As another month comes to an end we remember that we are truly privileged to spend our time on Zimanga Private Game Reserve in South Africa.With every month there are sightings and experiences that the wildlife volunteers will enjoy and cherish for the rest of their lives. This month we were fortunate to witness our priority species in their natural habitat, displaying the most amazing behaviour possible.We saw both cheetah, Kalahari our male and Scarlet our female, on kills. We were very lucky to catch Kalahari with a fresh kill. He was still panting heavily which shows us how we had just missed the chase. We could then sit and watch him enjoy his prize, from start to finish. The wildlife volunteers also got to witness Scarlet on a kill in the same week, something not seen very often, which shows what a special place Zimanga really is.[caption id="attachment_7082" align="aligncenter" width="607"]
Kalahari, the male cheetah of Zimanga[/caption]One of the best sightings of the month was of our pack of 10 wild dogs. They managed to successfully hunt a female nyala just meters away from the vehicle, allowing the volunteers to witness magic right in front of their eyes.[caption id="attachment_7081" align="aligncenter" width="800"]
Wild dogs chasing a nyala[/caption]Something that is always special to see is jackal. The Zimanga team were amazed to see both black-backed jackal (Canis mesomelas) as well as the side-striped jackal (Canis adustus). Both of the sightings were truly beautiful and really exciting, especially with the two species being in the same area of Zimanaga.As the new month begins we wait for what’s in store for the wildlife volunteers and monitors alike, as Zimanga has yet to disappointed us.
Photographs by Olivier Doupagne and Graeme Stewart.Wildlife volunteers of Zimanga: Todd Markle, Olivier Doupagne, Laurent Masseau, Tieran Freedman, Tali Caspi, Fransiska Krautloher, Clement Bony, Stephane Leca, Catalina Beckhoff.
