Quality cats, festive zoomies and stormy days: December at Umzolozolo
Season’s Greetings! We hope that your festive season was a time of laughter, blessings and special moments. This is your final ranger report for 2025!
Guests have traveled from far and wide with one request this month. Yes, you guessed it, the cheetah cubs. It was as if the spotted beauties knew the plan because they gave us some of the most epic sightings in December.
The youngest mother has moved her two cubs, that are now almost a year old, down into the southern region of the reserve while expertly avoiding contact with other predators and providing regular meals for her growing offspring. I remember responding to a sighting where she had killed a young kudu and then a day later she took down a juvenile ostrich. At this stage, her cubs are observing her hunts and will soon be expected to show off their skills.
The older mother of the five younger cheetah cubs is also doing very well. They are becoming more athletic in their play routine and can be seen practising the ankle tap and pinning down skills. On a few occasions this month, they were unnervingly close to the lionesses but the mother remained steadfast and alert to avoid exposing their location and risking any conflict.
A highlight from this month has to be that the southern lionesses and the dominant male lion killed a warthog close to our lodge access road. The big cats remained in the area for a few days and kept all of our guests and staff on their toes while moving around the lodge grounds. It was wild!
The two new male lions have been providing brief cameos during the course of the month. Sightings have been brief and visuals have been somewhat disappointing, however, the frequency of sightings is improving and we are confident that they are relaxing around the cruisers more and more. These two males are from Zululand and they have been introduced for genetic variation. It is our hope that once they have settled and bulked up that they will begin to interact more with the lionesses. They will need to be wary of our dominant male for a while longer as he is still in excellent health and ready to defend his territory!
Our new generation of animals have also provided us with wonderful moments. The blue wildebeest calves spend a lot of time bouncing around the plains working out their long legs and enjoying all of the space. The black-backed jackal pups are also out exploring their environment by playing on the termite mounds and pouncing on sticks in the grass. We have spotted a few blue crane chicks strolling behind their devoted parents as they learn how to forage and navigate the flooded plains. The bounty is evident all around us and we are thoroughly enjoying the opportunities it brings our way. Summer birding is always rewarding on Nambiti. Wahberg’s Eagles have been more abundant in the sky, and we have logged some interesting species including White Storks, Lesser Moorhen, Cuckoo-finch, European Roller, Booted Eagle, and Bronze-winged Courser.
Remember to pack waterproof clothing and to bring your bottles with you to help us reduce plastic and paper waste! We are looking forward to sharing memorable moments with you in the new year.
See you out there! Stay wild!
Head Guide Noleen Turner