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Hi Everyone

One of my favourites. There is a pair that lurks near the Papenfus Clock Tower in Skukuza just about every time I've driven there. After the leopard incident, I thought they would hightail it out of there but I saw them quite recently again.

There are also quite a few in the Skukuza Staff Village, one on the road past the nursery and another one is "religiously" found near the church. I can only assume he is very well behaved.



Kind regards
KNP Spokesman

What leopard incident KPSM? I know some people who live next to a church and it has not helped at all

Hi Folks

I was wondering what would happen if I happen to mention the famous Skukuza leopard incident. (OK - you can stop filling up my PM inbox ...).

At the risk of this post being moved from the White Tailed Mongoose post ...

About a year ago, a leopard was sighted in the bush between the petrol station and the emergency breakdown garage. The rangers were called in and evaluated it carefully. Because of the layout of the land and the safety of the people nearby, the rangers had to put the leopard down. To dart the leopard would have meant one angry kitty for 4 minutes (the time it takes for the drug to act) and we simply could not risk it. A leopard can cause a LOT of damage in that time.

We searched and searched but couldn't find any break in the fence, so we have assumed that it either jumped the fence (using vegetation near the fence) or it waltzed through the camp gate.

I am glad it was spotted and reported quickly.

I can remember at the time wondering whether the leopard caught the pair of WT mongooses as they will kill them on site (predator competitor).

Kind regards
KNP Spokesman

Hi all!

White-tailed mongoose was seen 1 TIME today at ORPEN cam!

The white-tailed mongoose (Ichneumia albicauda) is the largest species of mongoose.

It is found in most of Africa south of the Sahara, and the southern portion of the Arabian Peninsula.

They live in a wide range of habitats, from semi-desert to savanna woodland, but avoid moist areas, or extremely arid areas. They prefer areas of thick cover, such as the edges of forests and brushy streams.
Ichneumia albicauda is primarily nocturnal and terrestrial. By day they will rest in an abandoned burrow, termite mound, or in cavities under tree roots.

They are, for the most part, solitary creatures, with the male and female only coming together to mate.
Their legs are relatively long for a mongoose. The head is very long and narrow and tapers to a point. Its large, rounded ears are set low on the sides of the head. It has a yellow to tan coloration on its body, with long black guard hairs, giving it an overall grizzled grey appearance. The legs and arms are black from the elbow/knee down. The base of the large, bushy tail is brownish yellow, and is white on the latter half.

The white-tailed mongoose feeds mostly on insects, but will feed on a wide variety of other foods as well. Locusts, beetles, and mole crickets make up the majority of their diet. Rats, mice, shrews, lizards, snakes, small birds are also eaten, along with the occasional fruits and berries. The eggs of birds are also eaten. They will break open the egg by throwing it between its hind legs against a rock or other hard object, similar to other species of mongoose

Knowledge of the reproduction of the white tailed mongoose is incomplete. Litters are seen most frequently from February to May, and no young appear at all during the dry season from August to November, which suggests that they only breed once a year.

The young are fully weaned at nine months of age, and around this time, the young disperse. It is speculated that sexual maturity is reached before two years of age, and that the gestation period is around 60 days.

I have seen 3 in all my visits to Kruger. One on a night drive north of Lower Sabie. And two now recently on a nightdrive during the BBW near Satara.

I have had one sighting on white tailed mongoose
It was with Heksie behind the wheel driving through Paul Kruger Gate at gate opening on a rainy morning in March 2011

And it was a super exciting once in a lifetime experience! You would have laughed a lot seeing us ducking and diving and steering and taking kiekies simultaneously while trying to I'd the species as well