Impala kill, dogs and much more...

Went off with Owen early morning... two males and four females of Two forests pride are very close to a small buffalo's herd around one hundred strong... Lions are awake but they do not move... we wait, full of hope but nothing happens... the two last buffs even walked within 4 meters from the lions without seeing them but the lions did not move.... maybe it is too hot already or these lions are just dumb.... I go for the first answer but just because we saw already what this pride can do to buffs..

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Kahimba called me to tell that a pack of dogs was resting close to mdonya and so we decided to go there briefly.. but plans in this part of the world never go accordingly.. We spotted Ten, Owen's favorite pride on the other side of the river... all the cats are in the river bed except one in a bush on the bank.
We decided to stay... Impalas are coming down to drink. The herd moved quite fast and reached the bank past the lone lioness in few minutes but she did not move... the impalas went down, slowly, one by one as they always do.. afraid of every sound, hesitating like teenagers at their first date... the lioness waits, waits them to be all down, waits them to be comfortable. Once they are down she still does not move. Owen is rolling, I did not even take the camera... for a change a want to see what happens without worrying about exposure and focusing
One impala ewe slowly finishes drinking... the seconds seem minutes... she walks towards the bank... the lioness walks fast and low to the closest bush up the bank.. the ewe walks up unaware and in a sudden is too late...
The lioness bolts out of cover just above the impala, the ewe tries to turn but there is no time, the cat hits her and they roll down the bank in a huge bowl of dust. Out of the dust the ewe reappears she is falling belly up, just after her the lioness materializes in a lighting of yellow fur and white jaws. She closes her long canines around the exposed neck of the impala... and life shifts away from the beautiful ewe..
I less then 2 seconds all the other arrives transforming a skilled piece of hunting, almost a piece of art into a gruesome tug of war for the last piece of meat.
I decided to go and have a look to the dogs so I left Owen and drove to mdonya, we spotted another pride of lions in the shade, they were looking at zebras so I called Owen and went on with my dog's chase...
It was so nice... 6 adults and six pups... super beautiful...
They were a bit shy but I did not approach close so I could observe them for long time. They are special animals, stunning and intelligent... I have been waiting all this season to be able to have a nice dogs sighting like this... Joy!!
Some adults are very white, others very black, the pups are a mixed cute bunch of furry balls with legs.
When I left them they were still in the same position, nothing changed for them but I was a lot happier then before seeing them..

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On the way back to Owen we got Evander and Holy checking giraffes at w7.. the 2 lioness were under an euphorbia on high ground looking for anything coming down. Buffaloes were not far but they are not buffs hunters and I wanted to go to the river drive so we went off. We got other two lions at the old airstrip and eventually I jumped in Owen's car again.
We kept checking on the three prides in the river drive... Three lioness of Ten pride walked into the river bed as buffaloes started pouring in from the other side... the cats looked interest but they did not move closer really... the buffs drunk and walked off.. We checked then Two forests pride a we could find only one male.. fresh tracks of the others were heading on the trail left by buffs, we started tracking them but we lost the spoors in thick bush and had no time so we leaped forward to join with the trailing edge of the buffalo's herd. We found the buffs but no cats... so off we went again to the last pride in the first forest..they were looking at giraffe but then the giraffe walked away so they went back to sleep... and went off again, now to w7 looking for possible interaction beetween the buffs and male lions that were seen in the morning... but nothing happened so we had a look to Evander and Holy and went to camp after an incredible, fantastic, astounding and hectic day in this insane place...

Last drive

I brought my last guests to the airstrip today. We started early, our target... leopard. I think we looked in every tree in sokwe and ikuka forest but not even the shadow of the spotted cat.
We looked and looked and looked again but nothing. We had breakfast at w7 under the sycamore figs and I explained to guest about the specific fig wasp that pollinates this majestic tree laying eggs inside the fruit. I cut a fig to show them better that it is a fruit and a flower together and to show the the dead wasp that are many often found inside. To my pure joy instead of a dead wasp many alive ones started flying off, the fig wasp with the short ovopositor, the parasitic wasps, metallic green with a long ovopositor and the second parasitic wasp still with the long ovopositor but pale yellow.
They would climb on my fingers and there stretch the wings and unfold them getting ready to fly... it was a stunning show.
After that we spotted a huge herd of buffs close to w7, they were all in the river bed, a wonderful black cloud moving towards water.
Lions were more difficult but at least we had a couple of sighting even if a bit far from the road.
Now I handing the camp over to my friend Steve, we had a nice drive together in the afternoon, no cats but nice light.

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Painted hunting dogs

We are after cheetah today, some guests never saw one and really dream of seeing one. We went to mbagi and lulenga juu because I reckon that the ones we saw the other day must be in the area.... we could not find them but we found Kipunji pride at the bridge... 22 lions together is always a good sighting in a way but they were in the sand of the river and most of them sleeping so after a while we left to look for new adventures.... we went all the way around... to makutano and then second forest and as we were at the edge of the first forest I was told about a cheetah sighting... the 4 of the other day... they killed an impala at lulenga juu... they arrived where I thought just later then I thought... we hurried there and found all of them still busy feeding on the bloody carcass. Guests were chaffed and I was happy... the cats were a great sighting... they fed to the last bit of meat available, constantly checking the surrounding for unwanted predators... constantly relieved not to see one... almost surprised not to see one...
They had all the time to finish their huge meal and we had plenty time to watch them few meters apart in a nice open area.... super...
The day would have been special enough like that but I got a call from outside the park... wild dogs (better called painted hunting dogs) were spotted ten kilometers outside the gate of the park.... so we discussed with guests and decided to go just after lunch... and so we went.. the drive was long... too long and uncomfortable but the reward was big... the dogs were by the side of the road but very shy and soon moved more inside... they were quite difficult to see and so we went back and forth to get a better view. Eventually they disappeared in the undergrowth of the commiphora forest... was not a great sighting of dogs but a sighting of dogs is always great... and was the first of the season....
On the way back we had lions feeding on a zebra fowl... the big male of the kwihala pride holding onto a carcass that he probably stole from the females..

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