2017 seems to be a great year. I have been at Rhulani Lodge in Madikwe for about 6 weeks, went on about 7 Game Drives (in 2016), which were all great, just did not include any Leopards – as these beautiful creatures are very elusive. Mid of January 2017 I went on Game Drives with Sean again – and he found us a Leopard – twice in 3 days!
My first Leopard in Madikwe Game Reserve
I reserved myself a seat on Sean’s Game Drive and added out of fun: “Thanks in advance for finding us a Leopard and cubs”. What I learnt – be careful what you wish for … it might just happen (or at least 50% of it).
Game Drive started with Elephants, Zebras, a Buffalo and Lions
Our Game Drive started with two beautiful Elephants, some Zebras, Wildebeests with babies, a Shongololo (Millipede – that curled up on our hands), a Buffalo and a group of Lions lying underneath a tree.
We were all happy, thinking it can’t get any better.
We also had the choice between spotting Cheetahs (which were far away and needed a bit of driving time) or maybe hearing a Lion roar later in the evening. We decided to head for the Cheetahs in a different part of Madikwe Game Reserve…
Little did we know…
Who needs Cheetahs when you can have a Leopard
We were on our way to the Cheetahs, all happy and excited… but then: Change of plans – who needs Cheetahs when you can have a Leopard!
Munye, a young male Leopard, was seen in the South Western part of Madikwe - we turned around to find him.
We arrived at his territory and were looking for him for a short while. Then Munye slowly came out of the bush and strolled around – behind us, in front of us, next to us… Sean always found us the perfect spot for a Leopard photo.
We watched Munye for a little longer and then headed back to the Lions - a great end to a fun and exciting game drive at Rhulani Safari Lodge.
The Cheetahs were still found the next morning
Sean still found the Cheetahs on next day’s Morning Game Drive – so he squeezed everything in for his safari guests. Plus, 2 days after spotting Munye for the first time, we saw him again.
2 Days later – Morning Game Drive - Munye again
Two days after my last Evening Game Drive I decided to hop onto a morning game drive – that included a beautiful sunrise (a big red ball of light slowly rising over Madikwe Game Reserve) and - as a surprise - we also saw Munye again.
This time he was hiding in a bush, eating its kill from last night – a young Blue Wildebeest.
Thanks, Sean, for finding us a Leopard – twice in 3 days (or actually, it’s 3 times in 5 days … as Munye showed up again 2 days later … coming real close and walking around the Landcruiser … I haven’t been on that drive, though…)
Next, we’re going to find the Leopard cubs…
You can watch the short video of Munye strolling through the Madikwe bush before hiding away again.
Content: Dagmar Roscher
Photos: Sean, Dagmar
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