The MalaMala Wildlife CyberDiary

MalaMala Diary Entry: 24 February, 1998

Impala lambs are now approximately four months old and becoming more and more difficult for the predators to catch. When very young, impala are naive and fall easy prey to almost all predators - from the martial eagle to the lion. In order to somewhat reduce this predation, impala ewes will drop the lambs within only a few days, so effectively reducing the overall phase of vulnerability, utilising the fact that the predators will at any one time only be able to catch a certain number of these vulnerable youngsters. Another dramatic time for the impalas will soon be approaching, this being the rutting season when males fight for territory in order to keep as many females as possible and keep all other males out. Such a time is one of high stress when lions and other predators find these preoccupied males easy prey and males fight among themselves, eating poorly and fighting with each other, sometimes to the point of death.

The past few weeks have seen some good cheetah viewing on Mala Mala, this mainly from two groups of four - the one a female with three approximately five-month-old cubs, the other an adult female with three youngsters of at least eighteen months of age. Between these two cheetah groups at least four antelope have been killed within the past few days, namely three impala and one duiker. The cheetah had the fortune of having none of these stolen from them by any of the larger competing predators such as lions, leopards and hyaena, something which happens very frequently to these somewhat weaker cats.

At this time of year when there is ample water around, hippos wander great distances from rivers in search of grazing. It is not unexpected to discover them in small well-shaded pans during the heat of the day when their sensitive skins can be severly damaged by the fierce African sun. Hippos typically move out of the water only at night when they wander off in search of grazing.