LAZING LEOPARD

What could be better than witnessing a sleek, young leopard lazing in the branches of a tree with a blazing sunset in the background? This young leopard is thought to be a young male, known as the Beacon male.

REGAL RHINO

I have always thought rhinos were a bit odd looking, and actually, still do to some extent. However, since I have been watching the web cams, I have grown quite fond of rhinos and their uniqueness.


Check out this rhino's passengers - Red-billed Oxpeckers!

Can you see the Oxpecker right under the ear? Oxpeckers feed on parasites such as fleas, ticks and biting flies, so it is very beneficial to the rhinos. It's a win-win situation - the birds get to eat and the rhinos get rid of their pests. Sounds like a pretty good deal.

CURIOUS CAT

This beautiful lioness no longer has her pride, as they were killed by a coalition of male lions, the Mapogos.

Although she no longer has her pride, this lioness is doing fine on her own.

Lionesses are capable of being self-sufficient and she has been seen with small prey over the past few weeks.

Here she is watching a bird in the trees, hence the title name "Curious Cat".


Ironically, she has mated with one of the Mapogo males and in about 3 months, she should have cubs.

Pieter reckons that she is about 10 years old.

HOW TO TELL IF YOU ARE TOO CLOSE TO WILDLIFE

Thankfully, the tank was still running as this lone bull decided to investigate, and clearly was not happy with what he saw.

Back off buddy!

KARULA'S CUB

You may have read about Karula, one of Djuma's resident leopards, in an earlier post. This young leopard was identified as one of her cubs. Karula had 2 cubs in May 2007, so this cub would be coming up to a year old.



According to Pieter (one of the guides at Djuma), you can tell if a leopard is young by the face - see how her face looks kind of small and tapered like a house cat?

MISTY MAGIC

FIRE IN THE SKY

I can never get sick of the sunrises or sunsets that we see at Djuma - they are absolutely spectacular! :)

GENTLE GIANT

ANYBODY HOME?

This interesting character is a Yellow-billed Hornbill aka a "Flying Banana". On this particular morning, this "Flying Banana" was atop a termite mound having a feast.

DAY'S END

Another beautiful ending to a Monday at Djuma. Even the Pearl Spotted Owl graced us with his presence to cap the day.


Pearl Spotted Owl

WITH A TWITCH OF HER TAIL...

...Karula is spotted stalking a kudu. She sizes up the situation, but eventually backs off. Rexon reckons that the kudu might have been a bit too big for her to take down. Notice her tail up in the air? Apparently they twitch it side to side when they see something that interests them. Now you've learned one new fact for the day. ;)