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On our recent trip to Phinda Private Game Reserve, some of my cousins were getting ready to be translocated to Zululand Rhino Reserve. Before they could be moved there, they had to be tested for the dreaded Bovine TB! The vets did some tests and we all waited nervously for the results! Luckily, all three of my Phinda cousins were TB free which was a big relief! Just a little bit of info about Bovine TB in lions below!

Bovine tuberculosis is a chronic bacterial disease of cattle that can sometimes affect other mammals. Cattle are the primary hosts for Mycobacterium bovis, but other wild mammals can also be infected. Warthogs, large cats (including lions, tigers, leopards, and cheetahs) and several species of rodents are commonly affected, however most mammals are susceptible to catching the disease. Lions generally contract the disease through ingesting infected prey such as buffalo or warthog.

In cats, the symptoms of Bovine TB may include weight loss, a persistent or fluctuating fever, dehydration, decreased appetite and possibly periods of vomiting or diarrhea. If the respiratory tract is affected, the cat may have coughing and difficulty breathing. Respiratory failure may occur with exercise. Skin infections are also common in cats, and may appear as a soft swelling or flat ulcer, most often on the face, neck or shoulders. In its rare form, Bovine TB may cause eye infection, detachment of the retina and eventual blindness.

In live lions, tuberculosis is usually diagnosed in the field with the tuberculin skin test. In this test, tuberculin is injected intradermally – a positive test is indicated by a delayed swelling. The test is usually carried out on the side of the neck. To obtain results that are valid, the hair is clipped around the injection site, an accurate injection of the tuberculin is given and careful pre- and post-inoculation skin thickness measurements are made. The tuberculin test can be performed using bovine tuberculin alone, or as a comparative test that distinguishes reactions to Mycobacterium bovis from reactions to environmental mycobacteria.

Bovine tuberculosis is usually controlled by test-and-euthanize. Affected prides are re-tested periodically to eliminate lions that may shed the organism; the tuberculin test is generally used. Infected prides are usually quarantined; however, test-and-euthanize techniques are guaranteed to eradicate tuberculosis from animals.



Meerkats, a small mammal and member of the mongoose family are most commonly found in Southern Africa particularly in Botswana and the Kalahari Desert. The name meerkat is an Afrikaans word meaning ”lake or marsh cat”. Meerkats have an average lifespan of 12-14 years.

It is a small diurnal (active during the day) mongoose with females averaging about 720 grams and males 730 grams. The meerkat is approximately 30 centimetres in length with an added tail length of about 20 centimetres. Unlike other mongoose species, the tail of a meerkat is not bushy but long and thin and tapers to a black or dark brown/red tip. The tail is incredibly useful for balancing when standing up.

Their diet consists mainly of insects but they will also eat scorpions, spiders lizards, snakes and, more rarely small birds. They are immune to many types of venom including that of a cobra. They have no excess body fat so foraging for food is a daily necessity. When foraging for food, one member of the meerkat clan stays guard and keeps watch for predators. The meerkat on guard will make peeping sounds when all is well but if danger is sensed, it will whistle or bark loudly.

The meerkat becomes sexually active at the age of one and produces about 3 pups in a litter. Wild meerkats may have up to 4 litters per year and can reproduce at any time of the year but the majority of births occur in the warmer seasons.

Meerkats are very social, living in colonies averaging 20-30 members. They are small burrowing animals and live in large underground burrows with multiple entrances. They are also known to share their burrows with the Yellow Mongoose and Ground Squirrel, with whom they do not compete for resources.

During our stay at Phinda Private Game Reserve, Roger, Pat, Sarah and I went to visit a local sangoma Mrs Gumede to find out if she ever experienced lions in any of her visions when contacting the spirits or  ancestors.  She said that while she did not use or conjure up these big cats during her divining she did have the image of a lion on some of her sarongs to represent power and strength.. Other sarongs depicted pictures of King Zwelithini of the Zulu and King Mswati of the Swazi, which had similar connotations of status as both of these kings have praise names associated with the bravery  and majesty of a lion.   . It was a very interesting visit which Pat managed to catch on video, while Roger took some pictures of the visit. Check out the video below!

