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I've just returned from an 11-day trip to KTP and the sightings have been awesome. I've been to KTP many times before and I think this trip was my best trip yet. I stayed at Twee Rivieren a total of 6 nights and 5 nights at Kalahari Tented Camp.

Twee Rivieren
From 5-9 October temperatures were well into the 40's (centigrade that is) and most of the predator activity there around the waterholes. Around Samevloeeing, Leeudril, Houmoed there was a lot of lion activity at that time and we had one leopard sighting at Samevloeeing. From 14-15 October the temperatures were in the low 20's and we saw no big (or small) cats around Twee Rivieren.
Around Monro during both periods the suricats were very active and we had ten good sightings of them. We saw no cheetah or brown hyaena in the Twee Rivieren area.

Kalahari Tented Camp
We stayed at KTC from 9-14 October and had thirteen (13!!) good cheetah sightings in that period. We saw a total of fifteen individual cheetahs including a mother and four cubs, a mother and three cubs, a mother and two cubs and a coalition of three males. The sightings concentrated around Dalkeith and Veertiende Boorgat.On three occasions we saw them chase (but not catch) Springbok and on three occasions we saw them on a kill. One morning at Dalkeith there were three groups of cheetah there making a grand total of eleven cheetah at one single waterhole.
The first two days of our stay at KTC there was a lot of lion ativity around all the waterholes. On day three the weather changed and temperatures went down considerably. Together with the high tempertures the lions also vanished, we had no lions sightings, and saw no tracks, during the last three days at KTC
We saw two caracals near KTC. One was drinking at the KTC waterhole one evening and the other one we found early in the morning at Dalkeith.
At Sitzas waterhole we saw a brown hyaena one evening.

Besides the cats and meerkats we had nice sightings of cape cobra both at Twee Rivieren and at KTC.

I'll do a proper trip report with pictures when I get home.

Madach,

It was great meeting up again after so many years.

You surely had a great stay cant wait for the picures. I just spoke to JenB this morning and they also have had a fantastic first visit to the park with plenty sightings all around.

Great to hear you had such an awesome time, madach!

And considering the amount of cheetah madach and JenB saw, I wonder if the population is increasing in KTP?

I 'blame' the current conditions in the park. It's very dry at the moment and the game is concentrating around the waterholes. Because the prey animals are around the waterholes the cheetahs are also there. I don't think the population is growing, I think they're just more visible at the moment.

Just my 2 cents though. Maybe Gus Mills can shed some more light on the dynamics of the cheetah population in KTP?

I have discussed the issue of the amount of Cheetah Madach saw with Dr. Gus Mills and he was very impressed, iI will get a reply from him and then post it.

@ Madach, Regards to the Cheetah you saw with three cubs/youngsters could you please email me some of the pictures Dr. Mills will then get them from me.

Thanks

Just wonderful to read all this...thanks so much all for the updates!!!

Latest sightings as per the sightings boards.

Plenty lion around (Samevloeiing, Houmoed, Marie se draai, Dalkeith and Kamqua). Leoprads have also been spotted( Samevloeiing, Montrose)
Honey badger on the bottom due road and then Cheetah at and close to Mata-Mata.

Lions have been seen at:
Auchterlonie, Dertiende and veertiende boorgat, Eland and Kij Kij.
Leopard at Munro and Montrose.
Cheetah at Sitzas and Samevloeiing.

Just had a look at the sightings board.

Lions were seen at Rooibrak and Kamqua. Cheetah was also seen at Kamqua

Hi Kgalagadi Guru,

I noted from the webcam at Nossob that there's a lepard drinking water around 5:10 - 5:30 every morning. Did anyone from the camp spotted the leopard over the weekend and is it visiting the water hole regularly for a long time already?

Wonder if the guys on the ! Xerry trail have walked past the cat.

Dear All,

I would like to respond to the leopard situation.

There was a leopard caught on the Botswana side (close to the gate). The leopard was taken (translocated) to the Nossob side of the park (The reason for taking her that far was to stop a situation where she might have been killed by the farmers.

The leopard has been seen with a 11 month old cub in the area. I have NO idea where the story came from that the cub is dead. At 11 months the cub's instincts will take over and the cub is old enough to be able to look after itself. With leopards being so territorial the chances is good that the leopard will find her way back to where she came from.

The leopard which was spotted at the Nossob waterhole might have been the same one which was Translocated to the north. Regarding the !Xerry trail the trail that went out have indeed seen plenty leopard tracks around the campsite.

Thank you for the info Guru. To be honest I dont know who it is but someone posted an anonymous comment on my website with the story regarding the captured leopard. The person also mentioned that he/she visited the park recently.

Latest reports from outside camps.

BITTERPAN
Leopard has been visiting the campsite.

URIKRUUS
Leopard, Spotted Hayena and a Lionness have been visiting the camp.

MATA MATA WATERHOLE
Spotted Hayena and Brown Hayena.

SUNSETDRIVE

OWLS:GAINT;SPOTTED;WHITEFACE;PEARL SPOTTED, African Wildcat

Hendri,

Thanks for the answer, if possible I would like if you could forward me that post on the website.

The reason for asking is that somebody heard something and then they run with it without the facts and then it puts KTP in a bad light and the details which is then given is not correct.

Thanks again