The Big 5 Archives – Kwambili Safari Lodge

KwaMbili Game Lodge - Hoedspruit - Greater Kruger Park - Big 5 Reserve - South Africa

Elephants in the water

Posted on 3rd July 2019 by liek@outinafrica.com

While out on game drive one afternoon we stopped at a herd of elephants. The young bulls were playing and the rest of the herd were grazing and breaking branches or swimming in a dam. Suddenly one young elephant calf…
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Dagga Boys

Posted on 11th June 2019 by liek@outinafrica.com

We refer to solitary old buffalo bulls as Dagga Boys (dagga meaning mud) because the majority of the time that one sees them they are not far from water or even in the water! And this is not only for…
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The life of sub-adult…

Posted on 4th June 20194th June 2019 by liek@outinafrica.com

It’s been great to watch these two young lions growing up over the past two years, especially their early interaction with their mother and her sisters, acting like big kittens, showing such love and so carefree. That is until the…
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Deformed tusks

Posted on 15th April 2019 by liek@outinafrica.com

Consider how important an elephants’ tusks are to them. They allow them to tear bark off trees to eat, reach down and dig up small bulbs that may be just under the ground and break big branches off to get…
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Elephants in musth

Posted on 8th April 2019 by liek@outinafrica.com

Elephant bulls can be very aggressive when they are in musth (i.e. ready to mate) and one must keep a safe distance from them. But how do you know that you are dealing with an elephant bull in musth? Firstly…
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Getting ready for the…

Posted on 4th March 2019 by liek@outinafrica.com

Thornybush Nature Reserve has a strong healthy population of lions. Our frequent sightings allow us to gain a greater understanding into their habits and abilities. As we know lions are renowned for sleeping a lot but all this snoozing can…
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New lion dynamics

Posted on 4th March 2019 by liek@outinafrica.com

The old alpha lioness of the northern pride who broke away from her pride when she did not return after having a litter of cubs has now joined up with her adult daughter. The alpha female has four cubs from…
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New leopard in town

Posted on 11th February 201911th February 2019 by liek@outinafrica.com

Fairly recently a new male leopard moved into Thornybush and we were lucky enough to see him quite well. He is originally from the Sabi Sand area and has made his way right up here. At the moment he controls…
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The Cape Buffalo

Posted on 22nd January 2019 by liek@outinafrica.com

The African Buffalo or Cape Buffalo (Syncerus caffer) is a large horned bovid. It is one of the Big Five, a term originally coined by big-game hunters to refer to the five most difficult animals in Africa to hunt on…
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R.I.P. Twin Spots

Posted on 14th January 2019 by liek@outinafrica.com

R.I.P. Twin Spots For years we have been reporting on our resident female leopard we called Twin Spots (because of her symmetrical facial markings). Now she has been found dead, probably as a result of a fight with another leopard.…
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