Tswalu Kalahari Game Reserve has given us some good lion sightings so far but nothing quite as special as what we saw this morning. Notoriously dangerous to lions and feared by all great hunters, the meerkat is in a league of its own. Nimble on its feet, one could be out hunting and who should show up to spoil the occasion but the meerkat, right in the way ready to trip one up and destroy any chance of catching dinner. The meerkat and I were not close friends! However, today I was astounded to learn about how bright and together they are! From burrowing to warming themselves in the sun due to loss of body fat at night, i have a new found respect for these little guys! Not to mention they are rather cute. Not nearly as good looking as yours truly but not bad! I managed to sneak in and and get a few pics with them which I have uploaded onto my Facebook page but in the meantime, check out the shot Sarah managed to get below!

After a disappointing mornings game drive in the Timbavati, Roger, Pat, Sarah and I were getting ready to go out on our evening drive when we heard about a zebra carcass that had been spotted. Hoping that it had been killed by lions, and, assuming they would be returning to feed, we hauled ourselves into our vehicle and shot off through the bush. On arrival at Addgar dam we spotted a few vultures making a hell of a racket over something, which turned out to be our zebra carcass! So, after lots of manoeuvring of the vehicle by Roger, we settled down to wait for the lions.

Well, I did anyway! Roger, Pat and Sarah thought for some reason that this was prime photography time and started snapping away at the vultures! A photo of this lot would be enough to put anybody off their supper! After awhile, we decided it was the right time for sundowners and started on a bottle of wine. There was much disappointment all around when we discovered that in our hurry to get there, we had forgotten to pack the snacks (mixed nuts and biltong…my favourite!). Armed with our wine, we settled in to wait for the lions. By now it was dark and we occasionally shone the spotlight around the vehicle to keep a lookout for any approaching big cats. There was nothing. Eventually we spotted some hyenas, sceptically making their way toward the carcass. We hastily set up some spotlights to catch them as they came closer, but they were certainly taking forever to arrive. It was getting late and we were all hungry so we agreed to call it a day and set off back to camp. A rather uneventful evening but the vultures provided some entertainment with their comedy act! For more info on our book visit www.africanlions.co.za. Check out the video below which Roger managed to catch on his Nikon D7000

During our endless search for lions at Phinda (and I must say we were very lucky with how many we found), Roger, Pat, Sarah and I stumbled upon a female cheetah and her cubs. We sat and watched them for a while then moved off to try and find more lions. On our return to camp, we decided to have another look for the cheetah mom and her family and thanks to our ranger’s sharp eyes we found them. Check out the video below in which Sarah reports on the full story! Very cute cubs I must say!

During one of our many game drives at Phinda, Roger, Pat, Sarah and I were up early looking for lions when we heard about a wildebeest believed to have been killed by a pride of three. We arrived to find a lioness that had just finished breakfast, cleaning herself a few meters from the carcass. There wasn’t much action which was a little disappointing on the photographic front but I enjoyed conversing with my cousin! We decided to follow her through the bush for a while but she managed to slip into one of the drainage lines for a snooze in the cool shade. I don’t blame her, that’s where you’d find me on a hot day in Africa! Our ranger, Barry, suggested we come back in the evening when hopefully we’d see the lioness feeding and also see the other lions which have been sighted before we arrived. We set of back off to camp dreaming of breakfast and a cheeky snooze.

On arrival back at the carcass, we were frustrated to find not a single lion there…….if it had been a little fresher, I might have had a little nibble myself but I didn’t want to risk a tummy ache! We drove back to where we had followed the lioness into the drainage line and sure enough there was one of the lionesses making her way towards the carcass, closely followed by a male lion and then eventually by the second lioness. We shot over to the carcass and watched as they tucked in! Sarah managed to catch some excellent video footage of the feeding and then of one of the lionesses cleaning herself afterwards.

For more info on our (my) book check out www.africanlions.co.za

Well, about time! The boat, waaaayyyyy smaller than we had imagined, finally arrived and we can begin work getting it seaworthy and ready for the expedition. Man, it’s hot here! (Did I mention that?) And the party scene is, er, invigorating. Have a look here for a detailed account of the past few days and lot’s of pix.

The lovely ladies in Manaus love an African Lion!