree close to the road a leopard was peacefully sleeping



and there he was our very first S100 leopard of which we talked already the evening before whilst having dinner.

[Pumbaa]

Unfortunately he was blind on the left eye but still a very handsome and powerful beauty.



He was very aware of the close by lions as he always looked into that direction and the lions were well aware of the presence of this spotted beauty



but obviously nothing to worry about as he once again went back into sleeping modus



although his eyes were still wide open.



At least he did not bother about the traffic jam that soon built up but same kept within a limit for that famous area and so everybody around could enjoy the presence of the leopard extensively without moving around with the car to find an adequate spot and consequently disturb the spotted beauty.



“I am no longer there!”



Needless to say that we were once again over the moon with such an opportunity to photograph such relaxed spotted beauty which only hung around.





Sometimes it looked as if he was looking in the distance but we supposed that he was checking out whether the lionesses were still being close by in their hiding place



but soon he moved back in a more comfortable sleeping position.



to be continued......

[nan]

wow this Leopard
minus one eye...seems to be well feed

[Richprins]

Brilliant, Pumbaa!

Ja, the lionesses have to work all night, so are tired!

Nice coat on that leopard!

[Lisbeth]

Nice road block

The leopard is gorgeous and seems to cope well with one eye only