This morning we have a short mokoro trip along the shores of the lake by the lodge. It was a pleasant enough experience but does not match the sunset cruise I enjoyed with Chris at Vumbura Plains in 2017. There we paddled through the channels on a most glorious evening and were privileged to watch a large herd of elephants cross 20 yards in front of us. In all honesty, no mokoro trip is ever going to match that one, which was such a fitting finale to our last holiday together. This morning it is overcast and then the wind gets up too; even photo opportunities do not really present themselves. The best I can manage are some tiny reed frogs.
We then head west to see if we can find the cheetahs and maybe even wild dogs. Luke sits on the spotter seat, eyes glued to the ground. He spots male cheetah tracks as well as lion tracks. George and Luke inspect the ground to try to ascertain the direction that the cheetah went. We head off slowly in that direction. Amy has sharp eyes and spots a cheetah lying in the grass. I look at it and it doesn’t look quite right. It’s too still and doesn’t appear to be breathing. Very sadly it has been killed. We think probably the lion found it. We get out of the vehicle and have a close look and can see that it has been bitten on the back of its neck but no other obvious signs of injury.
The guides initially think that this is Mr Special – the same cheetah that we saw alive and well last night. This is a very sad thing to see and demonstrates how tough life is for cheetahs . We don’t know what happened but maybe the lions found it. We head off in sombre mood trying to find something that might cheer us up.
We do not have to wait long. In the distance by a termite mound under a tree we spot a cheetah. We head over and take some pictures and the guides, when looking closely at the cheetah, realise that it is Mr Special. He is alive and well. Phew! The guides now think that the dead cheetah was a new male to the area. The odds are that the two cheetahs met and fought over territory – we will never know for sure.
As we head back for lunch it starts to rain. Not heavily, but enough to necessitate the donning of ponchos and protection of camera equipment. Fortunately the weather then improves and the sun is shining again for the afternoon drive. We spend time with an entertaining troop of baboons.
We continue on our drive and once more find leopard tracks but lose the spoor in the long grass. I’m beginning to think leopards do not exist and someone has a leopard foot cut-out and is planting the pawprints! There seems to be a fair bit of game around this afternoon and of course 100’s of birds.
We go back to where we saw Mr Special this morning and I am amazed that he has not moved an inch. I think this is pretty unusual behaviour and reckon the fight has taken its toll on him. Still I’m not complaining as the light is great and he sure knows how to pose!
We say goodbye to Mr Special and head off for sundowners. It’s a beautiful evening made even better by a group of elephants browsing close by while I sip my G&T. Magical.
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